NAGA CITY –-- Former OIC General Manager Rodelo A. Pasumbal of Camarines Sur II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Casureco II) and members of the coop Board of Directors are facing scrutiny by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) for alleged corrupt practices like wasting huge amount of consumers’ money and usurpation of authority.

        This came about after NEA acknowledged receipt of a three-page complaint-petition filed by the power consumers led by former Casureco II Board President Dr. Domingo C, Yu in 2007.

        A mediation conference has been scheduled on Friday next week, May 9, at 10 A.M. at the Casureco II’s Board Room in Bgy. Del Rosario, here, according to a communication from NEA’s Administrative Committee (ADCom) to tackle the issues raised by the petitioners.

        A conciliation-conference between the involved parties is based on NEA-AdCom Rules of Procedure (Section 1, Rule V), which is fundamental in exploring the possibility of amicable settlement and defining and simplifying the issues contained in the complaint-petition.

        The petitioners unearthed several irregularities allegedly committed by Pasumbal and the coop directors who “abused and misused the cooperative’s fund in violation of NEA Memorandum No. 35 and other rules, policies and procedures of Energy Regulatory Commission and the electric cooperative.”

        They are expecting that full-dress investigation should be conducted to warrant the filing of appropriate charges even as the AdCom confirmed that the conciliation-conference will also determine “whether a formal trial would be needed” to resolve the issues.

        The complaint-petition has enumerated the following abuses or violations allegedly committed by Pasumbal and the coop directors:

        • Encashment of P300,000.00-check payable to Bicol Electric Cooperatives Association (BECA) by OIC GM Pasumbal. The check was claimed to be intended for the Advocacy Program and Image Building of the electric coops. Encashment was allegedly made even without endorsement from BECA and was separably apportioned to the different coop directors and selected department managers of the power coop..

        • P10,000.00 representation allowance for each board member and OIC GM Pasumbal were allegedly taken from the coop’s calamity fund despite disapproval by NEA.

        • Alleged manipulation by the board directors to ignore NEA disapproval of the aforementioned allowance by passing Board Res. 2007-50, changing it from representation allowance to mobility allowance to be taken from the general fund. When former coop Finance Manager Jane Barrameda did not implement said Board resolution claiming that it was not included in 2007 general fund, the Board passed Board Res. 2007-53, approving the supplemental budget for 2007 cash operating budget to cover the mobility allowance of the members of the Board of Directors and OIC-GM in the total amount of P110,000.00.

        • Alleged usurpation of authority of the Human Resource Division by the coop directors when they proceeded to hire fixed term laborers suspected to be political supporters. These laborers, according to the files at the personnel section, are not skilled about electrical lines and cannot effectively work on the restoration of lines damaged by Typhoon Reming. Consequently, incidents of electrocution took place which caused Casureco II to shoulder hospital and medical expenses amounting to P250,000.00.

        • Alleged usurpation of authority at the Engineering Department and area offices when the directors themselves supervised the restoration team including providing meals to the restoration teams by making cash advances. Then Director Alden Bonot was alleged to have made a cash advance amounting to P120,000 purportedly for the meals of the restoration team assigned to him..

        • Usurpation of authority of the cashier in the actual payment of meal allowance and wages to the fixed-term laborers. The board members allegedly made cash advances for similar purpose with approval from OIC GM Pasumbal.

        • Undue intervention by the board directors in the hiring of employees by passing a board resolution allowing each of them to recommend up to three workers/employees.

        • Alleged intervention in the decision of the coop’s Bids and Awards Committee when Director Alden Bonot reportedly preferred other suppliers. Minutes of the board meetings and board committee meetings regarding this matter are in the possession of Ms. Tita Ibay and Mrs. M. Favorito.

        • Alleged overspending by some board directors in their travels to Manila, some of these trips were allegedly not related to their offocials functions as board directors. The most travelled board member in the history of Casureco II is Dir. Ramon Borja who allegedly spent P265,000.00 for his travels alone.

        • Expensive meal allowances where the directors were allowed to enjoy “signing authority” at Crown Hotel and Restaurant. One instance is the May 14, 2005 Crown Hotel bill amounting to P14,000.00 for only one executive board meeting, excluding the bills signed by Dir. Larry Basmayor for his breakfast.

        • Inaction by the board members on the so-called conjugal cheating of meter reader Benjamin Ayab and ISD Manager Merced Ayab in their residential electrical connection from the time they got married until now as indicated in the records of their monthly electric consumption. The Ayabs reportedly refused in-house inspection by a Casureco team. Inspection reports are in the files of Mrs. Betty Aguilar who spearheaded the inspection two years ago.

        • Alleged use of Casureco II funds to pay the salary/ allowance of the personal drivers of Board President Rene Rañeses and Dir. Larry Basmayor under the guise of being workers of FEL CLEAN, a private manpower and janitorial contracting company.

        • Alleged unauthorized delivery of 500 units Virago KWH meter as ordered by OIC Pasumbal without the required purchase order, board resolution, contract and delivery receipt.

        • Purchase of 100 units prepaid meters from Siemen Inc. amounting to P2 million as proposed by Dir. Francis Soler but which was rendered as a useless investment because the meters have been left idle at the coop warehouse for two years now.