Career executive now at Napocor’s helm

Froilan A. Tampinco, vice-president of Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) which is tasked to privatize the government’s power assets has been named the new president of the National Power Corporation(Napocor or NPC), it was announced Monday by Malacanang.

 He will replace Cyril C. del Callar who has tendered his resignation this month for health reasons, according to the announcement

Tampinco is regarded as a career executive and a technocrat unlike many other appointees in sensitive government positions who have been chosen on the basis of political considerations.

 Tampinco is a licenced chemical engineer and holds a postgraduate degree in chemistry from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 1975. He also obtained a master’s degree in management from the Asian Institute of Management.

 Prior to his position at PSALM, he has bee Napocor’s vice-president for sales and services from February 2003 to February 2004. As head of NPC’s Genco 2 group from November 2001 to January 2004, he oversaw the operations of a number of generating assets under the group. 

Industry players generally welcomed the news.

 The president of Philippine Electricity Market Corp. which operates the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM) , Lasse A. Holopainen, in a text message, said "he should do really well" considering his record

 National Transmission Corp. President Arthur N. Aguilar promised full cooperation and support, while Manila Electric Co. president Jesus P. Francisco regards the new NPC head as “very much qualified."

 Mr. Tampinco, in a text message, simply said the new job was both a "challenge and a privilege."

 Appointment of a career official at NPC should bode well for the industry. Initially, he already has his hands full in resuscitating the financial health of the power firm which has been in the red for most of its existence.

 He has also to show that he can lick the perceived shenanigans within the organizations.

 Coming from PSALM, he should be able to give the privatization process the much-needed push towards successful completion.

 He seems to have the necessary credentials. Let us just hope that he has the will to resist political pressures from above and the resolve to clean Napocor’s Augean stables even if he has to sweep to the dustbins former colleagues involved in running down the power company.

 Let us silence our artillery and declare a unilateral truce against NPC to pave the way for the new chieftain to stamp his mark.

 But the people will likely not hesitate to resume their missile barrage against it once the new head cannot show proof that he can be a cut above the heads of his predecessors.