ILOILO City — The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) gathered its stakeholders, partners and police personnel as it recognized its outstanding police stations and community partners on Monday, July 27.
Among its esteemed guests and speakers was MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) president and chief executive officer Roel Z. Castro. In his address, Castro recognized the significant achievement of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and its collaboration with its stakeholders which resulted in the steady decline of index and non-index crimes.
According to Castro, both index and non-index crimes in Iloilo City declined between 2024 and 2025. Records from the ICPO show a 31% decline for index crimes and 10% for non-index crimes.
“This success would not happen without the strong relationship police officers built with their stakeholders. It is fitting that we celebrate the culmination of the Police Community Relations Month, as it highlights the effectiveness of the ongoing community programs,” said Castro.
Castro cited one of the best examples of proactive collaboration between the police and MORE Power in the campaign against illegal connections. During the initial phase of MORE Power’s 5-year development plan, it was in close coordination with the PNP in going through every village in Iloilo City.
Castro recalled that some barangays recorded system losses of as much as 60%, contributing to the overall system loss of 30% when MORE Power took over operations.
Through joint efforts involving the PNP and barangay officials – including dialogues with individuals found tampering electrical connections and the easing of electricity application requirements through the help of the Iloilo City Government – MORE Power significantly reduced system losses.
From 30%, MORE Power consumers now enjoy a 3.83% system loss. Far from the cap set by Energy Regulatory Commission at 5.5% – a feat that Castro attributes to the effective programs being implemented from before up until today.
“From someone who really felt the effect of having this effective community involvement—as shown by the numbers dropping from 30% system loss down to 3.83%—the programs truly help when we cooperate with each other,” said Castro. “On the side of our officers in uniform, let us understand why it is happening. Those learnings should come from the affected victims, from the community, as well as sa atin.”
“I’d like to congratulate the Iloilo City Police Office for a very remarkable and outstanding performance for bringing down index crimes. With that, congratulations to Col. Parilla and to all the men and women of the police force,” he added.
Police Colonel Wilbert B. Parilla, director of the ICPO, expressed gratitude to MORE Power and other partners for the effective collaboration to help secure a peaceful Ilonggo community.
“The success of every police-community relations program is a testament to the collective efforts of our police personnel and our community partners,” Parilla stated. “This recognition reflects our shared commitment to building stronger partnerships founded on trust, accountability, and genuine public service. Together, we will continue to uphold our mission of keeping Iloilo City safe, peaceful, and resilient.”
MORE Power reaffirmed its commitment to continuing its close partnership with the ICPO to promote a safer community for Ilonggos while continuously delivering quality and reliable service to its consumers./PN
