Corporate Journey

Our story is rooted in over a century of dedication to the Filipino people. It began in the late 1800s with Paulino Aboitiz’s vision of building businesses that advance communities. This commitment took a definitive turn toward nation-building in 1918, when we first invested in the Visayan Electric Company. By lighting up Cebu, we laid the groundwork for a century of regional economic growth, later expanding our distribution footprint to Davao Light in 1946 and Cotabato Light.

In December 1978, the Aboitiz Group divested its interests in Jolo and Ormoc following the government’s plan to sell and convert its electric utilities into electric cooperatives within the region. The company eventually ventured into distribution utility networks within the Special Economic Zones of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Mactan Export Processing Zone, and West Cebu Industrial Park.

The period between 1990 and 2000 was a time of great change for the organization. With the deregulation of the power industry and the privatization of the National Power Corporation (NPC) on the legislative agenda, the Aboitiz Group focused on consolidating all its power assets under a single corporate identity.