Sunday, January 20, 2008 Big bucks for cable thieves, junkshops By Annabelle L. Ricalde
CABLE theft is far from being an organized crime.
Police said legions of professional thieves, scavengers and even garbage collectors are stealing cable wires right under the noses of telecommunication companies.
"This is not an organized crime. Every thief, scavengers and even garbage collectors are after it," said Senior Police Officer 1 Mario Pelaez, head of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office Theft and Robbery Section.
"Cable wires are the most sought after item for thieves because it is expensive," Pelaez said.
He said cable wire thieves are not even deterred despite the stiff legal penalties if caught.
"They strike anywhere and even at any hour," Pelaez said.
Telecommunication firms in Cagayan de Oro City are reeling from the theft of communication wires. The National Telecommunications Office said telecommunication firms lost over P4 million in 2007.
Cable wire theft has become a major problem in the city and prompted Vice Mayor Vicente Emano to order newly appointed Police Chief Isagani Genabe to prioritize the catching of thieves.
The problem is highlighted when Globe Telecoms Inc., suffered a glitch on its network in Cagayan de Oro and Mindanao after unidentified persons tried to steal their cable wires in their Batangas facility.
Pelaez said stolen cable wires can fetch from P25 to P40 a kilo when sold at junkshops in the city.
"Its really poverty that drives thieves to steal these wires," he said.
Pelaez said cable thieves do work alone, in pairs, or groups of five or six and used modern cutting tools to get to the wires.
Pelaez said thieves are now using get-away vehicles-motorelas, trisikads and even pushcarts-where they load the stolen wires.
"Its really very hard to catch them," Pelaez said.
He said the police have arrested seven persons for cable theft in 2007 but various police precincts in the city apprehended many more.
Ariel Tedlos, Joel Pantileligone, Jonathan Licuanan, Eugene Guro, Archie Damit, Gabriel Montefalcon and Orcinie Incornal, all residents of this city, are facing cable theft-related charges at the courts, ATRS records show.
Pelaez said a major aspect in the cable theft problem is that junkshops buy the stolen loot.
Despite a series of meetings with junkshop owners, Pelaez said they found thieves can still easily sell the stolen cable wires.
He said they have filed anti-fencing criminal cases against several junkshop owners but the problem still persists.
The law metes stiff fines and long prison sentences against anyone caught stealing cable wires.
Republic Act 7832, otherwise known as the "Anti-electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994," punishes people who cut, saw, slice, separate, split, severe, smelt, or remove electric power transmission steel towers, woodpoles, cables, wires, insulators, line hardwares, electrical conductors and other related items.
Offenders face 10 to 20 years in prison and fines of P10,000 to P100,000, or both at the discretion of the court. (With reports from DVA)
