The Iloilo City Council’s public hearing on the series of 13-hour power interruptions the city experienced recently failed to dissect its triggers and causes.

It instead showed the shallow appreciation of the local legislators of the issue on hand and at worst, provided the populace of a first hand experience on how arrogant MORE Power can be in dealing with their critics and consumers.

Roel Castro, MORE Power president, flawlessly explained the technicalities behind the Mandurriao power interruption that caused so much uproar among the residents of the district. It was expected. What he failed to justify though, was the most simple fact. It took them 11 straight hours to locate the primary line fault and instead of searching for it, they pushed the idea of re-energizing the feeder 12 times having in mind their standard of returning power in the shortest time.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod failed to see and appreciate common sense. You don’t energize a simple connection that tripped off inside your house without identifying and repairing the fault otherwise it will continue on tripping off.

Castro had erected three wall of defenses though. One, they are suspecting sabotage but could not find an evidence. Such defense points to Panay Electric Company (PECO). Two, PECO’s hardware which MORE grabbed by legislation is old and faulty. Three, PECO is 95 years in the city and they are just 5 months.

It is deplorable to note that despite MORE’s claim that they are way better than PECO, the city has already experienced more than 370 hours of zero electricity in less than five months. A look at the official report submitted by PECO to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in the same period last year would make Castro and MORE Power cocky liars.

Most recently, the district of Molo experienced yet another best service from MORE Power. It took them 4 straight hours in the middle of the night to repair a broken private transformer causing yet another sleepless episode among several thousands consumers.

The public hearing of the city council apparently failed to get the answer and explanation from MORE Power. It did not even achieve any purpose at all.

At any rate, it revealed the true character of MORE Power when Castro was allowed to react to the offer made by PECO to help them solve the long and continuous power interruptions.

“Anything you say has no bearing at all. You have no franchise, you have no CPCN, and you have no Business Permit.You should have done that before. You had your chance and you blew it, “ said MORE Power President Roel Castro.

Eloquent, brief but utterly rude. 

Local historian Nerio Lujan was vindicated when people doubted him for alleging that MORE Power blocked him on their FB page after he ranted against the power interruptions. Not long after, more than 30 different cellular numbers started calling and threatening him about a raffle that never happened. Call it, MORE Power’s arrogant ways of entertaining their clients and consumers.

Of course, while his case was raised in the hearing, nobody cared and took notice because all the city councilors present do not even understand why such hearing was called.