PWN urges cooperative to name violators

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Ceneco) General Manager Sulpicio Lagarde, Jr. said they have caught 446 individuals stealing from Ceneco’s power lines this year.

Records released by the cooperative state, of the 446 individuals, around 283 have settled by paying for the systems loss of 771,580 kilowatts per hour (kwh), which is valued at P9,860,779.70

However, Lagarde said around P8,250,859.77 has yet to be recovered from the remaining 163 violators.

They also report, this year’s record is lower compared to last year, in which around 690 pilferers were caught, which translated to around P34,015,911.87 in unpaid power.

In response, Power Watch Negros (PWN) lead convenor Wennie Sancho has called on Ceneco to name the individuals and business establishments who were allegedly stealing electricity.

“There is a reward of P5,000 for this,” Sancho stressed. “They can keep the former confidential, but they have to reveal the names of violators so consumers [could] get some consolation.”

Lagarde, meanwhile, said they cannot name the violators, claiming they could get into legal issues.

However, the general manager assured consumers their anti-pilferage team has been working non-stop in catching those stealing electricity.

He added, since last year, they have filed criminal cases against three individuals in violation of RA 7832, or the Anti-Electricity Pilferage Act of 1994./DGB, WDJ