Metro Manila LGUs urged to remove dangling wires in streets

CRACKDOWN. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting chair Romando Artes holding a picture of a utility pole that fell due to a mass of dangling wires in a meeting of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Tuesday (June 18, 2024). Artes said the MMC has approved in principle a resolution calling on local government units to pass their ordinances that control the regulation and maintenance of utility lines as well as the removal of wires that are not in use. (Photo: MMDA/Facebook)

MANILA – The Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Tuesday approved in principle a resolution calling for the regulation and monitoring of utility lines as well as the removal of dangling and “spaghetti” cables in all streets in the National Capital Region (NCR).

During the MMC meeting at the MMDA head office in Pasig City, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting chair Romando Artes said MMDA Resolution 24-16 Series of 2024 urges local government units (LGUs) in NCR to pass an ordinance for the control and maintenance of these utility lines.

“Noong isang araw ay may bumagsak na poste dahil sa salasalabat na wire at nagdulot ng mabigat na trapiko. Walang nakadaan dahil nakaharang sa daan. Kailangan nang maiwasan ang ganito para hindi na umabot sa pagkawala ng buhay (The other day, a utility post fell down due to these spaghetti wires that caused heavy traffic. Nobody was able to pass. We need to avoid such occurrences and not wait for it to take a life),” Artes said.

During the meeting, executives from power distributor Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said these wires cannot easily be removed due to the difficulty of identifying which wires are non-operational.

“Temporary disruption of services which results in complaints from affected residents are also among their challenges,” he said.

To alleviate these issues, Artes said an information drive will be launched to warn residents of any service disruptions that may happen before the removal of these unnecessary wires.

“This long-standing malady needs to be immediately addressed and remedied as a measure of efficient and effective governance for the promotion of the general welfare of the people,” he said.

The resolution also seeks to improve the coordination between LGUs and utility providers such as Meralco on the removal of these dangling wires.