Around 600,000 electricity thieves arrested since 2005 —Meralco 

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said on Monday that over half a million have been arrested in almost the past two decades for stealing electrical wires and meters.

Meralco chief operating officer Ronnie Aperocho said that around 600,000 have been nabbed since 2005 in cooperation with law enforcement. 

“Actually, based sa aming record mayroon na hong mga 600,000 na mga service violators na nahuli simula po nung 2005 hanggang Setyembre ng taong ito, ito po ay dahil sa pakikpagtulungan namin sa mga law enforcement agencies especially po sa mga kapulisan,” he said during the Senate Committee on Public Service’s hearing on the electrical company’s bid for a fresh 25-year franchise. 

(Actually, based on our record, there are already around 600,000 service violators who were arrested between 2005 until September of this year. This was made possible with the help of our law enforcement agencies, especially the police.) 

The electricity distributor added that it was able to confiscate 8,300 tons of illegal wires since 2007. 

“Sa katanuyan po, simula nung January 2007 hanggang nitong September 2024, a total of 8,300 tons or 207 to 6,000 kilometers ng illegal wires ang na-confiscate ni Meralco. Mas mabigat pa ito sa 2,600 na SUVs and around seven times the circumference of the earth,” said Aperocho.  

(In fact, between 2007 until September 2024, a total of 8,300 tons or 207-6,000 kilometers of illegal wires were confiscated by Meralco. These are heavier than 2,600 SUVs and around seven times the circumference of the earth.) 

“Kinakapos na po yung mga bodega namin dahil sa tambak ng mga illegal wires na nako-confiscate ni Meralco.” 

(Our warehouses no longer have enough space because of the tons of illegal wires that Meralco confiscated.) 

Meralco customers have to shoulder in their monthly bills the system loss charge, which includes the non-technical system losses. Non-technical losses are actually caused by errors in meter readings and electrical theft, which are beyond the control of distribution utilities (DU). 

Private DUs may recover up to 8.5% of losses as provided under ERC Resolution No.17, Series of 2008.

Meralco said that one of its actions to prevent electrical theft is to elevate the meters. 

“Ang mabisang paraan lang, para at least ma-address yung theft, i-angat namin yung metro sa mas mataas na elevation para medyo maiwasan po yung tahasang pagnanakaw ng kuryente,” said Aperocho. —LDF, GMA Integrated News