LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Public utilities in Pangasinan and throughout the country have been asked to go modern by replacing their coper-laden cable wires with the state of the art fiber optics to finally put an end to rampant cable thefts.

The call was made by Police Provincial Director Alan Purisima in the face of the continuos stealing of cable wires that already victimized a number of times the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLFT) and the Digital Communications of the Philippines.

The province of Pangasinan is where cable thefts have become rampant nowadays but there are also several other cases that were registered in Bataan, Rizal and other parts of the country, including the Visayas and Mindanao.

Also victimized by wire thieves were the Dagupan Electric Corporatin, several elecric cooperatives and also the National Transmission Commission.

Purisima believes that the fiber optics, which uses infra-red rays to transmit signals, has less chance of bein stolen than ordinary cable wires.

He said that while the police are doing everything they can to catch and stop the cable thieves, it is also good for the telecommunication companies to try fiber optics as this cannot be sold as junks.

But Purisima admitted that public utilities may not adopt fiber optics so quickly because of its prohibitive cost as this is still being imported from abroad.

As to the case of other companies, Purisima believes that it is the aluminum being used by the electric companies that the thieves are really after.

Purisima revealed that there were several persons already arrested by the police for cable theft but since the offense is bailable, the perpetrators can get out easily and in no time go back to their old unlawful activity.

Saying that the crimes can be prevented by removing the opportunities for the criminals to strike, Purisima believes that the use of fiber optics can stop rampant cable thefts.

He maintained that cable thieves have no use for fiber optics, except perhaps as ties for carabaos and as clothes line.

Cable thefts have intensified because of the prohibitive cost of copper nowadays, Purisima said. (PNA)