UTILITY firms and telecommunication companies have been ordered to remove dangling wires or known as "spaghetti wires" as an increasing number of these are seen dangling along streets of Cagayan de Oro City.
In a meeting with telcos and utility companies last January 31, City Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr., chair of public utility committee said the task force responsible for monitoring these dangling wires will be revived, as it was not sustained when it started in 2010 due to lack of implementing rules and regulations.
This time, Lao said, City Mayor Oscar Moreno will issue an executive order to intensify the removal of the spaghetti wires.
Some of the wires were installed as early as 1980. The proliferation of these wires may cause injury or accident to onlookers.
Lao said to make the task force keen on penalizing erring companies, the task force will be composed of the telcos themselves.
Before the removal of the dangling wires, the owner will be notified and will be given 60 days to settle and remove the wires with a penalty worth not more than P5,000.
For non-compliant firms, Lao said their business permits would be revoked.
"February gyud ang magstart ang removal (The removal starts in February) this is not illegal because there is already an ordinance nga maoy nagsugo (that orders to do so)," Lao said.
The National Telecommunications Commission Regional Director Teodoro Buenavista said the expenses spent for the removal of wires will be passed on to its owners.
Beunavista said there is also a difference from the previous campaign, as the wires this time will not be bundled but totally removed.
Before, the proposal was to organize the electric, cable, telephone and other wires from utilities into separate rings, and place these in one post for proper identification and to prevent disorientation.