Senado Gin Review ang Franchise Application sang Power Utilities sang Primelectric

Pasay City – Nagtipon ang Senate Committee on Public Services nga ginapamunuan ni Senator Raffy Tulfo sang Marso 18, 2026 agud mag deliberate sa duha ka prankisa nga sakup sang kumpaniya sang Primelectric Holdings Inc. 

Dire ginpatpat ang franchise extension request para sa Bohol Light Company Incorporated kag ang franchise expansion para sa MORE Electric and Power Corporation. 

Ginpresenta ni Mr. Roel Z. Castro, President kag Chief Executive Officer sang duha ka mga utilities ang performance sang duha ka kumpaniya. Iya gindetalye ang operational improvements kag justification sa likod sang mga legislative requests.

MORE Power: Expansion Amid Strong Performance Metrics

Ang MORE Electric and Power Corporation nga nag-operate sa idalum sang legislative franchise sa Iloilo City sa sulod sang 6 ka tuig ang nagatinguha nga mas palaparon pa gid ang coverage area sini. 

Ginalakipan sang proposal ang pito ka mga munisipalidad sa First District sang Iloilo Province nga ginsponsoran ni Congresswoman Janet Garin bangud sa paghingyo sang mga pumuluyo. Kun matigayon, mangin kaupod sini ang segundo kag kwarto distrito nga nauna nga nangin kabahin sa expanded franchise sang MORE Power.

Ginhighlight ni Mr. Castro ang mga makabuluhan nga operational improvement sang MORE Power sumugod nga nag operate ang power company sa Iloilo City.

Natigayon nga mapanubo ang system loss humalin sa 28% sa 5% na gid lamang kag ginpadamu pa gid ang customer base sini gikan sa 62,000 tubtob 107,000 kag ginpanubuan ang System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) kag ang System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) sang kapin 90%.

Nagpabutyag man si Castro nga ang MORE Electric, Negros Power kag Bohol Light nga lunsay ginamanage sang Primelectric Holdings ang may pinakamanubo nga electricity rates sa Visayas.

Nakitaan naman sang mga government agencies sang compliant assessment ang duha ka mga utilities. 

Suno sa Department of Energy (DOE), organisado ang reportorial kag iban nga requirements apang may dugang pa nga probisyon para sa mga regulatory layers.

Ginkumpirma man sang Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ang performance, system reliability, system loss kag power quality standards sang power company. 

Ang Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) gin verify ang regular tax filing kag mga balayran patimaan nga wala sang mga open cases.

Nagpabutyag man ang Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) nga compliant sa mga reporting requirements ang power company kag sila ang maga submit sang opisyal nga position paper.

Wala naman sang pagpamalabag ang Philippine Competition Commission (PCC). Nagsumite man ini sang position paper. 

Nagapabilin naman nga neutral ang Commission on Audit (COA) apang ila ginpabutyag nga kinahanglan nga may probisyon para sa full audit access, transparency, financial disclosure kag accountability.

Wala naman sang pagpamalabag ang Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Wala sila sang na record nga labor inspection coverage kag kung ano man nga pending labor standard cases.

Wala man sang ginpabutyag nga kung ano nga pagpamalabag ang Iloilo Electric Cooperatives samtang ginahiwat ang proceedings.

Bohol Light: Post-Acquisition

Nangin kabahin sang Primelectric Holdings ang Bohol Light sang 2024 sa diin nag acquire ini sang 70% sang Salcon Power group. Ang nabilin nga 30% ginapanag-iyahan pa sang Provincial Government sang Bohol.

Humalin sang takeover, nagreport si Mr. Castro sang pipila ka mga operational advancements lakip na dire ang pag expand sang customer base sang masobra 1,000 ka mga pamalay ilabi na dire ang low-load nga lugar. 

Mas ginpahapos kag ginstreamline ang payment process pinaagi sa pagbaton sang bayad sa barangay level sa Tagbilaran City agud mabuhinan ang documentary requirements para sa bag-o nga applicants sa apat na gid lamang ka mga items. 

Suno kay Mr. Castro, ginpreserba sang power company ang 100% sang workforce sini samtang mas ginpasangkad ang benepisyo sang mga empleyado kaangay sang health insurance kag fourteenth-month pay.

Matapus ang presentasyon kag review sang nagkalain-lain nga mga government agencies, ginrefer ang duha ka bills sa technical working group (TWG) para sa dugang nga konsiderasyon.

Magapadayun man ang committee sa pag review sang mga ginaduso nga proposal kag probisyon para magbalay sang rekomendasyon agud mas maplastar sang maayo antes mapasaka ang hagna para sa dugang nga legislative process sa Senado.

House Approves Bill Expanding MORE Power Franchise to Iloilo’s 1st District

 

The MORE Power expansion bill, authored by Representative Janette Garin, was approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives of the Philippines during its session last Tuesday.

The measure seeks to include the municipalities of Iloilo’s 1st District in the franchise area of MORE Electric and Power Corporation.

The approval came after Jeffrey Ferrer, chair of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises, presented the panel’s favorable recommendation to the plenary.

House Bill 7647 proposes amendments to Sections 11, 16, and 21 of Republic Act No. 11212, as previously amended by Republic Act No. 11918. The original law granted MORE Power a franchise to establish, operate, and maintain an electric power distribution system in Iloilo City and districts two and four, ensuring the continuous and reliable delivery of electricity to consumers within its service area.

During the plenary vote, the bill garnered overwhelming support, with 247 lawmakers voting in favor, four opposing, and no abstentions, paving the way for its transmission to the Senate of the Philippines for consideration. The Senate is expected to conduct its own series of committee hearings for the proposed measure.

If enacted, the bill would allow MORE Power to expand its distribution services to the municipalities of Igbaras, Tubungan, Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miag-ao, and San Joaquin.

While the said municipalities are presently served by Iloilo I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ILECO 1), Garin emphasized that the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines clearly states that franchises for public utilities should not be exclusive, and the Supreme Court has affirmed this.

Garin also pointed out that these local government units in the district have already passed resolutions urging Congress to expand MORE Power’s franchise coverage so their constituents can benefit from what they described as faster, more reliable, and responsive electricity services.

“The respective towns in the First District of Iloilo Province have passed resolutions requesting assistance in passing a measure that would allow them to be covered by MORE Power’s franchise area,” Garin said. “This would enable their residents to benefit from the fast, reliable, and modern electric power distribution services that MORE Power has been known to deliver.”

Supporters see the proposed expansion as a potential step toward accelerating economic growth not only in Iloilo City but also in neighboring municipalities across the province.

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