WARNING against power cable theft. Meralco warned the public anew on the dangers of theft of electrical facilities including power cables. Seen in the photos are sections of power cables that had been illegally cut and stolen.
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has credited the Philippine National Police for supporting its campaign against electricity theft and pledged to further reduce system losses caused by illegal connections and pilferage.
During a House energy committee technical working group meeting, Meralco Senior Vice President and Head of Networks Froilan Savet said the company renewed its memorandum of understanding with the PNP on 8 June.
“We are thankful to the Philippine National Police for their help and we renewed our memorandum of understanding with them last June 8. Last month, we also met with PNP officials to discuss ways to strengthen the campaign against pilferage,” Savet said.
Meralco said it submitted to the Energy Regulatory Commission the investment requirements for programs aimed at reducing non-technical system losses. The company also conducts regular inspections of meters and other electrical facilities and invests in technology to detect illegal connections and improve operational efficiency.
“Electricity pilferage is a crime against the state and cannot be eradicated by distribution utilities and electric cooperatives acting alone, no matter how substantial the resources allocated,” Meralco Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory Management Jose Ronald Valles said.
The power distributor also works with the scrap industry and other stakeholders to prevent stolen electrical materials from being sold or recycled. It pledged to pursue further measures to reduce system losses and improve the reliability, safety and security of its distribution network.
