Meralco fetes Pagcor chief

MANILA, Philippines — The head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) has been recognized for his efforts to promote the Philippines as the next international destination for gaming, entertainment and tourism through the Entertainment City project.

Cristino Naguiat Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Pagcor, was cited during the 2013 Manila Electric Company (Meralco) Luminaries Awards Night held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel last April 2, 2014.

Naguiat was accorded the 2013 Special Luminary Award in “recognition of his efforts to promote the Philippines as the next international destination for gaming, entertainment and tourism through the Entertainment City project.”

The Special Luminary Award is given by Meralco to its partners who have exemplified strategic leadership and executed projects that contributed to nation-building. In the past years, Meralco’s Special Luminary Awardees were Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Lilia B. de Lima and retired Philippine National Police General Nicanor Bartolome.

“The luminary awardees have done life-changing solutions and advancements in their respective businesses. I am very much humbled by this recognition,” Naguiat said in a statement on Monday.

“It serves as a simple reminder that by doing our job well, we can actually do more and the results are very encouraging,” he added.

According to Al Panlilio, Meralco’s senior vice president and head of customer retail services and corporate marketing communication, they are able to showcase great partnerships with private and public sectors through the Luminaries Award.

“We wanted to share to other people what we are doing with our key customers and perhaps, they can also adopt these programs to improve their business operations,” Panlilio said.

He said Naguiat rightfully deserved the commendation because Pagcor’s Entertainment City project is aligned with Meralco’s vision of a brighter Philippines.

“I think chairman Naguiat wants to expand the gaming business here by bringing in more tourists,” Panlilio said.

He noted that through the electric company’s close collaboration with Pagcor, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved the construction of a P1.2 billon Meralco substation at the Entertainment City. The facility will be crucial in providing the electricity needs of the licensees.

“We have done a lot of strategic planning and we observed that the existing substation in Pasay City will not be sufficient in keeping up with the load that the Entertainment City is expected to carry in the coming years. The best way to make sure that power is reliable is to have a good quality and secure source in that area,” Panlilio said.

The Meralco official also expressed excitement about the developments at the Entertainment City.

“Hopefully, more tourists will come in since the project is aligned with the Department of Tourism’s target of bringing in more tourists into the country. It will help create livelihood opportunities for Filipinos,” he added.

Apart from the Pagcor chief, Meralco also accorded Luminary Awards to Quezon City for the Local Government Category; the Philippine Seven Corporation (operator of 7-Eleven stores) for the Small and Medium Enterprises Category; the PMFTC, Inc. (manufacturer of tobacco brands like Phillip Morris) for the Corporate Industrial Category;  and the Filinvest Development Corporation for the Corporate Commercial Category.

The awardees, according to Panlilio, were nominated and carefully chosen by an internal panel. They also tapped the expertise of a third party auditor in the selection process.

“To be nominated in the Luminary Awards, our partners should have a novel and interesting way of doing business. If people could get services quicker and energy transmission can be made faster, the development of the economy will be better,” Panlilio said.

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