Published January 23, 2018, 10:00 PM
By Myrna M.
Velasco
Malacañang has officially designated
Catherine Paredes Maceda, a renewable energy campaigner, as acting member of
the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to partly fill the Commission-stripped
agency of its leadership.
The appointment paper of Maceda was
dated January 19, 2018 and was personally signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The appointment paper was also officially transmitted to the ERC through its
Chairperson Agnes T. Devanadera.
As of press time, however, it was
hinted by highly placed sources that Maceda declined the appointment, as she
reportedly opined that “prudence is the best option that can be best exercised
in this situation.” Correspondingly, her appointment had been reportedly
withdrawn by Malacañang.
Aside from appointments at the ERC,
it was also floated yesterday that Energy Undersecretary Jesus Cristino P.
Posadas is seriously being considered as the next president of Philippine
Electricity Market Corporation.
The PEMC is still WESM’s market
operator, but with the anticipated split of its functions to that of the
Independent Market Operator (IMO), PEMC’s role will already just be confined to
governance and oversight of the electricity spot market.
Upon its incorporation with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, the IMO for WESM will have its own
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will also sit as member of the
reconstituted PEM Board.
The designation of interim
Commissioners at the ERC also tipped off lawyer Gary de Jesus, an alumnus of
the Ateneo de Manila University, as another candidate to the post. Maceda
reportedly got the backing of Senator Loren Legarda; while De Jesus’ links with
the Utopia Fraternity at the Ateneo School of Law may have gotten him
politically affiliated with the “powerful hands” in this administration.
With Maceda’s appointment paper
circulating in the industry this week, legal questions were being raised
whether the Palace had “first declared vacancy” to the ERC Commission posts
before designating an Acting Commissioner.
In a related development, Executive
Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea has instructed Devanadera “to implement the
decision dated 29 September 2017”, on the “suspension from office without pay”
of the four Commissioners for a period of one year.
Medialdea’s memorandum to the ERC
Chair also stipulated that “in the event that the penalty can no longer be
enforced due to separation from the government service, as in the case of
respondent (former ERC Chairman Jose Vicente) Salazar, who was dismissed from
the service by this Officer pursuant to its decision dated 06 October
2017, said suspension is converted into a fine in the amount
equivalent to six (6) months salary payable to the Office of the Ombudsman
and may be deducted from the concerned respondent’s retirement benefits,
accrued leave credits or any receivables from your Office.”
For the prospective PEMC post, in
recent interviews with Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, he indicated that he
will definitely appoint a new PEMC President after the lapse of the term of the
five transmission committee executives this February.
At that time, the energy chief was
not sure yet or he might still be keeping his cards closer to his chest as to
who will be his bet as the next chief executive of PEMC.
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