BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The provincial police of Negros Occidental and the Bacolod City Police Office are planning a joint probe on the cable wire thefts operating here.
Police have found a link between wire thieves in Valladolid town who were nabbed this week to those stealing wires in Bacolod City, giving rise to suspicions that the stealing of wires of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company is no longer a smalltime activity as it was once perceived.
Valladolid deputy chief of police Bonifacio Galvez Jr said the two alleged wire thieves from Negros Oriental province were employed by a third party company being contracted by PLDT and are working under the cover of this firm but are actually stealing wires.
This is the same modus of wire thieves in Bacolod, making the police entertain the possibility that an organized group could be behind the series of cable thefts.
Recently, three Telecommunication company sub-contractors based in La Castellana were caught red-handed stealing PLDT wires in the town of Valladolid.
Galvez said the roving team of PLDT saw the three suspects stealing cable wires of telecommunications company.
The area supervisor of the company in which the three are employed confirmed suspects Mikelyn John Duhig, Kimleey Charles Duhig and Jerlie Penez are assigned in the area of La Castellana and not in Valladolid.
The stolen wires span about 75 meters with more than P15K in value.
Bacolod City Police Director Colonel Noel Aliño meanwhile said that a suspect with the same modus here in Bacolod was recently caught and admitted there are more groups here in the province that are disguised as telco employees to steal cable wires.
Aliño said there is possibly a group behind with the way the suspects pose as employees and even the use of a company service vehicle.
Police also said PLDT continues to monitor and do field checks in every LGU to guard against thieves.
