ILOILO City – There should be no confusion as to the rightful entity to distribute power in this city, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
It is MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power).
In issuing a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to MORE Power, ERC chairperson and chief executive officer Agnes Devanadera stressed the Commission was “mindful of its mandates to protect consumer interest, ensure uninterrupted electric service to consumers in Iloilo City and prevent chaos and confusion among said customers as to who is authorized to operate the distribution system in the area.”
ERC, in its meeting on March 5,2020 , resolved to adopt the following resolutions:
1. revoke the provisional CPCN issued to Panay Electric Co. (PECO) after determining that MORE Power has established or acquired its own distribution system and verified the latter’s complete transition to full operations
2. issue a Provisional Authority, pursuant to Section 8 of Executive Order 172, authorizing MORE Power to operate the power distribution network
3. authorize MORE Power to implement the last approved distribution charges of PECO
4. require MORE Power to source and procure its power requirements in accordance with Section 5 of Republic Act (RA) 11212; while MORE Power is unable to secure the Certificate of Exemption from the Department of Energy (DOE) necessary to enter into emergency power supply agreements, it shall source its power requirements from the current power generation suppliers of PECO.
PECO’S power distribution franchise expired on Jan. 18, 2019. It was given by ERC a provisional CPCN in accordance with Section 17 of RA 11212 (MORE Power’s franchise law), taking into consideration public interest and to ensure the uninterrupted supply of electricity until MORE Power has established full operation of the distribution system.
On Feb. 28, the court sheriffs successfully executed the Writ of Possession issued by Presiding Judge Emerald Requina-Contreras of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 23 and turned over PECO’s power distribution assets to MORE Power.
On March 3 and 4, ERC technical personnel conducted an ocular inspection to verify the actual status of the distribution network and determine which among MORE Power and PECO was actually operating the said system.
In their inspection report submitted to the Commission, the team confirmed that MORE had gained full possession and control over five substations, prepared for all other aspects related to electricity distribution, and had power supply contracts with four power suppliers that would ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity sufficient to serve the consumers in Iloilo city.
The ERC inspection team likewise verified MORE Power’s full readiness and capacity in aspects of development, operation and maintenance of the distribution system.
During a hearing on March 6, Judge Contreras expressed gladness that her apprehension did not happened because the supply of electricity in Iloilo city continued since the takeover./PN
