Senators hit NEA over Beneco leadership row
>> Saturday, November 6, 2021
BAGUIO CITY – The Senate
committee on finance assailed the National Electrification Administration over
the leadership controversy of the Benguet Electric Cooperative here and pressed
for an in depth investigation of the matter.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on energy and member of the Senate committee on finance, said the NEA had no authority to interfere with the affairs of Beneco in the appointment of its general manager because it was not an ailing electric cooperative.
He said it was the prerogative of the board of directors to appoint the general manager.
Gatchalian scolded newly-installed NEA Administrator Emmanuel Juanesa for the agency's failure to instill stability in leadership of Beneco, one of the country's top-performing electric cooperatives, when it insisted on appointing an unqualified and unrecommended applicant for the position of general manager.
Gatchalilan told NEA officials the regulating agency could interfere with affairs of an electric cooperative if it was declared ailing.
In the case of Beneco, it was not an ailing cooperative, thus undue interference of NEA was unnecessary as it was one of the top-performing electric cooperatives in the country that could independently select its general manager pursuant to established rules and regulations, enshrined under NEA Memorandum No. 2017-035.
The senator criticized the NEA's recent forcible takeover of the Beneco main headquarters in the wee hours of Oct. 18, 2021 with the aid of heavily armed police personnel, causing outrage among member-consumer-owners (MCOs) that used their own force to retake the same from the hands of NEA personalities.
Sen. Imee Marcos also branded the forcible takeover of the Beneco main headquarters -- done under the guise of serving the preventive suspension order of some members of the Beneco board and the incumbent general manager — as a show of excessive force since those being served with such an order were unarmed.
Marcos said there was a need for an in-depth investigation on the matter to ascertain responsible persons who would be charged for offenses.
Marcos supported the move of Gatchalian to call for a Senate inquiry on the matter to ascertain the NEA's overreach of its powers, causing a leadership impasse in one of the country's top-performing electric cooperatives.
The senator claimed it was unfortunate that NEA had to resort to using armed police personnel to take over the Beneco main headquarters to serve preventive suspension of some officials considering there were more peaceful means to do so and a worst case scenario could have spun out of control.
Earlier, MCOs, local leaders and the 121-strong Philippine rural Electric Cooperatives Association sought intervention of the Senate to instill law and order in Beneco because the present leadership crisis was having a negative impact on performance of duties and responsibilities of Beneco officials and employees who were caught in the crossfire of the feuding parties.
The Beneco leadership was being contested by engineer Melchor S. Licoben, who was appointed as general manager by the Beneco board of directors on April 21, 2020 by virtue of Resolution No. 2020-90 and lawyer Ana Marie Paz Rafael, who was appointed by the NEA board of administrators on April 29, 2021.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on energy and member of the Senate committee on finance, said the NEA had no authority to interfere with the affairs of Beneco in the appointment of its general manager because it was not an ailing electric cooperative.
He said it was the prerogative of the board of directors to appoint the general manager.
Gatchalian scolded newly-installed NEA Administrator Emmanuel Juanesa for the agency's failure to instill stability in leadership of Beneco, one of the country's top-performing electric cooperatives, when it insisted on appointing an unqualified and unrecommended applicant for the position of general manager.
Gatchalilan told NEA officials the regulating agency could interfere with affairs of an electric cooperative if it was declared ailing.
In the case of Beneco, it was not an ailing cooperative, thus undue interference of NEA was unnecessary as it was one of the top-performing electric cooperatives in the country that could independently select its general manager pursuant to established rules and regulations, enshrined under NEA Memorandum No. 2017-035.
The senator criticized the NEA's recent forcible takeover of the Beneco main headquarters in the wee hours of Oct. 18, 2021 with the aid of heavily armed police personnel, causing outrage among member-consumer-owners (MCOs) that used their own force to retake the same from the hands of NEA personalities.
Sen. Imee Marcos also branded the forcible takeover of the Beneco main headquarters -- done under the guise of serving the preventive suspension order of some members of the Beneco board and the incumbent general manager — as a show of excessive force since those being served with such an order were unarmed.
Marcos said there was a need for an in-depth investigation on the matter to ascertain responsible persons who would be charged for offenses.
Marcos supported the move of Gatchalian to call for a Senate inquiry on the matter to ascertain the NEA's overreach of its powers, causing a leadership impasse in one of the country's top-performing electric cooperatives.
The senator claimed it was unfortunate that NEA had to resort to using armed police personnel to take over the Beneco main headquarters to serve preventive suspension of some officials considering there were more peaceful means to do so and a worst case scenario could have spun out of control.
Earlier, MCOs, local leaders and the 121-strong Philippine rural Electric Cooperatives Association sought intervention of the Senate to instill law and order in Beneco because the present leadership crisis was having a negative impact on performance of duties and responsibilities of Beneco officials and employees who were caught in the crossfire of the feuding parties.
The Beneco leadership was being contested by engineer Melchor S. Licoben, who was appointed as general manager by the Beneco board of directors on April 21, 2020 by virtue of Resolution No. 2020-90 and lawyer Ana Marie Paz Rafael, who was appointed by the NEA board of administrators on April 29, 2021.
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