Veco lines to go underground

Imagine riding or walking down Osmeña Boulevard without seeing the ugly tangle of electric wires, telephone cables and posts on both sides.

The absence of overhead wires would open up a view of the sky, trees and a  cleaner urban skyline.

The Visayan Electric Company (Veco) said it aims to start a P205 million program by the end of the fourth quarter to transfer electric wires underground and remove all its posts along the longest road of Cebu City.

Sebastian Lacson, Veco chief of operating officer and senior vice president,  announced the plan yesterday during a Power Lunch with Editors and Media Executives hosted by the utility as part of the Cebu Press Freedom Week celebration.

He said the commitment was made by Veco president Jaime Aboitiz and that the company is just waiting for approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

The move is expected to prod other utilities – telephone, cable TV and  telecommunication companies that have overhead lines  – to follow suit, spending private funds for the change.

Veco filed its request on April 26, 2012 in its its “Application for Authority to Implement Proposed Additional Capital Project for years 2013-2014, with prayer for provisional authority.”

As proposed, Phase 1a will cover the section from the Provincial Capitol to Fuente Osmeña in  in 2013.  Phase 1b will extend from Fuente Osmeña to P. del Rosario Street in 2014.

Lacson, however, said Veco would like to continue this initiative  in other parts of Cebu City in sections of two kilometers at a time because “it would be good for Cebu”.

The pilot area of Osmeña Boulevard coincides with the sidewalk lighting and repaving  done there by private donors in the Beautiful Cebu Movement, and was  requested by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to promote tourism through the beautification of a major thoroghfare.

She and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wrote letters  to Veco for the underground transfer of lines. Copies were attached to Veco’s application to the ERC.

Moving wires beneath street level is actually a direct order in a 2001 Cebu City Ordinance which requires all utilties, not just Veco, to transfer their overhead utiltiy lines underground.

Section 7 makes it “mandatory” for this to be done within 10 years after the approval of the ordinance, and penalizes the president and general manager who does not comply.

Cebu City’s traffic chief yesteday welcomed the change, saying it was long overdue.

“However, the move  should be coordinated with other utilities like telephone companies and cable TV operators,” said Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, chairman of the Cebu Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom).

Natera said consultations need to be done with other stakeholders, since it involves excavating the road, and detaching wires of other utility firms hanging on Veco poles.

“We are planning to do this at  two kilometers a year, starting from the road from the Provincial Capitol to the Fuente Osmeña,” said Lacson.

Veco’s “Osmeña Boulevard Underground Installation” project will cost  P205,065 ,774.95.

“Phase 1a” covers 2013 Fuente Osmeña Circle to the Provincial Capitol in 2013 at a cost of P68,352,358,32.

“Phase 1b” from  Fuente Osmeña Circle to P. del Rosario Street will be done in 2013 at a bigger cost of P136,704,516.63.

Cebu City Ordinance 1894 passed in April 25, 2011 required all public utilities to migrate their overhead wires underground in 10 years.

In its application, Veco said 2012 is the end of the 10-year period and that they were  reminded by Mayor Rama in a letter last April about this ordinance which “intends to create a power system that is safe, secure and aesthetically pleasing to the city dwellers.”

The ordinance lamented that the “unsightly and indiscriminate manner of (installation of) utility lines” has degraded the heritage and tourism value of Cebu City.

Mayor Rama wrote: “I strongly urge your company to hasten compliance with the ordinance for the good of the citizens of the City of Cebu. It is my wish to see developments along this lines before the end of 2012.”

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia wrote a similar request to Veco in April 16.

“We would like to require from your office to accomplish your power lines from the Provincial Capitol to Fuente Osmeña Circle from its overhead set-up to undeground system,”  she said.

In Lacson’s media briefing, he cited other ongoing improvements in Veco.

The use of tree wires or insulated cables in high voltage wires near high rise buildings will reduce cases of accidental electrocution especially among construction laborers  working in nearby buildings who are at risk.

This will also reduce trip offs or electric interruptions caused by accidental electrocutions, which are also caused by fallen tree branchs, even snakes that clamber up poles.  This kind of insulated wires were installed along Salinas Drive and Archbishop Reyes Avenue.

Veco  is improving its service call response time with the aim of getting  linemen to reach a customer within 30 minutes to an hour.

Each service truck has a GPS (global positioning system) device that enables Veco to track its location by satellite at any time of the day.

A team in the Veco office monitors their movements in a large map of Metro Cebu which can identify the location of customer and the nearest service truck.

An ongoing Braille bill payment system is the only one of its kind among utilities in the Philippines.

Even if only 50 visually impaired customers currently use the system, Lacson said it was worth the effort as part of their corporate social responsibility program.

He said Veco implemented this after receiving complaints from blind persons who were fooled by their companions about the actual amount to be paid in their bill.

The Veco customer service center in SM City where bills are paid  to well- trained uniformed attendants in a clean, air-conditinoed, well-designed lounge is also a first in the country for utilties.

Lacson said the transfer from the previous cramped payment center along Manalili Street in downtown Cebu City enhanced convenience for Veco customers./BenCyrus G. Ellorin, Dennis Singson and Tito Tan