IF THEY’RE just numbers, 30,000 seem like a nice even number.

But if they represent something else, then that’s another story, i.e. the number of COVID-19 positive or fatalities, maybe even votes stolen from the last election.

However in our story this is what those numbers represent (excerpts from an Aug. 11, 2020 story in the Manila Times):

A technical study by engineering firm Miescor Corp. on Iloilo City’s electricity distribution network indicated that there were about 30,000 illegal connections under Panay Electric Co. (PECO) when it was the electricity distributor.

“The amount of electricity pilfered from the 30,000 illegal power connections contributed to the huge system losses incurred by PECO that reached 9.3 percent as of 2018, and the cost of this electricity is passed on to the paying regular residential, business and industrial customers,” it said.

It added that Iloilo City then had one of the highest electricity rates in the country.

Miescor Corp. is Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manila Electric Co. which is quite ironic because they have substantial shares with erstwhile power provider of “I Am Iloilo City”, PECO.

But we’re not talking about PECO as they are for all intents and purposes irrelevant and it would be pointless to do so. Rather, we are talking about the cause if not the main cause of brownouts still plaguing the city which is illegal electrical connections a.k.a. brownouts.

Aside from dilapidated, poorly maintained if not antiquated equipment, power lines and electrical poles left behind by PECO, the biggest problem dumped on the laps of current Iloilo City power provider MORE Power are the 30,000 illegal power connections.

Let’s take a closer look at these illegal power connections a.k.a. “jumpers” and what damage these have done and still doing to the consumers of “I Am Iloilo City”.

An illegal electricity connection is made when a person attaches their home’s electrical circuit to the power grid without a meter. This is done without the consent or knowledge of the power provider.

The power provider cannot monitor the electricity consumption and so the electricity is being stolen as these consumers do not pay for the electricity.

Some people make money by supplying illegal connections and others have no legal way to access electricity and so they resort to illegal connections. Others have access to legal electricity, but prefer not to have to pay for it. 

And this is how it goes: we start with an illegal jumper overloading the power lines resulting into system overload causing power interruptions. This, in turn, results into your classic brownout; the power lines explode and we have your usual electrical fire that burn down the whole neighborhood.

This chronic problem with jumpers i.e. brownouts has been plaguing the legitimate power consumers of “I Am Iloilo City” for the past century during PECO’s watch, with them seemingly doing nothing tangible to at the very least address the problem.

It is a given fact and empirical data that system losses due to electricity pilferage can reach 20 percent and cause power disruptions.

Likewise it is also a fact that illegal electrical connections a.k.a. jumpers are the main reason for these major power interruptions.

These 30,000 illegal power connections in Iloilo City have raised the total systems losses to 20 percent.

Translated into wattage, illegal connections could account for as much as 20 megawatts of the 100 megawatts that Iloilo City consumes every day.

Of course, an illegal electrical connection or jumper is a criminal offense – a violation of the Anti-Pilferage of Electricity Act and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines / Materials Act of 1994 (Republic Act 7832).

So what has been happening since MORE Power took over from PECO with regards the “jumper” problem? Excerpts from the Aug. 11, 2020 issue of the Manila Times:

Crackdown on ‘jumpers’ nets 4,000 offenders

A crackdown on illegal power connections in the city has resulted in the dismantling of 4,000 “jumpers” in 42 barangays (villages) in the city, but encouraged 1,500 more applications for regular power connection…

New utility More Electric and Power Corp. said the illegal connections caught under its Oplan Valeria are expected to help improve the power supply situation in the city.

City residents who rely on illegal power connections have also been warned by the city government that they face jail time after Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas confirmed the findings of the existence of as many as 30,000 “jumpers” in the city….

So 30,000 less 4,000 equals to 26,000. Still a long way to go but hopefully MORE Power is up to the challenge./PN