Senate OKs new franchise for Razon’s power utility
Tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.’s Bohol Light Co. Inc. is moving closer to securing a new franchise to operate in Tagbilaran City after hurdling the Senate.
In a significant development for power utilities in the Philippines, Senator-approved legislation has paved the way for Tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.'s Bohol Light Co. Inc. to secure a new 25-year franchise to operate and maintain its distribution system in Tagbilaran City. The Senate's approval, in the form of Senate Bill 1834, follows its passage through the third and final reading.
Once implemented, the bill will necessitate Bohol Light to consistently deliver uninterrupted electricity within its designated franchise territory, in line with the prevailing laws, rules, and regulations.
The House of Representatives had previously approved its counterpart, House Bill 4746, on October 13, 2025, after it received its third reading. This measure was subsequently forwarded to the Senate on the following day.
In tandem with the Bohol Light franchise expansion, another Razon-led power distributor, MORE Electric Power Corp., is also making progress in the Senate. The franchise expansion measure has cleared the second reading hurdle, which will enable MORE Power to extend its electricity distribution services beyond Iloilo City to municipalities within Iloilo's first district, including Igbaras, Tubungan, Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miag-ao, and San Joaquin.
The House of Representatives had endorsed the franchise expansion bill on its third reading on March 3, 2025, before transmitting it to the Senate.
With both measures now advancing through the legislative process, Bohol Light's path to securing its franchise becomes increasingly certain, while MORE Power's expansion journey continues to unfold. Both Bohol Light and MORE Power are under Primelectric Holdings Inc., the power distribution arm of the Razon Group. Since commencing operations in Iloilo City back in 2020, MORE Power has made substantial investments in upgrading and modernizing its distribution infrastructure.
The Razon Group acquired a controlling stake in Bohol Light in 2024, and Primelectric has pledged to allocate a minimum of P1 billion towards the rehabilitation and enhancement of the utility's distribution assets.
Written by urgent.news from Philippine Star Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
