Dangling utility cables can still be seen along Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City.
(CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
The Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) said it will adopt temporary remedies to address dangling wires like those that led to the collapse of utility poles that claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy and injured two middle-aged women this month.
In yesterday’s 888 News Forum, Jill Verallo, Veco reputation enhancement department head, said they asked barangay officials to deploy tanods to keep people and vehicles away from posts with dangling wires.
“We will do a temporary remedy and we will call whoever owns the cables to address the concern. But if we see that a temporary fix is not viable, we should be allowed to cut it (the sagging wire),” she said.
A 13-year-old boy, Ralph Bureros, died after a roadside PLDT post fell on a barbecue stand and broke into pieces, impaling him and injuring two girls in barangay Tinago, Cebu City last July 7.
Two women were injured after a boom truck snagged utility wires, pulling down another PLDT pole in Apas barangay Lahug, Cebu City last Saturday.
Some poles carry a combination of wires and cables owned by Veco and telecommunication companies, making it difficult for laymen to identify who owns the dangling or spaghetti wires.
READ: Utility firms ‘insensitive’, need to fix dangling wires | Council tells utilities: Explain unresolved ‘spaghetti wires’ problem
Verallo said Veco sat down with officials of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. last week to revisit their pole sharing agreement.
“We discussed with them and asked is there something we can do because right now our contract prevents us from touching their wires,” she said.
While no final agreements was reached, Verallo said Veco proposed to PLDT that they will find means to fix the dangling wires while they verify who owns them.
They will then refer the matter to the utility firm.
“We are requesting that they will allow us to cut the wire if it cannot be resolved. We are looking at it every day. We will update the public each time there is a development on our part,” Verallo said.
Engr. Louie Collera of Veco said Veco is working to transfer electric wires underground at least 1.6 to 2 meters deep.
Most Veco wires are still mounted on poles that are sturdy and follow specifications of the National Structural Poles in the Philippines, he said.
Collera said Veco poles installed on highways can sustain 1,000 kilograms of weight. The 45-feet tall poles can carry an additional 30 percent of its ideal load capacity of 1,000 kilograms.
Verallo said utility wires tend to sag when the posts become congested.
She said utility firms are supposed to conduct constant maintenance so their wires don’t inconvenience road users.
She said Veco wires are mounted higher than utility wires of telcos. Verallo said most of the wires that sag and get snagged by passing vehicles are not owned by Veco but by other utility firms.
Verallo said Veco poles also have metal tags with the pole number on it for proper identification./UP Cebu Intern Mary Claire U. Catado
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