OVERHEAD utility lines in Mandaue City will soon be replaced with underground cables to lessen damage, particularly during the onslaught of typhoons.

This was what lawyer John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, said after a series of talks with utility providers such as power, water, cable and internet firms.

Ibañez said they are eyeing to start the underground cabling within the business districts or the planned urban development (PUD) areas in the city, particularly the South Special Economic Administrative Zone or reclamation areas.

The plan is in line with the ordinance authored by City Councilor Joel Seno sometime in 2020, placing all the electrical and telecommunication wires and cables underground within the business districts in the city.

The lawyer said the initial purpose of the underground cabling was to do away with spaghetti wires, being an eyesore in the city’s main thoroughfares.

“We are getting to have more and more internet, telephone and cable wires. Our main thoroughfares are really very dirty now,” Ibañez said in Cebuano.

“We realized the importance of underground cables because there will be less damage during a typhoon and the restoration of power will be quicker as the wires will not be cut,” he added.

Ibañez noted that a lot of utility lines were destroyed during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette (Rai) on Dec. 16, 2021, which has taken utility providers more than a month to replace.

Ibañez said Mandaue City might have a joint venture agreement with the utility providers for the plan to materialize.