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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Supreme Court upholds MORE Power expansion in Iloilo

Supreme Court upholds MORE Power expansion in Iloilo

Published Aug 2, 2024 04:32 am

ILOILO CITY — The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that the expansion of MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) of the Razon group into several areas in Iloilo province is legal.

MorePowerLineman2024 (1).jpg

A MORE Power lineman in Iloilo City. MORE Power is set to expand to more towns in
Iloilo province. (Tara Yap)

The SC junked the petition filed by the three Iloilo Electric Cooperatives (ILECO I, ILECO II and ILECO III) in a July 30, 2024 decision.

“A franchise, as a privilege granted by the state, is not the exclusive private property of the franchisee,” wrote Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda in the decision.

“Thus, it must yield to serve the common good, as determined by Congress,” added Zalameda.

The three ILECOs questioned the validity of Republic Act No. 11918  which expanded the MORE Power franchise that currently operates only in Iloilo City and towns of the second and fourth districts in Iloilo.

These areas in Iloilo  are currently under the franchise area of ILECO, which alleged that the passage of RA 11918 violated its rights to serve its exclusive franchise areas.

MORE Power was urged to expand in 2021 following a clamor for cheaper and reliable power utility services in Iloilo.  

The appeal prompted Iloilo Rep. Michael “Mike” Gorriceta and former Iloilo Rep. Braeden John “BJ” Biron to sponsor bills that would eventually become RA 11918.

“Without competition, ILECOs can easily dictate the price of electricity,” the SC noted.
“Allowing the entry of another player thus benefits consumers,” the SC added.
 

Related Tags

Supreme Court MORE Power ILOILO PROVINCE
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