ILECO 3 to NEA: ‘Please take over’
Manifesto declares entire BOD “persona non grata’
Should the deal pushes through, at least P100 million in perceived and feared losses have been estimated on the controversial power supply agreement that rocked one of Iloilo’s biggest electric cooperatives.
The staggering figure was reached following computations and comparisons made on the rates submitted before the subject cooperative – the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco) 3.
The “P100M discovery,” The News Today (TNT) learned from a highly-placed source, formed part of the ‘highlights’ reached in the four-day fact-finding probe of the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
At the center of the investigation is Applied Research Technology (Artech) lambasted by ILECO 3 employees saying such is not an accredited power supplier of the Panay and Guimaras consortium. Further still, the employees said, ARTECH has reportedly the highest rate compared to others in the consortium.
Blame on the Ileco 3 fray was placed on the entire Board rocked by the bribery issue that dragged no less than Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas.
The NEA in response to call for action and intervention sent a fact-finding team. The probers concluded its work Friday with a Manifesto among its gathered documents.
Led by coop engineers and longtime workers, the plea was direct – immediate NEA take over “to give us the direction free from interventions and mental reservations.”
“As our policy-making body, we always look up to the wisdom of our Board of Directors which we believe will protect the cause and interest of our Member-consumers and the whole Cooperative as well. We declared them “Persona Non Grata.”, excerpts of the Manifesto went.
NEA probers are lawyer Omar Mayo and internal auditors Nixon Bautista and Anofel Tio.
Mayo in a TNT interview said his team decided to distance themselves from local politicians.
As such, four days work of investigation and fact-finding were well within the ILECO 3 and member-consumers.