Globe Telecom is strengthening its partnerships with local government units (LGUs) and local law enforcement officers and stations to boost efforts in curbing high incidences of cable theft.
The telecommunication company is collaborating with local officials on the “Bantay Kable Program” in areas that have seen the highest incidences of cable theft, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Cebu province.
As per data from Globe, the areas of concern in NCR include Quezon City with a total of 171 cases (103 in Project 8, 68 in Novaliches), Manila (161), Valenzuela City (73), Malabon City (67), and Pasig City (64). In Cebu province, Cebu City has 498 cases, Mandaue City with 118; and Liloan and Consolacion each with 62 cases.
Aside from cable theft, 1,545 incidents of theft of batteries, fuel and other electronics and facility hardware from company facilities were logged in the first half of 2023. As a result, the company recorded 207 outages in 124 sites as of May this year.
“Cable theft is a criminal act punishable by law. We work together with authorities and communities to combat this illegal activity to ensure undisrupted service. With consistently available connectivity, we will be able to support our customers in education, work and livelihood, and provide critical communication services in case of disasters and other emergencies,” said Raymond Policarpio, vice president of Globe At Home Broadband Business.
In 2022, Globe participated in “Oplan Kontra Putol,” an industry-wide project that aims to inform the public about illegal cable cutting. Together with other telecommunication providers, it called on police to implement the Cable Theft Act or Republic Act No. 10515, which criminalizes intentional cable cutting.
The company itself has also enforced solutions to decrease the incidences; one of which is replacing copper wires with Fiber. Fiber optic cables have no resale value and are not accepted in junk shops, said Globe, unlike copper wires that can be traded or sold to scrap dealers.
Fiber is also being used by the company to ensure customers’ continued access to fast and reliable internet.
Globe’s initiatives to stop cable theft have induced a 60 percent drop in cases, from 1,876 cases recorded from January to May 2022 to 746 cases in January to May 2023, according to the company’s data.
“As part of its proactive approach to addressing cable theft, Globe continuously collaborates with our partner local government units and local law enforcement agencies so that together, we can bring a holistic solution to this problem. We look forward to stronger cooperation with our partners to bring cable theft numbers further down,” said Patrick Gloria, vice president for external affairs.
The company is urging the public to help report cable theft incidents to the Globe Security Hotline: 0917 6888545 (nationwide), 0906 3244626 (Visayas) and 09177915794 (Mindanao), and the PNP hotline 911.