Palawan Electric Cooperative

What Palawan Electric Cooperative does

Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative founded circa 1974-1975 in Palawan, Philippines, operating as the franchised electricity distribution utility across a multi-municipality franchise area covering Puerto Princesa City, Narra, Brooke's Point, Roxas, Taytay, San Vicente, El Nido, Cuyo, Agutaya, Dumaran, Aborlan, Quezon, and Rizal. The cooperative is owned and governed by its Member-Consumer-Owners (MCOs, locally termed 'Kamay-ari'), with 8,076 MCOs participating in the 44th Annual General Membership Assembly on May 16, 2026; it is registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and supervised by the National Electrification Administration (NEA), which currently oversees operations through a designated Project Supervisor (Atty. Ivan Darwin G. Zamora) and an Interim Board of Directors.

PALECO's core technology and digital infrastructure comprises an MCO web portal for e-bills, bill history, patronage refund, and membership profile access, plus a PALECO Mobile App distributed via Google Play with enhanced features rolled out in October 2025. Electricity distribution is powered by Power Supply Agreements with DMCI Power Corporation, Delta P Inc., King Energy Generation Inc. (KEGI), and PowerSource Philippines Inc. (PSPI). Member-facing payment collection is enabled through partnerships with BayadConnect and First Consolidated Bank (FCB), a drive-thru payment service, and a debit card acceptance capability launched in June 2026.

PALECO generates revenue through regulated electricity distribution tariffs collected from member-consumers on a usage-based monthly billing cadence, supplemented by member patronage capital and capitalization contributions. The cooperative runs an electrification program portfolio that includes the NEA-funded Sitio Electrification Project (SEP), Barangay Line Enhancement Program (BLEP), the Last Mile School Solar PV System Program with DepEd-Palawan, off-grid Solar PV DC Smart Grid deployments (e.g., Sitio Bubusawin in Aborlan), DOE-guided Portable PV Home Systems, and the Electrikalye monthly community outreach program. In December 2025, PALECO entered a partnership with Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC) and NEA to modernize Palawan's distribution infrastructure, and in May 2026 achieved the highest AAA performance rating from NEA for 2025 operations.

Name

Palawan Electric Cooperative

Legal name

Palawan Electric Cooperative

Website

https://paleco.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) is a member-consumer-owned, non-profit electric distribution cooperative founded circa 1974-1975 in Palawan, Philippines, delivering regulated electricity distribution and member services across Puerto Princesa City and 12 municipalities to over 8,000 active member-owners under NEA franchise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Distribution System Planning (DSP) & Non-Wires Alternatives (NWA) (EUADAGAB), Distributed Storage (Behind-the-Meter Batteries) (EUAMAJAE), DER Aggregation & Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) (EUAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Electricity distribution
• Electric cooperative
• Power distribution services
• Member utility services
• Rural electrification

Headquarters

HQ city

Palawan

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electricity Distribution Tariffs: Primary revenue stream derived from distribution charges collected from member-consumers across the Palawan franchise area under regulated electricity distribution tariffs. As an electric cooperative, revenue is largely recurring/periodic based on consumption.
2. Member Patronage Capital / Capitalization Contributions: Cooperative member equity and capitalization contributions from member-consumers that support capital formation, modernization and franchise-area expansion in Palawan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Core offering

PALECO distributes electricity to Member-Consumer-Owners across its Palawan franchise area under regulated distribution tariffs, supported by member-facing digital channels (MCO Portal and Mobile App), new connection services, pole rentals, and drive-thru debit card bill payment. The cooperative also delivers rural and renewable electrification programs including the Sitio Electrification Project, Barangay Line Enhancement Program, Last Mile School Solar PV System, Solar PV DC Smart Grid, and Portable PV Home Systems.

