THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DOE) and, in particular, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has the responsibility to ensure that the energy supply industry operates efficiently.
It is reported that MORE Power executives have met DOE officials, presumably to establish whether a handover from Panay Electric Company (PECO) to MORE Power can take place smoothly.
It is now well over 30 days since the President has received the bill from Congress which transfers the franchise to supply electricity to Iloilo from PECO to MORE Power. Constitutionally, he can sign the bill, thereby giving his approval. If he does not sign the bill, then it lapses into law after 30 days.
The third way is to veto the bill and return it to the House of Representatives together with his objections. In the absence of any reports to the contrary, I believe he has not yet signed the bill but may have asked for the views of DOE.
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At a Senate hearing many years ago, it was reported that the wife of former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot had purchased a property in Buena Park, California for $499,000 (around P25 million). There were other properties purchased by the Ligots which they could not have afforded from their salaries.
The Buena Park property was confiscated by the US authorities then sold. Former US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas then handed the proceeds of the sale, $132,500, to the Philippines. Not much in comparison to the purchase price, but better than nothing.
I mention this because there will be an irrefutable audit trail. Earlier this month, prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to prove that the Ligots, using undeclared income, acquired many properties, including the one at Buena Park. What incompetence! This meant that DOJ lost a case brought before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) which involved P428 million.
There is no reason why DOJ could not have produced a watertight case. The Ligots got off scot free. P428 million is safely theirs. Would the result have been different with the help of Heidi Mendoza?
In contrast, in the Bangladesh Bank $81 million cyber heist, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) Jupiter Street Branch manager Maria Deguito was fined $109.5 million and sentenced to four to seven years imprisonment for each of eight counts of money laundering. Yet there is no evidence that she profited from any misconduct.
DOJ Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said that the DOJ had yet to rule on criminal charges filed against six former colleagues of Deguito. These are Raul Victor Tan, Ismael Reyes, Brigitte Capiña, Nestor Pineda, Romualdo Agarrado, and Angela Ruth Torres.
Whatever happened to former RCBC CEO Lorenzo Tan? Was he too senior to have been involved?
Another DOJ failure./PN
