LGUs told: Monitor utility poles, wires

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has urged all local government units to create a local task force that will conduct a regular monitoring and assessment of the wires, cables, and other foreign attachments to utility poles.

The DILG directed all the LGUs to assess the safety and structural integrity of existing towers and poles bearing power lines or telecommunication cables in their respective area to prevent any casualty or liability brought about by the normal wear and tear of said infrastructures.

LGUs are encouraged to enact measures that will ensure that the poles are installed in compliance with regulations and standards. To ensure proper monitoring, LGUs are urged to create a task force to implement a holistic approach.

The local task force will have to be composed of representatives from the City/Municipality, preferably from its Engineering office, Bureau of Fire Protection, pole owners, and representatives from the pole users.

The said task force will conduct regular monitoring and assessment to ensure that there are no illegal, unauthorized, non-compliant wires, cables, and other foreign attachments by pole users, and hazardous poles in their respective territorial jurisdictions.

They are also expected to establish a system for the recording and monitoring of poles, wires, and cables within the jurisdiction of the LGU that require maintenance, repair, and/or due for replacement.

The said task force is also tasked to ensure that pole users remove the wires, cables, and foreign attachments when they are no longer required or unused, unauthorized, uninstalled in compliance with regulations and standards provided by laws or are hazardous and threaten public safety among other concerns.

But Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo said the city does not need it anymore because of the “Oplan Ratsada” they have conducted to get rid of spaghetti wires.

According to Guardo, the telecom companies and the power utility are working closely with the Technical Infrastructure Committee he chaired to ensure that power and telecom lines are in its proper places.

Guardo added that any complaint or concern involving poles and wires will be acted swiftly by them. —/FPL (FREEMAN)