A coalition of around 10,000 member-consumer-owners (MCOs) has taken its battle against the proposed partnership between South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO II) and IGNITE Power and Energy Holdings to the Office of the Ombudsman, accusing cooperative officials and National Electrification Administration (NEA) executives of grave misconduct, graft, and other serious offenses.
The complaint, filed on July 10 by Eduardo Villaluz Corteciano, Henry Singco Cadorna, Danilo Adrales Daca, Evangeline Genilo Malit, Bantay Kuryente Consumer Watch Inc., and thousands of MCOs, seeks both criminal and administrative sanctions against the respondents. It also urges the Ombudsman to place all those involved under preventive suspension while the case is investigated.
Named in the complaint are NEA officials Antonio Mariano C. Almeda, Emerico Escobillo, Atty. Ivan Darwin Zamora, and Prof. Rowaldo “Wali” D. Del Mundo, along with members of the SOCOTECO II Board led by Elenito C. Senit, Patrick S. Yap, Peter Jayson A. Acharon, Jessie F. Alaban, Ben B. Advincula, Musa N. Mang, Mae V. Mendoza, Cherry Joie Lima-Ponce, Ancieto G. Baculna Jr., and Leyne S. Alferez.
The complainants allege violations of Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019), as well as administrative offenses including Oppression, Grave Misconduct, Serious Dishonesty, Gross Neglect of Duty, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service.
At the center of the complaint is the proposed public-private partnership between SOCOTECO II and IGNITE Power, which the complainants claim was pushed forward without the mandatory competitive public bidding required under NEA Resolution No. 88, Series of 2002.
The filing also questions the manner in which key resolutions were approved, alleging they were passed under highly questionable circumstances.
Among the allegations is that the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the project had already been drafted and approved before the technical working group responsible for preparing the document had even been created, raising concerns that the outcome had been predetermined.
The complaint further argues that NEA improperly allowed the transaction despite its own rules limiting such “step-in” arrangements—including joint ventures and third-party management—to electric cooperatives classified as “Red” or financially distressed. According to the complainants, SOCOTECO II has consistently been classified as “Yellow” and was even upgraded to Category B in May 2025, making it ineligible for such intervention.
Consumer-members also accused the board of sidelining its own membership by allegedly finalizing the PPP framework before securing the approval of member-consumer-owners. They claimed the Annual General Membership Assembly on July 26 was intended merely to ratify an agreement that had already been negotiated behind closed doors.
The complaint likewise points to an alleged contradiction involving Directors Patrick Yap and Elenito Senit, who reportedly assured consumers during a March 24, 2026 meeting that no direct award would be granted to IGNITE Power. However, the complainants claim the board had already obtained NEA’s conditional approval for resolutions favoring the company’s proposal.
They also alleged that consumers were kept in the dark throughout the negotiations, saying the public learned about the status of the proposed partnership through media reports and public hearings instead of official disclosures from SOCOTECO II.
The filing further disputes claims that the cooperative’s financial condition justified the partnership, noting that the board itself was deeply divided over the proposal. According to the complaint, two directors refused to sign the resolutions, while another signed only with reservations, circumstances the complainants argue cast further doubt on the legitimacy of the transaction.