Ousted Ceneco prexy asks NEA for his restoration
BACOLOD CITY -- Ousted Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) president Atty. Vicente Sabornay yesterday filed a petition before the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to declare the March 20, 2009 board election as illegal and unlawful and asked for the issuance of Temporary Restraining Order and also to restore him in his former position as president.
Sabornay relates that on March 20, 2009, the Board of Directors held a regular board meeting attended by directors Raul Alvarez, Roberto Benedicto, Edward Gasambelo, Roberto Montelibano and Luis Cuenca and also the incoming board of directors Zenaida Lacson and Pepito Malapitan as observer and guest.
"The meeting started in a peaceful and orderly manner when out of the blue, Gasambelo pulled out a bunch of papers which he handed to me," Sabornay recalled.
He further said that before he received those papers, Gasambelo already announced and read its contents which was a complaint for disloyalty against him.
"I called his attention but he was circumspect with his language; I told him to observe proper decorum as his actuation was already out of order," Sabornay added.
Sabornay said that he ruled Gasambelo out-of-order because of his mad-dog-like behavior. "Gasambelo along with other board of directors preventively suspended me for 30 days and worst, issued an order to the guards not to allow me to enter the premises of Ceneco," Sabornay lamented.
Sabornay said that in order to obviate a possible chaos and violence during the meeting, he moved for the adjournment at 11:15 am.
Sabornay recalled that the group of Gasambelo, not contented with the deliberation, conspired with one another and proclaimed themselves in a farce election. Gasambelo was elected president of the Board, Luis Cuenca as Vice President/Secretary and Montrelibano as Treasurer.
Sabornay argued before the NEA that the "election" called was illegal because there was no constituted quorum (simple majority). Sabornay believed that Gasambelo acted capriciously and maliciously most especially when he issued a suspension order against him and the incumbent OIC General Manager Erlo Sajo.
Sabornay also said that Gasambelo violated the provision of Article IV Section 11 of the Ceneco articles and by laws. "Gasambelo acted in utter disregard of existing laws and orders and are threatening to pursue in performing their illegal acts out of the "authority" they had unlawfully usurped, and these acts consist of disbursing funds of the cooperative without lawful authority, and issuing unjust order which demoralizes the employees of the cooperative," Sabornay said.