The National Electrification Administration (NEA) is intensifying its coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) for investigation as well as possible prosecution of criminal acts being committed by officials of the country’s electric cooperatives.

“Aside from conducting motu propio administrative investigations against EC officials, NEA has been endorsing to government agencies, like the Department of Justice and National Bureau of Investigation, for fact-finding investigation arising from adverse audit findings of past and present EC officials involved for possible criminal prosecution if warranted,” NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano C. Almeda said.

The NEA chief has not specified any new electric cooperative eyed for investigation on criminal offenses, but the agency had extremely scrutinized the operations of several problematic ECs in the past.

In particular, NEA previously engaged the DOJ’s help on investigating alleged criminal acts and irregularities committed by former board of directors as well as the management of the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) in Northern Luzon.

The electrification agency indicated then that based on the investigation it had undertaken, they uncovered financial mismanagement allegedly committed by the former officials and board of that electric cooperative, hence, that led to the changeover of leadership in the power utility.

Almeda conveyed that the outcome of their probe just limited the liability of the previous officials to administrative cases, but the alleged irregularities spans beyond that – primarily on allegations of criminal fraud, hence, the assistance of the DOJ had to be engaged for further probe.

Apart from getting implicated on criminal offenses, the electric cooperatives had also been warned sternly that they shall avoid using the resources of the power utilities from advancing political agenda of any party.

“The present NEA leadership has made a strong pronouncement against the utilization of the electric cooperatives and its resources to support partisan political activities,” Almeda stressed.

The NEA chief has not named any entity relative to that warning, but there had been constant allegations that some ECs are deeply linked with some political parties, including in regions, cities or municipalities covered by their service areas.

As noted, the involvement of a number of electric cooperatives to political processes had often precipitated deterioration of their services because they would often bow down to the wishes of these political links, instead of putting the welfare of the consumers as a priority.