| Thousands join protest vs electric coop directors |
| Written by Eldie S. Aguirre | |
| Tuesday, 04 November 2008 | |
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More than ten thousand member/consumers of Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Dasureco) joined the march rally on Monday displaying their sentiments against the firms board of directors who are still holding their respective positions even if their terms already lapse.
Governor Douglas Cagas who organized the protest action vowed to hold the picket line they established outside the perimeter of Dasureco office in Barangay Cogon, Digos City.
“I will stay in the picket line until those overstaying board of directors would step down from their office,” Cagas said in a press conference on Monday.
Digos City Mayor Arsenio Latasa; Matanao Mayor Vicente Fernandez, Malalag Mayor Roel Paraz; Bansalan Mayor Edwin Reyes; and other local government executives also join the march rally from Rizal Park in Digos City and walked through its main thoroughfares until it reached the picket line some three kilometers away.
Protesters chanting and waving streamers and placards urging the board of directors (BOD) to step down since the majority are still clinging on to their positions using the writ of preliminary prohibitory injunction issued by the regional trial court in Digos City on July 5, 2005.
Cagas accused the Dasureco board of directors of using the preliminary prohibitory injunction as a shield to remain in power and continue to receive fat perks and fringe benefits from the electric cooperative.
He said the BOD is enjoying these benefits even if they already exhausted the allowable terms of office embodied in the NEA Election Code of 1993.
An electric cooperative BOD can be elected three consecutive terms for a period of three years per term or a total of nine years.
“The BOD has questioned the same Election Code before the court to hold on to their respective positions. That is no longer moral. They should be out of office since 2005, but due to the said court order they are still in power until now,” Cagas said.
The Dasureco BOD is composed of 13 District Electrification Committee (DEC) chairman in the entire province of Davao del Sur. The cooperative manager served as ex-officio member of the board but he has no power to vote.
Jesus de la Victoria, Dasureco manager has join the call for the BOD to step down so that an election could be conducted.
The 13 members of the board that are subject to the ongoing protest actions are: Artemio Tajon – president (Digos North); Eme Ferolino – vice-president (Magsaysay); Aurora King – secretary (Hagonoy); Leopoldo Cruz – treasurer (Kiblawan); Clemente Quiñones – assistant treasurer (Digos South); Glenn Solana – member (Sta. Cruz); Carlos Torreon – member (Bansalan); Generoso Alagdon – member (Matanao); Perfecto Ordaneza – member (Padada); Victor Gubatan – member (Sulop); Mateo Cabante – member (Malalag); Roberto Mariscal – member (Sta. Maria); and Jaime Munoz – member (Malita/Jose Abad Santos).
Solana, Torreon and Mariscal are the only board of directors who could still run for the same post but currently on a holdover capacity since there was no election conducted after the court issued the injunction on 2005.
In a media interview Artemio Tajon admitted they are still functioning as Dasureco board of directors since the injunction order has not been lifted and the law says that they would relinquish their post until such time that a new set of officers could be elected.
The main issue of the case is the complaint filed against the Dasureco, National Electrification Administration (NEA); and Jesus de la Victoria, et al is the nullification of the NEA Election Code of 1993 which remained unresolved until now before the office of Judge Marivic Daray of the Regional Trial Court – Branch 18 in Digos City.
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