Trivia and history of the Meralco Company. The Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company was incorporated in the state of new jersey. The incorporation followed Ordinance No. 44 of the Municipal Board of Manila, which was passed on March 24, 1903, granting Detroit entrepreneur Charles M. Swift a franchise "to operate an electric street railway service and to furnish electric current for light, heat, and power in the city and its suburbs. In 1919, Meralco and its affiliate operating the Pasig line of the street railway network reorganized and merged into a single new entity, this time incorporated in the Philippines under the name Manila Electric Company, the official corporate name it bears today.