OBMC Inspiring a Clean Energy Future
O.B. Montessori Center: Inspiring a Clean Energy Future with Meralco Biz
Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center (OBMC) draws its humble beginnings from Operation Brotherhood (OB), a beacon of humanitarianism founded by Oscar J. Arellano in 1954 and later enriched by Dr. Maria Montessori’s educational principles. With Arellano's encouragement, Dr. Preciosa Soliven went on to establish OBMC in 1966, combining her dedication to service with a belief in the potential of every child. Today, over 50 years later, OBMC continues its mission of empowering young minds and nurturing future leaders.
“We want our students to become responsible citizens by inspiring them to take action in caring for our environment and other people,” said Sara Soliven-De Guzman, O.B. Montessori Center President.
With the institution’s commitment to helping the community by empowering individuals and safeguarding the environment, OBMC is proud to have partnered with Meralco Biz, a segment that caters to businesses with power demand of up to 499 kilowatts to turn their vision into reality through end-to-end energy+ services and solutions.
A partnership made lighter and brighter
The partnership between Meralco Biz and OBMC began with a Power Consult to ensure that they have the right amount of power for their business requirements. This resulted to significant savings of P500,000.
"In the beginning, our campuses functioned without air conditioning," Soliven-De Guzman explained. "However, as we grew, the need for increased electricity capacity across all locations became unavoidable. Unfortunately, this led to escalating electricity costs. Initially, we tried solutions like inverters and power scheduling to manage consumption.”
These efforts provided some relief, but to take their dedication to energy saving efforts to the next level, OBMC teamed up with MSpectrum, a solar power company built with Meralco’s energy expertise and service standards, to install a solar panel system at their Fairview campus. This investment helped OBMC reduce their electricity bill and has also made the campus a model for environmental responsibility.
Furthermore, OBMC enrolled in Meralco's Net-Metering, an energy solution that ensures the safe installation and operation of solar panels, while allowing customers to earn bill credits for the excess energy they export to Meralco. “We’ve saved more than P1 million with the solar panels, and Meralco’s Net-Metering. Because of these benefits, we are planning to have solar panels installed on the other campuses of O.B. Montessori Center,” Soliven-De Guzman said.
She added, “Meralco helped us resolve our needs, and we really appreciate how they presented us with a range of solutions that not only reduced our costs but also minimized our environmental impact.”
Through these clean energy efforts, OBMC hopes to serve as an inspiration for other people and institutions to follow their lead. “Kung kaya namin, kaya rin nila ‘yan. We may have a small voice, but it’s a strong voice, and I hope it impacts our society.”
A Meralco Biz Luminary
Acknowledging the institution’s achievements, O.B. Montessori Center was recently honored in the 9th Meralco Luminaries, which recognizes organizations that help build a brighter tomorrow for Filipinos through their partnership with Meralco.
Engr. Roberto S. Galang, PEE, ACPE, AVP and Meralco Biz Head, emphasized the capabilities of Meralco Biz to empower institutions such as OBMC through services that match their business and sustainability goals: “Our customers are assured that Meralco Biz is equipped to understand, anticipate, and address their energy needs at any stage of their business journey with our innovative solutions.”
“Our collaboration with OBMC exemplifies how we were able to boost their operational efficiency, which allowed them to save on costs and, at the same time, strengthened their thrust in caring for the environment, inspiring the next generation,” he affirmed.
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