ENACTMENT of an ordinance placing utility wires and cables underground in Cagayan de Oro City gained traction amid calls by Mayor Rolando Uy on the 20th City Council to expedite its passage for approval.
“If it can be done in other local governments, there’s no reason why it cannot be done in Cagayan de Oro City….The ordinance doesn’t only cover the placement of all (utility wires/cables) underground but also the removal of rotting poles which pose a serious risk to the safety of both the riding public and the motorists,” Mayor Uy said in Visayan.
Work on the removal of spaghetti wires began in March last year with simple rites held at the city’s Kiosko Kagawasan in Divisoria.
Uy issued the call during Thursday morning’s launching on the removal of dangling or ‘spaghetti’ wires by the CDO ICT (Information Communications Technology) Klarex Nga Serbisyo Sa Kable held at Vamenta Boulevard, Barangay Carmen.
Thursday’s removal of dangling wires starts at Vamenta Boulevard heading to Cagayan de Oro City’s uptown areas.
Uy said the placement of utility wires underground will start at Apolinar Velez Street heading to Claro M. Recto Avenue.
For his part, Barangay Carmen chairman Raineir Joaquin Uy thanked City Hall for spearheading the campaign against dangling/spaghetti wires in their area, saying this will ensure the safety of motorists and commuters.
The program was attended by partner national government agencies headed by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC-10) as well as representatives of telecommunications providers like PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.)-Smart, Globe, Convergys, and Cepalco (Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co.).
NTC-10 Regional Director Teodoro Buenavista co-chairs the task force with Mayor Klarex. The passage of an ordinance mandating the placement of all utility wires and cables underground was echoed by administration Councilor Edgar Cabanlas who cited the ongoing underground placement of cables in Davao City as an example.
During a recent seminar-workshop held in one of the city’s hotels, the task force recommended that City Hall enter into an agreement with the Misamis Oriental provincial government for the use of the underground cabling facilities of the defunct Misamis Oriental Telephone Co. (Misortel) which closed down on Jan. 25. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
