Notice of District Elections

Pursuant to Task Force BENECO Resolution No. 2024-013 (Resolution for the Conduct of District Elections for the Board of Directors(BOD) of BENECO and Approving the Recommended Schedules Thereof) dated January 24, 2024, the elections for Districts 2, 5, and 6 (for Baguio City) and Districts 7. 8. 10 (for Benguet) shall be held on APRIL 20, 2024 (SATURDAY) from 9:00AM to 3:00PM at designated polling centers which will soon be announced. The barangays covered by each district are:

BAGUIO CITY
District 2	PMA Fort del Pilar, Kias, Loakan-Liwanag, Loakan Proper, Camp 7, Poliwes, San Vicente, BGH Compound, Phil-am Compound, Imelda Marcos, Balsigan, SLU-SVP Housing, Bakakeng Norte/Sur, Bakakeng Central, Sto. Tomas Proper, Dontogan, Sto. Tomas School Area
District 5	Kagitingan, Teodora Alonzo, New Lucban, ABCR, Padre Zamora, Kayang-Hilltop, Upper City Market, Padre Burgos, Upper Magsaysay, Sto. Nino-Slaughterhouse, Magsaysay Private Road, Lower Magsaysay, Antonio Tabora, Happy Homes-Lucban, Dizon Subdivision, Lower Quirino Hill, Middle Quirino Hill, West Quirino Hill, East Quirino Hill
District 6	Trancoville, South Sanitary Camp, North Sanitary Camp, Lopez Jaena, Aurora Hill Proper, North Central Aurora Hill, South Aurora Hill, Bayan Park Village, San Antonio Village, Ambiong BC, Brookspoint, West Bayan Park, East Bayan Park, West Modernsite, East Modernsite, Brookside, Imelda Village, Manuel Roxas-Teachers Camp, Holy Ghost Proper, Honeymoon-Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost Extension, Upper General Luna, Lower General Luna, Kabayanihan, Session Road, Harrison-Carantes, Malcolm Square
BENGUET
District 7	La Trinidad
District 8	Bokod, Kabayan, and Itogon
District 10	Atok, Tublay, Kapangan, and Kibungan

Interested applicants from the said districts can now secure the Certificate of Candidacy during office hours at the Institutional Services Department (ISD) of BENECO starting March 25, 2024. The deadline of the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy will be at 5PM of April 10, 2024

DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS TO BE ATTACHED TO THE CERTIFICATE OF CANDIDACY

1. Notarized Certificate of Candidacy (4 copies).
2. Personal Data Sheet (with recent 2x2 picture).
3. Certification of Good Moral Character (from NBI, PNP, Barangay, or leader of religious sect the applicant is affiliated with).
4. Certificate True Copy of Transcript of Records.
5. Certificate True Copy of Birth Certificate issued by the PSA.
6. Barangay Certification that applicant is a resident of the barangay/district that the applicant seeks to represent.
7. Omnibus Affidavit (On affinity and consanguinity, no financial interest, not a representative of a juridicial person, etc.).
8. Certification from COMELEC that the applicant or his or her spouse did not run or file candidacy in the last local or national election.
9. For applicants who are government employees - Certification from Dept. Sec., Regional Director, Division Head, or Local Chief Executive that (1) the salary grade of the applicant is not Grade 16 or higher; and that (2) the office of the applicant has allowed him/her to run as a director.
10. For applicants whose spouse is a government employee - Certification from Dept. Sec., Regional Director, Division Head or Local Chief Executive that (1) the salary grade of the applicant is not Grade 16 or higher.
11. Clearances from the following offices
    1. Prosecutors Office
    2. MTC
    3. RTC
12. Clearance from previous employer the applicant worked with (government or private) that he/she has not been terminated for cause.
13. Documents to be provided by BENECO
    1. A member in good standing for five (5) years immediately preceding the election
    2. No apprehension for electric pilferage
    3. AGMA attendance for two times in the last five (5) AGMAs of the cooperative
    4. Paid the minimum share capital of P2,000

The qualifications and disqualifications based on Republic Act No. 10531 (NEA Reform Act of 2013); NEA Memorandum No. 2014-019 dated July 1, 2014 (Guidelines for the Conduct of District Elections for Electric Cooperatives); and the Articles of Cooperation and By Laws approved by CDA are:

Qualifications
The applicant must be:

