National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Edgardo Masongsong on Monday said he is ready to step down from his post and handover the reins of his office to the officer-in-charge to be appointed by Malacañang.
This as Masongsong has stressed that he has yet to receive formal communication from the Palace on his reported termination for alleged corruption.
“These are allegations that I have addressed in the course of the PACC’s inquiry into these accusations, and the records will show that I have fully cooperated with the PACC.”
To recall, President Rodrigo Duterte announced Masongsong’s termination in a taped speech aired on Saturday.
“We’ve been talking about corruption. Alam mo may bago akong, the name is Edgardo Masongsong. He’s the administrator of the National Electrification Administration. I dismissed him from public service,” Duterte said.
The President said it was the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) that conducted the investigation and recommended that Masongsong be removed from office.
The PACC earlier filed a case against Masongsong for supposedly allowing electric cooperatives to contribute funds for a party-list’s campaign in 2019.
“I have recently received reports that President Rodrigo Duterte has removed me as head of the National Electrification Administration (NEA). While I have yet to receive a formal notice instructing me to step down as NEA Administrator, I am ready to turn over my responsibilities to whomever is designated as NEA Officer in Charge once I am ordered to do so––to ensure that the services of NEA continue smoothly for the benefit of the electric cooperatives (ECs) and the consumers the NEA is mandated to serve,” said Masongsong in a statement.
Masongsong in the same statement, also denied the PACC’s allegations of corruption within the NEA during his watch.
“I will always be grateful to the President for having given me the opportunity to serve the sector I love, and thank my NEA family for their steadfast support.”
“According to these same reports, I have been relieved as NEA Administrator upon the recommendations of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission due to allegations of corruption. These are allegations that I have addressed in the course of the PACC’s inquiry into these accusations, and the records will show that I have fully cooperated with the PACC––fully confident in the knowledge that these allegations are baseless, and that if granted due process and the opportunity to defend myself I can establish that I am innocent of any wrongdoing,” he said in a statement.
“In fact, a review of the NEA’s Commission on Audit (COA) reports will show that at the time of the PACC’s allegations, there were no COA findings that there was wastage of government funds nor a whiff of corruption. It should also be noted that during my tenure as NEA chief, the agency twice received the highest audit rating from COA, evidence of the agency’s efforts towards transparency in its financial operations,” Masongsong added.
Masongsong also expressed his gratitude to the President for giving him the chance to serve in the rural electrification and electric cooperatives (EC) sectors.
“For close to two decades I have served the EC movement in various capacities; as EC general manager, organizer, and representative in Congress. My track record speaks for itself, as this was one of the bases on which the President appointed me NEA Administrator. I will always be grateful to the President for having given me the opportunity to serve the sector I love, and thank my NEA family for their steadfast support. Notwithstanding this recent turn of events, I will continue to serve the EC movement and our people to the best of my ability,” he said.
