Iloilo City Power Rates Drop in May 2025 Billing Period

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City residents will see lower electricity bills this month as More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) announced a significant decrease in residential power rates for the May billing cycle.

The new residential rate is PHP11.1354 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), nearly PHP0.90 lower than the previous month’s rate of PHP12.0344/kWh.

The adjusted rate applies to the billing period from May 18 to June 7, 2025.

MORE Power attributed the drop to reduced generation and transmission charges, stable pricing from bilateral power supply agreements, and lower prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

The city’s sole electricity distributor said it capitalized on WESM’s more affordable spot market rates to help minimize costs for consumers.

MORE Power also clarified that the distribution charge — its fee for delivering electricity — remains unchanged, ensuring that the savings benefit consumers directly.

Since January, power rates in Iloilo City have fluctuated: PHP10.9567/kWh in January, PHP11.2013/kWh in February, PHP10.4177/kWh in March, and PHP12.0344/kWh in April.

Among other utilities in the region, only Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO) has released its May rates so far.

AKELCO announced a PHP1.2811/kWh drop for residential customers and a PHP1.2874/kWh reduction for low voltage commercial customers compared to April.

The cooperative attributed the lower rates to a steep decline in WESM prices, which accounted for 61 percent of the total reduction.

AKELCO reported that average WESM generation charges fell from PHP9.2882/kWh in April to PHP6.6249/kWh in May.

Transmission charges also declined, driven by a PHP39.5152 per kilowatt decrease in the Ancillary Service-Reserve market charge.

Despite the lower rates, AKELCO urged consumers to monitor their energy use, particularly during the summer months when electricity consumption typically rises.