Manila replaces ‘marshmallow’ lights

Manila’s “chopsuey” and “marshmallow” street lights have been replaced by LED lights of a standard height and color—25-feet-high and white.

A statement released by the camp of Mayor Joseph Estrada said he led the ceremonial lighting of 94 new lampposts worth P5.4 million last Wednesday.

“What I want is brightness, not darkness. Now it is quite bright here and that is what we want,” he told residents of Dagupan and Moriones Streets in Tondo.

A total of 1,054 street lights were installed from March 14, 2015 to March 14 this year on 37 roads and barangay streets, covering a span of 18.26 kilometers. This included portions of Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, Vito Cruz, Quirino Avenue and UN Avenue.

In the statement, Lorenzo Alconera, chief of the City Electrical Division, said that they gave priority to crime-prone areas, dimly-lit barangay streets and places frequented by tourists such as Ermita.

He added that the city purchased 92-watt white LED bulbs that were “more economical but efficient, unlike the power-consuming ones used by the previous administration.”

According to Alconera, the old streetlights “contributed much to the P613 million in unpaid electricity bills inherited by Mayor Estrada when he assumed office in 2013.”

He referred to these as “chopsuey” and “marshmallow” as they were not of a standard height and color.

“The mayor doesn’t want  ‘chopsuey’—different types of streetlights. He also doesn’t like colorful lampposts. He calls them ‘marshmallow,’” Alconera said.

He added: “What he wants are standard streetlights, the tall ones used in most countries, not just the decorative type.” Aie Balagtas See