Ruke of law observed in Beneco takeover
NEW leaders of the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) on Monday officially took over their new jobs following a court order which was helped enforced by the local police.
Members of the Cordillera Police Regional Office were deputized to help install new BENECO general manager, ex-Presidential Communications Operations Office assistant secretary Anna Marie Rafael.
Rafael replaced Engineer Melchor Licoben in a controversial move which was even denounced by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin M. Magalong. The leadership crisis in BENECO has been the subject of several protests and counter-protests this year.
Mayor Magalong also defended Licoben whom he said has proven his competence and efficiency with no integrity issue whatsoever.
However, five lawyers representing BENECO maintained that the local police was deputized to effect the full implementation of the 90-day Preventive Suspension Order issued against Licoben and the cooperative’s directors, Attorney Esteban Somngi, Mike Maspil, Jeffred Acop, Peter Busaing, Robert Valentin, Jonathan Obar and Josephine Tuling.
The five said that the National Electrification Administration (NEA) pursuant to Section 4 ®, Chapter II of P.D. 269 as amended by R.A. 10531 has ordered the deputization of the Philippine National Police to effect the full implementation of the preventive suspension order issued against the former BENECO officials.
“The PSO has been served on September 28, 2021. This was acknowledged by the concerned BODs and Engr. Licoben before the NEA on September 30, 2021,” Beneco lawyers Rocky Balison, Patrick Astudillo, Willybroth Managtag, Joel Pasiwen and Jingboy Atonen said in a press statement.
According to the lawyers, “the suspended BODs and Engr. Licoben continued to defy the lawful orders and issuances of the NEA-BOA by performing transactions related to the operations and management of BENECO. This is a blatant abuse of authority and disrespect to the rule of law. It is appropriating the law into their own hands and deliberately ignoring their accountability to the NEAR, hence, the request for assistance from the PNP,” the lawyers said.
“ BENECO, an entity granted with a government franchise, through its officers, is accountable to the law. It is not above it,” they added.
NEA project supervisor for BENECO, Atty. Omar Mayo requested the Benguet Police Provincial Office thru Cordillera Police Regional Office director, Brigadier General Ronald O. Lee to assist in the enforcement of the suspension order on Monday ‘in the interest of inter-agency collaboration.’
