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Opinion

A Veco project worth congratulating

OFF TANGENT - Aven Piramide - The Freeman

Privately-owned public utilities are undoubtedly among the biggest partners of the government. They render the kind of services that otherwise would have been the heavy responsibility of government to deliver. Without them, there would be serious lack of facilities necessary to achieve, for the people, a healthy living condition and which deficiency the government would be hard put to fill. Can we imagine if there were no Visayan Electric Company and Philippine Long Distance Company, to name two of the many firms we are familiar with?

The franchise that the government awards to these certain private enterprises is, for most of us, ordinary mortals, of two-fold character. It represents their authority to do business and earn realistic profits and at the same time, it encapsulates the duty for them to perform for public weal. Yet, for legally structured reasons, we cannot normally inquire into the first and for lack of our commitment, we do not care about the second.

There are public utilities though that "go out of the box", if I may be allowed to use a more updated jargon. They extend the limits of their capabilities in the search of something more useful to their operation and more beneficial to the public they have obligated themselves to serve. In their exploration for innovative ways, they are likely to incur more and added expenditures as a result of which, they dip into their profits. So, when we recognize such efforts of these companies, it becomes our duty to applaud them.

In this context, I am happy to note of a step the VECO is reportedly taking. From the news reports a few days ago, I learned about its project to put its distribution and other lines underground. This means that sooner than later, we will no longer see power connections hanging over our streets in jumbled mess. The news went on that the power firm is making the Osmeña Boulevard as its pilot area of implementation.

I mentioned above about showing our appreciation for efforts of public utilities in daring to do new and useful approaches. Towards this end, let me do my share of congratulating VECO. Since Sir Bobby Aboitiz, is the only one in his family with whom I exchange texts with, now and then, I course my appreciation of his company's project thru him.

Actually, this VECO project is long overdue and truth to tell, its implementation is some sort of giving justice to a resolution I authored more than two decades ago.  I was then a member of the City Council when I saw the need of putting underground the distribution and other lines owned and used by utilities companies. Without technical background to help me, I simply viewed the situation from a layman's concept.

The necessity of doing so was my first argument. In the city council, I expressed the position that when the lines were no longer hanging but instead were placed in well-constructed subterranean structures, they were not subject to the ferocity of howling typhoon winds such that when storms hit, we would suffer no power outage. Unfortunately, I could not expand on that reasoning.

It was easier to make connections, safer to implement repairs and quicker to respond to emergencies if those were to be done in the safety of underground tunnels. That was my second point but, because I was simply guided by plain observation rather than deeper academic preparation, I could not back up my argument.

Aesthetics was my third point. Nobody though contested the observation that it would add beauty to the city if the dangling lines were removed.

Against those arguments though, the specter of huge cost loomed ahead. When I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of VECO and PLDT on the matter, they came up with calculations of mind-boggling expenditures that not even my proposal to do the project over an extended period of time appeared acceptable. That putting the lines of utility-companies underground was just too expensive killed my proposal.

But, as I said, that was more than two decades ago. Times have changed and the report a few days ago that VECO is doing what we earlier dreamed, is filling our air with unmitigated joy. Thanks VECO! End.

aa.piramide@gmail.com

AGO

CITY COUNCIL

GOVERNMENT

LINES

OSME

PUBLIC

SINCE SIR BOBBY ABOITIZ

VECO

VISAYAN ELECTRIC COMPANY AND PHILIPPINE LONG DISTANCE COMPANY

WHEN I

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