The proposed public-private partnership between SOCOTECO II and IGNITE Power and Energy Holdings is facing an Ombudsman complaint challenging its procurement process, board resolutions and regulatory basis.
Filed on July 10, the complaint alleges that the proposal advanced without the competitive public bidding that complainants say is required under NEA Resolution No. 88, Series of 2002.
The complainants also questioned the sequence of project approvals, alleging that the Terms of Reference had been prepared and approved before the technical working group responsible for drafting them was formally constituted.
Another issue concerns NEA’s authority to facilitate the arrangement. The complainants argued that the agency’s “step-in rights,” allowing joint ventures, mergers or third-party management, apply only to cooperatives classified as “Red” or financially distressed.
They maintained that SOCOTECO II had consistently been classified as “Yellow” and was subsequently downgraded to Category “B,” making the proposed arrangement, in their view, inconsistent with applicable guidelines.
The complaint also cited assurances reportedly made by Directors Patrick Yap and Elenito Senit on March 24, 2026, that IGNITE Power would not receive a direct award. The complainants alleged that the board had already obtained NEA’s conditional approval for resolutions supporting the company’s proposal.
They further disputed the financial difficulties cited as justification for the partnership and alleged that member consultation came after the framework had been finalized.
Supported by around 10,000 member-consumer-owner signatures, the filing seeks criminal and administrative action against SOCOTECO II and NEA officials, as well as their preventive suspension.
The supplied report contained no public response from the respondents as of its posting and did not report any Ombudsman determination on the allegations.|- BNN Integrated News
