POWER RATES HIKE. Felino Herbert Agdigos, general manager of Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, on May 17, 2022 discusses why power rates in the city have increased. He said the hike in generation charges was beyond their control and had to be passed on to consumers. (PNA file Photo by Leilanie Adriano) LAOAG CITY - Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc on Thursday assured electric consumers that the Ilocos Norte government and the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) are working on possible measures to reduce surging power rates in the province. While Ilocos Norte is known as the capital of renewable energy in the Philippines with a total wind potential capacity of 719 megawatts and solar energy of 312 megawatts, many consumers here took to social media and expressed their dismay at the INEC for its exorbitant electricity rates which stood at PHP19 per kilowatt-hour as of July compared to PHP16 per kWh last month. "Our income is no longer enough to pay our expensive el