Following heavy southwest monsoon rains (Habagat), the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco) — the Philippines' largest electric power distribution utility — and its corporate social responsibility arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), mobilized rapid disaster response operations together with local government partners across communities in Bulacan and Cavite. The Habagat is an annually recurring monsoon pattern that typically brings prolonged heavy rains from June to September, and the Philippines consistently ranks among the most disaster-prone countries in the world.

Severe flooding and high tides disrupted daily life and rendered roads impassable, leaving families struggling to leave their homes and secure basic necessities. Low-lying, tide-affected towns such as Hagonoy and Calumpit in Bulacan are among the communities that regularly endure deep monsoon floods, which worsen when high tides keep rain-swollen waters from draining. Working with disaster response partners — including Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN), Meralco business centers, Meralco's animal welfare initiative CATropa, and local governments — the initiative reached 2,500 affected families across the municipalities of San Miguel, Balagtas, Calumpit, and Hagonoy in Bulacan; Bacoor City and Tanza in Cavite; and San Mateo in Rizal. Distribution efforts will continue over the coming days.

In Balagtas, Bulacan, OMF and the Meralco Balagtas Business Center partnered with the municipal government led by Mayor Andy “Andrews” Santiago. Teams waded through deep waters aggravated by high tide to deliver food packs directly to the doorsteps of residents stranded in Barangay San Juan.

“Maraming salamat po sa One Meralco Foundation sa inyong ipinagkaloob na relief goods para sa ating mga kababayan,” Mayor Santiago said. “Malaking tulong po ito sa ating mga pamilyang nangangailangan. Maraming salamat po sa inyong malasakit at pakikiisa.”

In Hagonoy, Bulacan, a joint relief effort grew out of a resident-led initiative after community coordinator Gelvien Montalla reached out to OMF online to seek help for his community. OMF's swift response brought immediate relief to families whose livelihoods had been disrupted by the deep floods. Lilibeth Roberto, a single mother caring for a child with a disability, shared how the flooding halted the operations of her small eatery. “Malaking bagay [itong relief] dahil wala akong kabuhayan ngayon,” Roberto said.

Relief operations also extended to evacuation sites and frontline responders. In Bacoor City, Cavite, OMF and the Meralco Bacoor Business Center provided relief packs to families evacuated from Barangays Aniban 1, Aniban 2, and Ligas 1, as well as to municipal traffic enforcers whose own homes had been submerged by floods. Additional food supplies were turned over to Bacoor City Mayor Strike B. Revilla for distribution across other affected barangays.

Meanwhile, OMF and the Meralco Rosario Business Center worked with the local government of Tanza, Cavite, led by Mayor Archangelo Matro, to help distribute relief packs to affected residents.

OMF also collaborated with the local government of Calumpit, where Vice-Mayor Zacarias “Doc Zar” Candelaria joined the effort alongside the Meralco Malolos Business Center. In Barangay Balungao in Calumpit, OMF, together with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and CATropa, provided relief packs with rice for families and supplies for pets, with volunteers wading through floods to reach those in need.

Volunteers from MGEN's MTerra Solar — the group's large-scale solar and battery storage development in Central Luzon — and MGEN Renewables Bulacan Solar distributed relief packs to disaster-hit residents of San Miguel, Bulacan. In Marikina City, residents of Barangay Guinayang also received relief packs from OMF and the Meralco Marikina Business Center.

The initiative forms part of OMF's broader disaster response efforts to deliver immediate relief to affected communities. The foundation has regularly mounted relief operations after typhoons and floods, alongside long-running programs that extend electricity to remote, off-grid communities.

“In times of disaster, our responsibility to communities extends far beyond restoring physical light — it is about restoring hope. As heavy rains and the Habagat disrupt lives across the nation, we remain steadfast in our commitment to stand by our fellow Filipinos when they need us most,” OMF President Jeffrey Tarayao said.