AND HERE we go with our continuing dangling conversation about “I Am Iloilo City’s” sole power distribution utility, MORE Electric and Power Corporation a.k.a. MORE Power, and other power matters.
We start with the good news first; it’s already an established fact that MORE Power takes to heart seriously their Corporate Social Responsibility alongside, of course, their equally serious commitment to providing “I Am Iloilo City” with a steady, reliable and above all affordable electricity.
Just recently, the Provincial Government of Iloilo, in collaboration with MORE Power and the Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation, Inc. (NVC), took a significant step in combating malnutrition in Iloilo Province with the launch of the Mingo Nutrition Program.
The program was launched May 20, 2024 at the Municipality of San Miguel, Iloilo attended by former senator Franklin Drilon and MORE Power President/CEO Roel Castro.
According to San Miguel mayor Marina Gorriceta, “San Miguel is amongst the Top 10 municipalities that has the most malnutrition cases. The data gathered is a wake-up call for us to take serious action against this issue.”
“With minimal funding from the national government, local government units have to find ways to address the issue by partnering with the private sector and non-governmental organizations,” Drilon pointed out.
MORE Power, as a testament to its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, is funding the nutrition program in San Miguel with a significant donation.
The donation from MORE Power will fund a year-long daily feeding program, providing each of the 88 beneficiaries with P8,000 worth of Mingo meals, instant complementary food made of rice, mongo (mung beans), and malunggay (moringa). The program aims to address malnutrition among underweight and severely underweight children aged six months to 59 months old.
Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon, Provincial Health Officer of Iloilo, expressed the significance of the program, saying, “The provincial government of Iloilo is taking a serious stand against malnutrition. The partnership among MORE Power, the Iloilo Provincial Government, Senator Drilon and NVC Foundation is a testament to the collective effort needed to tackle this issue.”
Moving on, still on good news, the Senate just passed the bill awarding a franchise to the Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) for operating as a new distribution utility in Central Negros, under a Joint Venture Agreement with the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO).
The bill, known as House Bill No. 9805, received overwhelming support from senators, securing 22 affirmative votes.
Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Committee on Public Services, expressed her gratitude to her peers for backing the bill. She highlighted the bill’s aim to boost consumer services by ensuring continued access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.
The need for improved services in central Negros Occidental, currently under CENECO’s scope, spurred the public support for House Bill No. 9805.
NEPC has committed to investing in the modernization of the distribution network and tackling existing operational issues.
A bicameral conference is scheduled to refine the final version of the law before it is presented to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for approval.
Finally, the not so good news; electricity rate for this month has increased by P1.02/kWh.
Which makes the effective residential electricity rate, reflected on bills from May 18, 2024, to June 12, 2024, to P11.3263/kWh.
While the transmission charge cost decreased, this reduction was offset by the rise in the average nodal prices of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), which went from P8.67/kWh to P11.85/kWh.
These changes come amidst the thin supply situation highlighted by the “red” and “yellow” alerts declared by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Luzon and Visas over the last two months.
This increase in the generation charges also led to higher taxes and system loss rates, although the 12-month average system loss slightly decreased from 5.50% to 5.44% compared to the previous month.
There’s no increase implemented in the Distribution, System, and Metering charges, which remain the only bill component that goes to MORE Power.
Don’t worry folks, we’re still lowest electricity rate in the region if not the country./PN
