Police arrested seven men who were caught dismantling more than P1,000,000 worth of copper cable wires in Quezon City on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Lt. Col. Mark Janis Ballesteros, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Talipapa Station (PS 3) commander, identified the suspects as John Mark Montajes, 24; Art Vincent Piquero , 29; Rodolfo Mangiralas, 48; Micheal Viana, 37, all from Trese Martirez, Cavite; Robert Galo, 36; and Abel Diaz, 30; and Jason Jordan, 29, all from Barangay Tandang Sora, Quezon City.
According to the police, some patrolling barangay public safety officers (BPSO) sought help from the PS 3 after they saw a group of suspicious men dismantling some huge cable wires from a post and dragging the items into a truck along Quirino Highway in Barangay Talipapa at around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday.
Responding police officers immediately went to the location and saw the white truck loaded with the wires owned by the PLDT, Inc.
The suspects presented an authorization letter issued by a civil engineering company after the cops asked if they are authorized contractors of PDLT and if they have a permit on taking the wires.
However, a PLDT representative who was informed about the incident said that they don’t have any contractor under the name of the civil engineering company which led to the arrest of the suspects.
The representative also confirmed that the wires were owned by the PLDT.
Authorities recovered from the suspects were P1,256,942 worth of copper wires, an orange push cart trolley, the authorization/work permit presented, and the white truck.
The suspects will be charged for violation of Republic Act 10515 (Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act of 2013), police said.