I heard Cuna yesterday repeating the same alibis contained in his letter to me two months ago. He boils down the problems of Meralco consumers into two components of "Systems Loss": (1) Technical – can’t stop the spillage and leaks as electricity travels from A to B; (2) Non-technical –criminals making illegal connections.

It was two months ago when I called the attention of Meralco (www.malaya.com.ph/mar10/eddahli.htp). That was way before Meralco hit the headlines this week. Meralco is grilled by the authorities for the same reasons I called Meralco’s inaction eight weeks ago. In my column, I asked:

What is Meralco doing about all the tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of electricity burglars whose electricity I and legitimate subscribers end up paying for?

Why can’t Meralco, with a highly paid management line-up, IQ reaching the intellectual stratosphere, create a scheme to end this business of illegal connections?

I even offered a program to Cuna which Meralco can undertake to catch the thieves.

I suggested to Cuna to hire a warm body in each barangay. That’s all it takes, warm bodies; no rocket scientists needed. Meralco can send these people to the city halls. All addresses with people residing in it but without connection to Meralco (no Meralco bill) is a suspect for illegal connection. This person‘s household, electric meter, any tell-tale signs of illegality ought to be investigated by Meralco.

Has Cuna taken any steps to look into the feasibility of such a crime-deterrent? Does Cuna care whether this burglary continues or not? Such a program may just end this Meralco-condoned cheating of Meralco customers.

Mr. Cuna, please let me know what you have done about my suggestion; whether or not you have proposed such a program at your last meeting with Meralco power-brokers.

My last letter to Elpi Cuna has remained unanswered. I wrote that the next time he received a tip on Meralco thieves, to please keep the names of informants to himself. He had committed the error of indiscriminately recording, for others to know, the whistleblowers—those who are going out of their way to help Meralco.

The identity of the victims and whistleblowers must be confidential. Unless there is a legal imperative, or a matter of Cuna’s life and death.

It is common sense to be discreet.

There is no need for anyone to know Meralco’s sources of information. The police only need to know from Meralco who and where the criminals are, not the whistleblowers. Meralco can just move in, apprehend the culprits, work with the authorities.