Zambonga City power co-op probed for unsecured wires

UNATTENDED A live wire that sparked causes a fire in one of the transformers in Marcos Drive, Barangay Putik, Zamboanga City, in this photo taken in January 2021. The city police said unattended live wires caused the electrocution of 15 persons from January to October this year. —JULIE ALIPALA

ZAMBOANGA CITY — John Carlo Failanga, a lineman of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., was among the technicians fixing a connection along the national highway in Barangay Putik here on October 16 when he accidentally touched a hanging wire of Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco).

The wire was live and electrocuted Failanga, who is still recuperating in a hospital here. Failanga was the 15th victim of electrocution from unattended hanging live wires of Zamcelco since January, police said.

Police Lt. Agnes Miro, spokesperson of the Zamboanga City Police Office, said their records showed a total of 12 incidents and involved 15 victims. Of them, three have died, all minors.

In separate incidents, the children accidentally touched live wires hanging outside their respective houses. In one incident, a girl stumbled on a pool of water with an unattended live wire under it, the police said. Because of these incidents, the city government is investigating Zamcelco’s safety practices.

Lawyer Kenneth Beldua, a spokesperson of Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, said they had already called the attention of Zamcelco to fix its wires.

Zamcelco’s slow action to fix its power lines was also blamed for a fire on October 13 that left 500 families, or 2,762 individuals, homeless and razed some P4 million worth of properties in Barangay Recodo.

The Bureau of Fire Protection said the two-hour blaze started from an unattended candle in a house in the community, which was earlier battered by heavy rains.

Due to the bad weather, the power supply in the community was cut off for two days, prompting residents to use candles and kerosene lamps.

Residents said the fire could have been avoided had the electricity supply been fixed sooner.