ALL OUT-WAR VS POWER THEFT: 30,000 ‘jumpers’ connected to power lines

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

Iloilo City has launched a campaign against the decades-long problem of power pilferage which affects not just the supply and distribution system but also places consumers at risk of fires and explosions.

MORE Power, Iloilo City’s sole distributor, organized a task force that is conducting a deeper investigation into what it calls a “series of mysterious trip-offs and outages” that had been plaguing power distribution services since the firm took over from PECO.

The campaign intends to “attack the modus operandi of electricity pilferage at its core to address its financial impacts such as reduced income from the sale of electricity and the necessity to charge more to the electricity consumers and one of the causes of power interruptions and outages.”

 

MAKING CONNECTIONS EASY

MORE Power recently partnered with the city government under its iKONEK Program to flush out illegal power connections and at the same time encourage Ilonggos to secure their regular accounts with MORE Power.

A one-stop-shop was also established to process the application for regular power connection accounts within 10-12 days at most.

With the program, MORE Power President Roel Castro said the city government has made it easy for Ilonggos to secure the necessary documents and safety inspection certificates required by law such as the Certificate of Residency, Government ID, and Oath of Undertaking of Connection and Meter at Electrical Safety Inspection Reports.

Castro said technical studies showed that PECO, the former distribution utility, had “allowed illegal electricity connections in blatant disregard of the negative impacts on Ilonggos’ pockets and the damage that it had caused on the city’s power distributions system because of overloading from unaccounted electricity use.”

“For decades it is the legitimate consumers that had been paying for the electricity being pilfered from such illegal connections. And these illegal connections do not just burden legitimate consumers who pay for the stolen electricity, but it also takes a toll on the system which results in overloading,” Castro noted.

“As we now have determined the majority of those who are behind this ‘organized business’ we are on our way, together with the city government of Iloilo, in targeting to reduce these illegal power connections by half in 2020. We are basically cleaning up the mess left by PECO.”

 

TOLERATED, DELIBERATE

Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda said illegal connections had “long been tolerated deliberately” to benefit a “syndicate” or “organized business” running the pilferage operation.

Baronda said an all-out war is needed especially with the recent technical analysis showing there could be as many as 30,000 illegal power connections that existed in the city since the time of PECO’s management.

She appealed to Ilonggos to help stop the illegal operations by tracing and reporting illegal connections in their area.

MORE Power had reported that it receives two to three reports of illegal power connections every day.

“Power thieves would exist only as long as Ilonggos allow them to exist, either by turning a blind eye to their existence or securing an illegal connection themselves. In fact, it would be beneficial to all of us if those tapping illegally will have to act right by applying a regular connection with MORE,” Baronda pointed out.

The lady solon added that electricity pilferage has become a practice because violators got away with their crime for a time now.

Citing its study, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said legitimate consumers pay for the electricity stolen by the estimated 30,000 illegal connections that proliferated under the old utility.

This electricity load is part of the systems losses that account for one-third of the legitimate consumers’ monthly bills.

Iloilo City, according to ERC, had one of the highest electricity rates in the country for decades and runs up a systems loss rate consistently higher than the cap allowed by the ERC for such losses to be charged to consumers.

The systems loss in the city’s distribution system reached 9.3% in 2018 on the last year of PECO’s expired congressional franchise.

“This is not fair. I urge the Ilonggos to be very vigilant and help put a stop to this electricity pilferage. Let us protect our interests. Let us not allow ourselves to pay for the electricity consumed by these power schemers. Let us report those who steal electricity and let us not condone them,” Baronda urged.

Baronda said Ilonggos should be grateful that MORE Power has made it easier, especially those with illegal power connections, to apply for their meter accounts.

 

HARSHEST PENALTY

The anti-pilferage campaign got support from the City Council by authorizing Mayor Jerry Treńas to sign an agreement with MORE Power.

“I would like to thank the City Council for authorizing me to enter into this partnership with MORE Power in order to ease up the processing of electrical connections of those classified into ‘low loads’ and informal settlers in the city,” Treñas said during the signing last week.

Treñas said the city government will seek the harshest penalty for power thieves who use the so-called “jumpers.”

“We will apply the national law. All law enforcement agencies are supposed to implement the law. And I will implement this law. I have no choice. I will file cases if needed. As for the bail bond, the amount will be double the amount of the pilfered electricity so it will be very harsh,” Treñas said.

 

CRACKDOWN

MORE Power’s anti-pilferage campaign is also active in the barangay level.

On Wednesday, 11 “jumpers” were busted at Brgy. Villa Anita.

On Saturday, the I-Konek Task Force also launched an operation at Brgy. Wilson wherein 17 “jumpers” were caught, on top of 46 at Brgy. Tanza Esperanza and 3 at Brgy. Fortunata.

Relatedly, three individuals were charged in Court by MORE Power for violating Anti Pilferage Law.

Ariel Castañeda, head of MORE Power Task Force, said residents themselves provide information on alleged illegal connections in their community.

“We are grateful that barangay officials have been supporting us in our campaign to rid our community with illegal connections by leading us to those employing ‘jumpers’ in their households. In the process, we are already coordinating with barangay officials in order to help their constituents process an easy connection with us,” Castañeda said.

MORE Power reported that majority of persons behind power thefts are classified as “informal settlers and low loads” who use up 25 percent of the city’s power supply for the city of Iloilo.

 

BURDENS, ARROGANCE

Some residents, especially those belonging to the informal settlers, said they are happy with the easy application process instituted by MORE Power.

“Sa PECO dati pangayuan pa nila kami sang Proof of Land Ownership sadto kag Building Permit nga nabal-an na gid nila nga squatter lang kami di (With PECO Before, we were required to submit Proof of Land Ownership and Building Permit even they know for a fact that we are just squatting on a property that’s not ours),” according to a “jumper” who was given the chance to apply for an account with MORE Power.

“We are so happy that MORE gave us this opportunity to have our own power meter and be listed as a legitimate power consumer. We have prayed for this all our lives and we are glad that MORE Power made this dream possible wherein PECO has failed,” John Pagayon said.

In various complaints reaching the House of Representatives and the ERC, power consumers cited the “arrogant and discourteous customer service employees who attended to applicants only until 11 am only, the apparent lack of power meter, as well as the rampant presence of fixers within PECO.”