Business and transport groups called on Panay Electric Co. (PECO) to accept that it no longer has the franchise and permit to operate as the power distributor of Iloilo City especially since it left the distribution facilities in "serious state of disrepair."
In a statement, the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation called for unity in the face of the global health crisis and "for PECO to accept the things it can no longer change”•expired franchise, revoked CPCN, revoked mayor’s permit”•in order for the whole of Iloilo City to move forward and level up as envisioned by the city government.”
ILEDF, the umbrella group of Iloilo City's varied business associations, said in a statement issued by its Executive Director Francis Gentoral that the new distributor MORE Electric and Power Corp., has been doing its job and conducts corrective maintenance on the existing distribution facilities “which had fallen into such serious state of disrepair brought about by years of neglect and lack of capital investments.”
ILEDF commissioned Singaporean firm WSP in 2010 and 2018 to undertake a review of the electric power distribution utility performance in Iloillo City which was presented to Congress as part of the franchise deliberation.
The business group noted that for the first time, "Iloilo City consumers … finally, enjoy(ed) a (per) kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate of less than P10 when MORE Power took over as distribution utility."
Iloilo City recorded one of the highest power rates in the country under PECO.
ILEDF said MORE Power remained true to its commitment to provide transparent service and has never shied away from informing the public of the unscheduled power interruptions, their durations, and causes.
It also supported efforts to address public welfare concerns particularly on eradication of theft of electricity, fire prevention, and overall improvement of services to the Iloilo City consumers.
Meanwhile, the Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association headed by Raymundo Parcon praised MORE Power for "diligently doing their upgrading and comprehensive preventive maintenance in all its substations and upgrading its distribution lines."
This declaration countered the claims of the PECO that the new distribution utility has caused power outages to hit Iloilo City in recent weeks due to its lack of experience in running such an operation.
Parcon also praised MORE Power President Roel Castro for being “very open and transparent with most of its dealings and on handling the operations down the line as consumers are updated of the current power distribution situation in the city as well its current limitations, something that we don't know from the previous one.”