The National Electrification Administration (NEA) deactivated on Monday the Board of Directors of Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO), citing their refusal to conduct district elections in three districts.
NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda personally served the deactivation order to PALECO in Palawan. He appointed interim board directors from various electric cooperatives (ECs) to address potential issues arising from this development, according to a report on GMA SuperRadyo.
In a press release published on January 6, 2025, the NEA said its Board of Administrators was informed that PALECO’s directors actively blocked the scheduled elections for District 6, 7, and 8—essentially depriving its members’ right to choose their representatives.
PALECO through its Institutional Services Department (ISD) confirmed that elections were due in 2024, which the NEA validated. PALECO’s directors, however, refused to proceed with the elections even filing a petition with a regional trial court (RTC) in Puerto Princesa City to justify their actions.
NEA said the RTC dismissed the petition, leaving no legal impediments to hold the elections, but the PALECO Board allegedly removed this matter from its agenda further delaying the process. This prompted the state-owned corporation to issue administrative sanctions.
“The NEA ultimately held that the undue refusal of PALECO’s Board of Directors to conduct its district elections leads to the disenfranchisement of PALECO’s consumers’ right to properly determine their representatives in the Electric Cooperative,” the agency said.
The NEA placed PALECO under a task force comprised of several general managers from different ECs to aid in the operations of the organization.
As the primary regulatory body for electric cooperatives, the NEA emphasized its mandate under Presidential Decree No. 269 and Republic Act No. 10531 (NEA Reform Act of 2013) to ensure compliance and proper representation in all ECs.
