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By Jomar Canlas, Reporter
THE Office of the Ombudsman ordered an immediate
probe into a coal power deal of the National Power Corporation (Napocor)
which is allegedly tainted with anomalies.
Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni said a
probe on the matter will determine if the case should undergo
evaluation or could be directly subjected to a preliminary
investigation.
“We will look deeply into the issue. We will
start the investigation immediately and determine if the case calls
for evaluation or a preliminary investigation,” he said.
Jalandoni pointed out that the Napocor coal
power contract carries with it public service and public interest,
since coal is used to produce electricity.
“The issue involves public service and public
interest. The issue involves electricity and the consumers are
always complaining with the high cost of electricity in the
country,” Jalandoni said.
On Friday, criminal and administrative charges
were filed before the Ombudsman against Napocor President Cyril del
Callar and three other officials due to alleged overprice of coal
purchases.
The charges stemmed from a complaint lodged by
consumer groups Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para
sa Sambayanan (Agham) and People Opposed to Warrantless Electricity
Rates (Power), and the cause-oriented group Bagong Alyansang
Makabayan (Bayan). The groups claimed that the Napocor officials
violated Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices
Act, Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Ethical Standards for Public
Officials and Employees, and Republic Act 9184 or the Government
Procurement Reform Act.
Besides del Callar, the other Napocor officers
who were charged are: Eduardo Eroy Jr., vice-president for
Logistics; Juan Carlos Guadarrama, chairman of the Bids and Awards
Committee; and Urbano Mendiola, head of the Management Committee
Secretariat.
The complaint originated from the alleged
“emergency purchases” amounting to P665 million made by Napocor
during the months of April, May and July of this year due to claimed
shortages in the supply of coal for their power plants.
The complaint alleges that Napocor entered into
contracts that were grossly disadvantageous to the consuming public
when it purchased coal at twice the prevailing market prices.
Napocor entered into contracts with Hunter
Valley Corp. via negotiated award on April 2, 2007, and with PT
Andalan Tiga Berjaya on May 7, 2007 and on July 26, 2007.
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