ILOILO CITY – Power rates in Western Visayas will drop starting in the June billing cycle.

LINEMEN of the Iloilo Electric Cooperative Inc. I (ILECO I) repair an electric pole amid the rain. (ILECO I)
James Balsomo, general manager of the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO III), in a joint press conference here conducted by the Electric Cooperatives Association of Region 6, attributed the decrease to the waning El Niño climate phenomenon and drop in demand due to intermittent rain.
Electricity prices went up in the billing period March to May 2024 due to spike in electricity demand as a result of the extreme heat.
ILECO III said there was a spike in consumption and demand in the last two months, from 25,963 kilowatts (kW) in February to 27,389 kW in March and 30,360 kW in April.
The increase in prices was also attributed to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), whose rates were P6.55 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in February, to P12.02 per kWh in March, and P15.7 per kWh in April.
Another factor was the intermittent yellow and red alerts by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
This was also the same situation for the Antique Electric Cooperative Inc. (ANTECO), Aklan Electric Cooperative Inc. (AKELCO), Capiz Electric Cooperative Inc. (CAPELCO), Guimaras Electric Cooperative Inc. (GUIMELCO), the three Iloilo Electric Cooperatives Inc. (ILECOs), Central Negros Electric Cooperative Inc. (CENECO), Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NOCECO), and MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power).