City gives companies Oct. 15 deadline

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City District Engineering Office has given telephone companies until October 15 to remove and transfer their telephone lines and poles along Gov. Cuenco Avenue, Cebu City.

District Engineer Fernando Cruz said that telephone line companies have caused the delay on their ongoing widening project at Canduman Bridge along the national road.

“That is why I wrote a letter to them nga up to October 15 dapat ma-transfer na nila because if not, I will let the contractor proceed their works and we will not be held answerable as to the damages of their structures it may incur,” he said.

Cruz said that he has been communicating with the telephone companies on the matter but the companies have reportedly been ignoring their plea and requests.

“The contractor cannot proceed their works because the telephone lines will be affected maong dapat ning mga telephone lines ma-remove,” he said.

He said that Visayan Electric Company was the first one to respond to their request to transfer the electric posts and wires to another place.

With this, Department of Public Works and Highways-7 Regional Director Ador Canlas has reiterated that his office will be serious in implementing Department Order 73 which prohibits the use of right-of-way of national roads since these structures affect the development along national roads.

Section 23 of Presidential Decree No. 17 or the “Revised Philippine Highway Act” declares as unlawful for any person to usurp any portion of right-of-way, to convert any part of any public highway, bridge, wharf or trail to his own private use or to obstruct the same in any manner.

Canlas said that the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the National Building Code of the Philippines gives the mandate to all regional and district engineering offices to remove all obstructions along right-of-way of national roads within their jurisdiction.

However, he admitted that they have no police power to enforce the rule, adding that they would need help from other law enforcement agencies.

He said that the presence of tangled cables and other obstructions along national roads is one of the contributory factors of the delay of their projects.

Meanwhile, Canlas has forwarded a communication to all building officials in the region saying that a building permit and excavation permit is not required in the implementation of the DPWH’s national road projects.

Canlas said that securing these permits also contributes to the delay of their projects.  (FREEMAN)