NGCP: No Chinese among its top executives, managers

National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) president and chief executive officer Anthony Almeda answers queries on the alleged Chinese involvement in running the country’s grid operation during a hearing at the Senate Monday, February 3, 2020. China has a 40 percent stake in the NGCP. Henzberg Austria/Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — The president of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), operator of the country’s power transmission grid, on Tuesday denied that the company violated the Philippine Constitution by hiring foreigners for executive and management positions.

Anthony Almeda, who also sits at the NGCP board of directors, said in a statement there are no foreigners, particularly Chinese, among its top executives and managers.

“The company has always been diligent in implementing its board and management directives [and] does so with utmost regard for the law, and other rules and regulations,” Almeda said.

He was reacting to claims by some senators that the NGCP had violated the Constitution by employing foreign nationals, Wen Bo and Liu Zhiaoquiang, among its top brass. “Messrs. Bo and Liu left the country in 2018 and 2015, respectively. They held technical positions in the company,” Almeda clarified.

“We have only four directors from the State Grid Corporation of China who do not perform executive or management functions,” he said.

Almeda also reiterated that any audit of NGCP should be conducted by “the proper regulatory agency, which in this case is the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC),” noting that the ERC was an independent body tasked by law and recognized by the concession agreement.