US power firms chide Napocor unions

Two US power firms doing business with the National Power Corp. (Napocor) chided three unions of Napocor for issuing false statements or outright fabrications and soiling corporate reputations in advancing their campaign to permanently ban president-on-leave Jesus Alcordo from Napocor.

East Asia Diesel Power Corp. and Duracom Mobile Power Corp. – two of Napocor’s so-called independent power providers – called the attention of the Napocor Employees and Workers Union, the Napocor Employees Consolidated Union, and the Executives Association for their joint statement carried by key national dailies last July 24, calling for Alcordo’s ouster.

"The level of disappointment of your unions with Mr. Alcordo is obvious, given your resolutions and actions. However, such actions and the high emotions that accompany them may, at the very least, cause embarrassment to you for making patent mistakes, especially when the documents supporting the truth are in your possession. At worst you could cause damage to third parties like these companies with your allegations of impropriety, which could constitute libelous statements and attract liability for the unions and its (sic) officers," Augusto T. Villa-Real, chief operating officer, and J. Ildebrando B. Ambrosio, corporate legal counsel, on the two firms said in a letter to the Napocor unions.

The unions claimed Alcordo retained ownership interests in the two firms even after he had assumed the presidency, thereby resulting in conflict of interest.

Villa-Real and Ambrosio said while it cannot be denied that Alcordo was a founder of the companies, he is no longer part owner, having divested himself of ownership in East Asia, the parent of the two firms, in the first quarter of 2001 in compliance with the requirements of being in government service.