AN ordinance mandating the installation of underground electrical power lines and cable lines within Cebu City was approved by the City Council.
The measure, passed on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, aims to protect utilities from natural calamities and improve the city’s aesthetics.
Councilor Jerry Guardo, the ordinance’s author, stated that placing lines underground would “prevent or minimize blackouts, interruptions and make it resistant to natural calamities.”
He emphasized that underground lines and cables will prove safer and more reliable.
“Ang kanang issue sa flooding, its only on the surface of the road. But kani, underground installation ni siya, dili ra ma apektohan sa baha,” said Guardo.
(On the issue of flooding, the water is only on the surface of the road. Electrical power lines and cable lines that are installed underground will not be affected.)
The ordinance primarily focuses on telecommunications wires, with Guardo noting that 60 percent of existing telco wires are no longer in use.
He earlier said these tangled overhead wires have accumulated over the past 20 years due to a lack of maintenance and regular clearing operations.
Major thoroughfares such as N. Bacalso St., South Road Properties, Colon St., Jones Ave. and V. Rama Ave. will be prioritized for implementation.
“Our main focus for now is to really put the telco wires underground since they are the most abundant and the untidiest in the surroundings,” Guardo explained.
He assured that the installation of underground telco wires would not cause power disruptions, as they are separate from electrical wires.
The project will be funded through a public-private partnership, with the City seeking a contractor to supply and fund the initiative.
Guardo aims to award the contract within the year to commence work promptly. The chosen contractor will also be responsible for maintenance, as the City government lacks expertise in this area.
However, the ordinance has faced some criticism.
Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. expressed concerns about the potential costs to consumers.
“If you’re going to put all the electrical underground, all the expenses will be paid by all of us,” Archival cautioned, noting that capital expenses for distribution companies are typically charged to consumers.
Guardo clarified that there would be separate implementation for electrical wires, with the initial focus on telco wires.
He stated that within six months of the ordinance taking effect, all aerial wires, cables and poles would be removed by the respective utility companies.
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera supported the initiative, stating that the City Government should invest in such improvements.
She suggested that the costs could be offset by payments from utility companies for their use of government properties.
As Cebu City moves forward with this significant infrastructure change, officials will need to balance the benefits of underground utilities with the potential costs and logistical challenges of implementation.
In July last year, SunStar Cebu reported that the City Government was already 80 percent complete with its Spaghetti Wires Eradication Program, which began in 2019 yet.
Although there has been no update on the program, its aim was to provide maintenance to difference areas in the city with spaghetti wires, or low hanging and overhead wires. These are wires that are tangled in a complicated web that takes a long time to comb through and arrange.
Guardo had said that underground installation was necessary so as not to see a repeat of what happened during the onslaught of typhoon Odette, when Cebu City was devastated, with electric poles toppled by the storm. / JPS