Cebu fires lessons in power misuse

Mary Jane Basoy, 36, was shopping for groceries in a downtown

Cebu City store with her 4-year-old daughter when she received a call from her eldest daughter that their house in Barangay Carreta was on fire.

Basoy rushed home only to find that their house and convenient store had been reduced to ashes.

“I could only cry then because there was nothing left of our belongings,” said Basoy.

Basoy and her family still live in a makeshift shelter four months after her house, along with 150 others, were razed by fire on Aug. 17 on the boundary of Barangays Carreta and Tejero in Cebu City.

From Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, at least 196 fires struck Cebu City, mostly poor areas where an estimated P15 million in pieces of property were destroyed.

Records at the city fire department said the fires killed two persons.

At least 103 cases were caused by electrical misuse while 26 were by unattended stoves. Some of the other cases were caused by gas leaks, children playing with matches and lighted cigarette butts.

“This is mostly because of illegal connections and the use of octopus wires,” said Anderson Comar, city fire marshal.

Octopus wiring refers to the practice by some households to plug too many cords in one socket by using extension cords. As a result, the wires overheat, triggering fires.

According to the power distributor Visayan Electric Co. (Veco), fires in densely populated urban poor areas were triggered by illegal connections.

Illegal electric connections were normally done with the use of bare wires, according to a Veco statement in its website.

Overloading of the supply line could also cause power voltage to drop. Excess voltage or the lack of it could damage appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners, TV sets.

Electric tapping is a criminal offense under Republic Act No. 7832 or the Rules and Regulations of the Anti-Pilferage of Electricity and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines Materials Act of 1994.

Violators face imprisonment ranging from six years to 12 years or a fine ranging from P10,000 to P20,000 or both depending upon the discretion of the court.

Convicted violators will also be asked to pay the estimated amount of stolen electricity plus a surcharge of up to 100

percent.

Veco had apprehended 996 persons for pilferage from

Jan. 1 to Dec. 22, said Ethel Natera, Veco corporate communications manager.

These individuals were caught deforming the Veco seal or the Energy Regulatory Commission seal on electric meters, using gadgets to slow down the meter or splice lines leading to the meter, among others.

Others were caught using reversed transformers or tapping into the electric supply of bulk consumers.

Natera said some violators opted for a settlement and agreed to pay amounts equivalent to what they would have consumed had they not pilfered electricity. Others had been charged with violating the law on power pilferage.

Natera said Veco formed a revenue protection department last year to go after electricity thieves.

Personnel from this department are tasked with conducting random checks on residences especially after they notice a sudden reduction in the occupants’ electric consumption.

“Veco is closely coordinating with the local government and the Philippine National Police to enforce vigilance over Veco’s entire franchise area,” said

Natera.

He said some consumers resort to illegal connections because they do not want to pay the cost of applying for electrical connections.

The applicant has to pay fees to the Office of the Building Official for the issuance of an electrical permit. The applicant will also have to submit an electrical plan.

To educate Cebuanos on fire safety, the fire department and Veco launched in October a fire safety inspectors barangay visitation program.

Each of the city’s nine substations has one fire safety inspection team, consisting of a fire fighter and a Veco employee.

Escorted by barangay officials, the inspection team visits barangays for at least an hour each day to encourage residents to adopt fire safety measures.

Fire fighters remind residents to prevent children from playing with matches and candles and to stop using octopus wires which often lead to fires. Fire fighters also give out emergency numbers.

The Veco employee checks the electrical connections of the residents.

“Our barangay-based campaigns have been proven effective because they have increased people’s awareness especially on the causes of fire,” said fire marshal Comar.

He said residents also learned not to panic and immediately call the nearest fire substation for assistance in case of fire.

With increased awareness, Comar said city fire fighters are able to respond to fire alarms in less than seven minutes “the standard emergency response time in the country.”

Hopefully through constant education, the number of fires would go down and fewer people would have to go through what Basoy did.