300 kms of wires seized from ‘jumpers’

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

More or less 300 kilometers of wires were seized from “jumpers” or electricity thieves almost a month after distribution utility MORE Power launched its crackdown on power pilferers.

If weighed, the confiscated wires could hit no less than 10 tons, according to MORE Power’s estimates.

The wires were measured and labelled and will be used as evidence in the investigation and eventual filing of the cases against suspected power thieves.

MORE Power said the length of the wires proves how prevalent power pilferage has been in Iloilo City before they took over the power distribution service.

To date, MORE Power said Operation Kakas Jumper has reached 156 of the 180 barangays in the city and some 5,000 illegal connections to its secondary line have already been disconnected.

To discourage the perpetrators from reconnecting their jumper cables, the power distribution firm deployed almost 500 guards in areas where power pilferage is prevalent.

Meanwhile, 17 persons who were caught in the act of installing jumper cables have already been arrested. They are each required to post a P130,000 bail for their temporary liberty.

MORE Power said it will continue Oplan Kakas Jumper in the remaining 24 barangays “to put a fitting end to power theft in the metropolis, which would redound well to a more stable electric power supply and lesser charges on consumers.”

The distribution utility is also busy installing electric meters to thousands of households who have applied for legal connections following the non-stop crackdown on jumpers.