LINGAYEN–Digital Telecommunications of the Philippines, Inc. (Digitel) insinuated it has incurred extensive losses amounting to millions of pesos over the years due to rampant cable theft.

Digitel has sought the help of the provincial police to put a stop to the rash of thefts which has again become widespread in Pangasinan.

Digitel officials attended the command conference of the Police Provincial Office here on Tuesday made an urgent appeal to the police chiefs in the 44 towns and four cities of Pangasinan to go after the cable thieves.

Superintendent Paquito Navarete, police deputy provincial director for operations, said Digitel asked the police to conduct more surveillance operations against cable thieves and junk shops where they believe the stolen cables are sold.

Digitel recorded 156 incidents of stolen cables in the province, of which the highest incidents were in the 4^th District at 47; followed by the 5th District, 28; 6th District 25; 1st District, 24; 2nd District, 19; 3rd District, 10; and some other areas, 3.

Towns or cities with the highest recorded cable theft incidents are Urdaneta, 28 percent; San Fabian, 17 percent; Alaminos, 15 percent; Sta. Maria, 14 percent; Mangaldan, 13 percent; Binalonan, 13 percent; and Binmaley, 10 percent.

The cable thefts have affected 7,908 subscribers in eastern Pangasinan and another 3,650 subscribers in western Pangasinan.

Documents released by Digitel show other areas with rampant cable thefts are Bicol, Laguna, Quezon, Batangas, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bataan, Zambales, Ilocos and Abra.

All these incidents, including those in Pangasinan, have affected a total of 84,532 subscribers.

USUAL SUSPECTS

Digitel said th main suspects are local bystanders, trucking crews and contractors of other telecommunication carriers.

The company officials also hinted on the involvement of organized syndicates in cable thefts.

Digitel said cable thieves usually strike from midnight to 3:00 a.m. using bamboo sticks, about 12 inches long and at least an inch in diameter, which they insert into holes along pole sidings in order to climb poles and cut cables.

The modus operandi of the crew of big trucking companies is to park their vehicles along roadsides and use this as a cover to cut cables.

Contractors of other telephone carriers have been caught cutting cables during daytime.

Three of these were caught in the act and arrested by the Mangaldan Police in Mapandan town as they were burning the stolen cable wires to extract the copper material inside, which in turn is sold to junkyards.—LM

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