Task Force Spaghetti goes after cable thieves in P’sinan

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — The provincial police has formed "Task Force Spaghetti" after a series of cable thefts across the province.

Senior Superintendent Alan Purisima, provincial police director, said he has instructed local police chiefs to monitor the areas where the thefts occurred in order to catch the thieves.

Purisima directed Superintendents Noli Taliño and Rolando Magno to conduct special operations against the "Spaghetti Gang" believed behind the cable thefts.

This week, police arrested two suspected cable thieves, one of them identified as Jhudy Rosario, in Barangay San Isidro Norte, Binmaley town. Ninety-five meters of cables, a steel saw and pliers were seized from Rosario.

A third suspect managed to escape. Held for fencing was Remy Lanzen, who yielded a sack of burnt telephone cables.

Rosario and Lanzen were willing to cooperate with the police to help apprehend their cohorts.

Edmund Pedro, area commercial operations manager of Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel), said they believe that a syndicate is behind the cable thefts.

He said cable thefts have been occurring in almost all parts of Pangasinan where Digitel operates.

There are unverified reports that cable thefts are also happening in other provinces.

Pedro refused to give an estimate of their losses due to the cable thefts but sources said they could reach millions of pesos.

The latest incident happened along Maramba Boulevard in Lingayen town, even cutting off the phone and Internet connections of the provincial police.

Also affected by cable thefts are the cities of San Carlos and Dagupan and the towns of Mangatarem, Manaoag, Malasiqui, Bayambang, Mangaldan, and Calasiao.

Purisima suggested that phone companies use fiber optic cables instead of copper and bronze cables since thieves sell the metals to junkshops.

He has also worked out a plan with barangay officials to arrest cable thieves. — With Cesar Ramirez