BROWNOUTS or power failures during election day have always been associated with electoral fraud or cheating, and any election – no matter how insignificant – must always be assured that it is free from brownouts.
Today is no exception as it’s the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE). The irony here is that this election is supposed to be untainted with the usual political flavors. But this is the Philippines and any election is a matter of life or death.
So, to assure the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” that nothing of that sort happens, our friendly neighborhood power distribution utility, MORE Power, made sure that this “brownout” will not happen today.
A week prior to this election, the president/CEO of MORE Power, Roel Z. Castro, visited the office of Iloilo City’s Commission on Elections (COMELEC) officer, Atty. Reinier Layson, to assure him of continuous service and “brownout free” this election day.
According to, Castro they conducted clearing and maintenance activities near polling centers to prevent any potential disturbances to electrical lines that might lead to unexpected power outages.
Additional response and security teams will be deployed to oversee polling centers on election day and throughout the canvassing process, ensuring prompt action in case of any electrical issues.
Task Force BSKE of MORE Power was created with a separate command and monitoring team to oversee electrical-related concerns.
Plus, the company has already finished all hotspot corrections for all electrical lines leading toward the polling centers to ensure that there will be no jumpers.
The high and red alert of MORE Power will last until all winning candidates are proclaimed.
Barring any “act of God” or deliberate sabotage, I’m quite positive that nothing untoward will happen to the power situation and the BSKE will go on smoothly.
Incidentally, NGCP also gave a similar assurance the other day.
Moving on, Representatives Francisco Benitez (3rd District, Negros Occidental), Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang-Lingkod party-list), and Juliet Marie Ferrer (4th District, Negros Occidental), in a bid to offer more efficient, reliable and affordable power services to consumers in Negros Occidental, filed House Bill 9310 on September 25, 2023.
This bill seeks to grant a franchise to the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC), enabling it to establish and operate a distribution system for delivering electric power to end-users in the cities of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, and Bago, as well as in the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto — all situated in the province of Negros Occidental.
By the way, Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) is the sister company of MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) and recently had a successful Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) to take over the power distribution facility of Negros Occidental, particularly Bacolod City and neighboring cities and municipalities.
In an explanatory note, the House Bill emphasizes the significance of this proposed measure, noting, “Bacolod and its adjacent cities and municipalities are among the most progressive regions in the Philippines and their growth is being hindered by the poor service of CENECO. It lacks access to modern technology and does not have the entrepreneurial drive to address managerial, operational and service problems.”
NEPC/MORE Power president Roel Castro is optimistic and has high hopes for the approval of NEPC’s franchise, which would enable them to operate and provide power services to areas under CENECO’s jurisdiction.
Castro believes that if they have successfully delivered quality services to Iloilo City’s residents, they can certainly do the same now with the trust and reputation they’ve established.
“Our track record speaks for itself. We’ve shown what we’re capable of here, and we believe this success can be replicated for the benefit of consumers in Central Negros,” he said.
“If MORE Power could elevate the service quality for Ilonggos, there’s no reason they couldn’t extend similar benefits to Central Negros. If we achieved it here, why not there? This same sentiment prompted my proposal for a joint venture in Central Negros. If we’ve managed to enhance services here, meeting the consumers’ needs, I thought it logical to share our expertise with other regions,” he added./PN
