WHILE doing my usual research on the latest developments in the power industry, I came across two articles — one from our very own Panay News and another from Bilyonaryo.com. What caught my attention was that both focused on the same subject: Iloilo City’s sole power distribution utility, MORE Electric and Power Corporation, better known as MORE Power.
Both pieces discussed MORE Power’s accomplishments, but what stood out to me was how these achievements have become closely intertwined with the identity of “I Am Iloilo City.” In essence, the city’s growing prominence as an investment destination is powered — quite literally (pun intended) — by MORE Power, the force behind the city’s rise from “the next big thing” to the big thing.
Speaking before members of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) — a premier, non-profit organization composed of top and senior executives from the country’s most respected companies — MORE Power president and CEO Roel Castro proudly promoted Iloilo City’s reliable power infrastructure as a key driver for new investments.
This was a fitting venue for such a message. MAP has long been at the forefront of shaping Philippine business policy and promoting management excellence. Its meetings, often attended by key government and private sector leaders, serve as an important platform for national and economic discourse — making it the perfect audience for a pitch on Iloilo’s investment readiness.
According to Castro, Iloilo City’s power infrastructure is now stable and has ample spare capacity to support new investments. The electricity grid has been upgraded to meet rising demand and can accommodate substantial industrial, commercial, and residential growth.
“We came in 2020, and our growth in electricity demand has been increasing. Our customer base has nearly doubled in five years — from 62,000 accounts in 2020 to about 115,000 today — reflecting steady economic expansion. Iloilo’s economy has posted cumulative growth since 2015, with only a temporary slowdown during the pandemic,” Castro said.
By next year, he added, Iloilo City’s power infrastructure will be “above the curve,” ready to meet any investment demand. “We would be confident and not be afraid of any investment that would come and that would require power,” he said.
It’s worth recalling that when MORE Power took over in 2020, the system it inherited was, to put it mildly, lagging behind. This rapid growth demanded a massive catch-up effort in infrastructure — prompting an aggressive five-year investment program in critical assets such as substations.
Castro revealed that the system now enjoys around 36% spare capacity, allowing it to absorb new industrial, commercial, and residential demand without immediate need for large-scale construction.
The presentation also highlighted dramatic improvements in service quality and efficiency. System loss — a key metric in utility performance and cost efficiency — has dropped from a high of 30% to an impressive 4.75%. Meanwhile, the frequency of power interruptions has plunged from 18 times per year to less than once, giving businesses the reliability they need to thrive in a modern economy.
These improvements are supported by a fully operational Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, enabling real-time grid monitoring and control. MORE Power is also preparing for its next modernization phase: the rollout of automated metering systems.
“All that to show you that we are at least ready for the next five years, and we welcome all of you, as investors, to Iloilo City,” Castro declared.
On a final note, MORE Power’s resilience has been “fact-checked” by Mother Nature herself — twice. During Typhoon Opong’s onslaught and the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu and Iloilo, MORE Power managed to keep the lights on, despite transmission shortfalls from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.
Indeed, that’s more bragging rights for MORE Power./PN
