Laoag city: The Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) has escalated its efforts to combat electricity pilferage by pressing a series of charges against offenders tampering with meter-reading devices. INEC acting General Manager Cipriano Martinez confirmed that five anti-pilferage charges were filed on Tuesday with the Laoag City and Ilocos Norte Prosecutor's Office, marking a significant step in addressing the issue.

According to Philippines News Agency, Martinez highlighted the challenge of taking legal action against member-consumer-owners, emphasizing fairness to those who diligently pay their electricity bills. The INEC's task force on anti-pilferage has increased its manpower to enhance monitoring and reduce the burden of system loss charges on consumers, which collectively amount to approximately PHP10 million per month for their 196,000 member-consumer-owners.

The costs, which stem from both technical and non-technical issues, are unfairly passed on to honest consumers, according to Martinez. He reiterated that while some benefit from exploiting the system, the majority bear the financial consequences.

The crackdown is in alignment with the 1994 Anti-Electricity and Electric Lines/Materials Pilferage Act, which prohibits illegal tapping, tampering, and theft of power and transmission lines. Offenders may face fines ranging from PHP20,000 to PHP100,000 or imprisonment for six to twelve years.