An administration lawmaker on Thursday appealed to Jose Vicente Salazar to make the ultimate sacrifice by stepping down as chairman of the Energy Regulatory Commission and save the agency from getting a P1,000 budget for 2018.
Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles said corruption allegations made by the late ERC director Jose Francisco Villa Jr. against Salazar before committing suicide has befouled the image of the entire ERC and has lost its credibility as a regulatory body.
“True or not, the allegations made against Chairman Salazar have completely demolished the credibility of the ERC. My friendly advice to him is that he should make the ultimate sacrifice and step down. The entire institution must not suffer just because of him,” Nograles, a deputy majority leader, said.
Nograles said the decision of the House leadership led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to give the ERC a P1,000 budget was obviously prompted by Salazar’s refusal to resign. Even President Rodrigo Duterte has already demanded for his resignation, he added.
