THE Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Zamcelco) scored another victory in its fight against electricity theft, with eight individuals convicted in connection with illegal electricity pilferage following a notable entrapment operation in 2025.
The case originated from an operation conducted on March 25, 2025, by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), local police, military personnel, and Zamcelco’s Energy Recovery Team (ERT) at Purok 7, San Juaniño Village, Barangay Mampang, targeting alleged violations of Republic Act No. 7832, the Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994. The case was formally filed on March 26, 2025. Out of the 11 originally apprehended, three settled their differential billing, while the remaining eight proceeded to trial.
During the promulgation of judgment for Criminal Case Nos. 56734 and 56735 on Friday, February 6, 2026, presided over by Honorable Judge Manuel M. Wee Sit IV, all eight accused were convicted of pilferage and violation of Section 2 of R.A. 7832.
“These convictions send a clear and strong message: Zamcelco will not tolerate electricity pilferage,” said Lawyer Rommel S. Agan, Zamcelco Chief Management Officer, Monday, February 9. “Management remains committed to protecting its resources and ensuring that honest member-consumer-owners continue to receive fair and reliable service.”
Section 2 of R.A. 7832 prohibits any person, whether natural or juridical, public or private, from:
Tapping or making unauthorized connections to overhead lines, service drops, or other electric service wires;
Tapping or connecting to the existing electric service facilities of any registered consumer without consent;
Knowingly using or benefiting from electricity obtained through such illegal acts.
Engineer Gannumede Tiu, Zamcelco general manager, announced that individuals who provide verified reports of electricity pilferage may receive an incentive of up to P5,000.
“We urge the public to report any theft incidents, as electricity pilferage contributes directly to system losses that affect all member-consumer-owners,” Tiu said.
For 2026, Zamcelco will continue actively filing cases against electricity pilferage. A recent case was filed against the owner of a large establishment in Suterville for illegally tapping electricity directly from Zamcelco’s secondary line.
Additionally, a barangay official is facing similar charges and is set to be arraigned in the coming days following the issuance of a warrant of arrest. Zamcelco remains steadfast in its resolve to eliminate electricity pilferage in Zamboanga City.
Agan called on member-consumers to help in this drive by reporting pilferage activities to Zamcelco’s hotline numbers: 991-2117, 0917-307-1412, 0917-302-6629, or via email at management@zamcelco.com.ph. (PR)