There is MORE to Life for Ilonggos

Iloilo City is home to half a million people. Some communities are so dense that the demand among residential consumers makes it almost impossible for a traditional power utility to cope.

“Ang pumuluyo ga suffer, ga antos. Tapos ang ginapalab-ot mo nga problema sa ila, angay sina ginapabay-an ka lang bala,” says Brgy. Chairman Elfren Cenayo of Brgy. Don Esteban.

Four meaningful years after MORE Power started its operation in 2020 as the sole distribution utility in Iloilo City, Brgy. Chairman Cenayo is among the hundreds of thousands of residents who can attest that there is indeed MORE for the Ilonggos.

“Wala ko may nakita kabudlay. Talunsay, katawhay, kanami,” says Cenayo.

One of the company’s greatest challenges is stopping the proliferation of illegal connections, which contribute to high power rates and turn highly populated communities into tinderboxes.

Brgy. Don Esteban is among those barangays that have greatly benefited from MORE Power’s MORE Konek program, which hastens and simplifies the application process, making it easier for residents to apply for legitimate power connections and minimizing the need for illegal tapping.

Hundreds of violators were brought to court, while thousands were given the chance to file applications for legitimate connections.

This significant accomplishment decreased system loss to single digit, paving the way for more consumer-oriented projects geared toward improving the distribution utility.

In its 5th year, top management, employees, and contractors began their weeklong celebration by thanking the Almighty for the blessings and sustenance through a Thanksgiving Mass on February 14, the same day 5 years ago when it was granted a franchise through RA 11212.

The activity was followed by its 6th blood donation drive in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross to help sustain its operations serving 26 hospitals in the region.

“The objective here is we want to make our blood donation possible to our employees and to our contractors and our suppliers. We want to meet the demands of blood here in Iloilo City. We want to save lives. Bal-an ta man kung ano kabudlay mag source sang dugo especially ang mga rare nga blood type and those nga kinanglan sang lain nga blood components,” says Daphne Karina J. De Pedro, Assistant Vice President, Human Capital Management.

This year, MORE Power strengthened its outreach programs by partnering with the youth and education sector, such as the Philippine Science High School and Miss Iloilo, to sustain its tree planting efforts in Jaro.

“I believe that each tree planted by MORE Power and partners today is a gift to future generations. I would like to remind everyone that together we can nurture a cleaner and healthier future and a cleaner and healthier Iloilo City,” says Shaima Robles Al Yansuri, Miss Paraw Regatta 2024 and Iloilo’s representative for Miss Earth Philippines.

Another group of its volunteers, together with the Iloilo City Government, also took part in a massive coastal clean-up along San Juan to Molo Boulevard, Molo. To address the illegal dumping of garbage at sea, the company donated a Material Recovery Facility.

The pool of Energy Beat reporters in Iloilo, businessmen and other stakeholders got a glimpse of the new control center, which is SCADA-ready, a first in Iloilo and a beacon of force to show that anything is possible when investing in modernization for power distribution.

MORE Power’s success was not possible without the core of employees who started fostering the core values of the company: service geared towards consumers that cater to the needs of the Ilonggos.

According to MORE Power President and CEO Mr. Roel Castro, the company owes its achievements to its hardworking employees, which it recognized in a simple and private ceremony.

During the Stakeholders Appreciation Night, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., were both beaming with pride as they both recalled the challenges that MORE Power gracefully hurdled.

“If MORE Power did not come in, I don’t know what would have happened to Iloilo during this time. That is why I have gained a very strong partner in MORE Power. I make sure that if anything MORE Power needs from the local government, we are ready to provide it immediately,” says Mayor Treñas.

Treñas also lauds the environmental stewardship campaign of the power utility, which it continues to sustain even beyond the mandate stipulated in its franchise. From planting of mangroves along the riverbanks, coastal clean-up, tree planting activity, adaption of various charities, and by providing MRF projects in the barangay, MORE Power showed that there is indeed MORE to life.

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. has personally experienced the transition from the traditional power distribution utility to a modern and digitally controlled power company.

According to him, MORE Power brings progress not only to Iloilo City but to the province as well. Its mere presence, backed by its aggressive take on modernization and upgrading of its facilities, lured investors even in Iloilo Province.

“Thank you for the service. Our work is the same; our bottom line is the welfare of our constituents. And what we need to deliver, you deliver. We are partners in that sense. We are business, and your service is imbued with the utmost public interest,” says Gov. Defensor Jr.

MORE Power is set to expand in several towns in Iloilo Province after local leaders sought the expansion of its franchise to further address the need for a robust power distribution utility in Iloilo.

“When we were still starting, I had to tell myself ‘No’ patapos na ‘yung 5 years natin, ‘yung promise natin to consumers, promise natin to the local governments, promise natin to the regulators, promise natin sa, what do you call this, to those who sponsored our franchise. I said within 5 years our consumers would feel the difference of our entry. And with just a blink of an eye, we are already here,” says Castro.

Ilonggos are known to be skeptical, meticulous, and quite hard to please, but when they start recognizing your feats, it means you have done something good.

According to Castro, there is MORE to come for the Ilonggos.