by Roderick Abad - July 1, 2016
THE Manila Electric Company
(Meralco) wins the Philippines’ first gold award as the crisis or issues
management campaign of the year and the country’s first silver as the corporate
social responsibility campaign of the year in PRWeek Awards 2016 – Asia’s
prestigious awards program celebrating the most creative and effective public
relations campaigns.
Meralco bagged the Philippines’ lone
gold winner for its communication efforts during the summer supply crisis
threat of 2015. The silver trophy was presented for Meralco’s “salba-bote”
campaign. Meralco bested nominated entries from Asia Pacific countries
including Japan, Australia, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Last year’s summer power supply
crisis threat proved to be a rewarding challenge for Meralco as the power
distribution utility sought ways to mitigate the supply deficiency, and at the
same time empower various stakeholders with multi-platform solutions. Meralco
was able to turn around a crisis scenario via bringing forward innovative
demand-side management solutions, harnessing collaboration and
institutionalizing energy efficiency, thus earning the company, and the
country, the first gold trophy for issues management in the regional awards
program.
Meralco also got a silver for
“salba-bote”, the company-developed safety device used to protect lives during
typhoons and floods. “Salba-bote” is an improvised flotation device (IFD) made
of readily available materials making it easy to replicate and distribute to
customers in flood-prone areas. “Salba-bote” serves as a multi-functional
rescue gear and survival kit, made up of empty recyclable softdrink bottles
inside a plastic-coated mesh bag with water-resistant pocket for emergency
supplies. Salba-bote is the only IFD publicly endorsed by the Philippine Red
Cross and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary to be used during rescue
operations.
Alfredo Panlilio, Meralco Senior
Vice President & Head of Customer Retail Services & Corporate
Communications, believes that the awards are manifestations of the company’s
endeavor to provide customers with outstanding communication service &
initiatives. Panlilio said, “Our communication efforts last summer was centered
on empowering customers with solutions and allowing for tight collaboration,
while salba-bote is a product of innovative thinking and concern for the safety
of our customers. Winning accolades for both underlines the importance for
companies, especially for utilities like Meralco, to go above and beyond the
call of service, and create initiatives that drive real change with an impact
on nation-building.” Panlilio adds, “This is a shared achievement, not just for
Meralco but for the nation as well. It shows that the Philippines is at par
with the best campaigns in the Asian communications industry.”
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