President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Jesse Hermogenes T. Andres as officer-in-charge chairperson and chief executive officer of the Energy Regulatory Commission, according to the Presidential Communications Office on Saturday.
The appointment made on Friday is effective immediately, as seen in the memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
Earlier this month, the Office of the Ombudsman has placed ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta under a six-month preventive suspension for allowing Manila Electric Company to purchase electricity on the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) and passing the cost to consumers without the approval of the regulatory body.
The anti-graft body issued the order based on the complaint filed by the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms Inc. (Nasecore), which said Dimalanta’s action is an alleged violation of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).
Dimalanta said that she has already filed a motion for reconsideration with the Office of the Ombudsman concerning her six-month preventive suspension.
Dimalanta was appointed chairman of the ERC by Marcos in 2022, and her term is expiring in July 2029. —KG, GMA Integrated News
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