A MERALCO PUBLICATION I SEPTEMBER 2019 FREDERICK GO MARIO PAGUIO PRESIDENT and CEO PRESIDENT and GM ROBINSONS LAND CORP. LANDEV CORP. TOWERING ACHIEVEMENTS 2 MERALCO POWERCLUB SEPTEMBER 2019 MESSAGES CHANGE IS IN THE AIR Systems and institutions endure, but focusing on sustainability to chart the future not because they are strong, states former of their businesses, and of the country. trader and risk analyst Nassim Nicholas RLC’s master-planned crown jewel Taleb in his book, Antifragile: Things development on the borders of Pasig and That Gain From Disorder. “Antifragile” Quezon City, Bridgetowne, is envisioned institutions gain strength from repeated as a live-play-work community, where stress, disruption, and upheaval. everything is within easy reach for its As a 116-year-old business, Meralco residents and nearby communities. has certainly weathered every kind of Landev, meanwhile, is securing LEED disruption. War. Economic downturns. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental VICTOR S. GENUINO Political upheavals. Social changes. Design) certification for all the buildings FIRST VICE PRESIDENT AND HEAD, Technological revolutions. and schools under the YGC Group, future- CUSTOMER RETAIL SERVICES AND Through all that, we not only survive, proofing them through energy efficiency. CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS but grow stronger. We adapt to change Many companies are heading for through a sustained effort at innovation sustainability, as with the airline Cebu amid constant shifts in technology. Pacific, global air conditioner manufacturer Above all, we always make sure we Daikin, and start-up The Bamboo Co. All create value and remain relevant to our are taking bold steps toward protecting the customers. world in which we live. We are evolving from distributing Our new President and CEO, Atty. Ray reliable, competitively-priced electricity to C. Espinosa, plans to push Meralco even venturing into power generation, renewable further in the realm of sustainable energy, energy, and beyond-the-meter services, to and expand our boundaries in the quest for ensure we are responsive to our customers’ innovation. His vision for Meralco will be needs. divulged further in the coming online issues Even the magazine you hold is already a of Power Club. relic. After a glorious, seven-year run, Power As I take on the role of First Vice Club says farewell to print, to be henceforth President and Head of Customer Retail published purely in digital format. Services and Corporate Communications, In this last print issue of Power Club, we I am eager to take on the challenges the celebrate sustainability as a value, and as a energy industry and this new leadership will viable business model. bring. Two of the 8th Meralco Luminary Change is always inevitable, but with it Awardees—Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) comes an opportunity for growth and hope and Landev Corp.—are honored for for a brighter tomorrow. MERALCO POWERCLUB SEPTEMBER 2019 3 INSIDE A MERALCO PUBLICATION I SEPTEMBER 2019 A MERALCO PUBLICATION The 8th Corporate Luminaries awardees VOLUME 9 ISSUE 1 are represented on our cover by Frederick PUBLISHER: SUMMIT MEDIA Go, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robinsons Land Corp., and Mario Paguio, A joint project with Meralco’s Corporate President and General Manager, Landev Corp. Business Group, Marketing, Customer Solutions and Product Management Summit Media Editorial Team Photography by Toto Labrador EDNA T. BELLEZA Publisher Grooming by Arlene Adto ESTRELLITA FAUSTINO Editor-in-Chief DONDI LIMGENCO Creative Director/ 04 POWER IDEAS Associate Editor WHEN RENEWABLES UPHOLD JANE KRISTINE CRUZ and RAYNAND OLARTE Art Directors SUSTAINABILITY ESMI BARRERA Copy Editor The International Rice Research Institute LIO MANGUBAT Project Manager taps green energy for the thirsty crop GEM EVANGELISTA Production Artist BUBBLES SALVADOR Editorial Manager 06 ANALYSIS Contributors KEEPING THE GOLDEN GOOSE GOING Arlene Adto, Vincent Coscolluela, Mike A push for conservation ensures a steady Dee, Ed Geronia Jr., Peter Imbong, stream of arrivals for the tourism sector Toto Labrador, Cris Laraño, Pauline Macaraeg, Babe Pañares, Jun Pinzon, 10 Edwin P. Sallan, Zen Schwartz, INDUSTRY TRENDS Fennie Tan, Coni Tejada, Vicky Vizcarra MAKING IT GREEN Companies transition to a sustainable Meralco Editorial Advisers version of business-as-usual CORPORATE BUSINESS GROUP 14 Ma. Cecilia M. Domingo 20 Myricris A. Gonzalo LUMINARY PROFILE Regine C. Pamintuan EVENTS GROWING IN GREENER PASTURES BRILLIANT BUSINESSES Carefully balancing consumer needs with MARKETING The best and the brightest companies share environmental concerns drives Landev Corp. Jose Antonio T. Valdez the spotlight at the 8th Luminaries Awards Edeliza T. Lim 24 Nina