Whether in times of disasters or when electricity rates go up and down, he is a familiar face to many Filipinos served by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) –Agapito “Joe” Del Rosario Zaldarriaga, the company spokesperson who always takes the forefront in explaining concerns that matter most to consumers.
In a recent announcement of the board of directors of Meralco, they indicated that Zaldarriaga has been promoted to the rank of Vice President and head of Corporate Communications effective December 1 this year. And he will continue to be the utility firm’s spokesperson.
Prior to that, Zaldarriaga was Assistant Vice President of the company; and has been the spokesperson in discussing company concerns – mainly in the public domain and through various media channels and platforms.
Zaldarriaga is an executive of the company who rose from the ranks; and aside from his job as spokesperson, his department also innovated on the monthly “Meralco Advisory” to explain movement in the cost components of electricity tariffs being passed on to consumers in their monthly bills.
On top of that, the company likewise provides tips on how to use energy efficiently and what safety tips every consumer or household must keep in mind and practice to avoid accidents that may be caused by faulty wiring or overloading of electrical appliances.
One of the toughest tasks he was confronted with this year was dealing with the exasperation of thousands of consumers who had been riddled with billing questions, following a regulatory mandate on ‘estimated billings’ during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or the height of the lockdown period within March to May this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Then with the series of typhoons that pummeled the country last month, the subsequent massive brownouts affecting many areas served by the utility firm had thrown Zaldarriaga again into the public space – conscientiously explaining the tempo of electricity service restoration that must be carried out; and how some areas cannot regain electricity service promptly because of eminent dangers like flooding and toppled facilities that are not easy to restore to working order.
Aside from Zaldarriaga’s promotion, the Meralco board also approved recently the appointment of Glen N. San Pedro as Vice President and head of Supply Chain Management of the power utility company.
Further, Maria Luisa V. Alvendia has been designated First Vice President, Chief of Staff and Supply Chain Advisor of Meralco effective December 1 this year.
Meralco is currently servicing more than 7.0 million customers – primarily in Metro Manila and its other service areas in Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Bulacan and Pampanga provinces.