City fails to shut down Globe cell site
Instead of actual deactivation of the Globe cell site in Sitio Calvary Hills, Barangay Apas, Cebu City, officials including Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella (2nd from left, in white barong) instead hold a ceremonial shutdown of the facility. There were no technical representatives from Globe who went to the site for the scheduled deactivation. (CDN PHOTO/JOSE SANTINO S. BUNACHITA)
Cebu City Hall failed to deactivate the cell site of Globe Telecommunications in Barangay Apas this morning.
Technical experts from Globe Telecom, who were expected to lead the scheduled deactivation, were a no show at the company’s cell tower in Sitio Calvary Hills.
As a result, the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement (Probe) team decided to instead padlock the gate of the facility, pasted a copy of the closure order on the gate, and cordoned the area with a yellow tape.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, Probe team leader Raquel Arce, National Telecommunications Communication-Central Visayas (NTC 7) Chief Legal Officer Alan Macaraya Jr., Barangay Apas officials and residents of Sitio Calvary Hills were present to witness in what turned out to be just a ceremonial closure.
“I will write Globe a very strongly worded demand letter for them to send technical people. If they still don’t, we will go to court,” Labella said.
He said he will send the letter within 2-5 days so that the actual deactivation can be rescheduled immediately.
Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman expressed dismay over the failure to deactivate the cell site, particularly since Globe representatives were present during the coordination meeting held last Friday and have agreed that they would shut down the cell site.
The Cebu city government has ordered both Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular to remove their cell sites in the barangay following strong public protests over possible health risks posed to the community by the radiation supposedly emanated by the cell towers.
Sun Cellular has however secured on Feb. 17 a 72-hour temporary restraining order from the Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 10, preventing the city government from deactivating the telecom’s cell site.
A hearing on the case filed by Sun Cellular against the city government will be heard by the court tomorrow.
Ayuman said he and the residents in his village will attend the hearing at 2 p.m.
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