BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
Always pay your electric bills promptly.
The Aklan Electric Cooperative has ordered the dismissal of its high-ranking officer and reprimanded three area managers for gross misconduct and gross neglect of duty.
Voting 6-2 on Monday, the Akelco board found substantial evidence to dismiss Mathew Rodson Mayor, Jr. as Commercial Operations Manager and to hold him administratively and perpetually disqualified him from reemployment in the electric cooperative.
"This cooperative cannot be compelled to retain a misbehaving officer whose acts are inimical to the cooperative's interest. This cooperative has the right to dismiss as a measure of self-protection and preservation," the three-page board resolution No. 085 series of 2015-07-20 stated.
The case stemmed from the report of Akelco's officer-in-charge-Audit division manager Ma. Neome Fulgencio on June 15, 2015 to Akelco acting general manager Engr. Pedro Nalangan IV regarding the alleged delayed payment of electric bills of Mayor.
The audit division together with Akelco's apprehension team noted that six accounts in Kalibo, Aklan appeared to be individually unpaid or unsettled for two months since May 2015. Another electric account in Poblacion, Altavas, Aklan also appeared to be unpaid for two months since April 2015.
Akelco board also investigated Mayor in connection with the revised payment scheme of the unpaid account of Ma. Bettina Garcia for P152,411.03. The area managers were also directed to explain why Mayor's electrical connection was not disconnected after the latter failed to settle his bills on time and their actions regarding the delinquent account of Garcia.
"As COD manager, he must have been the example in the prompt payment of his obligation to Akelco to pay his electric biils on or before the due date indicated in the electric bill...how can the cooperative encourage the other member-consumers to be prompt in the payment of their electric bills when the officer of this cooperative is showing a different attitude that is contrary to the existing policy of this cooperative," the resolution added.
COD manager is in charged with the responsibility for activities related to building, developing, organizing, processing and procedures to support strategic direction of commercial operations of Akelco.
Akelco board stressed that, "for almost seven years, it shows repetition of the deliberateness and willful intent not to pay promptly and relax execution of his responsibility as COD manager. This is not just mere lapse or error in judgment to his responsibility and he has become unfit to remain in its employ."
The contractor ML Contractor, the board said, also remiss of their obligation to disconnect the electrical services of Mayor in Altavas, Aklan since 2008 to present despite disconnection notices were given to them.
Meanwhile. the four-page resolution No. 086 series of 2015-07-20 found three area managers reprimanded with stern warning that they should exercise due diligence and prudence to manage the cooperative accounts receivable from the delinquent consumers and for the strict enforcement and monitoring of disconnection orders of their area of jurisdiction.
During the investigation, then Kalibo office area manager Allan Iguban made a demand letter on November 17, 2010 to Garcia on her unpaid bills following the discovery of an electric meter at their residential house in Estancia, Kalibo, Aklan not registered with Akelco.
On November 24, 2010, she proposed to settle the unpaid account of P122,962.21 in 18 monthly installments starting December 15, 2010 subject to approval of Akelco management.
In September 16, 2012, Mayor sent a letter to Garcia for a new payment arrangement of the unpaid electric bills in the amount of P152,411.03 until the account was disconnected on February 6, 2013.
Two other successors of Iguban, namely Bebina Fulgencio and Vicente Basia, explained to the Akelco board that they also exerted efforts to collect the unpaid bills. They said the Commercial Operation Manager's office had taken jurisdiction of the account of Garcia as shown by a letter on September 16, 2012 signed by Mayor and conformed by Garcia regarding the revised payment schedule of P152,411.03 unpaid bills.
"The account of Garcia was delinquent and the COD manager has entered a settlement but despite that settlement there was no showing on his part that this account was closely monitored to make sure that the account is paid promptly as agreed. The account has almost vanished from the records and it is most likely that the cooperative and its consumers will subsidize the loss to its prejudice if not from the timely discovery by the Internal Audit," the resolution stated during the 6th special Akelco board meeting on July 20.
As this developed, Akelco vice president Ariel Gepty inhibited himself in the investigation and voting of Mayor's case but he took part in the administrative complaint investigation against the three area managers.
No comments:
Post a Comment