Malacañang said it has reinstated Monalisa Dimalanta as head of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) this week after the Office of the Ombudsman lifted her preventive suspension last October 22.
In a Viber message to Palace reporters on Thursday, October 31, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Malacañang reinstated Dimalanta to her post through a memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary dated October 30.
“Pursuant to the 22 October 2024 Order of the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) in OMB-C-A-JUL-24-0066, entitled “National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms, Inc. (NASECORE). vs. Monalisa C. Dimalanta”, lifting the 20 August 2024 order of preventive suspension issued against respondent Monalisa C. Dimalanta, the latter is hereby reinstated as Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Regulatory Commission immediately upon receipt hereof,” Bersamin said the memorandum.
The ERC, for its part, noted the Ombudsman’s explanation saying, “the grounds justifying the continued imposition of preventive suspension no longer exist. Therefore, the preventive suspension is no longer necessary.”
The ERC welcomed the decision, stating that it “would ensure stability within the agency and the energy industry as a whole.”
In addition, the ERC assured the public that “all operations of the Commission will remain uninterrupted and will continue to function as needed, in accordance with the demands of service.”
For context, Ombudsman Samuel Martires imposed a six-month preventive suspension on her in September due to allegations of serious misconduct, significant abuse of authority, and behavior detrimental to public service.
The suspension order stemmed from Dimalanta’s purported role in the Manila Electric Company’s acquisition of electricity from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and subsequently passing the costs onto consumers without ERC approval.
Prior to Dimalanta’s reinstatement, Malacañang designated Justice Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes Andres as the officer-in-charge and chief executive officer of the ERC. (TCSP)
