Andres promises ‘expeditious’ action as acting ERC chief

Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) officer-in-charge Jesse Hermogenes Andres vowed to “expeditiously” act with “fairness” on pending matters as he assumed office on Wednesday following the issuance of a memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary on Sept. 20, 2024.

Andres, a former Department of Justice undersecretary, would replace Monalisa Dimalanta who was suspended by the Ombudsman as ERC chairperson and chief executive.

Andres held a meeting with ERC commissioners Alexis Lumbatan, Catherine Maceda, Floresinda Baldo-Digal and Marko Romeo Fuentes, along with executive director Nancy Aurora Fajardo and general counsel Heiddi Barrozo on his first day at the regulatory agency.

The meeting focused on briefing the chairperson on the core mandates of the agency and the urgent matters requiring immediate action by the ERC leadership to ensure the continued action on critical decisions.

Andres also convened the management committee (ManComm) to emphasize the urgent need for expeditious action on all pending ERC matters. The ManComm, in turn, committed to providing full and necessary support to the Andres.

“I will perform my functions as ERC officer-in-charge chairman with utmost fairness and independence. ERC will act expeditiously on all pending matters with a view to foster competition and ultimately drive down the price of electricity and protect consumers,” Andres said.

Andres has been a practicing lawyer for 34 years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Economics. He is a career executive service officer eligible since 2009 and completed his directorship training with the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD).

Andres made the statement in the wake of concerns of further regulatory delays with the six-month preventive suspension imposed against Dimalanta.

The Ombudsman suspended Dimalanta in connection with Manila Electric Company’s purchase of power from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) and subsequent unauthorized billing of consumers. Dimalanta filed a motion for reconsideration, which is pending with the Ombudsman.