Why does ‘Doc Nanay’ prefer MORE?

By Herbert Vego

IT boggles the mind that First District Rep. Janette Garin wants MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) to compete with the Iloilo 1 Electric Cooperative (ILECO 1) in all seven municipalities comprising her constituency – Igbaras, Tubungan, Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miag-ao and San Joaquin.

What is the intent and spirit of her bill which would grant MORE Power the franchise to compete with ILECO 1 in her turf.?

Her House Bill 6292 seems to indicate that she is unhappy with the performance of ILECO 1.

She would withdraw her bill, however, if ILECO 1 would reduce its residential rate by two pesos per kilowatt-hour. Considering its present rate of PHP 11.39, then it would have to come down to PHP 9.39 kWh.

But according to our ILECO 1 sources, they expect a potential rate increase this month due to rising generation costs imposed by power plants in the spot market.

Atty. Salvador Cabaluna, secretary of the ILECO 1 board of directors, recently said in a radio interview that the cooperative could not afford to cut rates.

Therefore, we may presume that the Garin bill would push through, kicking off competition between ILECO 1 and MORE Power in the First District.

Alas, even if “Doc Nanay” decides to archive her bill, it would not eliminate competition, which has begun in other municipalities currently energized by ILECO 1 in the Second and Fourth Districts by virtue of RA 11918 expanding MORE Power’s franchise from Iloilo City to Passi City and 15 municipalities.

These 15 municipalities are Alimodian, Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Dueñas, Dumangas, Leganes, Leon, New Lucena, Pavia, San Enrique, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, and Zarraga.

MORE Power has begun energizing the two towns nearest to the city – Pavia and Santa Barbara. It would probably take two years before the power lines could be completed in the other aforesaid municipalities.

As a result, it’s now only the seven towns of the First District that ILECO 1 still monopolizes.

Now let’s see what retired ILECO 1 General Manager Wilfred Billena commented on Facebook:

“No matter what argument ILECO 1 makes, it’s a fact that their services have deteriorated over the years. Their system average interruption frequency index and other similar indexes had considerably gone up to the annoyance of consumers. And that situation is not an indication of preparedness for competition.”

My friend Leopoldo “Doods” Moragas – a retired senior assistant vice president of the Philippine National Bank – predicts that ILECO 1 would eventually ink a joint venture agreement with MORE Power.

That’s a win-win solution that had been implemented between the debt-ridden Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) and Primelectric Holdings in Bacolod City, resulting in the emergence of Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) in 2024.

Since then, NEPC has exponentially grown from 177,737 customers to around 250,000 today.

It was its partnership with Primelectric that saved Central Negros Electric Coop. (CENECO) from impending bankruptcy resulting from bank debts amounting to PHP 800 million.

Primelectric Holdings, by the way, also owns MORE Power and Bohol Light.

-oOo-

TESDA RD RETIRES, NOW SEN. KIKO’S CONSULTANT

WHEN Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan learned that our good friend Toni June Tamayo had retired from his post as regional director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), he asked him to be his consultant on technical education.

That is not surprising, considering Tamayo’s nine years of assignment as TESDA regional director in various regions from 2016 to 2025.

TESDA is the government agency in charge of conducting vocational and technical skills training aimed at developing workforces of Filipinos with employable skills.

Congratulations, Sir TJ.