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MANILA, Philippines — ‘Leadership is about stretching your limits, anticipating change, empowering people to innovate, breaking barriers, challenging the norms, and turning disruption into opportunity.’
For Ronnie L. Aperocho, leadership under Manny V. Pangilinan has never been about simply managing operations.
It is about building people who can lead through uncertainty, embrace innovation, and create lasting value for the communities they serve.
As Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Meralco, Aperocho oversees one of the country's most critical public utilities, where every decision ultimately affects millions of Filipino homes, businesses, hospitals, and schools.
Looking back on more than a decade of working closely with Pangilinan, he says the most enduring lesson is one of empowerment.
"I have observed MVP's penchant for leaders who thrive and deliver amidst adversities, lead with vision, serve with humility and integrity, decide with courage, and create lasting value and impact to the community and to the country," Aperocho says.
"The most valuable leadership lesson that I learned from MVP was about creating an environment where leaders are empowered and are encouraged to innovate and to think big, while instilling discipline and accountability."
That philosophy was put to the test in 2014, when Pangilinan entrusted him with leading Meralco's Networks Group, the company's largest organization. At the time, Aperocho was juggling an Executive MBA program abroad, major transformation projects, and the operational demands brought about by destructive typhoons.
"I felt that I was not ready," he recalls. "With many sleepless nights, I was near breaking point. Thankfully, I survived."
More recently, he has helped steer Meralco through the complex transition toward greater solar adoption and a more distributed power grid; an undertaking he describes as one of the company's most challenging transformations.
Yet he views both experiences as defining moments made possible by Pangilinan's confidence in his leaders.
"What made those defining moments especially meaningful was the trust MVP placed in me and in the entire organization," he says.
"Those moments taught me that leadership is about stretching your limits, anticipating change, empowering people to innovate, breaking barriers, challenging the norms, and turning disruption into opportunity."
Aperocho says Pangilinan's approach becomes even more evident during periods of crisis.
Rather than allowing complexity to overwhelm decision-making, he demonstrates the importance of remaining composed, gathering facts, consulting the right people and acting decisively with customers' welfare in mind.
That same balance of trust and accountability defines Pangilinan's relationship with his executives.
"He sets high expectations, but he also gives his leaders the trust and space to deliver," Aperocho says. "We know that he expects excellence, but we also know that he supports bold, well-studied decisions that will strengthen Meralco's service to its customers."
Away from strategy meetings and boardroom discussions, however, Aperocho has come to appreciate another side of the business leader.
He smiles as he recalls Pangilinan's perennial question: "How many more days to Christmas?" — often asked long before the holiday season begins.
"I guess that's his way of asking how far away we are in attaining our targets…and receiving our bonuses," Aperocho says.
"I think that MVP's favorite month, aside from his birthday month, is December when he gets to play Santa Claus to all of us."
But beyond the humor, what has stayed with him most is Pangilinan's genuine concern for people.
"Those of us who work closely with him also see someone who deeply values relationships, believes in developing people, and takes pride in seeing others succeed," Aperocho says.
"They give more of themselves because they know they are part of something meaningful, and because they appreciate a leader who takes care of the company and its people."