Meralco is back-to-back champion of X-Trash Challenge
Representatives of One Meralco Foundation, Meralco’s Facilities, Safety, and Security Management, and Ateneo Center for Education prepare food packs for distribution at Ateneo de Manila University.
The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has once again emerged as the champion in an inter-company competition that aims to promote responsible waste management in the country.
The power distributor bested 12 other Philippine companies in this year’s X-Trash Challenge organized by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Basic Environmental Systems and Technology Inc. (BEST, Inc.).
The competition, which ran from April to September 2022, involved the collection and donation of recyclable waste materials such as paper, metals, and plastics–all of which had equivalent environmental points that were converted into cash.
Other participating companies included BDO Unibank, Inc., Accenture, Inc., Smart Communications Inc., PLDT Inc., Deloitte Philippines Outreach Inc., Dole Philippines Inc., and Standard Chartered Bank Philippines among others.
With the proceeds of its win, Meralco donated 1,000 food packs to the beneficiaries of One Meralco Foundation, the company’s social development arm, through the Ateneo Center for Education.
“We share this award with our logistics teams and pollution control officers for their all-out support to this relevant sustainability program. They are the ones who drove the diligent efforts to collect and segregate our recyclables and deliver them to the warehouses of PBSP and BEST, Inc., as we strived to achieve our waste diversion targets for 2022,” said Antonio M. Abuel, Jr., Meralco Vice President and Head of Facilities, Safety, and Security Management, during the awards ceremony.
Last year, Meralco was also awarded as overall champion of the first X-Trash Challenge, topping 13 other firms. Funds raised were used to donate over 200 food packs to marginalized families in Imus, Cavite, Makati City and Muntinlupa City, in partnership with the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilya ng Pantawid.
“Our second straight win in the X-Trash Challenge is a testament to our deep commitment to sustainability exemplified, in part, by our Race to Zero Waste (RZW) Program. We, in Meralco, took this Challenge to heart not only because of its close alignment with RZW’s thrust, but also because of the value it delivers to recipient communities,” said Raymond B. Ravelo, Meralco First Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer.
Race to Zero Waste Program is a company-wide initiative covering all Meralco facilities, aiming to minimize waste generation and reduce waste disposal in landfills.
Meralco’s Race to Zero Waste Program and participation in the X-Trash Challenge support and promote the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production.
Megaworld to build Savoy Hotel in Palawan
Megaworld, the country’s largest developer and operator of homegrown Filipino hotel brands, is building its first hotel property in Palawan.
The 10-storey Savoy Palawan will offer 306 guest rooms and suites in varied layouts, perfect for travelers on the island, particularly in the rising 462-hectare Paragua Coastown in San Vicente, Palawan.
Savoy Palawan will just be a five-minute walk to the beach, and just a few steps away from the township’s Mangrove Reserve Park.
Packed with amenities, Savoy Palawan will have a swimming pool with a separate kiddie pool, and a pool deck at the third level of the hotel. It will also have its own fitness center, spa with wet and dry sauna, and a kid’s club.
There will also be four (4) food and beverage outlets in the hotel: an all-day dining restaurant with alfresco area, Zabana Bar & Lounge, Grill Bar with Outdoor Dining, and a specialty restaurant.
Savoy Palawan will also have its own ballroom and smaller function rooms with pre-function areas as well as a business center and meeting room.
Suite and VIP guests will also have exclusive access to the Executive Lounge that offers beverages and hors d’oeuvres all throughout the day, as well as breakfast in the morning.
“Savoy Palawan will highlight some sustainability features that will make it as a luxury green hotel. The hotel’s equipment and machines will be certified ‘energy-efficient’ and we will also be using recycled water for washing from our rain harvesting facility. Since Paragua Coastown will also be a bike-friendly community, we will provide facilities for bikes in our hotel,” says Cleofe Albiso, managing director, Megaworld Hotels and Resorts.
Savoy Palawan is scheduled for opening in 2028, the 17th hotel property launched by Megaworld Hotels and Resorts.
ABB Ph launches new products
Technology leader ABB recently introduced its medium-voltage (MV) sensors in the country. ABB’s advanced sensors help customers to deliver a safe and sustainable power supply 24/7. It has an easy and fast engineering process, short delivery time, flexibility, and reliability.
ABB’s MV sensors are also designed for applications which provide increasing levels of remote control and communication, key to helping industries and utilities to integrate higher levels of renewable energy resources to reduce emissions and cut energy costs.
Demand for the product has doubled since 2018 and is expected to increase significantly over the next five years. This prompted the company to invest $1.1 million in a new, state-of-the-art sensor production line at its Brno Instrument Transformers and Sensors factory in the Czech Republic.
Boehringer Ingelheim GBS fifth year
Multinational pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Global Business Services (GBS) Manila recently marked its fifth year in the Philippines with a townhall meet last November 29 at the Grand Ballroom of Crimson Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
Originally established as a regional center to provide transactional services in the HR, Finance, and Master Data Management for the APAC region in 2017, the Center grew by leaps and bounds in its Alabang location.
“The success of the Manila operations over the past years validates our decision to establish our GBS center here,” Andrea Jakob, Boehringer Ingelheim GBS Center Network head, said. “Key criteria were the availability of talents, the customer-centric mindset and flexibility of the Philippine workforce, strong communication skills in multiple languages,” she added.
The GBS Center Manila works towards standardizing and centralizing target processes, providing back-office services to Boehringer Ingelheim entities in North America, Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand.
Outstanding leadership
Google Philippines’ country director Bernadette Nacario was recently recognized by the Women’s Institute for Sustainable Development, Opportunities and Mentoring (WISDOM) and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham Philippines) as one of the country’s most outstanding women corporate leaders.
WISDOM and AmCham Philippines awarded Nacario, along with other select women leaders, to acknowledge her contributions in weaving wonders in the Philippines’ corporate landscape.
Before joining Google, Nacario served as the country manager for Systems of IBM Philippines, and Apple Philippines and Guam. A veteran in the information technology industry with extensive background in General Management, Sales, Marketing, and Channel Management, she held various leadership positions at other reputable tech brands such as HP, Microsoft, and Siemens.
