Alcordo appointment bucked

The presidents of the employees’ organizations of the National Power Corp. (Napocor), including those detailed at the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) said yesterday the conduct by which the power firm’s restructuring is proceeding could lead to Napocor’s collapse.

And the very man tasked by the government to oversee such restructuring, Jesus Alcordo, is the same person reviled by them for allegedly doing things inimical to Napocor’s and public interest.

In two letters sent by Napocor employees to President Arroyo through Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho, they urged the President to look into the activities of Alcordo before it is too late.

The first letter, signed by the two of the largest Napocor unions — Napocor Employees Consolidated Union (NECU) and Executives Association (EXA) — is seeking Alcordo’s ouster. The other, signed by three Napocor unions — the Napocor Employees and Workers Union (NEWU), EXA and NECU, wants the President’s prompt action to save their very livelihood.

In asking for Alcordo‘s head, the unions claimed that aside from having conflict of interest, Alcordo has no personality to perform such a sensitive assignment: "A complete outsider cannot direct the restructuring of a government institution, as this is in violation of the Civil Service Law."

Last Oct. 21, in his mere capacity as adviser designate of the Department of Energy (DOE), Alcordo issued two directives pertaining to the restructuring addressed to the presidents of Napocor and Transco. The unions claimed that Alcordo was allowed to do this despite "the fact that he is not even a member of the boards of these corporations . . ."

It will be recalled that Alcordo had fought with Napocor employees after he threatened to lay them off. Napocor unions countered by accusing Alcordo of conflict of interest. Alcordo resigned as Napocor president when Napocor employees declared him persona non grata.

The unions said that in a testimony before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) "it was revealed that Mr. Alcordo partly owned and served as president of East Asia Power Corp., part owner of Duracom Mobile Power Corp., which, together with Meralco, has allegedly overcharged electricity consumers some P337.6 million through an irregular power supply contract."

The unions were referring to the testimony of former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile who earlier exposed the alleged overcharging. Enrile claimed at the ERC hearing that the allegedly onerous contract called for Duracom to sell power at only 95 percent of Napocor rate. But Duracom had supposedly been billing Meralco higher rates, which the latter passed on to consumers between January 2000 and June 2002. According to Enrile, the overcharge was highest from March 2001 to February 2002, coinciding with Alcordo’s incumbency as Napocor president.