Cebu City Council Calls For Removal Of "Spaghetti Wires"

Cebu City Council Calls For Removal Of “Spaghetti Wires”

CEBU CITY – The council of Cebu City has revived its call for utility firms to remove dangling “spaghetti wires”.

According to SunStar, on February 19, 2020 (Wednesday), Councilor Antonio Cuenco delivered a privilege speech:

“I am alarmed that several electric posts with matching dangling spaghetti wires are hanging all over our city. Clearly, this is an imminent danger to public safety, an accident just waiting to happen,”

Cuenco wants to know why utility firms failed to comply with the law asking them to place all utility lines underground in order to deal with the issue.

On April 25, 2001, the City Ordinance (CO) No. 1894 was approved. In the ordinance penned by Councilor Nestor Archival, all public utilities are required to transfer their overhead utility cables underground.

The ordinance provides for the medium-term objective of implementation of the underground installation of utility lines five years after the law’s approval.

Its objective is the mandatory grounding of all utility lines within 10 years after the approval of the ordinance.

At the same time, it also penalizes the president and general manager of the firm that violates its provisions.

As per the report, spaghetti wires along roads remain an eyesore for nearly two decades since the passing of the legislation.

Archival said that because of the failure to comply of utility firms, ex-mayor Tomas Osmeña introduced a color-coding scheme rather than dealing with the issue of spaghetti wires.

This was established as a temporary solution in order for utility firms to fix the wires as soon as possible.

The Visayan Electricbegan works in 2013 to transfer its overhead wires underground.

It completed its first half of Phase 1 of the project, which covers the 650-meter stretch of the Capitol-Fuente Osmeña Circle corridor.

The second half of Phase 1, which covered Osmeña Blvd. and P. del Rosario St., was finished in 2017. The current phases covered the 500-meter stretch from Gen. Maxilom Ave., corner Echavez St., to corner D. Jakosalem St; and the 630-meter stretch from Gen. Maxilom Ave., corner D. Jakosalem.

Councilor Jerry Guardo, who chairs the City Council committee on infrastructure said that it will take about a year before a 500-meter cable wire is buried underground.

He added that the government is also working on a proposal that will allow a private firm to oversee the installation of conduit pipes underground within six months.

Guardo noted the lack of technology and coordination with utility firms as factors to the non-compliance of the system.