ERC to Iloilo City consumers: MORE Power is now your DU
- ERC issued a 4-point advisory instructing Iloilo City electricity consumers to now transact business with MORE Power Corp.
- It reminded consumers that it has revoked the provisional CPCN that it issued with PECO.
- ERC will resolve consumers issues prior to MORE Power’s operations.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) took the responsibility of informing an estimated 65,000 electricity consumers of Iloilo City who are confused as to who between the two warring power utility they will deal with regarding their concerns – the old Panay Electric Company (PECO) or the newcomer More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power).
For the ERC, MORE Power is now the sole power distribution utility of Iloilo City considering that it holds a 25-year franchise of service and a Certificate of Public Convenience (CPCN).
It stressed that all transactions pertaining to consumers electricity services like applications for new connections, systems maintenance, and payment of bills, must now be addressed to MORE Power.
The Commission has formally revoked the provisional CPCN that is issued to PECO in its March 5, 2020 Order, said the ERC advisory.
The 4-point advisory was released May 6, 2020. It is posted on the ERC website, link supplied: https://www.erc.gov.ph/ContentPage/61972
The 4-Point advisory reads:
- In its Order dated 05 March, 2020, the ERC granted MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) a Provisional Authority to operate as a distribution utility in Iloilo City and formally revoked the provisional Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) previously granted to Panay Electric Company (PECO). Thus, MORE Power is the only entity with the required franchise and CPCN to operate as the sole electric distribution utility in Iloilo City pursuant to Republic Act No. 11212;
- All electricity consumers in Iloilo City should pay their electricity bills to MORE Power starting March 2020 billing period. However, said payments should be made in accordance with 05 May, 2020 Advisory of the Commission;
- All concerns of the electricity consumers in Iloilo City such as applications for new connections and system maintenance must be addressed to and acted upon by MORE Power;
- All other issues pertaining to supply and billing prior to the operation of MORE Power shall be resolved by the ERC.
The ERC “issues this advisory for the guidance of electricity consumers in Iloilo City and in accordance with RA 11212,” the franchise law issued by Congress to MORE Power.
The Republic Act 11212 is an “Act Granting MORE Electric and Power Corporation a Franchise to Establish, Operate and Maintain, for Commercial Purposes and in the Public Interest, a Distribution System for the Conveyance of Electric Power to the End Users in the City of Iloilo, Province of Iloilo, and Ensuring the Continuous and Uninterrupted Supply of Electricity in the Franchise Area.”
President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law RA 11212 in February 15, 2019.