PLDT reports sharp drop in cable theft across Philippines

Details: Manny Pham; Category: Operators; 19 December 2025; 9540 views

PLDT reported a decline in cable and telecoms equipment theft across most of 2025, citing closer cooperation with local government units, police and community groups.

In a statement, the Philippine operator and its mobile unit Smart said the reduction followed an expanded rollout of its “Bayanihan” asset protection programme, which focuses on partnerships with barangays and local authorities.

Under the initiative, PLDT-Smart’s asset protection and security team held coordination sessions with barangays in cities including Makati, Dagupan, Davao, Quezon City, Pasay, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos, as well as municipalities such as Liloan, Calamba, Rodriguez in Rizal and Dasmarinas in Cavite.

PLDT-Smart vice president and head of property Leo Gonzales said community involvement has been central to protecting network infrastructure and maintaining service continuity.

Security and central command head Romeo Basco said the partnerships have improved incident reporting and response times, helping to limit service disruptions caused by theft.

PLDT-Smart recorded nearly 1,000 theft-related incidents in 2024, most involving copper cables, with some areas of Manila experiencing incidents as frequently as every three days.

From January to November 2025, the company said apprehension incidents fell by 34% year-on-year, while the number of suspects apprehended declined by 24% over the same period, reflecting the impact of strengthened security measures.