MANILA - Globe Telecom on Monday said there has been a sharp rise in cases of battery theft in its network facilities, with 834 lost to thieves in the first half of the year.

The telco said this was around 2.4 times higher than the 352 cases recorded for the entire 2022.

"The batteries are crucial as backup power during area-specific commercial power outages, particularly in times of disaster. Without them, affected localities become vulnerable to telco service interruptions," the company said.

Mindanao had the highest number of incidents of battery theft at 424, followed by Visayas with 363 and the Greater Manila Area with 47.

The telco also said that in just the past 2 months there were 2 incidents of battery theft in Metro Manila that occurred in broad daylight: one in Malabon on September 23 and another in Tondo on October 20.

"Battery theft, especially those brazenly carried out during the day, are a stark reminder of the challenges we face. While we're dedicated to ensuring 24/7 reliability, the increasing incidents of battery theft undermine our ability to maintain uninterrupted service, especially during power outages,” said Mike Honig, Globe Head of Network Field Maintenance for the Greater Manila Area.

Globe also warned that people who buy stolen property are subject to legal action.

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