Meet the Leaders Powering Meralco, Ferdinand Geluz, Chief Revenue Officer
The Power of Service and Compassion
As a young boy, Ferdinand O. Geluz was fascinated by the stories behind the gigantic transmission towers and the long electric cables that stretched over their shoulders, as well as the brave linemen who oversaw and worked on them. This caught his attention whenever his father would take him to worksite fields to conduct audits for the National Power Corporation.
“Where do the lines go?” the future Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) asked himself at the time. “How do they power homes?” These sights and thoughts fueled his dreams of becoming an engineer—an aspiration he achieved right before joining Meralco in 1986. “It was the height of the People Power (Revolution),” Geluz recalls. “Filipinos were suffused with nationalism and idealism, and Meralco’s values at that time of malasakit (care), makabayan (patriotism), as well as integrity, accountability, and customer service resonated with me”.
“I guess it’s a way of giving back, having been a scholar of the government since high school. At this point in time, the erosion of talent going abroad—especially for science- and engineering-related talent—was very high,” the executive continues. “I recall that in my grade school yearbook, I already wrote that my ambition is to become an engineer. And joining Meralco felt like a natural path.”
Geluz joined the firm as a cadet engineer, aspiring “to make a difference.” And he has been given opportunities to do so through various leadership positions across the company. To date, the executive has led three groups for the country’s largest private-sector electricity distribution firm: supply chain and logistics management, customer retail services, and revenue.
“Each leadership role brought about something new,” he shares. “Whether it was pioneering the system analysis organization when I was in networks distribution, running distribution services, managing supply chain logistics operations, focusing on customer services and relations in the customer retail services group, or driving transformation at various levels of the company, these experiences all contributed to my growth and ability to lead in ways that continue to drive Meralco forward.”
The executive believes that his understanding of the company’s breadth of operations gives him a deeper appreciation of all its capabilities. “Over the course of my 38 years, my most meaningful milestones have been centered on transformation: building a customer-centric organization, fostering resilience, driving sustainable innovations, and mentoring future leaders. These milestones reflect Meralco’s ongoing commitment to empowering customers and advancing progress,” Geluz says.
From Streetcars to Electric Vehicles
Meralco’s service to the Philippines began 122 years ago when it powered Manila’s first electric car in 1903. The company has been through wars and economic and cultural shifts, narrates Geluz. “And the key to longevity and thriving amid all that has always been innovation. We have to keep adjusting and adapting. Innovation is in Meralco’s DNA; it’s one of our core values. How can you be of service to your customers if you are not anticipating or adjusting to their needs?”
Meralco’s 8 million customers are at the fore of Geluz’s responsibilities as chief revenue officer. “I think my role is really being the guardian of customer experience and ensuring that customers are front and center of everything we do. Happy, satisfied customers are the foundation of sustainable growth. My role is to ensure that we deliver value to our customers and support the growth of their businesses as well. For homeowners, we enhance their lifestyle by improving living comfort through the use of electricity.”
Since assuming his present post in June 2023, Geluz says he helps ensure that every interaction with Meralco enables the firm to live up to its goal of being a trusted energy solutions partner. “Our role carries a certain weight, knowing that our daily tasks directly affect our customers’ lives,” he stresses. “That’s a heavy responsibility. And that’s why we constantly evaluate our processes. We adjust where we have to, pushing innovation as we develop solutions to ensure our customers and communities feel supported, valued, and empowered.”
Geluz cites several innovations where these are reflected, including the 2011 launch of Meralco’s first app, MOVE (Meralco Virtual Engine), where features like an appliance electric consumption calculator and interactive business center directory were provided. “In 2012, we expanded access to our customers by bringing Meralco to Facebook, Messenger, and Twitter (now X). I recall that we were one of the first utility (companies) in the Philippines to leverage social media not just for marketing but to actively engage our customers. At that time, utility (companies were) actually afraid of exposing themselves on social media, afraid of being bashed by customers. But, of course, it’s something that we had to do.”
By 2017, the company introduced Meralco Online, later transitioned to the My Meralco app, a 24/7 virtual business center. “We want to extend our reach to all of our customers. And I think we’ve been successful at that. By now, more than 60 percent of our engagements with customers are actually being done online,” he says.
Geluz at the Meralco Power Lab, a two-level multi-purpose facility that aims to
educate consumers on efficient use of electricity.
Smart Solutions
For Geluz, innovation “doesn’t always have to be the big things.” Aside from ensuring that their customers enjoy uninterrupted electricity, campaigns via programs like Meralco Bright Ideas for residential customers and Power Ideas for business customers are equally important, he avers. “Through programs like these, we provide information on bill management, tips and hacks on how to be energy efficient, new technology and cost to use information. We do this in partnership with appliance manufacturers and government. We are passionate about new technologies and solutions that empower both businesses and homes alike so our customers can make smarter, more informed decisions about their energy use and purchases.”
Meralco is already in step with customer requirements for smart homes, distributed energy resources, and electric vehicles. According to the CRO, while the company is not in the business of selling smart homes, it is “committed to understanding how this can enhance everyday life and share this learning with our customers.” A smart home prototype located inside the Meralco compound in Pasig City demonstrates the company’s ability to support residents in making their houses more energy efficient.
“For customers who are willing and are able to adopt to renewable energy, we support them with solutions such as net metering, zero export, and distributed energy resources (DER),” he shares. “All that information is on our website, and we also promote that via digital media as well as through forums with our customers.”
Beyond the smart home, but perhaps a corollary of it, is the electric vehicle (EV). “We’ve also been an enabler of EV adoption,” Geluz says. “We’re also one with government as a big supporter of electric vehicles. In fact, we’ve been recently recognized as a pioneer by the Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines (EVAP) during the recent Philippine EV Summit. We want to ensure the safe installation of home and commercial charging stations.
