Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas acknowledged the “improved” services More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) amid a slight increase in the power distributor’s power rate.
Customers of MORE Power paid an additional 47 centavos per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this month of June.
The increase was due to approval of the power firm’s provisional authority to recover their P1-billion emergency capital expenditures (capex).
The amount was spent for the rehabilitation of the decrepit facilities inherited by MORE Power from the previous power distribution utility in the city.
MORE Power also attributed the increase to higher prices of electricity from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market as the global cost of fuel and coal continues to go up.
According to Treñas, the Enrique Razon Jr.-owned firm is a reliable partner of the city government for the development of the city.
“We all feel the improved services of MORE Power,” he said.
Despite the increase, MORE Power remains to have the lowest electricity rate in the country; its current average rate just runs around P8 per kWh.
Treñas said the lower rate coupled with the efficient services is one of the things that help big Iloilo City to attract investors to come like the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) and real estate companies.
“Everything seems to be going up these days. I hope MORE continues to source power from generators with low costs,” he added.
For the consumer group Koalisyon Bantay Kuryente, the little increase is quite reasonable given the efficiency and improvement MORE Power has delivered in its services.
“With continued improvements on the services of MORE Power, the frequencies of brownouts were significantly reduced. Hence, the 47 centavos increase from its current rate is quite reasonable,” said Halley Alcarde, Koalisyon Bantay Kuryente president and Western Visayas Transport Cooperative general manager.
Another consumer group Grupo Consumidor also understands the need for MORE Power to increase its rate.
“Considering the need to improve existing facilities in the light of the current global crisis, we at Grupo Konsumidor are of the view that a rate increase of 47 centavos per kWh by More Power is deemed reasonable under the circumstances,” said lawyer Eldrid Antiquiera, Grupo Konsumidor president.IMT
