MVP’s Power Play: Cooperation, Not Competition

Through joint ventures with electric cooperatives and smart-grid investments in Batangas, MVP-led Meralco is redefining how public–private collaboration can power inclusive growth.

MVP-led Meralco’s mission is to bring reliable, modern power distribution to Batangas — proving that inclusive growth begins with collaboration, not competition. (Photos: Meralco)

In the story of Philippine development, power has always been more than electricity. It is the unseen current that energizes factories, lights homes, and drives opportunities where they are needed most.

Today, the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company, or Meralco, is showing that reliable power can be both a business and a nation-building mission.

When Meralco Senior Vice President Arnel D. Casanova took the stage before the Monday Circle at Westin Manila a few weeks ago, he framed the issue with striking clarity.

Reliable power, he said, is the foundation of regional industrialization. Where distribution is strong, industries thrive. Where it is weak, communities fall behind.

That simple truth is guiding Meralco’s newest chapter: extending its expertise beyond its traditional franchise to help modernize electric cooperatives and light up the countryside.

Nowhere is this ambition clearer than in Batangas, the next industrial frontier south of Metro Manila. Meralco’s proposal for a joint venture with BATELEC I and II aims to transform the province’s energy landscape.

The goal is to build a looped and resilient grid that will deliver uninterrupted power to factories, farms, and data-driven enterprises. It is an investment in reliability that also promises real economic dividends.

From 1992 to 2024, Meralco-served areas in Batangas have recorded a 13.6 percent annual growth rate in energy sales — nearly double that of areas served by local cooperatives.

Meralco’s Batangas partnership is lighting the way forward — serving 3 of 34 LGUs yet driving 13.6% annual growth in energy sales since 1992.

Casanova’s message was clear. Meralco is not out to overpower electric cooperatives but to empower them.

“We are not the enemy of the cooperatives. Our goal is to infuse capital, technology, and better governance,” he said.

This cooperative spirit reflects the philosophy of Meralco Chairman & CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, whose approach to business has long balanced profit with purpose.

MVP’s non-predatory stance toward electric cooperatives has earned him a reputation as a “Master Collaborator.” His belief that progress and profit can move in harmony is not just rhetoric — it is a business model that works.

While some utilities prefer to wait for cooperatives to fail and then swoop in, Meralco is charting a different course.

In what can be described as the company’s dedication to 'Powering Partnerships for PH Progress,' an unofficial mantra that redefines how big utilities can work with smaller ones.

Instead of absorbing them, Meralco offers capital, training, and smart grid technology that help local partners stand on their own.

This strategy of coopetition — cooperating rather than competing — has turned Meralco into a catalyst for regional renewal.

Meralco Chairman & CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan and NNIC President-CEO Ramon S. Ang, at the recent signing of a partnership agreement to address the power needs of the NAIA modernization project — a milestone that reflects MVP’s broader vision of 'Powering Partnerships for PH Progress.'

The economic promise is tangible. A stronger Batangas grid could unleash the province’s full potential across several fronts.

It can tap into the deep and highly skilled labor pool of Calabarzon, helping keep Filipinos employed closer to home rather than abroad.

It can enhance property values by making industrial zones more attractive to investors.

And it can turn Batangas’ pristine beaches and heritage towns into fully powered tourism hubs only two hours from the capital.

Behind the numbers lies a larger narrative about how power shapes destiny. Meralco’s franchise area, which includes Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces, accounts for roughly half of the country’s GDP.

This correlation between reliable electricity and prosperity is no coincidence. Casanova’s presentation before the Monday Circle made the case that a stable and well-financed distribution system is the missing link in regional development.

Without it, factories cannot run efficiently, cold storage for agri-products fails, and investors hesitate to locate outside the city.

At the Monday Circle business forum, Arnel D. Casanova (left) detailed how Meralco’s joint venture with Batangas cooperatives will make the province brownout-proof and investor-ready.

For MVP and his team, the solution is clear. Invest first, deliver reliability, and allow growth to follow. This philosophy, built on transparency and accountability, stands out in an industry often criticized for monopolies and inefficiency.

Meralco’s vision of partnership instead of conquest may well become the blueprint for sustainable growth in the Philippine power sector.

As Batangas prepares for its transformation, Meralco’s approach offers a glimpse of what inclusive development can look like — an economy where big and small players share the grid and share the gains.

In the words of Casanova, “Our interest is the country’s interest. Whatever will work best for the Filipino people, we’re open to it.”

In an age where energy defines competitiveness, Meralco’s quiet revolution reminds us that collaboration, not domination, is the true source of power.

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