Suspended Gianan rejected as FICELCO GM
POLITIKO - The bible of Philippine Politics.
National Electrification Administration (NEA) rejected the Board Resolution of the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (FICELCO) which attempted to designate Francis Gianan, the current Head of the cooperative’s Technical Services Department, to be the next OIC General Manager following the ousting of Jonathan Valles.
In the letter of NEA to FICELCO last Tuesday, February 20, 2018, the administration said it was prudent to maintain their approval on the designation of Valles as OIC in the Office of the General Manager (GM) until such time that they have decided on the selection and hiring of a new GM for FICELCO.
Gianan is no longer qualified to be a General Manager based on the Revised Qualification Standards for the General Managers of Electric Cooperatives, which requires that a candidate for OIC to be a General Manager must have no derogatory or adverse administrative record.
Gianan is ineligible under the rules since he was among the three FICELCO’s Screening Committee Members whom NEA suspended due to prejudicial conduct, characterized by sacrificing the interest of the cooperative’s members and consumers by allowing Mr. Gabriel Cantalejo, a Board Election Candidate, to run for election and sit in the cooperative’s board of directors despite glaring inconsistencies and falsifications in documents that Cantalejo submitted.
Despite Francis Gianan’s derogatory administrative record, the President of FICELCO’s Board of Directors, Alex Ang Hung, has persistently endorsed him to be the next OIC General Manager. In April 2017, Governor Cua also endorsed Gianan to be the next General Manager of the local power cooperative.
Cua and Hung are under probe for their involvement in the Mega Shabu Laboratory in Virac, Catanduanes which had electrical connections that had a valid business permit.
Cua is on the brink of facing administrative raps himself, and was given 10 days by the Ombudsman to explain why he should not be placed under preventive suspension regarding the Anti-Graft and Corruption Complaint with FICELCO-Powerzone Case.