Product overview

Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) operates an electricity distribution portfolio built around two complementary member-facing platforms: the PALECO MCO Portal (a web-based member portal for e-bills, bill history, patronage refund, account information, and membership profile) and the PALECO Mobile App (available on Google Play and via direct APK download, now with enhanced features). These platforms sit atop a service portfolio that includes new connection processing, pole rentals, drive-thru bill payment, and debit card acceptance. PALECO also runs a set of electrification and community programs: the Sitio Electrification Project (SEP), Barangay Line Enhancement Program (BLEP), Last Mile School (LMS) Solar PV System Program (in partnership with DepEd-Palawan), Solar PV DC Smart Grid System deployments (e.g., Sitio Bubusawin, Aborlan), Portable PV Home System distribution under DOE guidelines, and the Electrikalye community outreach program held every second Saturday of the month. Power supply is delivered via power supply agreements with DMCI Power Corporation, Delta P Inc., King Energy Generation Inc. (KEGI), and PowerSource Philippines Inc. (PSPI).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PALECO MCO Portal Member-Consumer-Owner web portal providing PALECO member-consumers with access to e-bills, unpaid bills, bill history, patronage refund, account information, and membership profile.
• PALECO Mobile App Mobile application available to all PALECO franchise area members with enhanced features for accessing cooperative services, distributed via Google Play and direct APK download.
• New Connection Service Service for processing new electricity connections for residential and commercial member-consumer-owners within the PALECO franchise area.
• Pole Rentals Service allowing third parties to rent PALECO utility poles for co-located equipment and infrastructure.
• PALECO Drive-Thru Payment Service Drive-thru payment service (Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM-4:00 PM) at the principal office allowing members to pay bills without leaving their vehicles; accepts debit cards from any Philippine bank.
• Solar PV DC Smart Grid System Solar photovoltaic DC smart grid system deployed to electrify residents in Sitio Bubusawin, Barangay Aborlan, providing off-grid power to unserved households.
• Portable PV Home System Portable photovoltaic solar home systems provided through the Department of Energy (DOE) Policy Guidelines as an interim solution for immediate and effective energization of unserved households in Palawan.
• Last Mile School (LMS) Solar PV System Program Solar PV system program implemented in coordination with DepEd-Palawan to power last-mile schools in the municipalities of Cuyo and Agutaya, Palawan.
• Sitio Electrification Project (SEP) National Electrification Administration (NEA)-funded program to extend electricity service to remote sitios, including the planned 2026 line from Barangay Capayas center to Sitio Salimbanog in Dumaran, Palawan.
• Barangay Line Enhancement Program (BLEP) National Electrification Administration (NEA)-funded line enhancement program, with planned line extension from the National Power Corporation (NPC) plant in Barangay Poblacion, Araceli to the Araceli-Dumaran District Hospital.
• Electrikalye Program Outreach program held every second Saturday of the month that brings PALECO services closer to member-consumer-owners residing in remote areas distant from PALECO offices.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Power Corporation (NPC/Napocor): The Philippine government-owned power corporation that operates generation and small-grid utilities in missionary (off-grid) areas, and is a power supplier to PALECO via joint facilities (e.g., NPC plant in Araceli). Comparable as a state-linked power actor in the same Palawan geography.
• Manila Electric Company (MERALCO): The Philippines' largest electric distribution utility, serving Metro Manila and surrounding provinces. While vastly larger and investor-owned rather than cooperative, MERALCO is the benchmark for distribution utility operations in the Philippines and operates under the same ERC regulatory regime as PALECO.
• Davao Light and Power Company: A large investor-owned distribution utility serving Davao City and parts of Davao del Sur. Comparable to PALECO as a franchised Philippine distribution utility operating under ERC oversight, though with an Aboitiz-led ownership and corporate structure rather than a cooperative model.
• Visayan Electric Company (VECO): A major investor-owned distribution utility serving Metro Cebu and surrounding areas. Comparable to PALECO in being a franchised electric distribution utility under ERC oversight, but operates in a denser urban Visayan franchise rather than a dispersed island geography.

Direct peers

• Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO): A member-owned electric cooperative serving Benguet province in the Cordillera region. Comparable to PALECO as a Philippine electric cooperative supervised by NEA, with similar governance structures, member-led AGMA model, and dependence on NEA funding and ERC rate regulation.
• Batangas Electric Cooperative (BATELEC I/II): A member-owned electric cooperative serving Batangas province under NEA supervision. Directly comparable to PALECO as a Philippine electric cooperative with the same member-owner governance, ERC-regulated tariffs, and dependence on NEA-funded electrification programs.
• Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO I/III): A member-owned electric cooperative serving Iloilo province under NEA supervision. Comparable to PALECO in being a Philippine electric cooperative with a multi-municipality franchise, member-led AGM governance, and similar dependence on NEA electrification and line-enhancement funding.
• Camarines Sur II Electric Cooperative (CASURECO II): A NEA-supervised electric cooperative serving parts of Camarines Sur in the Bicol region. Directly comparable to PALECO in organizational form (member-owned cooperative), regulatory regime (NEA + ERC), and reliance on the Sitio Electrification Project and Barangay Line Enhancement Program funding streams.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/palawanelectriccoop
• Xx.com/palecoop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Palawan Electric Cooperative