Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
3rd Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
______________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Hon. Braeden John Q. Biron, 4th District, Iloilo 
________________________________________________________________ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This house bill seeks to amend certain sections of Republic Act No. 11212, 
which granted MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) a distribution 
utility franchise for Iloilo City, to allow it to expand and enable it to establish, 
operate, and maintain, for commercial purposes and in the public interest, a 
distribution system for the conveyance of electric power to end users n in the City 
of Iloilo and in the Municipalities comprising the 2nd District and the 4th District, both 
of Iloilo Province. 
Thus, this expanded franchise area will include its present franchise area of 
Iloilo City under Republic Act No. 11212, and the new franchise areas of the 
Municipalities of Alimodian, Leganes, Leon, New Lucena, Pavia, San Miguel, 
Santa Barbara and Zarraga, all in the 2nd District of Iloilo, and the Municipalities of 
Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Duenas, Dumangas and San Enrique and 
the City of Passi, all in the 4th District of Iloilo. 
Electricity is the hallmark of and an essential service in the modern age. It 
lights homes, streets, offices, hospitals, schools, factories, malls, hotels, and 
powers industries, and industries give our people convenience, jobs and business 
opportunities. In the short period of one and a half years from taking over the 
operation, rehabilitation and expansion of the distribution system in Iloilo City, 
MORE Power has reduced electric rates in Iloilo City from one of the highest in the 
country to one of the lowest in the country. Access to legitimate  electrical 
connection was expanded from 63,000 customers to 88,000 customers in the City. 
It has undertaken a continuing rehabilitation and improvement program for the 
aging and decrepit distribution facilities from the previous operator. We feel that 
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such service, marked by the highest standards, and which has been proven to be 
fast, reliable, responsive, modern and forward looking, should also be made 
available to Ilonggos living outside Iloilo City. 
We do recognize that the towns proposed to be included in this expansion 
of the franchise area are currently served by Iloilo I Electric Cooperative, Inc. 
(ILECO 1) and Iloilo II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ILECO II). But the Constitution is 
clear that no franchise for a public utility shall be exclusive in character. (Section 
11, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution). Public interest will be better served if we 
allow competition that will give Ilonggos living in the 2nd District and the 4th District, 
both of Iloilo Province, to have a choice to avail of the benefit from the services of 
a modern, dependable, cheap, and efficient electric power distribution system, 
offered by MORE Power to Iloilo City residents. It is the right time to do this, and 
to continue the progress of Iloilo City and to jump start the progress in the nearby 
parts Iloilo Province. 
Approval of this bill is, thus, earnestly sought. 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
3rd Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Hon. Braeden John Q. Biron, 4th District, Iloilo 
________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11212, 
ENTITLED: 
AN 
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 
END USERS IN THE CITY OF ILOILO, PROVINCE OF ILOILO, AND ENSURING 
THE CONTINUOUS AND UNINTERRUPTED SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY IN 
THE FRANCHISE AREA, TO EXPAND ITS FRANCHISE AREA AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. SECTION 1 of Republic Act No. 11212 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“SECTION 1. Nature and Scope of Franchise. - Subject to the provisions of the 
Constitution and applicable laws, rules and regulations, there is hereby granted to 
MORE Electric and Power Corporation, hereunder referred to as the grantee, its 
successors or assignees, 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 end users in the City of Iloilo, the Municipalities of 
Alimodian, Leganes, Leon, New Lucena, Pavia, San Miguel, Santa Barbara and 
Zarraga, all in the 2nd District of Iloilo, and the Municipalities of Anilao, Banate, 
Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Duenas, Dumangas and San Enrique and the City of 
Passi, all in the 4th District of Iloilo.” 
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“As used in this Act, distribution system refers to the system of wires and 
associated facilities including subtransmission lines belonging to or used by a 
franchised distribution utility extending between the delivery point on the national 
transmission system or generating facility and the metering point or facility of the 
end-user.” 
 
SEC. 2. SEC. 11 of Republic Act No. 11212 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
 
“SEC. 11. Term of Franchise. – The twenty-five (25) years term of this franchise 
shall be counted  from the date of effectivity of this Act, entitled: AN ACT 
AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11212, ENTITLED: 
AN 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 
END USERS IN THE CITY OF ILOILO, PROVINCE OF ILOILO, AND ENSURING 
THE CONTINUOUS AND UNINTERRUPTED SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY IN 
THE FRANCHISE AREA, TO EXPAND ITS FRANCHISE AREA AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES, and not from the effectivity date of Republic Act No. 11212, 
unless sooner cancelled or revoked.”  
 
SEC. 3. SEC. 15 of Republic Act No. 11212 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
 
“SEC. 15. Sale, Lease, Transfer, Grant of Usufruct, or Assignment of Franchise. - 
The grantee shall not sell, lease, transfer, grant the usufruct of, nor assign this 
franchise or the rights and privileges acquired thereunder to any person, firm, 
company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity, nor merge with any other 
corporation or entity, nor shall transfer the controlling interest of the grantee, 
whether as a whole or in part, and whether simultaneously or contemporaneously, 
to any person, firm, company, corporation, or entity without the prior approval of 
the Congress of the Philippines and in compliance with legal rquirements stipulated 
in other statutes; Provided, That, during the period before the dispersal of its 
ownership under Section 16, the grantee shall notify Congress in writing of any 
sale, or transfer of its shares less than the controlling interest; Provided, further, 
That failure to report to Congress such change of ownership shall render the 
franchise ipso facto revoked; Provided, furthermore, That any person or entity to 
which this franchise is sold, transferred, or assigned shall be subject to the same 
conditions, terms, restrictions, and limitations of this Act; Provided, finally, That the 
limitations set forth in this section shall not apply to: (a) any transfer or issuance of 
shares of stock in the implementation of the requirement for the dispersal of the 
grantee’s ownership pursuant to Section 16 of this Act; (b) any transfer or sale of 
shares of stock to a foreign or local investor or investors who will not participate in 
the management of the grantee; (c) any issuance of shares to any foreign or local 
investors pursuant to or in connection with any increase in the grantee’s authorized 
capital stock which shall result in the dilution of the stockholdings of the grantee’s 
then existing stockholders; (d) any combination thereof where such transfer, sale 


or issuance is effected in order to enable the grantee to raise the necessary capital 
or financing for the provision of any of the services authorized by this Act; and (e) 
any sale, transfer or assignment of shares in the grantee in favor of an affiliate 
whose controlling interest is owned by the same parent corporation of the grantee; 
Provided, That any such transfer, sale or issuance is in accordance with any 
applicable constitutional limitations.” 
 
SEC. 4. SEC. 21 of Republic Act No. 11212 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
 
“SEC. 21. Equality Clause. - Any advantage, favor, privilege, exemption, or 
immunity granted under existing franchises, or which may hereafter be granted to 
power distribution franchises, upon prior review and approval of Congress, shall 
become part of this franchise and shall be accorded immediately and 
unconditionally to the herein grantee: Provided, That the foregoing shall neither 
apply to nor affect provisions concerning  territorial coverage, the term, or the type 
of service authorized by the franchise.“ 
 
SEC. 5. Separability Clause. - If any of the sections or provisions of this Act is held 
invalid, all other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid. 
 
SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, resolutions, instructions and 
rules and regulations or parts thereof, relating to the sections amended, which are 
inconsistent with this Act, are hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 7. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication 
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,