Monday, November 06, 2006 Group seeks GMA’s help to stop telecom cable theft
ALL police units in the Central Visayas have been ordered to neutralize groups behind the pilferage of telecommunications cables in their areas of jurisdiction.
This, after Enrico Reyes, president of the Philippine Association of Private Telephone Companies Inc., wrote to President Arroyo asking her to step into the problem.
In his Sept. 11-letter to Arroyo, Reyes said more than 800 kilometers of telecom cables have been stolen, leading to millions in loss of revenue and “several millions more in terms of business opportunities” to the industry.
Desperate
“Please consider this a desperate plea for your help to put an end to the growing number of cable theft cases around the country,” the letter read.
He also alleged that despite the “gravity of the problem” it was not getting much attention from the National Government while local government officials and enforcers were ineffective in stopping what he called a “growing menace.”
Security
Reyes said every time there is a breakdown in telecommunications and Internet services caused by these thefts, national security is compromised.
The matter was brought up to Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Calderon, who later on directed the Directorate for Operations to transmit the message to all the lower units.
Action
In turn, the Regional Operations and Plans Division (ROPD) of the Police Regional Office 7 sent a memorandum last Wednesday to all city and provincial directors in Central Visayas directing them to “take appropriate action and intensify police operations to neutralize the suspects.”
They were further instructed to submit to the ROPD a report of the action they have taken. (MEA)
