Lawmakers urge burying cables, electric lines for safety and aesthetics

This file photo shows kites tangled up in electrical wires. RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — Two lawmakers are proposing the relocation of utility cables underground to lessen risks, especially during calamities.

In a joint statement released on Friday, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua and Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy said underground cables could be a better alternative to street poles.

Their call came after seven electrical line poles fell along Ongpin Street in Binondo, Manila, when heavy rain and windy conditions hit the district whipped up by the southwest monsoon, known in the Philippines as habagat, in Metro Manila.

Three people were injured in the incident on Thursday.

Chua said he would talk to engineers about the feasibility of installing underground cables in Binondo and Quiapo.

“This could be the long-term solution and contribute to the livability of Binondo and Quiapo, which are historical and tourism communities,” Chua said.

Herrera chipped in, saying underground cables should also be considered in remote places nationwide, especially in areas hit mainly by typhoons.

“This multiyear undertaking is, I believe, the appropriate solution to end the repeated isolation of coastal towns and remote islands often in the path of typhoons – as we have just experienced with Super Typhoon Egay,” she said.

Herrera is the principal author of House Bill No. 1399, seeking to compel telephone, cable, internet, and power supply companies, among others, to install their wires or cables underground. The bill was filed on July 6.

Some locations in the Philippines have already implemented underground cabling, such as in C.M Recto Street in Davao City, while other cities, such as Bacolod and Iloilo, are eyeing to use the method to improve the aesthetics of their landscapes for tourism.

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