A verified complaint has been formally filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Antonio Mariano C. Almeda, citing violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019), particularly Section 3(e), for allegedly directing the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) Board to enter into an illegal and grossly overpriced emergency power supply agreement (EPSA).
The complaint, filed by Mr. Omar C. Costibolo, former NEA Representative to the OMECO Board and an accredited independent observer of competitive selection processes (CSP), accuses Almeda of manifest partiality, evident bad faith, and gross inexcusable negligence, resulting in undue injury to OMECO and its estimated 87,000 member-consumer-owners (MCOs).
According to the sworn affidavit, the disputed EPSA caused a nearly 300% increase in the total cost of generation rate (TCGR) from July 2023 to July 2024, unlawfully passed on to the captive consumers of the electric cooperative.
The complaint emphasized that Almeda’s directive led to the EPSA being negotiated, signed, and implemented in undue haste, in apparent violation of existing rules and agreements:
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The conditions under DOE DC 2023-06-0021 for a negotiated EPSA were not met;
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The EPSA was signed on July 21, 2023 by Anacleto B. Malicse, then Vice-President of the OMECO Board, without authority to do so;
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A valid and binding PSA between OMECO and SAMARICA, signed in January 2022, and a Memorandum of Agreement with Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corporation (OMCPC) dated April 29, 2023, were already in place—both with lower generation rates from the same 20MW bunker fuel plant;
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The EPSA violated the Energy Regulatory Commission’s “one-plant, one tariff” policy.
Also named as co-respondents in the complaint for their “indispensable cooperation” are:
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Romeo V. Acuesta, NEA-designated Project Supervisor for OMECO
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Anacleto B. Malicse, former OMECO BOD Vice-President
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Luis Manuel T. Banson, President and CEO of OMCPC
Aside from the graft charges, Almeda is also accused of administrative offenses of misconduct and dishonesty.
Costibolo’s complaint disputes Almeda’s public statements—repeated in media by Occidental Mindoro Congressman Leody Tarriela and allied LGU officials—that the contested EPSA was the only viable solution to resolve the province’s long-running brownouts.
Possible Penalties
Under R.A. 3019, violators may face:
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Imprisonment from six years and one month to fifteen years
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Perpetual disqualification from public office
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Forfeiture of unlawful wealth
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Restitution to complainants in cases of conviction
The case is now pending evaluation at the Office of the Ombudsman, as watchdog groups and affected consumers call for accountability and the nullification of the controversial power supply deal.
We are currently awaiting official statements from the National Electrification Administration (NEA), Occidental Mindoro Congressman Leody Tarriela, and other individuals mentioned in the report.