No ethics, only tricks up PECO’s sleeves – MORE Power

DISTRIBUTION utility More Electric and Power Corp. (More Power) on Saturday criticized Panay Electric Co (PECO) for its lack of “etiquette” in continuing to engage in “tricks” to confuse and deceive Iloilo power consumers.

MORE Power President Roel Castro said his group had been extending a “reconciliation hand” to PECO for years to benefit consumers but it refuses to cooperate.

“The relationship of More Power and PECO should not be viewed as a corporate war. More Power has nothing to do with PECO. We are here in Iloilo City not because we are after PECO but we are after the sorry state of facilities here, plagued with complaints of poor service, customer case and high electricity rates,” said Castro.

Castro admitted it was not easy and also painful for PECO management to lose its franchise after nearly 100 years in the business but PECO, as a public utility, should put the interest of consumers and Iloilo City above everything else.

Castro said a faction inside PECO continues to resist and insist on getting back the business and tries to mislead the public even if most of their shareholders have already sided with More Power.

“There are consumers involved here. If PECO looks at that perspective, then they really should give way. We respect and understand that what they’re going through is painful, but at the end of the day, it’s the court and the regulator that will decide on the matter, whatever and whoever is affected should respect the decision,” Castro said.

Congress did not renew the legislative franchise it issued to PECO due to numerous complaints about its service, including pole fires and brownouts caused by its dilapidated facilities and over billing.

The Energy Regulatory Commission also revoked its certificate of public convenience while the Iloilo City government did not issue a business permit to PECO.

Castro said MORE Power currently has 142 employees of which, 70 are technical personnel of PECO that the new Iloilo utility firm absorbed and regularized

He said PECO claimed MORE Power’s outages reached 412 hours although the power interruptions reached only 182 hours to show the alleged incompetence of More Power and once again deceive the public.

“Honesty is the best policy. I don’t know what they’re tactics are, but one should really have their ethics. MORE Power will not go to that extent of lying,” Castro said.