Pasay exec blames lax security for missing lamps

MANILA, Philippines - Lax security along Roxas Boulevard allowed looters to take lamps and electric wires from lampposts lining the road, a Pasay City engineering department official said yesterday.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said the city public safety department is in charge of preventing such incidents, but “some people assigned to secure the area have been lax” and this has resulted in recurring blackouts along Roxas Boulevard.

Renato Sanchez, officer-in-charge of the engineering department, said they are working to restore the streetlights and replacing the lamps stolen or damaged by looters. He said they are also reinstalling the underground wires that are the favorite targets of looters.

The area affected by the blackouts is part of a P57-million street lighting project that covers Roxas Boulevard, Harrison and Libertad streets and Andrew and Gil Puyat avenues.