Hundreds gathered at Iloilo City Hall yesterday to protest the Panay Electric Company, Inc. (PECO), whom the Iloilo City Council recently voted against their request for a franchise renewal.

According to Iloilo City Councilor Joshua Alim, a petition of over 26,000 PECO consumers will be presented during today’s application hearing before the House of Representatives.

The resolution opposing the franchise renewal, authored by City Councilor R. Leone Gerochi, calls for a national government takeover of the local power distributor. He claimed PECO has provided erroneous and inconsistent meter readings; poor service; and higher electricity bills, which he says has caused “customers to suffer anxiety and sleepless nights.”

The council also pointed out the company has yet to refund P631 million, as ordered by the Energy Regulatory Commission in 2004.

Anti-PECO convener, Dr. Marigold Gonzalez, a 2016 mayoral candidate and daughter of former Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, said a primary reason for her position is to break the monopoly on energy, which has been run by PECO since 1923.

“We want consumers to be protected,” she said.

Meanwhile, in response to complaints, PECO administrative officer Marcelo Cacho said, “We have been taking steps for the past several years to fix [the problems].”/WDJ