NTC-10 suspects syndicate group behind P14M cable theft incidences

June 26, 2008

genabe buenavista

TASKFORCE HEADS. National Telecommunications Commission (NTC-10) regional director Teodoro Buenavista (right) confers with Cagayan de Oro City Police Office director S/Supt. Isagani Genabe regarding the creation of a taskforce against cable thieves. (Story and photo by Lizanilla J. Amarga)

Local telecommunication companies now have a total loss of P14 million in stolen cables wires all over Cagayan de Oro City alone since 2005 prompting suspicions of an organized syndicate operating in the city.

Already, a number of linemen have received death threats that were duly recorded with some of these cable thieves actually attempting to make true their threats.

The National Telecommunication Commission (NTC-10), the Cagayan de Oro Police Office (Cocpo), Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC), the Telecommunications Office (TelOf-10) and private telecommunication firms operating in the city have now forged an alliance dubbed “Task Force on Cable Theft.”

NTC-10 regional director Teodoro Buenavista emphasized that the continuing cable theft has become a menace in the city and is now driving away even foreign and domestic investors.

He explained that every time a cable wire is stolen a line is cut-off that affects the telecommunication connections in many parts of the city even among them are local banking transactions and those made between private companies during the course of their business transactions to mention a few.

“We are not just speaking of loss in terms of cable wires but the cascading negative effects it actually brings to our economy…we cannot continue to invite foreigners yet not protect our telecommunication lines,” he said adding that should these cable theft incidences continue, the city’s economy will fall behind.

NTC-10 records reveal that telecommunication firms already had a combined loss of P4 million in cable wires since 2007 while government-owned Misamis Oriental Telecommunications (MISORTEL) reported a loss of P2.9 million in stolen copper-made cable wires.

NTC-10 further disclosed that Philippine Global Communications, Inc. (PhilCom) and SMART BroadBand posted a combined loss of P2.5 million in the same period thus bringing a total of some P14 million losses in stolen cable wires since 2005.

These private firms who attended the meeting clarified that such losses were only on the value of their cable wires stolen and do not include the expenses in restoring the lines.

Buenavista is strongly convinced that more cable wire theft incidences would be seen in the future considering that the city’s “telecommunication landscape could only be comparable to Metro Manila as no other city or place in the country has so many telephone operators than in Cagayan de Oro City.”

He cited how the city plays host to six Local Telephone Exchanges (LEC) Operators, namely: Misortel; Philcom; Telof-10; Smart Broadband; Sotelco; PLDT & Bayantel.

“The presence of these telephone operators also means many attachments of cables and wires along the streets of the City. And these wires and cables are now becoming an attraction to the criminal elements in the City,” he said.

Also, Buenavista voiced suspicions that a bigger syndicate group could be behind all these cable theft incidences and that they may be the “big buyers” of these cable wires.

“For if the buying stops, this cable theft incidences and its negative cascading effects would stop,” he said.

Even Misortel top official Relio Acero said their linemen have received death threats from these cable thieves that were even recorded and duly verified.

“We even have actual attempts at the lives of some of our linemen,” he said.

There were, however, some deep lamentations expressed by the taskforce on how the City Government of Cagayan de Oro had failed to send in any representative.

Cocpo police director S/ Supt. Isagani Genabe defended Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula saying that they submit a report on the latter’s desk on a daily basis and that the city mayor had continuously voiced concern on this cable theft incidences.

Buenavista, Genabe, the telecommunication firms, COPC president Ed Montalban and the other media practitioners and those who attended the meeting at NTC-10 conference hall Wednesday agreed to stand as “one family” in this fight against cable thieves in the city.

The task force hopes that more telecommunication companies and stakeholders would help in arresting this cable theft problem facing the city.

CLICK HERE for the latest 2nd Hand Laptops, Mobile Phones, SMART/ GLOBE /TALK 'N TEXT/ TOUCH MOBILE / SUN CELLULAR Postpaid, Pre-paid and International Roaming PROMOS, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific Airlines Airline AIRFARE DISCOUNT tickets for sale!

Check out our Updated/Latest List of GOVERNMENT JOBS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT VACANT POSITIONS, PRIVATE JOBS, PRIVATE FULL-TIME JOBS, PRIVATE PART-TIME JOBS and OTHER ONLINE JOBS in this link!

Written by admin · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro