๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ: ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟโ๐ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐, ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐Recent events in the countryโs energy industry primarily focused on lowering electricity rates; hence, cheaper alternatives compared to what electric cooperatives could offer have gained support from legislators. However, PHILRECA and electric cooperatives have never failed to put stress on the fact that electricity rates are affected by a variety of factors. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐.
In the recent power rate update of ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐, electricity rates this month is at ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต, ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ญ๐ฏ.๐ฒ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ญ๐ฎ.๐ฒ๐ด๐ต๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต respectively. Comparatively, ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ electricity rate is at ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ญ๐ฐ.๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต โ a glaring ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต from ILECO I, II, and IIIโs current electricity rate.Citing PHILRECAโs position paper in opposition of the House Bill 10306 entitled โAn Act Granting More Electric And Power Corporation A Franchise To Establish, Operate, And Maintain, For Commercial Purposes And In The Public Interest, A Distribution System For The Conveyance Of Electric Power To The End Users In The City Of Iloilo, Province Of Iloilo, And Ensuring The Continuous And Uninterrupted Supply Of Electricity In The Franchise Areaโ in May 2022, the premise that โ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐น๐ผ๐ถ๐น๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐โ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
MORE Power has signed a power supply deal with state-owned Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM)โa deal which resulted to a contract for the supply of electric energy or CSEE. This paved the way for MORE Power to buy electricity at a lower average price, which initially resulted to cheaper power rates charged to MORE Power consumers in the earlier months.๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ: First and foremost is that PSALM is a subsidized GOCC, and hence, the true cost of that transaction (MORE power purchase from PSALM) is not really reflected. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐. Comparing the subsidized cost with the electricity rates of electric cooperative in the province of Iloilo makes very little sense.
In addition, the power plant where MORE is sourcing out cheaper electricity will soon be operated and administered by an Independent Power Producer. According to PSALM database, its Cooperation Period with the Power Plant will end this year, and next year for EDC. The true cost of electricity will be reflected as soon as the expiration of Cooperation Period takes effect. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐.
True enough that in the year 2023 starting this month of January, MORE Powerโs electricity power rate is higher than that of ILECO I, II, and II, whose electricity power rates are only around ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฝ ๐ญ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต.
During the hearing on the application of franchise of MORE Power, the legislators approved MORE Powerโs application for franchise because of its promised low power rates. ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐, ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ. MORE Power cannot offer cheaper electricity rates which is the selling point of the proponents of the law. MORE Power misled the public into saying that they can offer even cheaper rates than they have right now when the opposite is true.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ๐๐๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐. If our common goal is to uplift the lives of Filipinos, a better understanding on how the electricity industry works will greatly help in pursuing said goal.