Meet our Chief Operating Officer powering the progress behind the scenes
How Meralco is Delivering the Future of Power Now
Across the Philippine archipelago, eight million customers depend on Meralco—the country’s largest private-sector electric distribution utility company. “That’s eight million different needs, expectations, and lives,” says Ronnie L. Aperocho, the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO). “Our job is to make sure that when customers flip the switch, it works—that the lights are kept on and customers enjoy the convenience. That is our responsibility.”
Meralco accounts for 55 percent of the country’s electricity needs, despite just covering 39 cities and 72 municipalities. It has served Filipino communities for 122 years and recently received government approval to renew its franchise for another 25 years.
“It’s a pivotal achievement for us in Meralco,” Aperocho acknowledges. “A 25-year mandate is rare in business today. It’s really a powerful vote of confidence from our customers. It is for us to really keep pushing to raise the bar in innovating our services, making them more reliable and sustainable. All of us in Meralco are committed to really raise the bar.”
According to the executive, the next 25 years will involve significant transformation to align with the “ambitious target of the government to increase the penetration of renewables in our franchise.” He adds, “It entails a lot of effort on our part to ensure that the variability of these renewables will not compromise the reliability, quality, and adequacy of our service.”
To achieve this, Aperocho says Meralco will prioritize four areas with urgency: modernizing the grid, elevating customer experience, advancing innovation and technology, and accelerating the transition to clean energy.
“Our job is to make sure that when customers flip the switch, it works—that the lights are kept on and customers enjoy the convenience. That is our responsibility,” says Aperocho.
“We will be investing in smarter and stronger infrastructure to reduce system loss and make operations more efficient through the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure and moving toward full smart grids,” he explains. “Second, we’re rolling out digital upgrades that make interactions faster and more seamless—from better billing systems to 24/7 support and enhanced online platforms. Next, we’re continuously exploring new technologies, from energy storage solutions to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, the increased penetration of distributed energy resources (DER), and smart home integration. We’re making sure we stay ahead of the curve.
“We’re also taking a bold step forward with nuclear energy,” he reveals. “Through our NEST (Nuclear Energy Strategic Transition) program, we’re exploring all viable pathways—including modular reactors and even potentially rehabilitating the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Solar and wind are essential, but they’re intermittent. If we want real progress, we need clean, reliable power too—and that’s where nuclear comes in. Meralco is a leading player in terms of nuclear energy adoption in the Philippines.”
The executive acknowledges that public acceptance of nuclear energy remains an issue. “That’s why we must be ahead in terms of informing the public about the benefits of putting up a nuclear power plant here in the country,” Aperocho states.
Journey to the Power Corridor
The evolution of customer needs is familiar territory for the chief operating officer who joined Meralco 32 years ago in 1993. Aperocho initially aspired to be one of three: a lawyer, a military officer, or a journalist, but he reveals it all changed when his peers convinced him to enroll in engineering.
“I thought then that it was the biggest mistake that I committed,” he recalls. “At first, I found it very, very difficult to pass my mathematics subjects. But when I was facing the grim scenario of losing my scholarship if I failed my subjects, I studied harder than hard to understand advanced mathematics. I slowly appreciated the beauty of the subject. After all, it’s a perfect science.” His determination paid off when he topped the engineering board exams.
Aperocho then joined Meralco after a six-month stint with a Japanese company. “As a topnotcher, I was expecting a position that was more technical, but I was assigned as a customer assistance engineer. I was a bit frustrated at that time, but I told myself that I was looking for a job and here was a job. I had to take that role. I thought then that it was a detour in terms of career progression. The work did not match my credentials, but it turned out to be the best starting point of my career in the company.”
The customer assistance role enabled Aperocho to appreciate Meralco’s entire operation and understand its customers better. “I was also given the chance to contribute through the computer-telephony integration project that automated the way we processed calls of our customers,” he recalls. “I was very happy with that achievement. I embraced the job. I learned to serve—really serve. I saw how electricity isn’t just wires and volts. It’s livelihood, connection, dignity, and listening to your customers. I saw the Meralco culture of customer service, malasakit (care), and teamwork firsthand.”
“We will be investing in smarter and stronger infrastructure to reduce system loss and make operations more efficient through the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure and moving toward full smart grids,” Aperocho explains.
After a decade in customer service, an encounter in an elevator with the Head of Networks, Mr. Buencamino, changed his career path. “He was the one who hired and assigned me to Customer Service,” he narrates. “I chanced upon him at the lobby, going up to the mancom (management committee) room. He was creating this new project management office. I told him I was interested in being part of it—and if I was qualified, I asked if he would consider me. That (paved the way for) my transfer to a more technical job in networks.
“That elevator ride with Mr. Buencamino was a turning point in my career. It was an elevator ride to the top. I would always thank him for the opportunity he gave me. He was very instrumental in my career growth in Meralco.”
The opening allowed Aperocho to lead more complex projects like the Legaspi GIS (gas-insulated switchgear) substation—his first major substation project. He takes pride in this accomplishment at the heart of the Makati Commercial Business District as it showcases Meralco’s capability to build a cutting-edge infrastructure in one of the country’s most complex and space-constrained environments.
As a leader, the COO is shaping young careers in the company, where he says the playing field’s level and people genuinely earn their stripes. There are five traits he looks for as a boss, easily remembered with the acronym PRIDE: passion in serving, as their profession demands love for work, especially during calamities; resilience in finding solutions to problems; innovation; discipline in following rules so that safety and quality are not compromised; and excellence.
