Panay Electric Company (PECO), the embattled power distibutor in Iloilo City, is hopeful that the Supreme Court (SC) will overturn its decision favoring More Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power).
The SC en banc, voting 8-6, granted MORE Power’s petition seeking to reverse the July 2019 ruling of the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 209.
The lower court declared as void and unconstitutional Section 10 (right of eminent domain) and Section 17 (transition of operations) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11212, which granted MORE Power the congressional franchise to operate in the city.
In an interview on IMT Conversations yesterday, Sept. 16, lawyer Estrella Elamparo, legal counsel of PECO, said the SC’s decision is not yet final.
“Ibig sabihin pwede pa itong mabaliktad, pwede pa itong mabago,” she stressed.
“Pwede pa kaming magfile ng motion for reconsideration. We have actually 15 days to do that,” Elamparo added.
PECO has not yet received a copy of the high court’s decision.
“Sa ngayon hindi pa namin natatanggap ang desisyon. Pag-aaralan namin yan once natanggap na namin, but definitely hindi pa po ito final,” Elamparo said.
“Nakita naman natin eight ang bumuto pabor sa MORE at anim naman ang bumuto pabor sa PECO so malaki ang tiyansa na makumbinsi pa natin ang korte suprema na magbago ang isip ukol dito sa isyu ng constitutionality ng expropriation ng MORE,” she added.
MORE Power took over the city’s distribution system operated by PECO last February.
The Iloilo City RTC issued a writ of possession in favor of the Razon-owned power firm.IMT
