IS the power industry ending up as collateral damage in the controversy following the reported suicide of an Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) official?
According to sources in the power sector, industry giants are now wondering whether the reported suicide is being used as an excuse by some vested political interests to create a negative public perception of them.
It will be recalled that some political personalities had insinuated that the suicide of the late ERC Director Francisco “Jun” Villa Jr. may have been caused by pressure from industry players for approval of their contracts, particularly the so-called power-supply agreements. They said they now want an investigation, not so much about the reason for Villa’s death as purportedly explained in a suicide note, but of the contracts of power generators and distributors.
We have no objection should there be an investigation of these contracts. After all, transactions between power generators and distributors impact on the pockets of ordinary Filipinos.
The facts established so far in the aftermath of Villa’s death is that his alleged suicide had nothing to do with power-supply contracts. The fact is that Villa, who headed a bids and awards committee, had nothing to do with the evaluation and approval of these contracts.
Based on reports trickling out of the ERC, Villa’s task was to bid out and procure office supplies and equipment. According to those who have read the reported three suicide notes written by Villa, the pressure on him came from small procurements, not from the multimillion-peso transactions between power generators and distributors.
For example, Villa reportedly questioned the process by which ERC Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar wanted to procure an audio-visual project, which had a budget of something like P490,000.
He was also reportedly bothered by an information caravan project that the ERC is doing with members of media and which had a budget of about P250,000.
These are reportedly the items now being looked into by the Commission on Audit upon the request of Salazar himself. These must also be the issues being probed by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation whom Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi Jr. had asked to step into the matter.
It will be good for these political personalities to take a look first at the alleged suicide note before jumping into conclusion and using Villa’s demise to demonize power sector players.
Sources said the supposed suicide notes have been published online by CNN Philippines. A thorough reading of the said notes would reveal Villa was apparently going through much pressure from work and compounded by several life issues.
Based on the said notes, Villa appeared to have been worried by physical ailments as indicated by planned visits to a nephrologist (a kidney doctor). The notes also portrayed a man who wished to retire from work but who was worried that to do so would clip his ability to provide for the financial and material needs of his family.
They also painted an image of an individual who could no longer stand the pressure of everyday work. The issues raised regarding that P490,000 audio-visual project and the P250,000 media education project appear to have merely aggravated the situation of a man going through so much emotional pain in life.
Based on these notes, it can be concluded that Villa had not accused the power industry of colluding with the ERC in a bid to cheat power consumers. Insinuations to that effect is a clear attempt at riding on the wave of public anger in the wake of Villa’s sad demise.
Salazar is now being investigated in connection with the audio-visual project and the media education project. Those were the issues raised against him and the ERC in the alleged suicide notes.
Salazar should be made to explain regarding those items. The public wants to know whether or not precious taxpayer money has been wrongly spent on those two projects, and what is the status of the audio-visual project in question.
The public also wants to understand why two projects with a combined cost of P740,000 should cause the late Villa so much anguish.
For now, these are the issues that must be brought to light by the ongoing investigations.
If any person wants to raise doubts regarding the dealings of power firms with the regulatory agency, such issues should be raised and probed separately.
It would be unfair to make the power industry collateral damage in this controversy.
It would be unfair to the memory of a decent man who ended his life when the pain became unbearable.
E-mail: ernhil@yahoo.com.