The PLDT Group and other industry members will intensify initiatives against illegal and intentional cable cutting, a campaign dubbed Oplan Kontra Putol.
The campaign deems cable cutting as a “disservice to customers.”
“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,” a manifesto signed by PLDT and other groups read.
Aside from PLDT and Smart, other members include: Globe Telecom Inc., Metroworks ICT Construction Inc., Radius Telecoms Inc., Streamtech Systems Technologies Inc., Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Association Inc, Sky Cable Corp., Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
Oplan Kontra Putol involves the development and implementation of a “comprehensive consumer education program,” as well as the “deployment of efficient security and patrolling systems and a tighter collaboration with local authorities and government units.”
The campaign members also sought assistance from law enforcement agencies, calling on officials to implement Republic Act 10515 or the Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act of 2013, which criminalizes intentional cable cutting.
At present, perpetrators of such incidents usually face charges ranging from theft to qualified theft, or malicious mischief, which are all covered by the Revised Penal Code.
The group also calls on barangays and local government units to encourage their constituents and communities to be vigilant and to immediately report suspected and actual incidents of intentional cable cutting to local officials, local police, and respective service providers.
“PLDT’s stepped-up efforts to protect its physical assets, including its network infrastructure, is part of the company’s overall thrust to further improve customer experience,” said Oliver Carlos Odulio, who heads PLDT’s Asset Protection & Security Risk Governance (APSRG) group.
The Pangilinan-led company logged a 422-percent increase in apprehensions related to incidents such as theft between January to July 2021 and January to July 2022. The rate of apprehensions exceeds the 59-percent increase in loss incidents for the same period. These incidents involve network equipment, such as cables and batteries, among others.
PLDT’s intensified asset protection initiatives also include the use of analytics in allocating security resources and teaming up with “force multipliers” in local government, police, and other industry security groups.
PLDT has 837,900 kilometers of fiber as of end-June 2022.