The Central Negros Electric Cooperative will file a case against its former directors if they continue to refuse to pay their outstanding accounts, board president Roberto Montelibano said.

“That's not a threat. But if they will not liquidate (their accounts), our next step will be to go to court,” Montelibano told the DAILY STAR after the 32 nd Annual General Membership Assembly at the Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod Gym Saturday.

Documents he released earlier show that 12 former directors have outstanding accounts with CENECO. They are Restituto Abaring, P10,123; Nicanor Boncalon, P5,529; Primo Eleyer, P44,741; Alex Espino, P88,291; Eddie Guillem, P11,758; Pamela Henares, P167,039; Felix Hiballes, P90,035; Luis Ledesma, P79,315.66; Reynaldo Novero, P10,643; Ma. Regina Parreño, P62,748; Ricardo Sayson, P34,962; and Felixberto Verba, P360,101.

The amounts cover unauthorized allowances and benefits identified by a National Electrification Administration audit, and cash advances, Montelibano said.

But Esleyer, a former board president, said the amounts cited by Montelibano were approved by the CENECO board while former director Luis Ledesma said the amounts released to them were approved by the National Electrification Administration.

“I suggest that CENECO file a case for collection against us so the matter can be resolved once and for all,” Esleyer said earlier.

Ledesma, for his part, said: “I would say sue me but I'm not going to pay, that's for sure. These amounts were not taken from CENECO but given to me.”

He said he finds it strange that CENECO sent the collection notice only now when he had been receiving all these privileges in the last eight years he was a director of the cooperative.

But Montelibano said it was the previous board of directors that neglected to collect. “Why is it now my fault for trying to collect? Nothing personal here,” he said.

‘US TRIP UNOFFICIAL'

Meanwhile, CENECO project supervisor Eddie Adlao said the cooperative does not owe former board president Eddie Guillem the expenses for his trip to the United States to attend the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association last March because he was already suspended during that time.

“As far as NEA is concerned, his trip was no longer official because he was already suspended,” Adlao told the DAILY STAR.

He said that the board resolution allowing him to represent CENECO to the Las Vegas meeting was passed under the assumption that he was a director “of good standing.”

Guillem, who said that CENECO owes him P118,316, gave reporters a copy of his travel order dated Feb. 7, 2007 directing him to attended the NRECA event on March 16 to 24, 2007 , and of the board resolution dated Jan. 30, 2007 designating him as CENECO's official representative to the meeting.

However, on February 22, 2007 the NEA placed Guillem and four other CENECO officials under a 30-day preventive suspension, pending the resolution of the administrative charges they are facing before NEA.

On March 15 this year, Guillem, along with OIC-general manager Noriel Bermudez were ordered terminated by NEA for committing administrative violations.

The March 16 report of the DAILY STAR showed that Guillem was in the US when the termination order was served by the two NEA representatives to his lawyer.*NLG

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