Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is expanding its workplace inclusion efforts by partnering with Shine Special Education Center Inc. (SHINE) to give students with disabilities hands-on work experience.
The partnership recently brought three students with autism into a structured internship program at Meralco, where they worked on tasks including creative design and encoding.
With support from company mentors and job coaches, the students gained practical workplace skills while building confidence and independence in a professional setting.
The program is part of Meralco’s #Mbrace diversity and inclusion initiative, which the company launched in 2021 initially to promote women’s empowerment and representation. It has since expanded to include LGBTQIA+ employees and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
“Inclusion is not a one-time initiative—it is a journey we live every day,” Meralco First Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Hans R. Montenegro said.
He said the partnership with SHINE reflects Meralco’s effort to create workplaces where PWDs can participate and contribute.
SHINE President Maria Rosario Joaquin said the experience gives students with autism an opportunity to be “seen, valued, and included,” while helping prepare them for future employment.
Meralco and SHINE said they will continue the partnership in the coming months, with plans to bring more students into inclusive workplace settings.
Meralco First Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Raymond B. Ravelo said the program supports the company’s broader sustainability agenda, “Powering the Good Life,” which is anchored on four pillars: Power, Planet, People and Prosperity.
The company said integrating diversity and inclusion into its operations is part of its efforts to build a future-ready workforce where employees and aspiring workers of different abilities can thrive.
