Iloilo City and More Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) target to reduce the estimated 30,000 illegal power connections in the city by half within the year.
Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda said customers pay for the cost of electricity stolen from the illegal connections as it is part of the systems losses that account of one-third of ordinary consumers’ monthly bill, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
She added that Iloilo City had one of the highest electricity rates in the country for decades with a systems loss rate which hit 9.3 percent in 2018, higher than the cap allowed by the ERC.
“Electricity pilferage has become a practice because the violators have gotten away with their crime but this should be put to a stop… Let us protect our interest, let us not allow ourselves to pay for the electricity consumed by those who steal power through the systems loss. Let us report those who steal electricity instead of condoning the pilferers,” Baronda said.
MORE Power president Roel Castro said illegal connections have also contributed to the overloading of Iloilo’s power systems.