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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider 17 men nabbed for telco cable theft worth over P556K in Las Piñas

17 men nabbed for telco cable theft worth over P556K in Las Piñas

Published Jan 11, 2026 12:15 pm  |  Updated Jan 11, 2026 09:48 pm
Authorities arrested 17 individuals after they were caught in the act of loading underground copper cables owned by a telecommunications company into a closed aluminum van along Alabang–Zapote Road in Las Piñas City on Saturday, Jan. 10.
The arrested suspects (Photo from the Las Pinas City Police)
The arrested suspects (Photo from the Las Pinas City Police)
Las Piñas City Police Chief Col. Sandro Tafalla identified the suspects as “John,” “Patrick,” “Joshua,” “Johnrey,” “Dennis,” “Dupper,” “Bamber,” “Rommel,” “Rafael,” “Arman,” “Ryan,” “Jhon,” “Ariel,” “Peter,” “Rolando,” “Kian,” and “Jeffrey.”
Tafalla said the suspects were arrested at around 3:35 a.m. in Barangay Talon Uno after a roving security guard noticed a group of men acting suspiciously while loading copper cable wires into a van.
The security guard immediately sought police assistance from the Las Piñas City Police Talon Substation, which led to the swift arrest of the suspects.
Recovered from the suspects were underground copper cable (2400 x 0.4) measuring 150 meters and valued at P556,929.72, a yellow bolt cutter, three improvised steel hooks, and an Isuzu closed aluminum van bearing plate number CPP 9773.
Tafalla said a senior asset protection specialist of the telecommunications company confirmed that the recovered cables belonged to their company and were illegally removed from the underground network along Alabang–Zapote Road.
The suspects are detained at the Las Piñas City Police custodial facility and facing charges for violations of Republic Act No. 10515 (Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act) and theft.

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