BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Globe Telecom reported that cooperation with local authorities in a crack down on cable theft has led to the arrest of 13 suspects, including contractors, in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, as well as other parts of the country, with the period of the week from July 18 to 24.
In a statement, Globe said that three of the suspects were arrested in Silay City, Negros Occidental, two in Bais City, Negros Oriental, one each in Quezon City, and Cebu, as well as six others, who are all allegedly contractors of another telco player.
Globe said it will continue to step up its battle against rampant cable theft through the #BantayKable campaign, a collaboration with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and barangay tanods to end illegal activities linked to stolen cables that disrupt telco services.
Amid the campaign, several thieves arrested in Quezon City and Cagayan de Oro City were sentenced to 1 month to 4 months in prison for their misdeeds.
In the first half of the year, a total of 281 individuals and third-party contractors linked to these criminal offenses were charged with theft, qualified theft, robbery, violation of the anti-fencing law, malicious mischief and violation of the Omnibus Election Code and Republic Act 10515 or the Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act of 2013.
“Globe continues to invest heavily to upgrade and modernize its network, but these criminal activities are hampering our efforts to provide better services to consumers who need connectivity for work, learning, entertainment, and communications,” Atty. Froilan Castelo, Globe Group General Counsel, said.
“This is why we have been working closely with the police, local government units and other stakeholders to stop this crime that affects critical ICT infrastructure, leading to service disruption that ultimately affects our customers,” Castelo added.
Globe seeks to protect its infrastructure as it aims to continuously build up its network to provide Filipinos equitable access to connectivity. This is in line with its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which fosters innovation and infrastructure as drivers of economic growth and development.
Globe called on the public to help stop cable theft by immediately reporting incidents to the Globe Security Hotline 0906-3244626 or by sending an email to bantaykable@globe.com.ph.*
