Singson leaves Light Rail Manila, moves to Meralco

MANILA, Philippines – Rogelio Singson is set to step down as president and chief executive officer of Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1).

Singson is stepping down by the end of the month to move to the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the country’s largest power distribution utility firm.

The former public works and highways secretary confimed in a text message that he is moving to Meralco, after leading LRMC for about a year.

“[I] will be moving to another MPIC (Metro Pacific Investments Corporation) assignment soon,” Singson told Rappler.

Meralco told the local bourse on Monday, September 25, that it appointed Singson as senior vice president. He will also lead Meralco’s power arm, Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGen), effective October 1.

“The Company’s Board of Directors, in its regular meeting held today, September 25, 2017, approved the appointment of Singson,” Meralco said in the disclosure.

Meralco president Oscar Reyes used to lead MGen prior to Singson’s appointment.

MGen is engaged in a number of coal power projects, including a coal-fired power plant in Atimonan, Quezon, and a similar facility in Subic Bay, Zambales.

Singson told Rappler he will be engaged in “new business models like solar, renewable power generators, electric vehicles, and [an] electric mass transport system.”

Aside from LRMC, Singson also became the president and chief executive officer of Maynilad Water Services Incorporated – another MPIC subsidiary – after its reprivatization from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2010. 

LRMC accomplishments

Under Singson’s leadership at LRMC, the LRT1 was certified as meeting international standards in Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015) and Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001:2015), following a two-year company-wide program to improve the efficiency of the 32-year-old train line.

The LRT1 is the first and only railway system in the Philippines to have achieved the ISO certifications.

Meanwhile, a source privy to the matter said Primitivo Cal is set to replace Singson as the president and chief executive officer of LRMC.

Cal has been the vice chairman of Bellwether Advisory Incorporated since 2010. He has also been serving as the senior consultant of Transport & Traffic Planners Incorporated since 2009.

From 2004 to 2007, Cal served as the dean of the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning.

He was also transportation undersecretary from 1993 to 1998. – Rappler.com