Resign, House leaders tell 4 ERC commissioners
Resign already. That’s what House leaders have to say to the four commissioners of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) who managed to earn their second suspension order from the Office of the Ombudsman in six months’ time.
“Maybe, it's time they resign,” Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel said Monday referring to the quartet of Commissioners Gloria Victoria YapTaruc, Alfredo Non, Josefina Patricia MagpalaAsirit, and Geronimo Sta. Ana following their latest punishment.
It's the same group that, last December, was slapped with a year-long suspension without pay for allowing power utilities like the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to skirt the required bidding process for energy agreements filed before the ERC.
This time, the Ombudsman handed down a three-month suspension on the four, again sans pay, for Simple Neglect of Duty. The offense had to do with tolerating the misuse of Bill Deposits (BD) by allowing its commingling with the capital or operation cost of Meralco.
This apparently defeated the purpose of BDs, which is to guarantee the payment of bills.
The ERC commissioners have asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to lift their three-month suspension imposed by the Ombudsman so as not to paralyze the operation of the agency, a quasi-judicial body that regulates the country’s electric power industry.
“We have also completed our committee report and we have recommended [the] further investigation of ERC commissioners and if there is substantial evidence to file the necessary cases,” Pimentel added.
The Mindanao solon chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which finished last month a joint probe into the seven alleged “sweetheart” power supply agreements (PSAs) being sought by Meralco-linked generation companies (gencos) before the Commission.
Useless “Isn't the best scenario either for them to just resign or for the President [Duterte] to fire them?” commented de facto House opposition bloc head, Ifugao lone district Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr.
As it stands, Baguilat said the ERC commissioners won't be able to do their job anyway since they will be placed in the “freezer” for so long.
“The ERC will be somewhat useless because the commissioners won't be able to perform their mandate. Because they’re all suspended,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, CIBAC Party-List Rep. Sherwin Tugna expressed his support behind the Ombudsman's latest action against the erring officials.
“That is a welcome decision in the fight against mis-governance. We in Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party-List supports the decision,” said Tugna, chairman of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.