1. A Filipino citizen
2. A graduatee of four (4) or five (5) year college course
3. Between twenty-one (21) years old and seventy (70) years old on the date of the election
4. Of good moral character which may be established with the submission of clearance or certificate from any of the following (Barangay LGU where the candidate resides/NBI/PNP/Leader of the religious sect the candidate is affiliated with)
5. A member of the EC in good standing for the last five (5) years immediate preceding the election and shall continue to be a member in good standing during his or her incumbency.
   A member of good standing shall mean that said member has no unsettled or outstanding obligations to the EC whether personal or through commercial or industrial connections of which he or she is the owner or co-owner three (3) months prior to the filing of the certificate of candidacy. Provided, that for incumbent members of the EC Board who will seek re-election, unsettled or outstanding obligation shall be deemed to include power bills, cash advances, disallowances (including NEA audit findings) and materials and equipment issuances reckoned from the time of filing of the certificate of candidacy. (NEA Memorandum No. 2016-017 dated April 11, 2016 prusuant to DOE Deparment Circular No. DC2014-09-0017 dated Sept. 1, 2014)
6. Has not been apprehended for electric pilferage.
   A mere apprehension of electric pilferage by the EC, even without conviction for such offense by any court, shall constitute a valid ground for disqualification. The word "apprehension" should be taken in the strict context as used in Republic Act No. 7832, otherwise known as "Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines or Materials Pilferage Act of 1994", which means that a person is caught in flagrante delicto for violating the provision of the said Act.
7. Has not been removed for cause as a director or an employee from any EC;
   In general, removal or termination of service from the EC is caused by a grave offense or violation/s of policies, rules and regulations. A former director or employee with a record of termination/removal for cause from public office or for just cause as defined in Article 282 of the Labor Code as amended, shall not be disqualified to be elected or appointed as director of an EC.
8. An actual resident and member-consumer in the district that he or she seeks to represent for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the election; and
9. Attended at least two (2) Annual General Membership Assemblies for the last five (5) years immediately preceding the election or appointment.
   (For ECs that were not able to conduct an AGMA for at least two occasions for the last five (5) years, the five (5) year requirement shall be interpreted as the last five years that the EC was able to coduct AGMA - NEA Institutional and Legal Advisory No. 01 dated May 9, 2023)
10. For a qualified government employee, he/she must present a written certification from his/her Department Secretary/Regional Director/Local Chief Executive or his duly authorized representative allowing him/her to run and sit as director at the time of his/her filing of Certificate of Candidacy;
11. An EC Director or Officer, in order to remain as such, must continue to possess all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications throughout his/her term or tenure of office. To this end, no EC Director shall be allowed to stay in a holdover capacity if he/she fails to meet all the qualifications or is deemed disqualified.
12. Must have paid in full the minimum share capital of Two Thousand Pesos (P2,000.00).
13. Must not have been found liable by final judgement of any administrative or civil proceeding involving financial and or property accountability.

DISQUALIFICATIONS
The applicant must not be:

1. A person holding any elective position or a person holding an appointive position in government with a salary grade of sixteen (SG 16) or higher or its equivalent. The applicant will also be disqualified if his or her spouse is holding any elective position or a person holding an appointive position in government with salary grade of sixteen (SG 16) or higher or its equivalent.
2. A candidate in the last preceding local or national elections. The applicant will also be disqualified if his or her spouse was a candidate in the last preceding local or national elections.
3. Related within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any member of the EC Board of Directors, General Manager, Deparment Manager, NEA-appointed Project Supervisors (PS) or Acting General Manager (AGM) and its equivalent or higher position.
4. Employed by or has financial interest in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or electrical hardware to the cooperative or doing business with the EC including, but not limited to, the use or rental of poles; (For this purpose, "doing business" shall refer to the transactions related not only to the core or main line of business of the EC, but also those which in any way affect the management and operation of the EC).
5. A representative of any juridical person.
6. An employee of the CDA.

The applicant must not have been:

7. Convicted by final judgement of a crime involving moral turpitude.
8. Terminated from public office/government employment or private employment for just cause as defined in Article 282 of the Labor Code. (For this purpose, termination from public office shall mean removal).
9. Found liable by final judgement of any administrative or civil proceeding involving financial and or property accountability.

*The incumbent GM and employees of electric cooperatives are not allowed to run as members of the board of another cooperative; and that the disqualification of one of the spouses shall mean the disqualification of the other.

MELCHOR S. LICOBEN
General Manager