Mandaue seeks control over skywalks, center islands

This skywalk along Plaridel street in Mandaue City was temporarly closed due to live dangling electrical wires that might endanger the passersby.(CDN PHOTO/FERDINAND EDRALIN)

THE Mandaue City government has requested the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to turn over to them the management and maintenance over all the skywalks and center islands in the city, as it wants to develop the structures for them to become assets in promoting the city’s tourism.

Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing said yesterday that they have already submitted the request to DPWH and once it would be approved, he would immediately put up light-emitting diode (LED) billboards on particular skywalks in the city that will flash helpful advisories to the public.

“We haven’t gotten any feedback from them (DPWH) yet, but we’d like to make sure that they are well maintained and presentable. Eventually, I’d like to use them to put up LED advisory boards,” Quisumbing told reporters.

The mayor intends to show traffic and weather advisories through the LED billboards as well as Mandaue’s advocacy and tourism videos, but they cannot do so at the moment because the Section 5 of Administrative Order No. 160 and Section 203 of the National Building Code of the Philippines prohibits the installation of billboards on any public-owned infrastructures.

On the other hand, the city government is planning to redevelop the center islands that have become weathered through time so they can become presentable once again.

“As with the center islands, many of them don’t look very nice. We want to make sure that we make them presentable. (But) limited atong involvement if they remain to be in the custody of the national government,” Quisumbing added.

Quisumbing, though, was optimistic that the DPWH will grant their request and allow them the free hand to administer the necessary developments they wish to do.

Once the request is approved, the city government will immediately begin the work.