V. Posadas LUMINARY PROFILE Quinnie G. Blanco FINDING A NEW ROLE Precious K. Almendras FOR THE SHOPPING MALL Francesca Ma. Isabella P. Picache Robinsons Land makes retail spaces more meaningful to its customers To learn more about Power Club, contact the Meralco Corporate Partners at: 28 COMPANY PROFILE PROGRESS IN THE PIPELINE Meralco, Ortigas Avenue, Maynilad meets the challenge to supply Pasig City water to an ever-growing population Tel: (02)16210 [email protected] 30 www.meralco.com.ph/corporatepartners 30 SPECIAL FEATURE BRINGING LIGHT TO AN ISLAND 1O KMS OUT INTO THE OCEAN The first full microgrid in Meralco's franchise area MERALCO POWER CLUB brings electricity—and hope IS NOW ONLINE! For the latest in innovative enterprise 31 ONE MERALCO FOUNDATION partnerships and developments in the energy industry, visit us at www.powerclub.com.ph DIVING INTO SOLAR Residents of Isla Verde trade noisy diesel-generator sets for sustainable solar panels 4 MERALCO POWERCLUB SEPTEMBER 2019 POWER IDEAS WHEN RENEWABLES UPHOLD SUSTAINABILITY The International Rice Research Institute harvests solar energy as it goes green for the thirsty crop BY PAULINE MACARAEG t’s hard to imagine the Philippines The available rice per capita in the without rice. Philippines steadily dropped from 2012 to I In 2017, each Filipino 2016. It didn’t increase until 2017, and only to consumed an average of 118 kilos of rice, a level below that of 2012. reports the Philippine Statistics Authority. That’s almost 10 kilos of rice per month. HEALTHIER PLANET, MORE FOOD According to the International Rice To meet projected global demand Research Institute (IRRI), the world’s premier over the coming quarter century, IRRI is rice research organization, this grain, the promoting the Sustainable Rice Platform staple food of over 3.5 billion people, to encourage one million farmers to adopt accounts for 20 percent of the global daily sustainable rice farming practices by 2021. dietary energy, and provides livelihood and One of IRRI’s solutions to the problem of employment for over one billion households. inadequate rice supply is educating farmers. Unfortunately, rice farmers in Southeast It’s a program that calls for active, sustained, Asia are particularly vulnerable to climate- and multisectoral involvement to help change conditions such as rising sea farmers produce better crops and nurture a levels, flooding, increased salinity, hotter healthier environment. “Meralco strongly supports renewables temperatures, and drought. Global warming The research organization also seeks to as a responsible member of the global brings more intense rains and super ensure its own internal practices align with the community,” declares Victor S. Genuino, typhoons. environmental stand it advocates for farmers, Spectrum president and chief executive IRRI predicts rice production must and this is where Spectrum comes in. officer, and Meralco's first vice president increase by 25 percent over the next 25 Spectrum, a subsidiary of the Manila and head of Customer Retail Services and years to keep up with growing demand, but Electric Co. (Meralco), focuses on Corporate Communications. “Renewable producers already have difficulties meeting renewable-energy solutions for both business energy is a disruption that we fully embrace.” current needs. and residential customers across the country. He acknowledges Meralco’s responsibility PHOTOGRAPHY BY JUN PINZON, GROOMING BY ARLENE ADTO BY GROOMING JUN PINZON, BY PHOTOGRAPHY MERALCO POWERCLUB SEPTEMBER 2019 5 as a corporate citizen to preserve the environment while improving food production. WALKING THE WALK In April 2018, Spectrum launched an 810-kilowatt-peak solar photovoltaic (PV) system for five buildings in the IRRI campus in Los Baños, Laguna. The system first went online on October 20, 2017, six months prior to the inauguration. One of the buildings powered by the solar PV system is the Lloyd T. Evans 'WE NEED Plant Growth Facility, where IRRI conducts A CONTINUOUS environment and climate simulation research. Also within the IRRI campus is the SUPPLY OF POWER International Rice Genebank, the biggest FOR THE GENEBANK collection of rice genetic diversity on the planet. It stores over 130,000 different TO MAINTAIN rice accessions from around the world, THE TEMPERATURES at controlled temperatures as low as -20 SUITABLE FOR degrees Celsius. “We need a continuous supply of THESE SAMPLES.' power for the Genebank to maintain the temperatures suitable for these samples,” MICK BARTLETT DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS says Mick Bartlett, IRRI’s director of IRRI operations. “This keeps rice seeds viable for decades, preserving genetic diversity for the development of new and improved rice varieties." fertilizers and pesticides to crops. This leading champion for sustainable