Filipino ingenuity

Foreigners passing through Metro Manila streets from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) must wonder what dozens upon dozens of Meralco’s electric meters are doing atop the posts very close to power transformers. Surely, they cannot imagine the need for meter readers to elevate themselves either with the use of a ladder or a hoisting crane to see and input the power consumption of concerned households.

While unsightly with the dangling feeder lines, the electric meters atop the posts serve at least two practical purposes, namely: 1) To prevent meter tampering and electricity pilferage; and 2) to make it unnecessary for meter readers to go to individual houses to input the power consumption of residents.

Electricity pilferage is a very serious problem as all customers of electric utilities shoulder its cost under the charge “System loss.” Next time you look at those electric meters high up the posts, just look at it as probably another uniquely Filipino way of solving a problem. 

(Image by ConceptCentral)

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