ANGELES CITY — The controversial appointment of former Pampanga congresswoman Zenaida Ducut as acting chair of the Energy Regulatory Commission rang a bell in my Postscript archive. My columns of last March 27 and April 3 had mentioned a Capampangan couple — Leslie Ducut and Ressie Ducut — as among the incorporators of a firm that was awarded by the National Power Corp. a P956-million contract to supply coal for some of its plants.The deal raised eyebrows because the then three-month-old firm — the Transpacific Consolidated Resources Inc. — reportedly had only P62,500 in paid-up capital but was gifted by the Napocor a coal supply contract worth P956,374,204.50!How is new ERC chief Zenaida Ducut, also a cabalen, related to Leslie and Ressie Ducut who sprang from nowhere to big-time coal trading, a business that impinges on power rates regulated by the ERC now headed by Ducut?

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FAMILY FOCUS: The TCRI was registered on Oct. 25, 2007. On Feb. 12, it was invited by Napocor to bid for coal for the Pagbilao power plant worth more than P320 million. By the time delivery was made, the total price had ballooned to P956,374,204.50. 

Ducut, btw, was the congresswoman of Pampanga’s second district. She had been replaced by President Gloria Arroyo’s eldest son Juan Miguel (Mikey) who now sits as chairman of the House committee on energy.

The Arroyo clan seems to have developed an interest in the multibillion-peso business of power generation, transmission and distribution. The members of Mikey’s committee include his younger brother Diosdado (Dato) of Camarines Sur and his brother-in-law Ignacio (Iggy) of Negros Occidental.

As lawmaker, Ducut was one of the authors of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. As lawyer, one of her clients was Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda, a cabalen and compadre of President Arroyo from Lubao town and reportedly a jueteng lord.

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CHECKING: My classmates in Greater Los Angeles had sent me information about Ducut personalities and some Pinoys in their area with the same names as the incorporators of TCRI.

A Lorna Arceo from this city and her husband were reportedly once arrested for several counts of tax evasion and grand theft in connection with alleged tax fraud.

The couple are reportedly identified with numerous schemes in real estates, home care providing for retardates, video rentals and Filipino restaurants. Socially, Lorna mingles with movie stars and government officials.

“I could be underestimating Lorna’s capability,” a classmate in Los Angeles remarked: “A P900 million-plus government contract is a long way from the video cassettes rental business she used to operate.”

Another incorporator, Ressie Ducut, was identified as an officer of a Pampangueno organization. Leslie Ducut is presumably her husband.

Wilfredo Tuadles ran for Cebu governor in 2004 and lost, then ran for congressman but lost again. He was the only incorporator who submitted his cedula for the TCRI’s registration. Lilia Tuadles is presumably his wife.

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NOMADIC: In its papers, TCRI kept changing its office address, including the business center of a small Quezon City hotel. Its lack of technical and financial capability did not stop it from bagging the juicy fuel supply contract. 

Based on its registration papers, TCRI is not a coal supplier but merely a coal trader. Why is Napocor using middlemen when it can deal directly with coal suppliers and get better prices?

Mandated to stabilize power rates or keep them to a minimum, Napocor should be interested in getting the lowest possible price for the coal of its generating plants. Fuel is the biggest input cost of power.

An explanation is also being awaited from Napocor as to why it went out of its way to invite the virtually unknown TCRI out of hundreds of qualified suppliers,

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JUST DO IT!: In the face of a worsening fuel crisis, Malacanang is now saying, rather belatedly, that bureaucratic personnel who use government vehicles for non-official purposes will be penalized.

Where we live, we call that lip service.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita also appealed to the public to report “excessive and abusive use of government vehicles.”

We call that buck-passing.

Malacanang should just do it. In fact, it should have cracked down on the unauthorized use of government vehicles a long time ago — with or without a fuel crisis.

There is a trip ticket system in place. All that Ermita or any government executive has to do is carry it out — without waiting for complaints from taxpayers.

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ROAD HOGS: Malacanang should also cut off the swellheads who bully their way through crowded thoroughfares, using motorcycle cops and security escorts — and taxpayers’ money — to clear a path for the idiots intoxicated with imagined power.

We the people will be more disposed to be patient and understanding if we see that nobody is exempt from the difficulties wrought by costly motor fuel.

How can we expect citizens to cooperate and follow disciplinary rules while witnessing the abuse and extravagance of public officials?

Secretary Ermita, who heads a presidential task force on energy, said “the people can report to the Action Center here in Malacanang” the misuse of motor vehicles and fuel.

If Ermita means it, he can catch more violators than he can handle each day by just standing at major intersections and monitoring shopping malls, resorts, hotels, night clubs and schools.

If he cannot do that, he should resign or stop talking about enforcing the rules.