By:
Marlon Ramos - 06:40 AM June 18, 2018
Four commissioners of
the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), who were previously suspended for a
year by the Office of the Ombudsman, have been ordered again by the antigraft
body to temporarily vacate their posts for three months.
In a 14-page
resolution, the Ombudsman found ERC Commissioners Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc,
Alfredo Non, Josefina Patricia Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana guilty of simple
neglect of duty for letting power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) use
billions of pesos in electric bill deposits of its consumers to finance its
operations.
The Ombudsman meted out
a yearlong suspension on the four ERC officials in December 2017, but the Court
of Appeals issued an injunction order allowing them to return to work in April.
‘Omitting to act’
The four, said the
Ombudsman in an order dated May 18, “are liable for tolerating the misuse” of
the electric bill deposits of consumers “by allowing its commingling with the
capital or operation cost of Meralco.”
The Ombudsman said the
officials were guilty of gross neglect “by omitting to act in a situation where
there is a duty to act.”
The three-month
suspension of the four ERC executives was recommended by Ombudsman graft
investigator Cherry Bautista-Bolo and was approved by Overall Deputy Ombudsman
Melchor Arthur Carandang.
The antigraft body’s decision
stemmed from a complaint filed by the National Association of Electricity
Consumers for Reforms Inc., which had originally accused Sta. Ana, Non, Asirit
and Taruc of committing syndicated estafa.
ERC’s failure
The Ombudsman noted
that the law mandated customers of power utilities like Meralco to pay bill
deposits explicitly as “guarantee for the payment of bills.”
It faulted the ERC
commissioners for their failure to order Meralco to place all the bill deposits
in an escrow account.
By:
Marlon Ramos - 06:40 AM June 18, 2018
Four commissioners of
the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), who were previously suspended for a
year by the Office of the Ombudsman, have been ordered again by the antigraft
body to temporarily vacate their posts for three months.
In a 14-page
resolution, the Ombudsman found ERC Commissioners Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc,
Alfredo Non, Josefina Patricia Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana guilty of simple
neglect of duty for letting power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) use
billions of pesos in electric bill deposits of its consumers to finance its
operations.
The Ombudsman meted out
a yearlong suspension on the four ERC officials in December 2017, but the Court
of Appeals issued an injunction order allowing them to return to work in April.
‘Omitting to act’
The four, said the
Ombudsman in an order dated May 18, “are liable for tolerating the misuse” of
the electric bill deposits of consumers “by allowing its commingling with the
capital or operation cost of Meralco.”
The Ombudsman said the
officials were guilty of gross neglect “by omitting to act in a situation where
there is a duty to act.”
The three-month
suspension of the four ERC executives was recommended by Ombudsman graft
investigator Cherry Bautista-Bolo and was approved by Overall Deputy Ombudsman
Melchor Arthur Carandang.
The antigraft body’s decision
stemmed from a complaint filed by the National Association of Electricity
Consumers for Reforms Inc., which had originally accused Sta. Ana, Non, Asirit
and Taruc of committing syndicated estafa.
ERC’s failure
The Ombudsman noted
that the law mandated customers of power utilities like Meralco to pay bill
deposits explicitly as “guarantee for the payment of bills.”
It faulted the ERC
commissioners for their failure to order Meralco to place all the bill deposits
in an escrow account.
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