IRIGA CITY – The Camarines Sur III Electric Cooperative (CASURECO III) under the leadership of the newly installed General Manager Peter Prestado has suspended 18 employees who have been found guilty of pocketing their collections and incurring shortages in violation of the coop’s Code of Ethics.

In an interview with the Bicol Mail, Prestado disclosed that the actual number of erring employees were 26 who were earlier issued a memorandum which requires them to explain and remit their collection of amount P300,000 within 48 hours. Of the twenty-six, 18 were meted 5-10 day suspension in the opening salvo of the power coop’s disciplinary action.

Prestado explained that as a matter of procedure, the culprits after serving their suspension will face another 30-day preventive suspension should they fail to settle their unremitted collections even if they have already explained the reasons why they committed such impropriety.

Preventive suspension shall be followed by an investigation to be conducted by the investigative and appeal committee (IAC) headed Administrative Manager and Personnel Officer determine and subsequently recommended what appropriate action should be taken against them, he said.

A copy of a memorandum on unauthorized power bill charges and audit findings noted by the ISD manager, Josefina Monay, shows that among the first batch of suspended employees who got the highest amount of unremitted collections were identified as Romeo Rimbao (P73,088.24) Bernardo Villareal (P24,299.40) Moises Magistrado (P16,252.90) Alduvin Ibarrientos (P18,163.47) Gilbert Landagan (P13,960.74) Darwin Cortan (P13,250.24) Diokno Barra (P11,969.11) and Eduardo Buena P10,432.460.
Five female employees who have unremitted collections of P42,290.61 are still facing investigation of the IAC over their respective cases of dishonesty, Prestado, added.

Apart, from no-nonsense cleansing of its personnel, the power Coops massive collection and disconnection campaigns against delinquent consumers are still in effect aimed at collecting at least half of P115 million old account. It also hopes to reduce its systems loss from 26% to 14% in a bid to reverese the power coop’s precarious financial condition.