The National Electrification Administration has suspended six members of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative board and its former acting general manager for 30 days after finding them guilty of simple neglect of duty, Wennie Sancho, Power Watch secretary general, announced Tuesday, July 12.
Suspended were CENECO Board president Jojit Yap and directors Martha Joyce Cuenca, Ernie Larida, Antonio Panique and Eugene Velasco.
Also named in the suspension order are former CENECO board member Robert J. Javellana and NEA project supervisor/acting general manager Danny L. Pondevilla.
Pondevilla, who is no longer with Ceneco, is currently the general manager of the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative Inc.
The NEA decision stemmed from a complaint filed by Sancho against the seven for grave misconduct, gross neglect, dishonesty, gross insubordination, and conduct prejudicial to the interest of the electric cooperative in connection with the one-year extension of Ceneco’s power sales contract with KEPCO SPC Power Corp.
Sancho said they approved a one year extension contract for KSPC’s 20 mw base load supply that was priced at a higher rate than a previous offer.
NEA, in its decision, dismissed the charges for grave misconduct, gross neglect, dishonesty, gross insubordination, conduct prejudicial to the interest of the electric cooperative, but cited the seven for simple neglect of duty.
It cited the Ceneco officials for simple neglect of duty for failure to apply for a Certificate of Exemption from the Department of Energy prior to their Power Sales Extension Agreement with KSPC in 2011.
“There is no substantial evidence though that would show that their act of entering into an extension agreement has been extended by bad faith or fraudulent intent,” the NEA ruled.
It said simple neglect warrants the penalty of a 30-day suspension from office without pay.
Sancho, in a press conference, said the NEA decision is victory for the Ceneco consumers.
Their filing of a motion for reconsideration shall not be a ground for the non-implementation of the NEA decision, he said.
“Resignation would be an honorable option for you, a graceful exit from a position that you do not deserve in the first place,” was Sancho’s message to the respondents.
Yap said they will issue their response to the NEA decision on Wednesday, July 13.
She said the NEA decision would not affect CENECO operations.*