City officials recently requested the City Engineering Office (CEO), the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO), Inc. and all telecommunication companies operating in the city to consider installing cables underground.
Under Resolution No. 735, series of 2023, city legislators stated that in support to promoting tourism and achieving the smart city goal of the city government, an underground cabling system will offer the residents and tourists alike breathable and clear view of the city’s natural surroundings to appreciate, including its architectural structures that are long been hidden and obstructed by dangling wires.
The council tasked the concerned offices of the city government to conduct a comprehensive study on the feasibility of installing underground cables or electricity networks to contribute to the city’s development and safety.
Earlier, the body considered SCOFAD Proposed Resolution No. 02-23 introduced by Senior Citizen Councilor Martina N. Olais that requested the City Engineering Office and BENECO and all telecommunication companies in the city to consider installing cables underground and SOFAD Proposed Resolution No. 13-23 introduced by Scout Councilor Sophia Alessia Mari L. Valencia that respectfully requested the city government to conduct a study on the possibility of establishing an underground electricity network in the city.
According to the council, the open cabling network in the city is vulnerable to calamities such as earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides which affect the surroundings and damage electrical poles.
Further, the said overhead cables and wires crisscrossing the streets and thoroughfares are not only unsightly messy and eye sores but also pose environmental hazards affecting people’s health and safety.
The council pointed out that the advantage of underground cabling compared to overhead lines aside from being far more pleasing to the eyes, will free up spaces to be used to construct roads and sidewalks that are being occupied by electrical poles.
Moreover, an underground cabbing system is safe from the onslaught of natural and human-induced disasters that strike anytime. By Dexter A. See
