A 39-year-old man died early Sunday after he was electrocuted and caught fire while allegedly attempting to steal electrical cables from a power post at Barangay San Isidro in Parañaque City.
Authorities responded to reports of an explosion near the Lopez Footbridge at approximately 1:50 a.m. Upon arrival, police and barangay officials discovered the man’s body on fire atop the electrical structure.
“Someone called us saying something exploded,” barangay desk officer Ryan Fernandez said. “When we arrived, police were already there, and we saw a person on fire.”
Personnel from the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) later retrieved the body. Initial investigations suggest the man was cutting live wires when he was electrocuted, triggering a circuit trip that caused power outages in several nearby households.
Fernandez cited that the man had been seen climbing electrical posts previously and had a prior police record involving theft.
The victim’s family held a vigil at the site on Sunday. The man's brother appealed for public sympathy, asking people not to judge the victim hastily.
“My plea to the public is that they did not see the whole truth,” he said.
Meralco, meantime, issued a stern warning following the incident, reminding the public that tampering with electrical infrastructure is both illegal and life-threatening.
“Aside from violating the law, stealing cables is extremely dangerous and may result in severe electrocution, serious injury, or death,” said Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco vice president and head of corporate communications.
Under Philippine law, the theft of electric power transmission lines and materials is punishable by fines and imprisonment.