Coop cuts power from mayor's house in Abra

BANGUED, Abra  – Electric power has been cut off from the residence of Dolores town, Abra mayor Robert Victor Seares Jr. for reportedly using a jumper device to  reduce his electric bills for at least three years now.

The Abra Electric Cooperative said it cut off power supply from the mayor’s house to send a strong message to its 47,000 consumer-members in the province.

Since 6 p.m. on February 15, Seares’s electric power was out after Abreco aided by Special Action Force policemen ended the alleged three-year pilfering power.

Abreco is suffering at least 20-percent systems losses from various illegal pilferage activities, among which are illegal devices installed on their meters like jumpers.

A case is being readied against Seares, sources at Abreco said.

The "Anti-electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994" (RA 7832) bans jumpers and similar devices and imposes fines on violators  besides power disconnection.

The local electric cooperative has for several times attempted to disconnect the mayor’s electricity, but failed because their linemen were barred from entering his property.

Owing to this, Abreco has only estimated the  mayor’s monthly bill at P2,500 though he owns many electric appliances.

Abreco officials said the mayor is not being singled out because they will be cutting off the power from residences and establishments that are using illegal devices as well.

The step is among the efforts that the power cooperative is undertaking after the Energy department gave Abreco officials three months to shape up or ship out after a series of near power cut off from the cooperative's private supplier Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc.  in December and January owing to failure to pay its monthly bills.

Local Politics Again?

Seares, however, suspects “politics” in the disconnection.

Seares said “it wasn’t true an electric jumper device was found in his house or whatsoever”

The mayor is running against Abreco board president David Guzman in Dolores town.

Seares is the cousin Abreco general manager Loreto Seares Jr., but they are reportedly at odds with each other.

Seares added  that even Abreco could not show him his alleged tampered meter. 

“Mismo empleyado Abreco nangibagaga (It was told to me by an Abreco employee),” he said in Iluko dialect.

Abreco, however, said they found a soldered seal in the mayor’s electric meter, bolstering their suspicion of tampering.

An electric meter is sealed with an Energy Regulatory Commission seal.

“Once there is a showing that it is destroyed, it gives evidence that it is tampered,” an Abreco officer who begged off to be named explained.

Seares was reportedly hostile while Abreco linemen were attempting to inspect his meter. - Artemio A. Dumlao