Less power pilferage, less cost

By Herbert Vego

WHAT is the secret behind the reputation of MORE Energy and Power Corp. (MORE Power) as distributor of the cheapest electricity in the Philippines? The Iloilo City-based distribution utility charges households only ₱7.22 per kilowatt-hour, which is much lower than the ₱11 to ₱13/kWh charged by electric cooperatives.

It is really no secret. Roel Z. Castro, MORE Power president and chief operating officer, told this writer that the company had done a user-friendly deal with the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) for the cheapest geothermal energy supply; and had greatly minimized system’s losses incurred from power pilferage.

The system’s loss, by the way, refers to electricity lost in transit from source to destination, or to theft through “jumper” or illegal connection. That loss is shared by both the customers and the distribution utility

When MORE Power took over from Panay Electric Co. (PECO) in February 2020, Castro recalled, “We were saddled with 30,000 power pilferers. We grappled with the problem of converting them into paying customers. We have succeeded.”

The number of persistent pilferers has declined, and system loss has plummeted from 23 percent to only 6.98 percent.

That’s one reason why MORE now serves more customers at cheaper rates. The number of empowered households has jumped from 62,000 to 86,000 within two years.

If my memory serves me right, the household rate has gone down from ₱10.50/kWh in February 2020 to ₱7.22/kWh today.

To discourage power thieves, the company has filed cases against them for violation of Republic Act No. 7832, the anti-pilferage law. They may be punished with up to 12 years of imprisonment or up to ₱100,000 in fines.

The MORE Konek program, aimed at implementing the law and stopping the proliferation of pilferers, enjoys the support of the city government and barangay officials who personally report cases of illegal connections.

Under this program spearheaded by Ariel “Aye” Castañeda, new applicants would only be required to present an accomplished application form, government-issued identification card, barangay certificate of residency, permit for temporary service connection with electrical plan and vicinity, and oath undertaking for informal settlers.

Mayor Jerry Treñas has taken the initiative of assigning an employee of the City Engineer’s Office to go over the electrical plans of applicants for new connections right inside MORE’s extension office at Hotel del Rio.

As to how long MORE Power can hold on to its present-day household rate, it would largely depend on the “competitive selection process” that allows distribution utilities to bid for preferred rates offered by energy producers. Right now, Castro is looking forward to signing a long-term contract for geothermal energy with the Energy Development Corp. (EDC).

-oOo-

BBM NOW A ‘SMARTMAGIC’ BENEFICIARY

HE has no more reason to howl. Now that he is a “beneficiary” of the system he used to whip, presumptive President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. warns forces threatening to thwart the will of the people. Why not let the “overwhelming majority” of voters decide?

He is in danger of “disqualification” by the Supreme Court over the question of moral turpitude through non-payment of taxes.

He himself knows that he could not have gained 31 million votes against runner-up Leni Robredo’s 14 million. How could Robredo have trailed behind so far away when she was getting more warm bodies in the political rallies?

Filipinos in the United States and Canada have asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct manual recounts in the presence of election watchdogs like the National Movement for Free Election (Namfrel) and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente).

But wait! A 2018 video recording now circulating through FB-Messenger shows Bongbong himself condemning Smartmatic – the sole provider of vote-counting machines – for allegedly manipulating the automated election results in 2016 when he lost to Vice President Leni Robredo.  We are transcribing his exact words in the video.

“Maliwanag na maliwanag na eh. Ang Smartmatic, ang ibinebenta nila ay hindi ang election system. Ang ibinebenta nila ay dayaan system. Marami nang instances mula pa noong 2010, at na-prove na na mayro’n silang ginagawa para baguhin ang resulta. Even Comelec has admitted that. It is interesting to note that Smartmatic has been banned in Venezuela, in many states in the United States.  It has driven Belgium and Germany to return to the manual system.  They are not there to sell an electronic system; they are there to sell election cheating.”

So now that he is the beneficiary of “smartmagic,” forgive and forget?

Perhaps, but is he comfortable with the possibility of his being disqualified, which could result in his running mate Sara taking over the presidency?

On second thought, assuming that Marcos’ certificate of candidacy gets voided, the SC could proclaim Leni Robredo as the presidential winner instead.