ILOILO City – Even in the early days of its operation, MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) said it had been swamped with felicitations from satisfied customers, debunking the claim of its beleaguered predecessor, the franchise-less Panay Electric Co. (PECO). It cited first-hand experiences of barangay leaders and social media postings citing the company – from the deployment of quick response teams to “real person” customer services.
Barangay Captain Lilibeth Eduardo of Burgos, La Paz district revealed, “Some kind of explosion was heard from an electric post near the school of our village. I called MORE Power and in 15 minutes it had a team fixing the problem. I am so grateful.”
Barangay Captain Amadeo Sultan of Simon Ledesma, Jaro district shared his own experience: “I called the hotline of MORE Power. It was immediately answered. In five minutes, a team came over and prevented a fire.”
“Previously with PECO, we would be passed around. If ever response was done, it took time,” he added.
In social media, netizens also related their good experiences with MORE Power and extended their compliments.
“Good job MORE Power! We hope you keep up the quality service you promised to provide to the Ilonggos,” according to Joy Dionela Santiago.
Here’s another from Jam Jimena: “Wait lang ha, na-amaze gid ko sa serbisyo ni MORE Power. Nag-message ko 19:45, 20:25 siga na. Wala nalab-otan one hour na-restore nila ang power. Kun sa PECO ni, seen zoned ka na, tapos bwas pa masiga. Real talk! Ha-ha-ha.”
“MORE Power is very responsive. I called customer service at around 9 a.m. regarding a power line dangling from the power pole to my house, in danger of getting hit and snagged by high-profile vehicles. Emergency crew came by and fixed the problem within five hours. What a relief, a far cry from the unresponsive phone line of PECO. More power to MORE Power. Thank you so much,” wrote Butch Miranda Tan.
Presidential Adviser and “no-to-PECO-franchise-renewal” advocate Jane Javellana, in a Facebook post, thanked MORE Power “for fast and reliable service” as she decried outdated PECO posts: “Repentance, acceptance and move on. You had your chance but you blew it just like your pole posts.”
On the other hand, Ronan Dumaguit posted on the “MORE Power Iloilo” Facebook page: “Dasig gid sila mag-respond!”
Jet Beray also reached out, posting, “Shout out to MORE Power Iloilo! At 6:10 a.m. I sent a private message to their FB account requesting them to check our electrical line since we’ve been experiencing low voltage for several days. Then just a couple of minutes they responded. They asked some details and informed me they would forward my request to their response team. And just before lunchtime, they’ve addressed our concern! Kudos!”
In response, MORE Power thanked Beray and explained that low voltage caused by a loose connection was the culprit.
The company response got another round of gratitude with Beray saying it was “awesome service…MORE Power to you guys!”
Though only days into service, MORE Power was also among the first to respond to the fire victims of Barangay General Hughes, City Proper. Barangay Captain Teresita Uy welcomed the team and received boxes of hot meals for displaced families.
A WELCOME POWER SHIFT
In contrast, PECO’s services had been under fire.
Former city councilor Joshua Alim was one of the many that complimented the transition from PECO to MORE Power. It was he who delivered the sentiments of Ilonggo consumers to the Senate and was instrumental in putting a stop to PECO’s 95-year reign.
“Fighting a giant is not a joke. At first, it was so hard for me personally taking the cudgels for those who have been abused and oppressed by a giant monopoly. We were belittled, laughed at, underestimated by some if not all colleagues in public service. We fought with a firm principle for what is right and just for the consumers. We did not give up. We prayed hard to God for strength and guidance and protection against evil forces. We did not succumb to the pressures and temptations of whatever consideration. We were bullied in Congress but it made us stronger and determined to stand our ground. No retreat, no surrender,” said Alim.
He added: “I am happy with the promises made by the new player MORE Power. We welcome them with a prayer that it will not follow what its predecessor had done to the consumers. I know they won’t fail me, us, in general.”
MORE Power took over the operation of electricity distribution on Feb. 28 following the execution of the Writ of Possession issued by Iloilo Regional Trial Court, Branch 23’s Judge Emerald Requina-Contreras.
With PECO for 95 years as Iloilo City’s sole power provider, consumers complained of unannounced brownouts and unresponsive customer service, among others.
A visiting lawyer commiserated with the locals, writing in one social media account how “PECO failed and continues to fail Iloilo City. Iloilo City deserves a better power service provider, one that is in keeping with Iloilo’s track of progress.”
Another businesswoman in the food industry wrote of how many of the company’s appliances could not be used.
“When power is gone, we waste time, energy and money,” she wrote.
Recently, Mayor Jerry Treñas issued a statement that the city government now recognizes MORE Power as new power distributor in the city.
“The city government would be transacting with MORE Power,” the mayor said while adding that unresolved legal issues were for the courts to decide.
MORE Power committed to improve the power distribution system reliability and minimize franchise-wide outages.
It also assured consumers of lower power rates.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed MORE Power’s franchise on Feb. 14, 2019.
In 2010 a study was commissioned by the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (ILED) to determine what PECO needed in terms of systems upgrade. The focus of the study, conducted by Singapore-based consulting group Parsons and Brinckerhoff, was on how PECO could improve network reliability.
ILED chairperson Narzalina Lim then disclosed during a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services how “that time, PECO’’s reliability indices showed that its performance was below the Philippines’ overall, and inferior to other main regional utilities…The frequency of interruption was especially high in PECO’s network…The study recommended that PECO consider various steps to improve its network performance.”
In 2018, ILED commissioned anew the same consulting group to undertake a review of PECO’s performance.
According to Lim, significant were the findings that while PECO’s network performance improved, “the services that PECO provides lag behind what distribution utilities (DUs) in key Philippine cities like Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao provide. The gap widens even more if comparison is made with DUs in the ASEAN region.”
The Senate Committee further heard how complaints validated by the study focused mostly on billing errors and the lack of empathy shown by PECO employees.
“Calling the hot line was even worse. There was nobody picking up the PECO end,” the ILED report continued.
The commissioned study and its findings formed part of the hearing with ILED requesting the committee to consider such in considering MORE Power’s franchise.
“The economy of Iloilo is growing. We are no longer the sleepy town of years ago but a vibrant city that aims to take its place amongst the most competitive cities, not just in the Philippines but in Asia. This is our vision,” read a statement from ILED.
ILED is a public-private sector partnership founded in 2007 with a long-term vision to work on making Iloilo an attractive investment destination. The Iloilo city mayor and provincial governor sit on the Board along with private sector representatives.
Congress denied twice the franchise application of PECO.
Recently the Energy Regulatory Commission revoked PECO’s provisional Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity./PN
