MR. ROEL Z. CASTRO
President, COO
MORE Electric and Power Corp.
General Luna Street, Iloilo City
Dear Mr. Castro:
I AM writing to bring to your attention recent events which may bring into question how MORE Power deals with customers’ complaints and grievances that may warrant a corporate review and, possibly, prompt an overhaul of your Public Relations Department.
I am one of those affected by the unscheduled power interruption that occurred in Mandurriao area at around 10 p.m. of June 20, 2020, extending until around 8 a.m. the next day.
I ranted on your Facebook Page especially when your page administrator posted that power would be restored in one hour and 30 minutes, which did not happen, causing disappointment and dismay among those who were monitoring. You have to understand that this happened at night, when people were getting ready for bed but could not sleep due to the heat.
To make matters worst, the power flickered on and off, raising concern about the safety of our appliances due to power fluctuations. As expected, many people reacted, myself included, and to say we were alarmed is an understatement. Many were enraged, and rightly so, because of the inconvenience.
To my surprise, however, I could no longer comment on your Facebook Page. It appeared that I had been removed by your page administrator, perhaps to disallow me from further commenting and ranting over the inconvenience caused by the power interruption.
Unable to voice my concerns and participate in the forum on your page, I used my own wall to rant. As a consumer, it was within my right to be heard especially in my own platform.
By Monday afternoon, I received a barrage of calls and text messages from unknown mobile numbers, some accusing me of being a scammer and threatening to sue me for an alleged misdemeanor that I have no knowledge about.
Last night, one of my daughter’s classmates sent her a screen grab of the message purportedly coming from my personal number saying that the recipient of the message had won in a raffle draw, and that they should contact me as to how they can claim their prize. Apparently, there is an attempt to link my name to a supposed scam.
Having said these, I would like to request your good office to review this incident, including the ethical demeanor of your personnel, especially in addressing customer complaints and grievances. I cannot outrightly accuse them of harassment since I hold no proof at the moment, but I thought this warrants investigation on your part since the messages, calls and scams, coincided with my rants against MORE Power.
Moreover, if I may reiterate the purpose of a Facebook Page – it is there to serve as feedback mechanism between you and your customers. It should welcome comments, however undesirable, and not isolate anyone who raises issues about your services. But instead of engaging helpfully and positively, your administrator decided to block me, and who knows who else, in the page.
Since arrogance is one of the issues raised against Panay Electric Company (PECO) when MORE Power was still lobbying for a franchise to operate in Iloilo City, I guess that your company should never display a hint of conceit in dealing with consumers.
You were quoted in an April 7, 2020 article of the Inquirer as having said: “Ilonggos deserve the best from us. Nothing more, nothing less.”
If MORE Power wants to be true to its promise to the Ilonggos, it should establish a capable and competent Public Relations Department that strictly adheres to corporate ethics that can gain people’s sympathy instead of alienating them. MORE Power, as a public utility, belongs not just to the corporation but also to the people who will support it in the next 25 years and will utilize the electricity that it promised to supply with stability and permanence.
Sincerely,
JOSE NEREO C. LUJAN, EnP
Chief, Public Information and Community Affairs Office
Province of Iloilo
