BACOLOD City – Bacolodnons should grab the opportunity to have better electricity, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City, vouching for MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) as a reliable power distributor.
MORE Power, the sole power distributor in Iloilo City, is a sister company of Ignite Power which is proposing a joint venture agreement (JVA) with Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco).
Ceneco has more than 214,000 member-consumers in its franchise areas of Bacolod City, Bago City, Talisay City, and Silay City, and the Negros Occidental municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.
“Very happy and satisfied customer gid ako (of MORE Power),” Mayor Treñas told members of the Bacolod media who visited his office last week.
With MORE Power, Iloilo City now has a stable power supply, reliable electricity distribution and lower rates, stressed Treñas.
Power Watch Negros Advocates (PWNA) is among those backing the proposed JVA of Ceneco and Ignite Power.
“If this JVA is intended to rehabilitate and overhaul the power infrastructure of Ceneco to level up its technical operation applying state-of-the-art technologies and gadgets, we will not interpose any objection,” said PWNA secretary general Wennie Sancho.
Ceneco is a “dismal failure” in providing affordable, reliable and efficient power supply, he lamented.
Treñas said, “Kon magsulod ang (Ignite) MORE (Power) sa inyo, it will help in the development of Bacolod.”
He added: “MORE delivers good service to Iloilo City and they work very closely with us, very consumer-friendly.”
Treñas also said MORE Power has an excellent Corporate Social Responsibility.
For his part, Bacolod City’s Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said, “It is time to improve our power supply services” after residents of Panay and Negros islands experienced a series of power outages and fluctuations last week.
He said he favors the proposed JVA if three conditions are met: 1) the power distributor can lower its electricity rates; 2) no more power outages; and 3) tap renewable energy.
Wednesday last week, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City passed a resolution authored by Councilor Claudio Jesus Puentevella requesting Ceneco to furnish the city council a report on the status, causes and action taken on the series of power outages for the month of April 2023.
Ceneco consumers were inconvenienced by numerous unscheduled power interruptions these past weeks, the resolution noted./PN
