The floodwaters came fast, swallowing roads, closing small businesses, and turning familiar streets into stretches of murky water.
For families caught in the grip of Habagat, even getting food became a challenge.
That is where Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and its corporate social responsibility arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), stepped in, working with local governments and disaster-response partners to bring relief closer to communities cut off by flooding.
The response has reached 2,500 families across San Miguel, Balagtas, Calumpit, and Hagonoy in Bulacan, as well as Bacoor City and Tanza in Cavite and San Mateo in Rizal. More relief deliveries are expected in the coming days.
In Balagtas, relief workers from OMF and the Meralco Balagtas Business Center waded through deep water made worse by high tide to reach residents stranded in Barangay San Juan.
The effort, carried out with the municipal government led by Mayor Andy “Andrews” Santiago, meant taking the relief packs where they were needed most, rather than waiting for residents to find a way out.
“Malaking tulong po ito sa ating mga pamilyang nangangailangan,” Santiago said.
In Hagonoy, the call for help came from within the community.
Community coordinator Gelvien Montalla reached out to OMF online, seeking assistance for flood-hit families. The response brought food packs to residents whose livelihoods had been swept into suspension by the rising water.
For Lilibeth Roberto, the relief arrived at a particularly difficult moment.
A single mother caring for a child with a disability, Roberto runs a small eatery that had been forced to close because of the floods.
“Malaking bagay [itong relief] dahil wala akong kabuhayan ngayon,” she said.
The response extended beyond households. In Bacoor City, OMF and the Meralco Bacoor Business Center distributed relief packs to evacuated families from Aniban 1, Aniban 2, and Ligas 1, along with municipal traffic enforcers whose own homes had been submerged.
Additional food supplies were turned over to Bacoor Mayor Strike B. Revilla for distribution to other affected barangays.
In Tanza, OMF and the Meralco Rosario Business Center worked with the local government to reach more flood-hit residents.
In Calumpit, the relief effort took another turn, extending help to families and the animals that depend on them. OMF worked with the local government, with Vice Mayor Zacarias “Doc Zar” Candelaria joining the Meralco Malolos Business Center in the response.
In Barangay Balungao, OMF teamed up with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and CATropa to distribute rice and relief packs to families, while also bringing pet food and other supplies to households with animals. Volunteers waded through floodwaters to reach residents who could not easily leave their homes.
The message was simple but important. In a disaster, relief cannot stop with the people who are easiest to reach.
The response also extended to San Miguel, Bulacan, where volunteers from MGEN’s MTerra Solar and MGEN Renewables Bulacan Solar distributed relief packs to affected residents. In Marikina City, OMF and the Meralco Marikina Business Center likewise reached families in Barangay Guinayang.
Across these communities, the effort brought together OMF, Meralco business centers, MGEN, CATropa, PAWS, and local governments in a response built around a simple idea: when the roads disappear under water, help has to find another way through.
“In times of disaster, our responsibility to communities extends far beyond restoring physical light. It is about restoring hope,” OMF President Jeffrey Tarayao said. “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.”
