THE City Government of Bacolod has formed a task force dubbed “Bantay Kable” to monitor the rampant stealing of wires of various telecommunications companies (telco) in the city.This, after local officials along with the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) held a meeting along with the representatives of various telecommunications companies at the Bacolod Government Center on Monday, May 2, to address the pilferage incidents in the city.The telecommunications company sought the assistance of the City Government after they received several complaints that their wires, especially the Globe and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) lines, were stolen by unidentified individuals that started after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in January this year.City Administrator lawyer Edward Joseph Cuansing, in a statement, said the city will have close coordination with the BCPO, Association of Barangay Captains (ABC), City Engineers Office, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) and telcos to address the problem immediately.”This problem will definitely affect us which is why we are here to help,” he said.He added the task force will monitor vulnerable areas in the city and to implement the rules for the allowable height of trucks that may also damage some wires.Aside from Globe and PLDT, Sky Cable and Converge also complained that they were also victims of collateral damage when their fiber optic wires were also cut by thieves operating against other telco wires.Globe account manager Rachelle Villarosa said that based on their records, the theft incidents occurred around 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.”We are here and we are appealing to you to help us. These things have a great impact on us, especially the subscribers,” she said.Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir, director of BCPO, said these incidents should be stopped because stealing telecommunication wires causes inconvenience to the residents, work-from-home employees and virtual classes.He said he already directed all the station commanders to check the junk shops within their areas of jurisdiction to determine if they are buying the stolen telecommunications wires.”If we determine that they are buying these stolen items, we will file charges against the junk shop owners,” he added.The city director also urged the public to report any suspicious acts of an individual to the nearest police stations or to their respective barangays.