A bill mandating electricity distribution, cable, and telecommunications companies to take full responsibility for the safety, maintenance, and orderly management of overhead power and communications lines was overwhelmingly passed on third and final reading at the House of Representatives.

Approved during plenary session Wednesday, Feb. 19 to the tune of 223 affirmative votes was House Bill (HB) No. 7565 or the proposed Safe Overhead Electric Distribution, Cable, and Communications Lines Act.

The measure imposes fines of up to P2 million on repeat offenders who fail to comply with inspection, clean-up and safety standards.

House Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos, one of the principal authors of the HB No.7565, said the measure squarely addresses long-standing safety hazards in communities across the country.

“This bill makes it clear that utilities cannot simply leave hazardous wires hanging above our streets. They have the responsibility to maintain safe, orderly and compliant systems because public safety must always come first,” Marcos said.

“We are setting uniform standards and meaningful penalties so that compliance becomes the norm, not the exception. This is about protecting lives, safeguarding property and ensuring that our infrastructure keeps pace with development,” added the presidential son.

Under HB No. 7565, utilities are required to conduct periodic inspections, remove dangling and unused wires, bundle and secure active lines, replace damaged or leaning poles, and ensure proper clearances in accordance with the Philippine Electrical Code. This places the burden squarely on service providers to protect life and property.

Companies found violating the law will face escalating penalties, with fines ranging from P250,000 to P500,000 for a first offense, P500,000 to P1,000,000 for a second offense, and P1,000,000 to P2,000,000 for third and succeeding offenses.

The bill had earlier hurdled the House Committees on Energy and on Information and Communications Technology. It then breezed through plenary for its second approval, which reflected the broad support for stronger regulatory standards amid public concern over hazardous cable clutter and unsafe utility poles in urban and rural areas.

The measure also institutionalizes regular and systematic inspections by requiring electricity distribution, cable and telecommunications firms to undertake periodic audits of their overhead lines and to coordinate clean-up and rehabilitation activities within their service areas.

To strengthen enforcement at the local level, the bill mandates the creation of a monitoring and service team in every city and municipality, which will conduct semi-annual inspections, oversee removal of unused cables and monitor the replacement of defective poles and unsafe installations.

Local government units (LGUs) are likewise given a central role in ensuring compliance, with authority to pass implementing ordinances within 60 days from the effectivity of the implementing rules and regulations and to withhold or deny the renewal of business permits of non-compliant utilities operating within their jurisdiction.

At the national level, the measure creates an iInter-agency committee to be chaired by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). It will be composed of key government agencies and LGU representatives tasked to set uniform standards, coordinate nationwide clean-up efforts and monitor adherence to safety requirements.

The bill also encourages the joint use of poles and utility structures to reduce visual clutter and improve efficiency--subject to safety and engineering standards--as well as rationalize the growing web of overhead lines in densely populated areas.