OIC named to ERC after Salazar’s suspension
MALACAÑANG ON Thursday announced the designation of Commissioner Alfredo J. Non as officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) following the preventive suspension against the agency’s embattled chairman, Jose Vicente B. Salazar.
In a memorandum issued yesterday, Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea appointed Mr. Non to “ensure the uninterrupted delivery of services to the public and efficient operations of the ERC.”
To recall, Malacañang had suspended Mr. Salazar over an anomalous audio visual- presentation (AVP) project and for appointing officers without the concurrence of ERC commissioners.
In a three- page order dated May 2, Mr. Medialdea placed Mr. Salazar under “preventive suspension” for a period of 90 days “effective immediately.”
In the document, Mr. Salazar was slapped with administrative charges such as serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, and other violations of the law.
“Examination of the records reveals that there exists prima facie case against Chairman Salazar on the above stated charges,” Mr. Medialdea wrote.
“Furthermore, the foregoing charges against Chairman Salazar are punishable with removal from the service.”
SALAZAR CONCERNED BY HIS SUSPENSION
Mr. Salazar, for his part, said in a text message to reporters following his suspension that while he viewed President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order “with some concern,” he was still “grateful for the opportunity to take a breather from work.”
“I shall use the time to be with my family and to attend to my personal concerns,” he said.
Last month, four ERC commissioners filed a complaint before the Civil Service Commission ( CSC) against Mr. Salazar for appointing Ronald G. Gomez as OIC without their approval, and despite an order from the Palace designating Commissioner Geronimo D. Sta. Ana to the post.
They also objected to Mr. Salazar’s orders to reconstitute the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) technical working groups and to reassign directors and OICs.
Sought for comment, Nathan Marasigan, Mr. Salazar’s chiefof-staff, said Mr. Gomez’s designation as OIC instead of Mr. Sta. Ana, as selected by the Palace, was due to “several supervening events” that “necessitated” such action.
“First, at the House of Representatives Hearing held on Feb. 7, the commissioners asserted that the administrative functions of the CEO should be separated from the functions of the chairman. In that hearing the commissioners likewise acknowledged that administrative matters are within the ambit of the chairman’s functions,” Mr. Marasigan said.
“Secondly, there have also been reported instances from our Financial and Administrative Service where salaries were delayed because the Commissioner designated as signing authority did not sign certain vouchers. Thus, to avoid these situations, the Chairman designated Atty. Gomez as signing authority during his leave,” he added. Just recently, the National Bureau of Investigation ( NBI) had recommended the filing of charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Mr. Salazar and three others over the said controversial AVP project. The late ERC Director Jose Francisco S. Villa, Jr., in his suicide note, said the project was “rigged.”
The House has launched an investigation into the circumstances that prompted Mr. Villa’s suicide on Nov. 9 last year, with four commissioners testifying before the said inquiry.
Mr. Villa left behind suicide notes dated Aug. 23, 24 and 25, 2016, which a member of his family said indicated his being “pressured” to approve contracts for procurements and hiring consultants without proper bidding and procedure.
Following Mr. Salazar’s suspension, the Department of Energy (DoE) said it will be coordinating with the commission. “What we are planning to do is to have regular meetings with the ERC with regard to updating on the status of their work and how we can improve on our coordination efforts,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said in a news conference on Thursday.
Mr. Fuentebella also quoted DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi as saying the suspension “is yet another example that there are no ‘sacred cows’ in the Duterte administration.”
“As the President has said, tabla-tabla tayo (we’re all equal) when it comes to dealing with corruption allegations. Allergic ang Pangulo sa kurapsyon (The President is allergic to corruption), so it’s not enough not be tainted — one must also be perceived to be clean,” Mr. Cusi said, as quoted by Mr. Fuentebella.