President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed almost 80 people this September to fill up the vacancies in various government agencies.
One of Duterte’s appointees was renewable energy advocate Catherine Paredes Maceda who was tasked to head the Energy Regulatory Commission.
In her appointment papers released by Malacañang on Monday, Duterte named Maceda to her new post on Sept. 11 to be the ERC commissioner for a seven-year term.
Maceda replaced Alfredo Non, who retired as the ERC commissioner on July 10.
Malacañang also appointed Alexis Lumbatan to replace retired commissioner Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc who completed her term last July 10, 2018.
“Since there are just the two of us, there is no quorum yet and hence, the Commission cannot be convened to act on anything,” ERC chairman Agnes Devanadera said at that time when Lumbatan was appointed.
Elsewhere, the President also appointed Marie Venus as director of the Tourism Promotions Board, replacing Cesar Montano who resigned on May 22 amid the controversy over a P80-million sponsorship deal for the food tourism project ‘‘Buhay Carinderia.’’
“Pursuant to the provisions of existing laws, you are hereby appointed to serve the unexpired term of office that began on 1 July, 2018 and will end on 30 June, 2018,” Tan’s appointment paper stated.
The President also named retired police general Diosdado Valeroso and Ferdinando Sevilla as executive directors of Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Emergency 911 national office and vice president for administration of Philippine Public Safety College, respectively.
The other appointees were assigned to the Office of Solicitor General and departments of Environment and Natural Resources, National Defense, Finance, Agrarian Reform, and Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, energy stakeholders welcomed the Maceda’s appointment to the ERC which they hoped would pave the way for a “functioning commission.”
“The appointment of Commissioner Maceda completes the ERC Commissioners roster and marks the start of a full week for the Commission as it resumes En Banc meetings after almost three months without a quorum,” the ERC said.
Industry stakeholders said that with the two new commissioners in place, ERC can now act on pending applications and petitions.
“A welcome appointment to have a functioning commission which has many pending important decisions of the ERC,” Meralco PowerGen Corp. president Rogelio Singson said.
Joseph Nocos, Alsons Power vice president for project development said that with the appointment of Maceda, “ERC will now have a quorum and resume its functions as a commission.”
The two remaining commissioners namely Josefina Patricia Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana remain suspended as ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman ordered the suspension of commissioners Alfredo Non, Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana for three months without pay starting May 18 for allegedly tolerating the misuse of bill deposits by allowing its commingling with the capital or operation cost of Manila Electric Co. contrary to the purpose for which the bill deposits was established, as guarantee for the payment of bills.
The Ombudsman acted on the complaint filed by the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms, Inc. represented by Rafael Antonio Acebedo and Ma. Paz Esperanza Coronel.
The suspension order, however, was implemented only in July thus the suspension order will end October 9.
Devanadera earlier said the agency cannot act on Meralco’s pending power supply agreements due to the legal cases hurled against the commissioners.
“We are not acting on the seven PSAs (of Meralco) because there’s a case although you can always say that but there’s no TRO,” Devanadera said.
“But out of deference, both Congress and to the Supreme Court, we have not acted on them,” she said.
Prior to the three month suspension, Non, Yap-Taruc, Asirit and Sta. Ana were slapped with cases at the Ombudsman for allegedly giving Meralco an undue advantage when it extended the submission of its PSA applications.
The Ombudsman, acting on the complaint of several groups, meted a one year suspension on them in December.
The commissioners elevated the case to the Court of Appeals and were granted temporary restraining order against the suspension.
“We have not acted on any because of… we’re anticipating the action of Congress and we’re also anticipating the action of the Supreme Court. If there is none yet, we cannot resolve. Right now, the practical reason is I am the only one in the commission,” Devadandera said.
