PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte could seek other legal remedies to dismiss the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) officials reportedly involved in the rampant corruption in the agency, a Palace official said on Monday.
Communications Assistant Secretary for Operations and Special Concerns Marie Banaag said the President is merely exercising “moral suasion” since alleged corruption-tainted ERC officials have fixed-terms of office.
“Some of them, we believe, refused to resign and they have made their positions clear. We understand that the ERC officials have fixed-terms of office, fixed-term of office and that is the very reason why the President is exercising his moral suasion for these officials to voluntarily resign,” Banaag said.
Banaag made the statement after three of the ERC commissioners said they will not step down from their position, despite the President’s demand that the agency’s officials resign.
In an interview, ERC Commissioners Alfredo Non, Ina Asirit, and Gloria Victoria Taruc said shortly after Duterte made the pronouncement on Tuesday that they would stay in the post because resignation “would not be to the best interest of the ERC.”
Banaag, however, said Duterte may resort to other options, if they will not follow his order.
“We have other remedies under the law...There are other remedies – investigation is one, preventive suspension, and the President even had raised other options. So once he arrives [from Peru], let’s see how these options will push through,” she said.
Duterte, in a press briefing held in Peru on Monday, called out the ERC officials after receiving reports that corruption proliferates within the agency.
He even threatened to disband the agency, withhold the proposed 2017 budget of ERC, or file a case against the officials involved in corruption, if they will not resign.
“I am demanding that they all resign because I read the internal and intelligence [reports]. They are disrespecting the [ERC],” he said. (Sunnex)
