THE WAYthings are going, this ongoing tug-of-war between MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) and Panay Electric Co. (PECO) is looking more and more like a striptease live on stage. Now you see, now you don’t.
Nobody’s going full monty yet you just see a piece of that, a piece of this. Like in a striptease show, you see a side boob then the derriere, legs, a nipple flash. No full frontal nudity, not just yet.
And the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” are getting bored so much so that their attention is now focused on the “battle of the ube-cheese pandesal” which is by far more interesting and tastier too.
Incidentally, if per chance you notice the frequent use of the word “more”, there is no subliminal effect attempt here; it is just a coincidence. But you have to admit the situation is getting “more and more absurd”.
On the serious and legal side, the odds are stacked in favor of MORE Power as they are armed with a franchise as the sole power provider of “I Am Iloilo City” courtesy of Congress via Republic Act 11212 duly approved and signed by President Rodrigo Duterte and a Writ of Possession issued by Regional Trial Court, Branch 23.
Meanwhile, PECO does not have any legal leg to stand on as their franchise as sole power provider of “I Am Iloilo City” expired last year, Jan. 19, 2019 to be exact. All they have is amor propio, a sense of entitlement and the mistaken notion that a franchise is a right when the whole world knows it is not; it is a privilege that can only be granted by law.
To add to the miseries of PECO, this came in last week (excerpts from the March 7, 2020 issue of Panay News):
MORE Power gets ERC nod to operate; Commission revokes PECO’s provisional CPCN
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has issued MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), thereby giving it authority to operate.
On the other hand, ERC revoked the provisional CPCN it granted to Panay Electric Co. (PECO) last year.
MORE Power welcomed the ERC decision. With no CPCN, PECO has no business operating any longer, said Atty. Hector Teodosio, MORE Power legal counsel.
The order dated March 5 was issued by ERC chairperson and chief executive officer Agnes Devanadera following a two-day (March 3-4) ocular inspection its technical personnel conducted in Iloilo City to verify the actual status of the power distribution network here.
The inspection team verified “MORE Power’s full readiness and capability in the aspects of development, operation and maintenance of the distribution system”, read part of the ERC order.
The Commission stressed it was “mindful of its mandate to protect consumer interest, ensure uninterrupted electric service to consumers in Iloilo City, and prevent chaos and confusion among customers as to who is authorized to operate the distribution system…”
ERC also authorized MORE Power to implement the last approved distribution charges of PECO, and required the new power distributor to “source and procure its power requirements…”
Ouch! I bet that hurts. After all the posturing and screaming that MORE Power does not have a CPCN, PECO has to swallow their own words as it is them who no longer have a CPCN.
So no franchise, no CPCN; all their facilities taken over by MORE Power via a Writ of Possession…what in the world is PECO holding on too?
Well, PECO still has amor propio.
Not much really but sometimes desperation makes “clutching at straws” the only option left.
Perhaps more (pun intended) prayer vigils, rallies, a run around “I Am Iloilo City” led by that “running priest” Robert Reyes then a pray over with Sister Mary John Mananzan, of course, participated by more (again pun intended) people wearing that bright orange t-shirt with PECO emblazoned in front. Maybe all that will drive MORE Power away. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
