Cainta mayor offers P300,000 bounty for wire thieves

MANILA, Philippines — Mayor Keith Nieto of Cainta, Rizal has offered a P300,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people who broke into the town’s pumping station on Saturday, stealing copper wires and rendering the facility inoperative.

Nieto said on social media that the thieves cut through the steel matting and took all copper fittings and wiring at the Park Place pumping station in Barangay San Isidro, disrupting operations at the height of Typhoon Uwan.

“I sent someone from the installer to check if it can still be repaired today. This is infuriating. I will not let this pass,” Nieto said in Filipino, adding that the reward would come from his personal funds.

The sabotage temporarily disabled the pumping station, which plays a key role in draining floodwaters in nearby residential areas.