NATION

Scrap buyer nabbed for San Juanico Bridge wire theft

Elmer Recuerdo · Aug 28, 2026, 1:14 PM

Rescue experts from the Bureau of Fire Protection regional office were deployed to help arrest a suspect in the theft of electrical wires at the San juanico Bridge who attempted to elude arrest by climbing up the braces and girders of the bridge. — Bureau of Fire Protection Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY — Police arrested a scrap buyer allegedly caught stealing electrical wires from the San Juanico Bridge on Thursday, 27 August.

Police Capt. Mardy Serna, commander of the 805th Maneuver Company, said the 29-year-old suspect, identified only as alias “Jep-jep” of Barangay San Pedro, Sta. Rita, Samar, was spotted by patrolling officers going underneath the bridge.

Officers later caught the suspect allegedly taking electrical wires from the bridge. He attempted to flee but was eventually cornered underneath the structure, police said.

Personnel from the 805th Maneuver Company coordinated with the Sta. Rita Municipal Police Station, Tacloban City Police Office Station 3 and Bureau of Fire Protection Regional Office 8 to safely retrieve the suspect.

Police recovered 24.6 meters of No. 22 THHN electrical wire valued at ₱14,391, a bolt cutter, screwdriver and wire cutter. Authorities also found ₱26,112 in cash in different denominations.

The suspect was turned over to the Sta. Rita police for investigation and the filing of appropriate charges.

Serna said police visibility around the San Juanico Bridge would be intensified to prevent further theft, stressing the importance of keeping the vital Leyte-Samar link properly illuminated for motorists at night.