The Manila Electric Company (Meralco), through its corporate social development arm One Meralco Foundation (OMF), turned over various electrical system equipment to the Mindanao State University (MSU) Main Campus in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, in a bid to elevate the learning experience of electrical engineering students.
Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ronnie L. Aperocho, a distinguished alumnus of MSU, expressed support for the university in the wake of the recent campus bombing incident.
“Meralco is one with MSU in enhancing its educational offerings as it moves forward from recent challenges faced by the university. This donation signals the start of a fruitful and productive partnership between Meralco and MSU,” Engr. Aperocho said.
The donation, which consists of equipment for the simulation of a mini substation, will be used for the laboratory training of electrical engineering students. These include a protection and control panel, a vacuum circuit breaker, a control switch, miniature circuit breakers, multimeters, battery chargers, voltmeters, and test leads.
MSU President Atty. Basari D. Mapupuno welcomed Meralco’s donation, noting that the distribution utility’s generosity has contributed to the university’s healing from the recent blast.
“In the shadow of grief, Meralco’s remarkable generosity shines like a beacon, reminding us that the community can heal. While we requested basic instrumentation, Meralco gifted us with a revolutionary learning experience,” Atty. Mapupuno said.
“Rest assured that this gift will be used wisely and responsibly to enhance our educational opportunities and advancements. This gift will equip our electrical engineering students with the tools not just to become engineers but agents of change,” he added.
Meralco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manuel V. Pangilinan also expressed support to the entire MSU community during the turnover.
For his part, Meralco Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer and OMF President Jeffrey O. Tarayao assured MSU of the distribution utility’s commitment to investing in the education of the youth.
“It is Meralco’s hope that this equipment will be used for real-life applications of classroom learnings and contribute to further upskilling of MSU electrical engineering students. We look forward to more innovative collaborations to further enhance the learning experience of the next generation of electrical engineers,” Tarayao said.
Through OMF, Meralco has been actively supporting students pursuing a career in the energy industry with scholarship grants. Under the MpowHER scholarship program, Meralco recently awarded 18 female college students with financial support to help them pursue their dreams of becoming professional electrical engineers.