CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PIA) – Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) announced that it will intensify its efforts against illegal jumper connections, which pose serious safety risks to both operations and community.
In a recent episode of Usapang PIA of the Philippine Information Agency Laguna, Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communication Joe Zaldarriaga highlighted the dangers and legal consequences of unauthorized electrical taps.
Zaldarriaga explained that illegal connections, including jumper wires and direct tapping, violate Republic Act 7832, also known as the Anti-Electricity Pilferage Law of 1994.
“Illegal service connections like jumpers, direct tapping, etc., are violations of the law. You can be penalized financially, and at the same time, you may face imprisonment of six to 12 years depending on the violation,” he warned.
These illegal activities often occur in hotspot areas, leading to overloading and, in many cases, fires that endanger lives and property.
The spokesperson highlights their achievement of curbing system losses from electricity theft since the law’s implementation and their intensified monitoring and active collaboration with local government units (LGUs), barangay officials, and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
According to their data, electrical non-technical losses are now below 1 percent, a substantial improvement compared to previous levels. Additionally, when including technical and line losses, the overall system loss is believed to be below 6 percent.
Zaldarriaga said that the installation of Elevated Metering Centers (EMCs) in areas prone to electricity pilferage has been beneficial in cutting down losses.
“If you’ve noticed, there are now areas where many people live, and the meters are installed high up. We call these elevated metering centers (EMC), and they were specifically established to prevent tampering with our facilities. In the past, that was a significant cause of accidents, like fires. We’ve slowly addressed that, and we continue to work on it.” he added.
With all of these efforts, Meralco urges the public to report any illegal service connections as part of the collective responsibility to ensure the safety of communities. (JL,CH/PIA-Laguna)
Usapang PIA is a weekly radio program hosted by the Philippine Information Agency Laguna. It is broadcasted every Friday, from 11:00 am to 11:30 am on DZJV 1458 kHz Radyo Calabarzon and streamed live on the Philippine Information Agency CALABARZON and PIA Laguna Facebook pages.
