ILOILO City — Highlighting its transformative impact on power distribution and economic growth, MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) clinched the prestigious APEX Company of the Year Award on Tuesday, October 13.
MORE Power president and chief executive officer Roel Z. Castro accepted the top honor during a grand ceremony at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Resorts World Manila. Castro was also named a finalist for the Asia CEO Awards, cementing his position as one of the country’s leading figures in utility management and executive leadership.
In his acceptance message, Castro underscored the company’s commitment to providing competitive electricity rates and reliable service, particularly in an industry where consumers have limited choices in selecting their distribution utility.
“We are very happy that as an electric distribution utility, where customers sometimes think they don’t have any choice, we try to give our best to our customers in terms of rates as well as in terms of service,” Castro said.
He thanked the organizers for the honor, emphasizing that the recognition reflects MORE Power’s ongoing drive to improve Iloilo City’s power distribution through infrastructure modernization, operational improvements and customer-centric initiatives.
Since taking over operations in Iloilo City in 2020, MORE Power has aggressively executed multi-billion-peso capital expenditures aimed at rehabilitating aging infrastructure and boosting grid reliability to support households, businesses and future investments.
Among the utility’s key milestones is the energization of the 10/12 megavolt-amperes (MVA) Arevalo mobile substation in June 2025. The facility serves nearly 12,000 consumers and is expected to improve power quality and reduce scheduled interruptions across the district.
The company has also pursued underground power distribution, including its project along JM Basa Street in the City Proper district, where it connected its first customer to an underground distribution system in October 2024.
The initiative forms part of MORE Power’s efforts to modernize the city’s electrical infrastructure and improve the urban streetscape.
Beyond physical infrastructure, MORE Power has invested heavily in digital transformation. As of March 2026, the company expanded its deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced metering infrastructure to accelerate detection of power concerns, improve transparency in electricity consumption, and enhance customer response times.
Looking ahead, MORE Power has set its sights on expanding its franchise areas in Iloilo province, earmarking P2 billion for development activities across the province’s second and fourth congressional districts, as announced in December 2025.
The national accolade also aligns with local commendations, including a resolution adopted by the Iloilo City Council in January 2025 acknowledging MORE Power’s contribution to the city’s economic growth and system modernization.
For Castro, however, the true test of success remains consumer satisfaction.
The APEX Company of the Year distinction honors entities that demonstrate operational excellence while contributing significantly to societal development and the Philippine economy. For MORE Power, the award serves as a national validation of its efforts to position reliable electricity distribution as a catalyst for economic growth in Iloilo./PN
