Heard It Through the GripeVine: Our New Abnormal
It was only a matter of time; and dynamic, progressive, forward-thinking corporations such as Meralco would take these ‘giant steps’ - to not just talk the talk, but to walk the walk as well. Living up to its name, the Manila Electric Company, is going electric in ways that highlight its support for lessening fuel emission standards and curbing air pollution, in our metropolis.
It’s part of their Green Mobility Program; and rather than do things in minute increments, they’re actively pursuing broad initiatives that adopt more efficient and sustainable modes of transportation - in line with the Planet Pillar of its Sustainability Agenda. To solidify this commitment, the company recently announced the deployment of 69 electric vehicles (EV) that are environment-friendly and emission-free. These join the 60 electric motorcycles already being used by their service personnel.
As Meralco President & CEO Atty. Ray C. Espinosa was proud to say, “All these important initiatives are a testament to One Meralco’s pledge to protect and preserve our planet - and ultimately, to power good lives not only for ourselves today, but also for our children’s tomorrow.”
With this new batch of EV’s, Meralco can now say that 100 percent of the service vehicles of their Metro Manila Business Centers are electric - a truly significant milestone in the company’s long-term plan to eventually make 100 percent of its total vehicle fleet electric. And to celebrate this ‘giant step’; a delightful, and emission-free, motorcade of Meralco’s electric cars, vans, pick-up trucks, and motorcycles, was held - representing the transportation needs of its business centers and sector offices.
From electric cars to motorcycles, Meralco is helping forge a greener tomorrow…now.
I, for one, support these moves for a green consciousness applied to our city environment, especially our streets and highways. Can you envision what that would be like, if every corporate fleet of vehicles joined this particular bandwagon? No smoke-belching buses and trucks along EDSA, no carbon dioxide wafting in the air of confined parking lots and basements, better air quality in the city with less carbon emissions - a brighter, less blighted future for our children, and our children’s children.
Quite often, I joke about this popular trend of dining al fresco while the COVID-pandemic lingers. Sure, the open air can greatly reduce the probability of transmission of the COVID-19 variants, but at what cost? In BGC alone, you’re contending with all the exhaust from the vehicles plying the roads, coupled with the fine dust and grit coming from the multiple construction sites that profusely dot the urban landscape. So I find it ironic that, in the name of health, we’ll insist on dining outdoors - when it’s initiatives such as the one Meralco is fostering, that will actually help us reach a point where al fresco can make sense. Until then, it’s really a trade-off of one kind of evil for another.
This shift of Meralco to EV’s is actually in consonance with how, just last September, the House of Representatives approved the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act. When it becomes law, this will require government offices and businesses that operate more than 20 motor vehicles to have 10 percent of their fleets to be electric.
Here then, is Meralco moving ahead of the curve, with Atty. Espinosa himself expressing the company’s full support for a greener transportation system in the country through EV’s: “We welcome a greener, cleaner, safer environment in our streets and thoroughfares.”
Social responsibility can no longer just be an afterthought or adjunct to one’s corporate vision. Climate change, the pandemic crisis, have all pointed to the need for CSR to be embedded in the daily operations and future planning of these corporations. So I laud Meralco for moving at this juncture of time, before the EV Bill has even become law, and going further than the 10 percent that will be mandated by the law.
I spoke to my sons about this move of Meralco, and the younger generation is more cognizant and appreciative of what kind of impact these decisions will have on their future. Sustainability, lowering fuel emissions aren’t just concepts to consider and plan for, but should be acted upon… now! Before it’s too late.