Meralco employees bring ‘power packs’ to public schools

Employees of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) come together to bring joy to thousands of public school students in the Meralco franchise area.

Since July, volunteers from various offices of the Philippines’ largest electric company have been visiting public schools in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal and Batangas to distribute “Power Pack” kits donated by more than 2,000 employees through a campaign launched by the company’s corporate social responsibility arm, One Meralco Foundation. This is part of the foundation’s annual Makabayan Volunteerism Program (MVP) and in celebration of the birthday of Meralco Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Each kit consists of a lunch box, a spoon-and-fork set, a tumbler and a nutrition guide -- all contained in a specially designed thermal bag.

OMF launched the campaign in May to help address the need of students, especially in underserved communities, for a safe and sanitary way of storing their take-out lunch. Many school children in poor villages simply pack their food in plastic bags, increasing the risk of spoilage and contamination.

The Foundation hopes to benefit at least 5,500 students in 50 public schools.