• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
After a stand-off, the 90-day preventive suspension order against Engr. Ray Bustamante, acting general manager of Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco), has been served on Thursday.
Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda of the National Electrification Administration (NEA), who came to serve the order, was initially barred by security guards from entering the distribution facility’s compound in Barangay Binicuil, Kabankalan City.
The Noceco compound gate was also padlocked allegedly upon the orders of Bustamante, said Almeda, who was accompanied by Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, who is a member-consumer- owner of Noceco.
The gate was later opened with a bolt cutter, which paved the way for Almeda and his staff, along with Ferrer, to enter the Noceco premises, to install Engr. Domingo Santiago as the acting general manager.
Ferrer said there was no court order that prevented anyone, including the board of directors, aside from NEA officials, from entering the Noceco premises.
During the stand-off, Almeda called on the Noceco member-consumers to get involved, pointing out that the electric cooperative is being managed by “individuals”, who think they own the power distribution facility.
In a press briefing, Almeda said the appointment of Bustamante, who was nowhere to be found during the stand-off, was “illegally obtained”, and not in compliance with Republic Act 10531 or the NEA Reform Act of 2013.
It is also in blatant disregard to NEA Memorandum No. 2017-035 dated Oct. 24, 2017, or the Revised Policy on the Selection, Hiring, Termination of Service/Suspension for General Managers of Electric Cooperatives.
Bustamante was given 10 days by the NEA to show-cause in writing why no administrative sanction should be taken against him for his assumption as general manager without strictly undergoing the procedure outlined under NEA Memorandum No. 2017-035.
“The order is only for preventive suspension, for him to submit to NEA a reason, or a cause for us, not to penalize him administratively on what happened,” Almeda said.
Bustamante was also prohibited from entering the Noceco premises for the period of his preventive suspension, as ordered by the NEA.
“Until such time that we feel things normalize already, NEA, through the Board, will direct the opening of the appointment selection process for a regular manager of Noceco effective immediately,” Almeda said.
On his marching order for Santiago, a retired manager of an electric cooperative in Rizal province, Almeda said he should maintain the operations of Noceco at “optimum level”, and serve the interest of the member-consumers.
Almeda said that an audit of Noceco has already been completed and he expects the results to be submitted to his office not later than Nov. 15.
He also announced that the remaining four Noceco board members will be placed under preventive suspension for 30 days.
The NEA chief said he required them to submit their justification on the appointment process that led Bustamante to occupy the position as acting general manager.
Almeda said he appreciates the cooperation of some Noceco division heads, who initially took sides with Bustamante.
“I do understand that emotions are high. I have some little space of understanding them,” he said.
Both Ferrer and Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda managed to persuade the Noceco department heads to have a dialog with Almeda to iron things out and not hamper the operations of the electric cooperative. | GB
