BAGUIO CITY – The Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) expressed its support to the local government for issuing the necessary directive to the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) building permits for structures exceeding three meters in height situated near and under the transmission lines of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
In his letter to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, BENECO General Manager Gerardo P. Verzosa stated that like NGCP, the electric cooperative continuously urged its member-consumers to refrain from erecting their houses and other structures below its distribution lines considering the danger that the public will be exposed.
He pointed out that the directive of the local chief executive is timely since the NGCP’s 69 kV transmission system that traverses Calot, Sablan to Beckel, La Trinidad supplies not less than 9% of BENECO’s power requirement. Any untoward incident that results to interruption in the said transmission line will affect most consumers and inconvenience them during power interruptions within its franchise area.
Earlier, Domogan directed the CBAO to cease and desist from issuing building permits to owners of houses and other high-rise structures located near or under the power transmission lines of the NGCP considering the danger it poses to the occupants of the structures.
The NGCP had been constantly issuing advisories for the public to refrain from constructing houses and other structures near or under the company’s transmission lines because of the extreme danger posed to the people living in the said areas and to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that will result to the loss of lives and damage to properties.
“We appreciate your being sensitive to the concerns of the power industry,” Verzosa stated in his letter.
Aside from the non-issuance of building permits to applicants of houses and structures near or under the NGCP transmission lines and BENECO distribution lines, the local government is also contemplating on finding the appropriate solution to dismantle the existing houses and structures situated in the concerned areas to guarantee the protection of the public.
Domogan underscored that the main concern, not only of the public utility companies but also the local government, is the safety of the public. The directive was issued to the CBAO to stop issuing building permits to existing and future applicants of houses and structures near or under the transmission and distribution lines.
He urged his constituents not to compromise their safety by waiting for any untoward incident before learning not to lessons build houses or structures in the areas that pose risk to public safety. The best solution to the problem is to stay away from the declared danger areas to reduce exposure to the danger and prevent the waste of money used for to build such structures only for it to be dismantled because of the identified violations.
By Dexter A. See
