Iloilo City judge rebukes 2 firms over statements on power struggle

ILOILO CITY –– An Iloilo City judge has reprimanded rival power distributors over their flurry of press conferences and statements on the brewing struggle over the control of electric distribution assets in the city.

In a two-page order issued on March 2, Judge Emerald Requina-Contreras of the Iloilo City Regional Trial Court Branch 23 directed the Panay Electric Company (Peco) and More Power Electric Corp. (More Power) to strictly observe a gag order earlier issued by the RTC and cautioned them “not to resort to any form of propaganda that undermines the integrity and credibility of the court…”

She pointed out that both camps were making pronouncements on matters that had yet to be discussed before the court.

Contreras specifically ordered More Power to “remove all the (advertisements) about its full operation” pending the resolution of issues related to the implementation of a writ of possession over expropriated distribution assets of Peco.

Sheriffs served the writ starting last Friday and Peco’s substations were subsequently turned over to More Power’s representatives.

Contreras, in an addendum to the writ of possession, had directed court sheriffs and both parties to install More Power representatives “to man and oversee the substations to exercise their possession and control” of the facilities.

But she also said in the addendum that “the operation should be still handled by Peco personnel who (have) the technical expertise.”

She also directed all parties to submit their respective proposals as to, among others, the transition period, accounting, turn over of records, and inventory of properties.

Contreras also cited lawyer Estrella Elamparo, a legal counsel of Peco, for issuing “malicious statements on air” of an alleged meeting between the judge and a “More personality” a day before the writ of possession was served.

The judge said she is “immune to this misbehavior of counsels whenever the (court) judgment is adverse to their client,” adding that she would “not be dissuaded to further hear the case with utmost impartiality.”

But she said that Elamparo’s behavior “will be dealt with by the court accordingly.”

Citing “reliable sources,” Elamparo in a press conference on Saturday said the “owner” of More Power was in Iloilo City a day before the writ of possession was implemented.

“As things came to unravel here in Iloilo, somebody arrived, flew in, last Thursday and we have it in good information that it was no less than the owner of More (Power),” she said.

“This only gives rise to more questions as to why this grand production happened all of a sudden. It was really a well-coordinated, well-orchestrated show of force. It may be a coincidence but a very curious coincidence that the owner of More (Power) was supposed to have been flown in on Thursday by helicopter,” she said.

More Power is owned by port tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. who is also planning to invest P8.7 billion to develop the port of Iloilo.

The INQUIRER sought comment from More Power president Roel Castro and lawyer Hector Teodosio, one of the company’s legal counsels, but they both have not responded as of 4:15 p.m.

Peco, in a 10-page motion filed on February 28, petitioned Contreras to inhibit herself from the case, and to suspend the proceedings of the case claiming that the judge’s “independence and impartiality have been rendered doubtful and suspect.”

More Power filed an expropriation complaint on March 11, 2019 against Peco after the former was granted a 25-year franchise to distribute electricity in Iloilo City.

Republic Act 11212 signed by President Duterte on February 14, 2019, gave More Power two years to acquire or put up its distribution facilities.

Peco has been operating for 97 years, but its franchise expired on January 18, 2019, and was not renewed by Congress./lzb