Pasig Vice Mayor Robert “Dodot” Jaworski Jr. urged telecommunication and electric companies to take responsibility for clearing and disposing of dangling wires and fixing substandard utility posts within the city to ensure public safety.

In the regular City Council session on Monday, Aug. 14, the city council approved, on second reading, a resolution and an ordinance regarding the issue. They are Resolution No. 338-2023, principally authored by Councilors Pao Santiago, Kiko Rustia, and Volta Delos Santos; and Ordinance No. 121-2023, authored by Pao Santiago and sponsored by all members of the council.

Resolution No. 338-2023 seeks to formally “urge all telcos and electric companies to correct all dangling utility wires and substandard utility posts within the city of Pasig and for other purposes.”

Meanwhile, Ordinance No. 121-2023 aims to “create a task force to regulate and monitor the existing installation of poles and distribution lines, and ensure proper and safe maintenance of every power and electricity-generating company, telecommunications, community cable antennas, and television utilities within Pasig City.”

Jaworski shared that his support for these policies originated upon seeing neglected clumps of wires on streets, barely hanging on unstable posts that are close to toppling over, during his daily morning visits with other city officials to barangays through the “Oplan Kaayusan” initiative.

“Kaya ko po ito itinulak na mabigyan ng pansin sapagkat, ako’y naniniwala na pag ikaw ay nagnegosyo, lalo na sa isang pinagbibigyan ng franchise ng ating pamahalaan, ay may responsibilidad na kaakibat ito. Kumikita at pinagpeperahan ng mga telcos ang ating mga mamayanan. Responsibilidad nila na linisin ang basura na kanilang iniiwan (I brought this issue to the attention of the council because, I believe that if one does business, especially where the local government gives the company franchise licenses, there is a responsibility attached to it. Telcos earn a lot from our citizens. It is their responsibility to clean the waste they have left),” said Jaworski.  

The dangling wires and faulty posts pose dangerous, even fatal, threats to the public since, the vice mayor noted, children can sometimes be seen playing with the wires, and pedestrians can be hurt and properties may be damaged if the posts completely collapse.

“Tayo ay nakikiusap sa kanila na ‘gawin ninyo ang inyong trabaho nang maayos.’ Tayo ganoon din.  Gawin natin ang trabaho natin. Hayaan natin silang magbigay ng mga serbisyong pangtelekomunikasyon, pero not at the expense of the public (We are asking them to do their jobs properly. Same for us. We will do our jobs. We let them conduct and provide telecommunication services, but not at the expense of the public),” he added.

Amid the city council’s discussions and meetings with the private sector regarding this issue, Jaworski also reminded the councilors to stand firm in their convictions and to not be afraid of the companies and their lawyers.

“Huwag niyong ipasa ang karapatan at kapangyarihan ninyo na gumawa ng lokal na batas dahil sa mga salita ng mga abogado. Hayaan niyo silang dalhin ang ating mga nais na gawing pagproprotekta sa ating mamayanan sa korte. Kayo ay nandito para pangalagaan at protektahan ang interes ng ating mamamayan (Do not pass on your power to legislate just because of some sweet words of lawyers. Let them bring our objective to protect our citizens to the court. We’re here to protect the people’s interest),” he said.

As co-author of the aforementioned resolution, Councilor Delos Santos said that the committee hearings on the resolution and ordinance were long and thorough. As images of bulks of dangling wires on Pasig’s streets were shown, many inquiries were adequately answered, but other aspects were unsatisfactory to the council.

“Sabi ko po, kapag magpapakabit po ang isang subscriber, napakabilis po. Sinasabi nila mula sa poste papunta sa bahay lang ang kanilang responsibilidad. Pero kapag pinutol na, kasi wala na silang pakinabang sa mga wire na yon, ay pinapabayaan na po (I said, when a subscriber wants to install a line, they respond quickly. They say that the line from the post to the residence of their customers are their only responsibility. However, if the service is cut, and they don’t have any use for the wires they installed, it is neglected),” he recalled in one of the hearings.

Delos Santos said he and his fellow local government officials also asked telco representatives, who were present during the meetings, to take responsibility for disposing of the wires.  

“Naaayon din po pala sa batas na dapat po pag hindi na ginagamit ang mga wire ay nire-retire na pala nila ito, at mayroon rin silang pananagutan sa batas (It is also according to the law that if wires are no longer of use, they must be retired, and [the telcos] are liable),” he said.

According to Section 8 of Republic Act No. 11361, series of  2019, or the Anti-Obstruction of Power Lines Act, “the owner or operator of power lines shall have the primary duty and responsibility to remove power line obstructions.”

If the power line corridors are on public property or on property they own, the power line operators have “the right to enter the property to prevent and remove any power line obstructions to conduct maintenance and inspection; repair or restoration; trimming, pruning, cutting or clearing for growing plants with due notice to the proper government agencies; remove, dismantle, or demolish infrastructure with due notice as well,” according to Section 7.

If the affected areas are on private property, the property owner is held responsible for informing the power line operators of the obstructions, and be assisted in the necessary procedures. 

The owner or operator of the power lines can seek help and assistance from the local government or the police in conducting these activities, as per the law.

Ordinary citizens, especially those living in congested areas and narrow alleys and lanes or “eskenitas,” are the people mostly affected by this problem, he remarked.  

“Kung nakakaligtaan na po ito, hinihiling ko po na mai-refer rin po ito sa kongreso, para mapaalalahanan sila na marami na rin po, baka buong kapuluan na po ng Pilipinas, ang may problema nito, at mabigyan ng pangil ang batas (If this is being overlooked, I ask that perhaps we can also refer this to the Congress, to remind [companies] that many areas across the country have this same problem, and to use the power of the law),” Delos Santos added.

The issue of “spaghetti wires” and corroded utility posts have been ongoing for years. However, they have recently caught public attention after three people were injured when five electric posts and three telco posts fell in Binondo, Manila on Aug. 3.

This incident prompted Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. to call for an investigation on the fallen poles, and direct the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to coordinate with private electric companies in their maintenance operations.

A few days later, two other electric posts in Tondo, Manila were reportedly seen close to collapse on Aug. 7.

In response, the Pasig local government, BFP-Pasig, and the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) have teamed up to inspect the wires and posts in some barangays in the city.