He stresses, “The key is to anticipate, anticipate, anticipate—of course, with our customers in mind. I always challenge my team to be a step ahead. Meaning, before our customers ever need it, we already have some thoughts or solutions to address evolving needs.” His team relies on insights based on market studies and frontline feedback to determine solutions that keep in step with their customers’ evolving energy and non-energy needs.
Service with Compassion
The company’s commitment in offering customer-centric solutions was brought to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meralco continuously supplied electricity through the entire period and provided flexible payment options to its clients in consideration of the economic challenges they faced.
“We understand the struggle to pay,” explains Geluz in a 2021 interview, when many customers struggled with their electricity dues while quarantined. “That’s why we asked customers who could not settle their bills in full to get in touch and arrange an installment plan to be exempted from the standard disconnection process.” The executive is referring to the company’s Installment Payment Arrangements (IPA) that enrolls clients to the program to enable them to pay their electricity bills over a period of several months. Based on the Customer Experience Index (CXi), Meralco received “very good ratings” for this initiative, Geluz reported in 2021. The Index measures customer feedback on their needs being met, feeling valued, and the ease of the overall process. Meralco is the first utility provider in the country to pilot the use of the CXi.
Aside from the online services accessible to its clients via social media channels and its hotline, all Meralco Business Centers remained open during the pandemic. An Online Customer Appointment system was introduced to observe health protocol measures on-site, enabling clients to speak to Virtual Customer Assistants.
The IPA and related actions are pillared on past, proactive initiatives of Meralco such as its Relocatees and Informal Settlers Electrification (RAISE) Program in 2011. According to the company, RAISE aimed to extend electricity to underserved low-income households in their areas of coverage. Implemented together with the One Meralco Foundation, local government units, contractors, and other partners, RAISE served marginalized communities, such as informal settlers, resettlement areas, and some remote communities within Meralco’s franchise area. To date, there are approximately 75,000 families who are benefitting from RAISE. These customers were given access to services that legalized their electrical connections. At the end of the day, Meralco believes that electrification enhances the quality of living and expands growth opportunities for people who have access to it.
Mentoring New Dreams
Geluz always reminds his team to “serve with passion and compassion, treating every interaction as an opportunity to better understand customers and show that we truly care.” Meralco’s Customer Journey Improvement Program, initiated by Al Panlilio—former Customer Retail Services head and Geluz’s mentor—begins with mapping the customer journey, identifying pain points for customers, businesses, and stakeholders, and addressing them effectively. Building on Panlilio’s vision, Geluz has continued to advance the program, ensuring continuous improvement and enhanced customer experience.
He also underscores the partnership that Meralco has with various private organizations and public sector entities to achieve the right balance and keep all stakeholders happy. “It takes a village,” he quips.
As a leader, Geluz reminds his team of Meralco’s essence to the country’s growth. These include new talent who, like him, dreamt of being engineers and are now fulfilling their calling in the company.
“Technically, while our franchise only covers three percent of the country’s total geography in terms of square kilometers, this is where around 55 percent of the country’s economy or GDP (gross domestic product) is being produced,” he observes. “That goes to show the responsibility that Meralco has in terms of growing the GDP.
“Throughout the years, Meralco’s sales growth is normally tied to the Philippine GDP growth, with a 70 to 80 percent correlation. That’s the normal trend, notwithstanding any changes in climate, whether La Niña or El Niño. We just adjust our projections accordingly.”
Geluz credits Meralco’s leaders, especially its chairman Manny Pangilinan, its Chief Operating Officer Ronnie Aperocho, and the rest of the Meralco Management team, for their unwavering commitment to seeing to Meralco’s responsibility to contribute to nation-building.
The executive is himself trying to pay it forward as a leader. “My belief is that, more than great leaders, there are really great team players. They are the kind of people we have. They push the performance of our organization. It’s also about the guidance that we get from our board of directors as well as the company values and objectives that we want to achieve,” he stresses.
“I’m firm but gentle, or gentle but firm,” he describes. “I’m firm in terms of seriously working to deliver our tasks and our deliverables, but gentle in the sense that I always understand people. That’s the leader I aspire to be, and I hope that’s what I’ve become from leading the different groups I handled.”
Geluz admits that stress definitely comes with the territory when you want to deliver the best value service. “Of course, stress comes from the sense of accountability and responsibility in terms of delivering that value,” he maintains. “Yes, it’s demanding but also deeply fulfilling. It’s rewarding to shape how we serve our customers and contribute to the nation’s growth in collaboration with the various stakeholders, including government.
“Accountability is big in Meralco as it is one of our core values. We are accountable to our customers and their everyday use of electricity, managing how they efficiently use, and impacting their lifestyle,” he continues.
Geluz's dedicated service to Meralco was affirmed with two prestigious awards:
2000 Model and Outstanding Employee, both under the Supervisory Category
What inspires Geluz is positive feedback from customers, the achievement of project milestones, and celebrating small wins deliberately. The executive recharges on weekends by sleeping on Saturdays, “assuming there’s no work,” he jests. He enjoys unwinding with screen offerings from Netflix or Viu with his wife and kids, and reserves Sundays for “special moments” with his mother.
“Staying active is also key,” he adds. “I played basketball and volleyball in my younger days. Now, I play golf. My goal is to do so once a week but of course if my wife allows me, it can be twice a week. It depends. These activities, combined with quality time, help me stay refreshed and focused for the work week ahead.”
What energizes Geluz is seeing new communities or new businesses being served by Meralco. “It’s actually the gratification. It keeps us going. This is because when families and businesses are better off, communities prosper and that can only be good for our country.”