PNP Partners with DOJ and Meralco to Boost Electricity Theft Convictions

The Philippine National Police revealed that fewer than five percent of electricity theft cases result in convictions since 2022. To combat this low rate, police are partnering with the Department of Justice and Manila Electric Co. to build stronger criminal cases and deter power pilferage.

The Philippine National Police is overhauling its approach to combatting power pilferage and infrastructure tampering, moving to close a wide gap between arrests and actual court convictions. According to Philippine Daily Inquirer reporting, the nation’s law enforcement leadership is shifting its focus toward aggressive case building in collaboration with major regulatory and utility partners.

Building Cases with the Department of Justice and Meralco

To turn arrests into actual legal accountability, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. vowed to coordinate directly with the Department of Justice. The primary objective of this joint effort is to construct watertight legal files against individuals who bypass electric meters or interfere with transmission lines.

By ensuring that suspects face formal charges and subsequent sentencing, authorities hope to dismantle the operational ease of commercial and domestic power theft. The certainty of arrest and punishment is also a strong crime prevention measure because it sends a strong message that the rule of law always prevails, Nartatez said, according to the Inquirer.

The Conviction Gap Behind the Senate Hearing

The policy shift follows stark disclosures made during a Senate hearing on system losses. During these legislative sessions, the Philippine National Police acknowledged that only less than 5% of electricity theft cases result in convictions – PNP dating back to 2022.

Official police data underscores the scale of the enforcement bottleneck. From 2022 onward, authorities recorded 548 violations of the Anti-Electricity Transmission Lines Materials Filterage Act of 1994. While those operations successfully yielded 469 arrests, only 21 individuals faced ultimate conviction in court.

Information Sharing and Local Enforcement Mandates

Beyond high-level legal coordination, the Philippine National Police formalized an operational pact with Manila Electric Co., the country’s power giant. The agreement establishes a shared framework for information exchange and joint law enforcement operations targeting illegal connections.

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Nartatez emphasized that safeguarding electrical grids and transmission infrastructure remains a core institutional duty. The police headquarters directed that protection protocols for critical power distribution assets be rigorously implemented down to municipal and city jurisdictions.