Private firm all set to take over from electric cooperatives in Iloilo
ILOILO CITY—More Electric and Power Corp. (More Power) is ready to start distributing electricity in 15 municipalities and one city in Iloilo province after getting the go signal from the Supreme Court, solidifying a major shift in the province’s power landscape.
Lawyer Elizabeth Dyhn Cabunagan, More Power’s legal counsel, said they received the SC’s notice of the ruling on June 13, which denied the finality of the motions for reconsideration filed by electric cooperatives to stop the takeover of their franchise areas by the private power distribution company.
With no further legal obstacles, More Power said it was preparing to begin operations once it secures its long-pending certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which has been pending since 2022.
More Power is set to complete its final ERC hearing this month.
The expansion comes three years after the passage of Republic Act No. 11918 in July 2022, which amended More Power’s original franchise, limiting it only to Iloilo City. The new law allowed the firm to extend operations to areas currently served by Iloilo Electric Cooperatives I and II (Ileco I and II).
The Supreme Court’s ruling also marked a business victory for a power firm linked to tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., who backed the push for modernized power distribution in Western Visayas.
First town
The areas covered under the expanded franchise include Alimodian, Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Dueñas, Dumangas, Leganes, Leon, New Lucena, Pavia, San Enrique, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Zarraga, and Passi City.
More Power is targeting Pavia town, where facilities like poles and primary lines are already in place, as the first town to go online once the CPCN is released.
Pavia’s municipal council has backed the entry of More Power through a resolution passed in August 2024.
Despite More Power’s expanded franchise, Cabunagan clarified that Ileco I and II were not being stripped of their existing franchises. However, the decision opened the door for competition and gave consumers another option.
Prime Power’s parent company Primelectric Holdings Inc., led by Roel Castro, said the firm would roll out its expansion in phases over the next four to five years.
Castro said the plan is to replicate the transformation achieved in Iloilo City since 2020—modern infrastructure, better customer service, and lower and competitive rates.
