TWO LEADING columnists of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) came out with their views last week strongly criticizing a recent act of Congress that awarded power distribution in Iloilo to a new firm identified as MORE Minerals Corporation (MMC), a mining company.
The mining company has now applied to change its name to MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MEPC) to take over the operation of the power franchise of Panay Electric Company (PECO) in Iloilo.
According to AT LARGE columnist Rina Jimenez-David in her PDI article of Oct. 17, 2018, PECO has duly filed its application with the House Committee on Legislative Franchises in November 2017 but no word from the chairman, Rep. Franz Josef Alvarez of Palawan, as to when he would start the hearing on it. Then all of a sudden the Committee clandestinely held one to especially act on the application for electric franchise of MORE, with the House plenary also voting promptly to cancel PECO’S franchise and give it to MORE!
Panay Electric Company that served Iloilo for 95 years will therefore now be replaced by a new power firm that was granted a new franchise by Congress to provide electric service but owning not a single power generator or have planted one electric post in the area.
In her GET REAL column in last Saturday’s issue of PDI, writer Solita Collas-Monsod also pointed out that MORE has never been in the electric power business and had no assets, facilities or employees trained to conduct the business, but this did not faze Congress a bit. It solved the problem by granting and authorizing MORE under House Bill 8302 “the right to exercise the power of eminent domain and to acquire such private property as may be necessary for the realization of its purpose for which the franchise is granted.”
According to Monsod, “Since the assets, facilities and employees are no longer needed by the previous company that lost its franchise, it is just around for the picking. HB 8302 additionally provides that MORE can get its equipment and personnel from the previous distributor, PECO, whose franchise has not been renewed. It sounds like this is a Congress-authorized takeover of PECO by MORE. xxx xxx xxx”
Monsod asked: “And how did Congress treat PECO compared to MORE? HB 6023 which would have renewed the franchise of PECO had Congress approved it, was submitted to the body in July 2017 – a full 13 months before MORE’s franchise was approved under HB 8302. As of today, PECO’s application has yet to have a third hearing, but MORE’s franchise was already approved even if submitted much later.”
We are so sorry to note that the concern of Council R Leone Gerochi to intervene in the congressional hearing and deliberations for the power franchise is laudable but too late.
What we are surprised is that even our city mayor in Iloilo was not too keen in getting involved in the problem, and so with our congressman who was not seen in the hearing at the legislative body on this issue. Maybe they can tell us how much they know of the new power supplier to keep us assured of its capabilities to support our continuing growth.
We say again that MORE has no electric power source but it must be very influential. Who are the people behind it?
At this stage, will PECO just accept their fate in silence and lose a business they have built and served the Ilonggos for the past 95 years? People are watching PECO’s next move and expressed support for the power company to prevent serious interruption in our electric service.
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Historical Quote of the Week
“The first bookstore and printing shop established in the Visayas and Mindanao – Libreria de Panayana of Iloilo City.” (For comments or re-actions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
