(The Philippine Star) | Updated November 20, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines -
The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Senate committee on energy are mulling
inquiries over the corruption allegations hurled against Energy Regulatory
(ERC) officials by one of its directors, lawyer Francisco Jose Villa Jr., who
took his own life reportedly due to pressure.
DOE Secretary Alfonso
Cusi and Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella disclosed the plan to
investigate.
Cusi said the DOE and
the ERC were “resolute” in finding out the truth behind the allegations and
issues raised.
“We need a strong
energy regulator and a united energy family. Our strength should be based on
the truth. As the leader of the sector, I enjoin everyone to be fair,” Cusi
said.
“We need to ensure that
ERC personnel are able to recover immediately. They are also affected by the
loss
of their colleague, but their service is needed by our country,” Cusi said.
of their colleague, but their service is needed by our country,” Cusi said.
The energy chief said
he had spoken with the ERC commissioners and expressed his support to “carry
out their mandate in protecting electricity consumers.”
“This is a challenge
for all of us. Our commitment to fairness and the truth will be tested. I am confident
that we will come out stronger after this,” Cusi said.
Cusi said he had
written Villa’s sister Charie to offer the DOE’s sympathies on the passing of
her brother.
For his part, Sen.
Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on energy, said Villa’s
allegations indicated the “possibility of widespread corruption within one of
the most important government regulatory bodies.”
Gatchalian said it
might be prudent for his panel to investigate the matter “to protect the
interests of electricity consumers.”
The lawmaker said the
ERC was responsible for granting several types of critical permits necessary
for power industry players to operate, referring to it as “the Supreme Court of
the power industry.”
“The ERC is tasked to
insulate the power industry from vested interests and corruption. Corruption
within the body itself could result in the proliferation of anti-competitive
behavior, which would be disastrous to the stability of our electricity supply.
ERC officials should be ready with a solid explanation which will put any
doubts regarding their integrity to rest,” Gatchalian said.
The senator, meanwhile,
assured the public the investigation would be done in an objective manner.
Villa was head of the
ERC’s bids and awards committee.
Charie, a veteran
journalist, revealed earlier this week her brother committed suicide due to
pressure to approve procurement contracts and hire consultants without going
through proper bidding, based on three separate notes handwritten by the late
ERC official way back in August.
“You see, he was taught
by our parents to do what is right and to fight for it. He loved his ERC
family. But when pressured to ‘follow’ ‘a small thing’ which ate the fabric of
what he believed in, he couldn’t take the pressure. He loved and needed his
job. He dedicated 13 years in the ERC and spent 12 hours a day with his
colleagues, worked his way up to become director,” Villa was quoted in an
ABS-CBN report as saying.
ERC chief tagged
Earlier reports also
said that the handwritten notes revealed, among others, Villa’s fear of going
back to work, especially as chief of the BAC, noting his attention was called
by the Commission on Audit when it reviewed the contents of an audio-visual
presentation “by Luis Morelos which the (ERC) chairman and (chief executive
officer) Jose Vicente B. Salazar chose through a rigged selection process.”
Reports also said that
five days before he took his life, Villa filed his application for early
retirement addressed to Salazar, citing insomnia and health concerns as reason.
In a statement, Salazar
said he was “baffled by the insinuations” linking him to Villa’s death, but
would “refrain from ascribing any motive to the allegations.”
“I believe it would be
fair to Director Villa’s memory and to our office for an impartial inquiry into
the allegations to be done by an objective body,” Salazar added.
Salazar also said the
commission would consider options available and discuss them in a meeting on
Monday.
The ERC chairman said
while he wanted to protect and preserve the memory of the late Villa, he was
“duty-bound to make sure that the reputation and integrity of the organization
is likewise protected.”
“At the moment, we
continue to share in the grief and sense of loss of the family of Director Jun.
We need to respect this particular moment,” Salazar said.
Closed case
The Parañaque City
police considered the apparent suicide of Villa a “closed case.”
Senior Supt. Jose
Carumba, Parañaque chief of police, said they had in their possession pieces of
evidence that helped prove Villa’s death as suicide, including the gun he used
and suicide notes.
Earlier reports said
Villa shot himself in the head inside his house at Merville Park Subdivision in
Parañaque City past 6 p.m. on Nov. 9.
Carumba said one of the
three suicide notes revealed that the gun Villa used for his suicide was owned
by his late father and namesake and former deputy ombudsman.
Meanwhile, lawyer Romy
Lim, chief of the National Bureau of Investigation’s Death Investigation
Division, said the agency had not received any referral to probe Villa’s death,
but said they would be
“waiting.”
– With Ghio Ong
No comments:
Post a Comment