The National Electrification Administration (NEA) ordered the suspension of the former acting manager of Central Negros Electric Cooperative and six members of the Board of Directors for 30 days after finding them guilty for simple neglect of duty.
The NEA decision dated May 30 which takes effect immediately was based on the complaint filed by Power Watch Negros Advocates Inc. secretary general Wennie Sancho on July 7, 2021 involving the extension by Ceneco of a 20-megawatt power supply contract with Kepco-Salcon Power Corp. (KSPC) in 2021.
The decision was rendered by the NEA Board of Administrators upon the recommendation of the NEA Administrative Committee in the complaint filed by Sancho against members of the Ceneco BOD namely Jojit Yap, Robert Javellana, Martha Joyce Cuenca, Fr. Ernie Larida, Antonio Panique, Eugene Velasco and then NEA project supervisor/acting general manager Danny Pondevilla.
Sancho said the decision is a victory for the 210,861 consumers in the franchise area Ceneco of which about 129,891 or 61 percent are consumers from Bacolod City. It also strongly indicates that the members of the Board and top cooperative officials, who were found guilty of simple neglect of duty, were remiss in their duties and responsibilities for their failure to give proper attention to the task expected of them, signifying disregard of their duties that they have been sworn to serve.
“This should serve as a wakeup call for Ceneco, that henceforth, they should never again enter into a contract like the one involving the extension of the power supply contract with KSPC, which the NEA cited has no approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and did not pass through the Competitive Selection Process (CSP). So therefore, you cannot just extend a contract without having a new contract,” he said.
The extension by Ceneco of a power supply agreement with KSPC for a base load of 20 megawatts expired this year. Sancho said members of the Ceneco Board involved should show that they are performing their duties and responsibilities. “Otherwise, if this continues, we can conclude that they do not deserve the position and therefore, resignation is an honorable option for them so that issues in Ceneco would stop, especially on excessive power supply procurement that consumers are being made to pay which they did not utilize.”
The filing of a motion for reconsideration will not be a ground for the non-implementation of the decision or order sought to be considered, he said, citing Rule VI on Remedies, Section 1 Motions for Reconsiderations, the NEA Administrative Rules of Procedures of 2013 as amended. (Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)