BAGUIO CITY – The City Council referred back to the Committee on Public Utilities, Traffic and Transport Legislation pertinent documents in relation to the request of Upper Market Subdivision barangay for the immediate relocation of a 60-meter Globe tower that was constructed in a residential area over two decades ago.
The Committee was tasked to look into all angles of the request as the Globe Telecom filed a motion with the local legislative body seeking the reconsideration of Resolution No. 239, series of 2008 that supported the request of the barangay for the immediate relocation of its tower.
The Committee was mandated to look into the health issues raised by the residents wherein a number of people living within the area of the tower reportedly succumbed to breath, stomach, ovarian cancers over the past several years pinpointing to the existence of the tower as the primary culprit that triggered their illnesses or worsened them.
Further, concerned residents called on the local legislative body to consider also the safety angle because the occurrence of a strong earthquake might cause the tower to collapse and imperil lives and property.
It will be recalled that the Barangay Council of Upper Market Subdivision endorsed the put up of the 60-meter Globe tower in their barangay sometime in 1996 but the barangay then revoked their endorsement sometime in 1999 after a petition from concerned residents over the alleged health and safety hazards posed by the purely metal structure.
The members of the Committee will decide in the coming weeks whether or not to invite all parties, including their technical personnel, for the conduct of an ocular inspection in the site to ascertain its stability to withstand an earthquake.
Lawyer Solgrandioso David, Jr., head of Globe Telecom’s government regulatory compliance, regulatory compliance division and corporate and legal services, said it was able to comply with all the pertinent requirements for the put up of the tower over two decades ago and the health issues being raised by the concerned residents were addressed that is why the company is wondering why such similar issues crop up.
The City Council will set a future hearing on the matter inviting, among others, experts from the health department to shed light on the issue of radiation being emitted by the tower that allegedly poses a serious threat to the health of the people in the surrounding areas.
David claimed the health issues against their tower could be well clarified by health experts who were able to conduct numerous studies both in the international and local scenes on whether or not the radiation being emitted by the radio waves from their tower is detrimental to the health of the people living in the surrounding areas of the tower.
He said Globe will comply with whatever action of the local legislative body but warned mobile phone users that their signal in the central business district area will be compromised once they will remove the tower based in Upper Market Subdivision.
By Dexter A. See