Globe joins industry-wide effort vs illegal cable cutting

Globe joins Philippine cable and telecommunications providers in launching “Oplan Kontra Putol,” which condemns rampant cable theft that causes network disruptions and deprives customers of seamless connectivity.

The industry-wide initiative seeks to inform the public about illegal cable-cutting and the disruption it brings to families and communities. It involves consumer education, deployment of efficient security and patrolling systems, and close cooperation with local authorities and government units.

“Together with our customers, we have been victimized by perpetrators who steal and sell the copper wires for profit, or recklessly cut and damage our cable wires without regard to the disruption it causes to our internet and cable service. This illegal act robs our customers of the steady internet and cable TV service they need for entertainment and access to information, and disrupts connectivity required for work,” said the Oplan Kontra Putol Consortium in a statement.

The joint manifesto was signed by Globe, Metroworks ICT Construction Inc., Radius Telecoms, Inc., PLDT, Inc./Smart Communications, Inc., Streamtech Systems Technologies, Inc., Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Association, Inc., and SKY Cable Corporation.

The group calls upon law enforcement agencies to implement Republic Act 10515, otherwise known as the Cable Theft Act, which has criminalized intentional cable cutting. It also taps barangays and local government units (LGUs) to encourage their constituents to immediately report suspected and actual incidents of intentional cable cutting to their respective local officials, local police, and service providers.

“We condemn all illegal acts of intentional cable cutting and are confident that with everyone’s support and concerted efforts, we can and we will curb and prevent illegal cable-cutting to continue giving the best service our valued customers deserve,” the statement read.

Globe has been fighting cable pilferage for several years now through its Bantay Kable program, ramping up the campaign as incidents continued to rise, with Visayas alone having 785 cases as of July 2022.

In the first half of the year, a total of 281 individuals and third-party contractors linked to these criminal offenses were charged with theft, qualified theft, robbery, violation of the anti-fencing law, malicious mischief, and violation of the Omnibus Election Code and Republic Act 10515 or the Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act of 2013.

“Through Bantay Kable, and now with Oplan Kontra Putol, we hope to help protect our country’s telecom infrastructure from these lawless elements. We also want to continuously build and expand our network to provide Filipinos equitable access to connectivity without dealing with the additional burden of running after criminals,” said Ronald Uychutin, Globe Vice President for Safety and Security.

Globe is relentlessly expanding and improving its network and has allocated P89 billion this year for its capital expenditures. This includes an accelerated fiber strategy to improve customer internet experience.

With this strategy of continuous customer migration from copper to fiber optics, coupled with stronger security measures, the company looks forward to a gradual decrease of cable-cutting incidents in the country.

Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer of the Globe Group, is optimistic that the ongoing initiatives would yield positive results.

“We are working closely with LGUs to address issues that hamper the continuity of our services and our commitment to provide a #1stWorldNetwork nationwide. With the help of all stakeholders, we are hopeful that we can curb and ultimately stop these malicious deeds from happening,” she said.

Globe’s efforts against cable theft aims to protect infrastructure, a pillar of economic growth and development under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.