Power distributors back Panay power company

PRIVATE Electric Power Operators Association (PEPOA), an umbrella organization of private power distributors, has opposed the franchise application of a new industry player in Iloilo City.

In a statement, the group warned that a power crisis could occur in the city and nearby towns if the franchise of utility operator Panay Electric Co. (PECO) is not renewed and given instead to an applicant. The organization said the applicant had yet to put up the needed infrastructure for electric distribution utility in the area. It said PECO had been operating in Iloilo City for nearly a century.

PEPOA said its members were “shocked to learn of the hasty approval of the franchise application” of More Minerals Corp. (MMC) to the detriment of the incumbent power distribution utility PECO. It quoted a letter it had sent to a legislator as saying: “This development is deeply concerning to us as it puts a highly urbanized city like Iloilo at risk.”

PEPOA President Ranulfo M. Ocampo said MMC is a mining company and does not have the technical capability to operate and maintain a power distribution utility.

“Even if MMC were to change its primary purpose into power distribution, no company can get the required experience and qualifications in just a few days,” Mr. Ocampo said, adding that PECO is among the top 15% in terms of positive reliability performance compared to the other 146 electric distribution utilities in the country.