‘RETAIL JUMPER’: Kagawad faces raps for alleged power theft

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

A barangay kagawad (council member) of San Pedro, Molo in Iloilo City is facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing electricity which he also sold to his neighbors.

This is based on the reports of Iloilo City power distributor MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) after its apprehension team inspected the house of kagawad Eddie Somes early Wednesday morning.

Apprehension team leader Ariel Castañeda said they received reports that Somes was illegally tapping to MORE Power’s secondary distribution line sans a meter.

Castañeda said they also received tips that Somes even acted as a power distributor by selling electricity to his neighbors.

At around 4:50 am Wednesday, MORE Power personnel swooped on Somes’ house where they discovered the illegal or jumper connection. They also found nine more jumpers connected to the barangay official’s line.

Somes allegedly did not come out of his house when MORE Power personnel called him out. Daily Guardian is still trying to get his side as of this writing.

The MORE Power team confiscated the wires Somes allegedly used for the illegal connection. These will be used as evidence in the case that will be filed against him for violating Republic Act No. 7832 (Anti-Pilferage of Electricity and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Act of 1994).

The saturation drive at San Pedro continued until the team discovered various ways of hiding jumper connections like inserting the wires in PVC water pipes.

Tips from legitimate consumers and gadgets used by MORE Power led the team to the hidden wires.

The team discovered 30 more jumpers. Five households that owned the illegal connections were already identified and will be charged.

At around 9 am Wednesday, one of the owners of the illegal connection used a power generator which triggered a conflagration in the area.

The fire gutted five houses while six houses were partially damaged.

Fire Senior Inspector Jesus Valenzuela of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Iloilo City, said the generator set of Gloria Jotes exploded which led to the fire.

Castañeda confirmed that Jotes and the owners of the two houses that got burned used jumper connections.