THE Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative Inc. (Zamcelco) has vowed to crack down on power pilferage, illegal connections, and theft of power transmission lines, materials, and supplies in the city.

Zamcelco spokesperson Ferdie Rodriguez said the Zamcelco management has formed a revenue protection group that will handle cases of persons who specifically violated Republic Act (RA) 7832, otherwise known as the Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994.

Rodriguez said RA 7832 categorizes illegal use of electricity as: tapping to any connection with overhead lines, service drops, or other electric service wires, without previous authority or consent of the private electric utility or rural electric cooperative concerned; flying connections, or tapping any connection to existing electric service facilities of any duly registered consumer without the latter's or the electric utility's consent or authority; tampering, installing or using a tampered electrical meter, jumper, current reversing transformer, shorting or shunting wire, loop connection or any other device that interferes with the proper or accurate registry or metering of electric current; and damaging or destroying an electric meter, equipment, wire or conduit or allowing any of them to be so damaged or destroyed as to interfere with the proper or accurate metering of electric current.

Additionally, Rodriguez said knowingly using or receiving the direct benefit of electric service obtained through any of the aforementioned acts likewise constitute a violation of the RA 7832. (SunStar Zamboanga)