‘ILLEGAL OCCUPYING POST’ | Noceco acting general manager suspended for 90 days

Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco) acting general manager Ray Bustamante in Kabankalan City was placed under preventive suspension for 90 days effective Thursday, October 26, for allegedly illegally occupying his post.

The order was signed by National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda dated October 23.

Almeda arrived at the Noceco office around 9 a.m. Thursday, October 26, but the security guards stopped him from entering the building.

Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, who was also in the area as a member-consumer of Noceco, also questioned the security guards for not allowing the NEA personnel to serve the suspension order against Bustamante.

Almeda along with Ferrer ordered to destroy the padlock of the gate and they successfully entered the Noceco office.

He said there was resistance on the part of Bustamante and he ordered the blue guards not to let NEA inside the premises including the members of the board and Ferrer.

He said that based on records, Bustamante has been appointed and assumed as general manager of Noceco in blatant disregard to NEA Memorandum No. 2017-035 dated October 24, 2017, or the Revised Policy on the Selection, Hiring, Termination of Service/Suspension for General Managers of Electric Cooperatives.

Almeda directed Bustamante to explain in writing within a period of 10 days why no administrative sanction should be taken against him for his assumption as general manager of the electric cooperative without strictly undergoing the procedure outlined under NEA Memorandum No. 2017-035.

Almeda said Bustamante was preventively suspended for 90 days to prevent him from using his position, power, and prerogatives of the office to influence potential witnesses or tamper with records that may be vital in the prosecution of the case against him, as well as to prevent him from committing further acts of malfeasance while in office.

He said Bustamante's appointment did not pass through the provision of Republic Act 10531.

"There was no NEA's approval, we did not know how he came up with these proceedings for occupying his position," he added.

Almeda noted that Bustamante assumed his post in 2022.

He also installed Domingo Santiago Jr., a retired general manager of various electric cooperatives in the country, as the acting general manager of Noceco.

Almeda said Santiago should maintain the operations at its optimum level and serve the interests of member-consumer-owners.

"Until such that we feel things normalize already then, NEA through the board, will direct the opening of the selection process of a regular general manager of Noceco," he said.

Ferrer said it's not private property for not allowing the NEA officials to enter the building.

"I'm here as a consumer-member and as a vice governor because this is also the concern of the people of the Provincial Negros Occidental. They don't have any court order that NEA cannot enter in this place," he said.

He added that Noceco served the residents from the 4th to 6th Districts.

Ferrer noted that some of the department heads abandoned their posts and went home.

The vice governor urged the department heads to report so they could process the salary of their field workers.

Ferrer also urged NEA to conduct an audit report at Noceco.

Moreover, Almeda said that Bustamante is not allowed to enter the premises of Noceco.

Aside from Bustamante, he said the four board of directors were also suspended for a period of 30 days effective Thursday.

"If they were able to submit their affidavits after 30 days then, they will be reinstated," he added.*