Duterte urged to probe ERC exec’s death

Francisco Jose Villa Jr. (Photo courtesy of Charie Villa)

A consumer group is urging President Rodrigo Duterte to look into the death of the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) bidding chair who was forced to commit suicide due to pressure from his boss, ERC chair and CEO Jose Vicente B. Salazar.

Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas (ABP) said the suicide of ERC director Francisco Jose Villa Jr. has opened a can of worms on the ERC’s alleged shady deals with favored distribution utilities.

“The commission should be cleansed. It is high time for President Duterte to lick corruption in that government agency,” said ABP secretary general Aya Jallorina in a statement.

The 54-year-old ERC executive took his own life on Nov. 9 because he could not handle the pressure from Salazar who allegedly wanted Villa to rig the biddings and favor his boss’ preferred companies.

“My greatest fear in the bids and awards committee is the AVP by Luis Morelos which the chairman and CEO, Jose Vicente B. Salazar, chose through a rigged selection system. That will be a criminal act,”  Villa said  in a series of suicide notes he wrote three months ago when he started feeling the pressure from Salazar.

His sister, broadcast journalist Charie Villa, said : “Jun was pressured to approve contracts for procurements and hiring consultants without proper bidding and procedure as bids and awards committee chairman.”

In a statement, Salazar said he viewed “with serious concern and disappointment allegations being hurled against me in the aftermath of the passing away of Director Jun Villa.” He said  an “objective body” should look into Villa’s allegations.