The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative Inc. (ZAMCELCO) said Tuesday it is continuing to file criminal cases against individuals and business owners to combat electricity pilferage in Zamboanga City.
The electric cooperative said it initiated legal action against the owner of a large establishment in Suterville for allegedly tapping electricity directly from a ZAMCELCO secondary line.
A village official is also facing similar charges and is scheduled for arraignment following the issuance of an arrest warrant.
These legal moves follow the conviction of eight individuals in a separate 2025 theft case. That case originated from a March 25, 2025 operation involving the National Bureau of Investigation, local police, military personnel and the ZAMCELCO energy recovery team in Barangay Mampang.
It said of the 11 people originally apprehended in that operation, three settled their differential billing, while eight proceeded to trial.
ZAMCELCO said during the promulgation of judgment on Feb. 6, Judge Manuel Wee Sit IV convicted all eight defendants for violating Republic Act 7832, also known as the Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994.
ZAMCELCO chief management officer Rommel Agan said the convictions serve as a warning to those engaging in illegal connections.
“These convictions send a clear and strong message: ZAMCELCO will not tolerate electricity pilferage,” Agan said.
“The management remains committed to protecting its resources and ensuring that honest member-consumer-owners continue to receive fair and reliable service,” he said.
Under Section 2 of RA 7832, it is illegal to make unauthorized connections to overhead lines, tap into the service facilities of registered consumers without consent or knowingly benefit from electricity obtained through such acts.
ZAMCELCO general-manager Gannumede Tiu said individuals who provide verified reports of electricity pilferage may receive an incentive of up to P5,000.
“We urge the public to report any incident of theft, as acts of electricity pilferage contribute directly to system losses that affect all member-consumer-owners,” Tiu said.
System losses, which are partially passed on to consumers, often increase when power is stolen from the grid rather than metered.
