TACLOBAN CITY — Police arrested a man early Tuesday morning for allegedly stealing electrical wiring from the iconic San Juanico Bridge, an infrastructure asset frequently plagued by cable theft.

Officers from the 805th Maneuver Company were conducting a routine motorcycle patrol around 3:40 a.m. when they spotted a man loitering on the Leyte side of the bridge during hours when pedestrians are strictly prohibited.

The bridge is kept off-limits to pedestrians during dark hours as a safety measure to prevent suicides and other incidents.

Police Capt. Mardy Serna, the company officer-in-charge, said patrolling officers approached the man to question his presence and discovered he was carrying stolen electrical wires.

The suspect, identified by police by the alias “Kuya G,” is a 27-year-old unemployed resident of Santa Rita, Samar.

Officers recovered approximately 20 meters of copper electrical wiring, valued at an estimated P12,000. The suspect was taken into custody after failing to provide proof of ownership for the materials.

Cable pilferage on the San Juanico Bridge has been a recurring problem, frequently causing streetlight outages across the structure.

An initial investigation revealed the suspect is a repeat offender who had been previously arrested by the same police unit in May for an identical offense.

The suspect was transferred to Tacloban City Police Station 3 for booking and documentation ahead of the filing of formal criminal charges.

Elmer Recuerdo