The Benguet Electric Cooperative, Inc. Labor Union (BELU) has expressed “disgust and objection” to the National Electrification board of administrators (BOA) Resolution 2021-47 in a letter dated May 10 to the NEA.
NEA BOA Resolution 2021-47 entitled, “Approval of the Resolution Endorsing the Candidate with the Highest Score in the Final Interview for the position of General Manager of Benguet Electrtic Coopereative, Inc.” endorsed only one candidate, Atty. Anna Marie B. Rafael.
“The NEA BOA Resolution 2021-47 was an utter disrespect of the Beneco Board’s right to choose deserving candidates for Beneco general manager when the BOA chose to endorse only one,” BELU President Jefferd Monang said.
‘We, the 204-strong rank and file Beneco employees, feel that the NEA BOA resolution was unfair and stole our BOD the right to be given a choice,” Monang said.
He expressed hope the NEA BOA will still see the light and withdraw the resolution and come out with a new one and include OIC GM Engr. Melchor Licoben.
In Resolution 2021-47, the NEA BOA discarded Licoben since he obtained the lower grade in the final interview.
BELU said the resolution did not give weight and credence to the other skills and competencies of a candidate that the NEA required in their selection process as per NEA’s Memorandum 2017-035, and only unfairly based their endorsement on their final interview.
NEA Memorandum 2017-035 states a candidate GM must have at least five years experience with proven track record in the effective management of a successful electric utility; leadership trainings and resource utilization, energy and technology management.
In the letter to the NEA BOA, the BELU said the NEA must ensure the management of all electric cooperatives in the country must be safeguarded through the appointment of the best GM, and this task lies only with the Beneco BOD since the BOA will only qualify the applicants.
The BOA resolution has also disregarded and silenced the voices of Beneco’s member-consumer-owners and the BELU to endorse the candidate they know can best manage their electric cooperative.
Numerous endorsements of support from local government units, member-consumer-owners, and different organizations in Baguio City and Benguet have been submitted to the NEA for consideration.
“Furthermore, we wish to correct the misconception (about) our former GM Gerardo P. Verzosa’s assumption as Beneco GM. He did very well in improving the ailing Beneco then. Before taking over as Beneco GM in October 1990, he has studied and immersed himself in the technological side of the power industry when he worked in 1988 as an employee in NEA,” said Department Manager Engr. Ricardo S. Pallogan, who was then a young engineer who came with Verzosa from NEA. – Press release
