PLDT assures city it will bury wires by end of year

CEBU, Philippines - A telecommunication company has promised to place its cables Osmeña Circle underground before the year ends.

Engineer Cayetano Cruz of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company said they have set already set aside P6 million for the underground system and would start excavation as soon as the Cebu City government approves their permit.

Their head office, he said, gave the PLDT in Cebu two months to finish the construction.

“Ang kanang gihisgutan kanang sa Fuente Osmeña (Circle) bag-o lang intawn na-approve.  Since last year ang among follow-up ngadto sa Manila kay sila man ang approving ngadto, tungod sa dako kaayo og capital expense,” Cruz said.

The move is in compliance with City Ordinance 1894, which requires telecommunication companies to place their utility line underground.  The ordinance also mandates that the companies secure their wires to ensure public safety.

City Councilor Nestor Archival said that of all utility firms in Cebu, only the Visayan Electric Company has so far responded to place their lines underground.

During a City Council executive session last week, Archival suggested that the companies assign a crew for the rehabilitation of non-live wires and proper bundling of the utility lines.

Cruz said they have started already started addressing the problem, only that they are prioritizing measures against those who steal their utility equipment.

As to the City Council’s concern on people getting injured or even dying in accidents caused by utility lines, Cruz assured the wires nowadays are labeled so it is easy to identify the owner of a line that caused an accident. (FREEMAN)