MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Electric power distribution company Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is among the top winners in the 19th Philippine Quill Awards, with 22 awards for programs demonstrating excellence in its pandemic response communications centered on public welfare.
Recognized for its internal and external communication programs, the Meralco Group exemplified purposeful communications that made a significant impact on the lives of its stakeholders amidst the ongoing fight against Covid-19.
“We have always been committed to creating programs that will help and empower the public in addressing challenges in their day-to-day lives, which continued on despite the pandemic. The challenge actually invigorated our people to strive harder because we understand how crucial electricity service is during all those months of lockdown, and work from home and online distance learning set-ups,” said Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga.
“To be recognized for these is truly an honor and one that pushes us to develop and implement more programs that provide benefits for the public good,” he added.
Topping the list of Meralco’s winning entries are pandemic response communication programs centered on health and safety, customer-centric initiatives, service excellence, and stakeholder engagement.
These include the company’s communication campaign on “Unwavering Service and Malasakit amid the Pandemic and May-June 2021 Power Shortage” which focused on providing relentless and 24/7 assistance to customers in need, as well as continued extensions of no disconnection and expanded installment payment arrangements for those affected financially by the pandemic. The company also won for its energy efficiency campaign for the summer months called “Providing Consumers the Power During Summer.” Meralco was also recognized for its initiative to suspend collection of certain costs from business customers, under the “Safeguard the Economy at All Costs by Waiving Energy Demand Charge” program.
One Meralco Foundation (OMF) bagged awards for its community efforts through the “Household Electrification Program: Powering-Up Communities Amidst the Pandemic” and “Meralco One for Trees: Helping Farmers Survive the Pandemic through Sustainable Reforestation.”
Meralco also ensured its external stakeholders are safe and informed despite the pandemic through “Meralco Power Up Live,” “Meralco Corporate Partners Viber Community,” “Meralco’s Facebook Page,” virtual “Quarterly Operating and Financial Media Briefings,” and “Putting Things in Perspective” campaign to communicate the upward trends of power rates in 2021. Meralco also upgraded its customer payment process via the “Fitting the Bill: Meralco makes paying bills easier with the Customer Account Number.” “Meralco’s 2020 Corporate Reports (Power On, Live Life and Give Hope)” was again recognized, after its win at the recently concluded Gold Quill Awards.
Meralco also fronted a safety communications campaign called “Safety First: Empowering Enterprises to Fight an Invisible Enemy.” The company also made sure its employees were protected, healthy, and equipped with helpful information with “#AyokoMagViral: A Meralco internal campaign against Covid-19” and “Biyaheng Meralco: A Virtual Townhall with our CEO.”
Meralco PowerGen Corporation subsidiary Atimonan One Energy, Inc. was also recognized for its pandemic response programs benefitting its host community, namely: “Kaisa sa Kabuhayan: Aplaya Sardines Enterprise with Atimonan Fisherfolks” and “Kaisa sa Kalusugan radio health program”.
Meralco’s “Customer Experience Index (CXI): The Case of Meralco Business Center” is one of the only three winners that made the cut in the communication research category. Other winning entries of Meralco include “Stronger Together-The 2020 MVP Academic Achievement Awards Virtual Ceremony,” “MVP: The Man and His Art – A Visual Inventory of Filipino Artistry Gracing the Halls of Philippines’ Major Companies,” and the campaign to launch the Meralco push towards sustainable transportation with “Electric Motorcycle Deployment for Meralco Business Center Field Representatives” campaign.
Organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, the Philippine Quill Awards is considered the country’s most prestigious awards program in the field of business communication – emphasizing the excellent use of communication in achieving goals and in making a difference in society.
“For as long as I have been involved with the Quills, Meralco has always been a beacon of communications excellence. Meralco is a communicator that prioritizes its role as a mover, a force for good, in Philippine society,” IABC President Belle Tiongco said.
“That’s a mindset, I believe, that organizations should emulate so that communications can really be a platform for national development. Mabuhay Meralco, for your performance in this year’s Quills,” she added.
The Quills are bestowed to companies, organizations, and institutions for the use of excellent communication programs, research, learning and development, and skills to achieve business goals and make a difference in society. This year’s awardees come from a crop of more than 800 entries, which is the highest in Quill history. The 19th Philippine Quill Awards ceremony will take place in July 2022.
