Another village chief faces charges for alleged power pilferage

MORE Power, Iloilo City’s power distributor, is preparing charges against another village chief for alleged power pilferage.

According to MORE Power, its apprehension team caught Punong Barangay Maricon Sumpio of Brgy. Alalasan, Lapuz maintaining an illegal or jumper connection to its secondary distribution line.

The team mounted the operation against Sumpio around 10 am Thursday.

The distribution utility said Sumpio has a legitimate connection with meter, but the management wondered why her consumption only amounted to an average of 30 kilowatt-hour per month even if her two-storey house has many appliances including four air-conditioning units.

The apprehension team later discovered a “jumper” line from Sumpio’s house to the secondary line of MORE Power. The line was hidden in a PVC pipe to avoid detection.

Apart from her own house, Sumpio’s mother and sibling were also using the alleged jumper.

The team dismantled the line which will be used as evidence against Sumpio. They also claimed that the village chief scolded them for failing to coordinate the operation with her.

Daily Guardian is still trying to get the side of Sumpio.