WHEREAS,  Section  10,  Chapter  II  of  Presidential  Decree  No.  269,  as amended,  empowers  the National  Electrification  Administration  (NEA)  to issue rules and regulations in all matters affecting Electric Cooperatives;

WHEREAS, to empower the member-consumer-owners, access to administrative  matters  against  ECs ™ Board  of Directors  and Officers  should  be made easily accessible;

WHEREAS, the provision on the filing fee of the NEA Administrative Rules of Procedures of 2013 should be amended and lowered for the empowerment of member-consumer-owners;

WHEREAS,  a  provision  on  preventive  suspension  is  hereby  laid  down pursuant to Section 4-A (b) of Presidential Decree No. 269, as amended, wherein NEA has the power to issue preventive  or disciplinary  measures  including,  but not  limited  to,  suspension  or  removal  and  replacement  of  any  or  all  of  the members of the board of directors and officers of the electric cooperative, as the NEA may deem fit and necessary and to take any other remedial measures as the law or any agreement or arrangement with NEA may provide, to attain the objectives of this Act;

WHEREAS,  through  Board  Resolution  No. 169 dated 05 December  2017, the  NEA  Board  of Administrators  approved  the  foregoing  amendments  of the NEA Administrative Rules of Procedures of 2013;

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to its authority under the P.D. No. 269, as amended,  NEA  hereby  issues,  adopts  and  promulgates  the  following amendments to NEA Administrative Rules of Procedures of 2013.

Section 1. Amendments  to the NEA Administrative  Rules of Procedures  of 2013. The following provisions are hereby amended as follows:

a.     Section 1 of Rule III is hereby amended to read -

SECTION 1. COMPLAINT. - A complaint against any or all of the EC Officers shall not be given due course unless it is in writing and verified to by the complainant(s) with payment of filing fee in the amount of Five Thousand (P5,000.00) Pesos. However, in cases initiated by NEA, the complaint need not be verified.

Xxx. Xxx.

b.     Section 3 of Rule VIII is hereby amended to read -

SECTION  3. FILING  FEE.  - The  filing  fee for a Complaint  or Petition shall be Five Thousand  Pesos (P5,000.00)  subject to revision from time to time when the need arises. Such fee shall be paid at the Cashier of the NEA.

c.     Rule III-A is hereby inserted to the NEA Administrative  Rules of Procedures of 2013 to read -

SECTION 1. PREVENTIVE SUSPENSION. - Upon petition of the complainant or motu proprio, NEA may issue a preventive suspension order upon service of the formal charge, or immediately thereafter, to the Respondent/s pending an investigation, if the evidence of guilt is strong, and (a)  the  charge  against  the  Respondent  involves  dishonesty,  grave misconduct,  or gross  neglect  in the performance  of duty;  (b) the charges would warrant removal from the service; or (c) the Respondent ™s  continued stay in office may prejudice the case filed against him.

SECTION 2. DURATION OF PREVENTIVE SUSPENSION. - Unless otherwise provided for by law, NEA may place the Respondent/s under preventive  suspension  for a maximum  period  of ninety  (90)  days,  without pay. The preventive suspension order shall be immediately executory.

Section 2. Repealing Clause. - All other office Memoranda, Memorandum Circulars, Rules or Regulations inconsistent with these amendments  are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section  3. Effectivity.  - These  amendments  shall  take  effect  fifteen  (15) days  from  date  of  publication  in  official  gazette  or  a  newspaper  of  general circulation, and after submission of three (3) certified copies to the office of the National Administrative Registry at the University of the Philippines Law Center.

Issued in Quezon City on 05 December 2017.

ALFONSO G. CUSI Chairman
ATTY. FELIX WILLIAM B. FUENTEBELLA Alternate of the Chairman
(SGD) AGUSTIN L. MADDATU Member	(SGD) ALIPIO CIRILO V. BADELLES Member
(SGD) RENE M. GONZALES Member	(SGD) EDGARDO R. MASONGSONG Member