Destruction or damage of electric meter

Destruction or damage of electric meter " Our neighbor has been boasting that ever since he hit a part of their electric meter, they had been consuming less electricity. Now, he is encouraging me to do the same. Did he violate any law for doing such a thing? Sincerely yours,Gio Dear Gio,The law that addresses your situation is Section 2 (d) of the “Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994,” which states: “Section 2. Illegal Use of Electricity. - It is hereby declared unlawful for any person, whether natural or juridical, public or private, to:(d) Damage or destroy an electric meter, equipment, wire or conduit or allow any of them to be so damaged or destroyed as to interfere with the proper or accurate metering of electric current” Relatedly, the same law provides a penalty for violation of the same, viz:“Section 7. Penalties. - (a) Violation of Section 2. - The penalty of prision mayor or a fine ranging from Ten thousand pesos (P10,000) to Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000) or both, at the discretion of the court, shall be imposed on any person found guilty of violating Section 2 hereof.”It is clear from the cited provisions that damaging or destroying an electric meter is illegal and may subject the offender to a penalty of imprisonment or fine or both, depending on the discretion of the court. In your situation, your neighbor who destroyed a part of their electric meter violated the above law and he may be penalized with a fine or imprisonment or both for doing the same.We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated. Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to " - https://www.affordablecebu.com/