Iloilo City power distributor More Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) said it has collected more than 300 kilometers of wirings from illegal electric connections in its franchise area.
The company’s Oplan Valeria anti-jumpers raids in 156 of the city’s 180 barangays netted 5,000 illegal connections.
MORE said to discourage perpetrators from reconnecting their jumper cables, it placed almost 500 guards in areas where power pilferage has been prevalent.
Seventeen persons caught in the act of installing jumper cables have been apprehended and hauled to court.
MORE Power said the law allows distribution utilities to measure and label illegal jumper cables for use as evidence in the investigation.
The company said it will continue the raids in the remaining 24 barangays in the city to end power theft in the metropolis, which would result in a more stable electric power supply and lesser charges for its consumers.
Based on technical studies conducted by MIESCOR Engineering Corp., it found that there could be as many as 30,000 illegal power connections in the city. – Jed Macapagal
