Former Shell chief not interested in Napocor post

Former Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. country chairman Oscar Reyes is not likely to accept the position of National Power Corp. president which is reportedly being offered to him, a well-placed Napocor source said.

"He (Reyes) is not inclined to accept the position if he will be chosen by President Arroyo because of conflict of interest," the source said.

Reyes retired from Shell effective end-December 2001 and has been replaced by Eliseo Santiago.

It was earlier reported that Reyes is among a shortlist of candidates to replace Napocor president Jesus N. Alcordo who resigned last December and took a leave of absence recently after the Jan. 21 blackout.

Napocor is now being run by an officer-in-charge (OIC), Rolando Quilala, an old-timer. He was an executive vice president of Napocor before being chosen OIC of the power firm. He is also one of those being eyed to become Napocor president.

Another candidate for the Napocor port is Nestlé Philippines Inc. president Juan Santos.

A Department of Energy source said the power firm needs a manager and not necessarily somebody who is knowledgeable in the power business.

After the passage of Republic Act 9136 or Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EIRA), all the assets and liabilities of Napocor would be transferred to an entity, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM). This move will effectively allow the government to sell the transmission and generation assets of Napocor debt-free.

PSALM will also eventually auction off the liabilities of Napocor, including its contracts with independent power producers (IPPs). – Donnabelle Gatdula