“I listen to my people,” he says. “I have an open-door policy should you want to talk to me. The door to my office is always open.”
Aperocho, who was awarded by the Philippine Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as the Most Outstanding Electrical Engineer for 2024, draws inspiration from Meralco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP). He stressed that Meralco has achieved so much and grown tremendously because of MVP’s leadership, and because its employees give so much of themselves in appreciation of a leader who takes care of them.
How the Grid Works
As Meralco's COO, Aperocho emphasizes that the company's job is to make sure that customers never have to think about any power-related matters. “Power is invisible, but it runs through everything—your home, your business, your day. You may not realize how complex it is to deliver.
“It starts with generation—power plants, usually from coal and natural gas. But we have been incorporating wind and solar into that mix. Generated electricity then travels across high-voltage highways we call transmission lines to power delivery point substations. Only then does Meralco take over. Our role is to bring down the voltage to a safe and reliable level, and then distribute it through our systems—transformers, wires, poles, meters—to where it matters: people’s lives. Right to the doorstep of our customers,” he emphasizes.
Powering cities like Metro Manila means preparing for the worst even on the best days, he elaborates, amid more frequent and intense climate-related events. In 2024, Meralco recorded its “best reliability performance ever—even with surging demand and more volatile weather. That wasn't by chance. We invested heavily in resilience. This year is a La Niña year, so we expect stronger typhoons. But our people are ready for that. We have prepared for this.”
To respond to evolving needs, the company is deploying automated field devices and advanced platforms to monitor and manage the grid dynamically to detect issues, instantly re-route power, and reduce restoration time following outages. Meralco is also upgrading to smart substations equipped with grid sensors that provide real-time diagnostics, situational awareness, and remote-control features. Its planned integration of a Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) into the grid seeks to stabilize operations during peak load or emergencies.
"A 25-year mandate is rare in business today. It’s really a powerful vote of confidence from our customers. It is for us to really keep pushing to raise the bar in innovating our services, making them more reliable and sustainable," says Meralco's COO.
Aperocho shares that smart meters will be provided to all customers over time. “Think of the smart grid as the digital backbone of energy,” he avers. “It tells Meralco where demand is spiking in real time (and) detects disturbances also in real time to flag power quality issues even before customers notice them. It also enables seamless integration with smart homes, appliances, and electric vehicles–giving customers more control while helping Meralco respond and serve better.”
The company’s plans also include upgrading its billing system to a more advanced platform that is flexible enough to meet evolving regulatory needs to support government programs that provide customers with greater control of their power consumption and management. The Customer Choice Program allows small electricity users to choose their generation suppliers. Through Retail Aggregation, small users can band together and access competitive rates typically reserved for big players. “In the end, a smart grid is about people—not just wires. It’s about making the entire energy experience more human, more responsive, and more future-ready,” he says.
When asked about the perception that the cost of power in the Philippines is the highest across Southeast Asia, Aperocho clarifies that Meralco’s rates are three percent below the global average, according to the studies of Independent Energy Consultants (IEC).
“The difference lies in subsidies,” he avers. “Countries like Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam heavily subsidize power; we don’t. If you exclude those countries, our rates would be 13 percent lower than the global average. The bigger question is: How do we keep it viable? That’s why we’re pushing renewables. But they’re intermittent—so we invest in large-scale battery storage, and, yes, in the long-term we are exploring nuclear. Clean energy must also be stable. Because in the long run, what customers need isn’t just low-cost power; it’s power they can count on.”
“We will be investing in smarter and stronger infrastructure to reduce system loss and make operations more efficient through the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure and moving toward full smart grids,” Aperocho assures.
NEST supports the future requirements for a reliable baseload power supply, he adds. “If we want real progress, we need clean, reliable power, too—and that’s where nuclear comes in. In 2025, we advanced our NEST program to continue exploring various project development approaches to assess how we can best support the government’s goals. The Department of Energy is targeting 1,200 MW of nuclear energy by 2032. If we want to meet that, the time to prepare is now. It’s bold, but it’s grounded.”
Aperocho lists related initiatives: the exploration of small modular reactors, the potential rehabilitation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, and proof-of-concept pilot projects that will support plans of scaling. Meralco also has a scholarship program called FISSION (Filipino Scholars and Interns on Nuclear Engineering) that has already sent five engineers as our pilot batch to study nuclear engineering at top universities in the United States and China to train and bring world-class expertise back to the Philippines. Seven more engineers will be sent to countries like France, Canada, and South Korea.
“We always look for opportunities to really serve,” he says. “Behind all this technology is a team that works around the clock to make sure that power stays on 24/7. During calamities, we send our linemen (to affected areas), sometimes even outside our franchise. It’s very heartening when people see Meralco’s service vehicle, and it gives them hope. It gives them a unique (sense of) joy that Meralco is there. Meralco will never go away until power is back. That’s noble service. That’s priceless.
“I never imagined I’d be here calling the shots for Meralco,” Aperocho says. “But I’ve always believed that if you work harder and serve with purpose, good things follow. I’m happy with what I can contribute to society. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and my contribution to Meralco in delivering the best to our customers. We might be a big company, but our hearts are bigger. That is our message of hope to Filipinos always.”
This article was originally published by Esquire Philippines on July 2, 2025. Read the original article here.