SIX individuals were slapped with a P20,000 fine each by a local court on Friday, July 24, 2026, for violation of Republic Act 7832, otherwise known as Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994.
Ordered to pay a fine by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 41 are Aldhazer Uding, also known as Haji Ali Uding; Alrasid Ibnohasim; Basil Hamja; Abdurajak Pulalon; Adzhar Jumala; and Sattal Ababon, all residents of Mariki village, Zamboanga City.
The order was penned by RTC Branch 41 Judge Jules Christian Marcos.
The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) said in a statement that all the accused voluntarily entered a plea of guilty during the arraignment.
“Based on their plea, the Court found all the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced each of them to pay a fine of P20,000,” Zamcelco added.
The case stemmed from a joint operation conducted on May 20, 2026 by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Zamcelco, and other law enforcement agencies against alleged electricity pilferage activities.
The coordinated operation demonstrated the strong partnership among concerned authorities and Zamcelco in addressing illegal activities that compromised the integrity of the electric distribution system.
Zamcelco reminded the public that electricity theft carried serious legal consequences. Under Section 2 of Rule II of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of R.A. 7832, any person found by final judgment to have violated Section 1, Rule II is required to pay the utility or cooperative concerned double the value of the estimated electricity illegally used, also referred to as differential billing.
This is in addition to the penalty of prision mayor or a fine ranging from P10,000 to P20,000, or both, at the discretion of the court.
“This marked our fourth conviction involving electricity pilferage cases, showing that Zamcelco is serious in pursuing violators and ensuring that those who compromised the integrity of our electric distribution system are held accountable,” Lawyer Rommel Agan, Zamcelco chief management officer said in a statement.
“We remained committed to working with law enforcement agencies to enforce the law,” Agan added.
Engineer Floyed Eric Bautista, Zamcelco acting general manager, emphasized that the cooperative continued to intensify its campaign against electricity theft because these illegal activities contributed to the cooperative’s non-technical losses.
“We continued to intensify our campaign against electricity theft because these illegal activities caused non-technical losses on the part of Zamcelco. These losses affected our operations and our ability to continuously provide quality electric service to our consumers,” Bautista said.
Zamcelco encourages member-consumers to report suspected cases of electricity theft, illegal connections, meter tampering, and other unauthorized activities.
To encourage public participation, Zamcelco provides a P5,000 tipster reward to individuals whose reports are verified and confirmed positive after proper investigation.
Reports could be submitted through Zamcelco’s official communication channels and all information received is being treated with appropriate confidentiality. (SunStar Zamboanga)