Malacañang has accepted the resignation of Energy Regulatory Commission commissioner Geronimo Sta. Ana, leaving another vacancy in the five-man commission.
ERC spokesman Floresinda Digal confirmed that the commission received the report from Malacañang only last week.
“We received the notice of approval of his resignation only last week,” Digal said, adding the Sta. Ana filed his resignation letter as early as Sept. 15.
Sta. Ana did not comment as he is currently out of town but he and commissioner Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit returned to work last Oct. 10 after complying with the three-month suspension order without pay from the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman ordered the suspension of retired commissioners Alfredo Non and Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc and Asirit and 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 ended last October 9.
