Public utilities team up to free city from ‘spaghetti wires’

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

Public utilities spent hours to discuss ways how to finally rid the streets and skyline of Iloilo City of sagging and tangled wires or commonly referred to as “spaghetti wires.”

Initiated by MORE Power-Iloilo, the gathering of influential minds resulted in the organization of Public Utilities Group of Iloilo (PUGI), which includes major players in the city’s public utility business.

PUGI’s creation was announced by Engr. Randy Pastolero, Executive Assistant for Power to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas. He represented the city government in the collaborative meeting with executives of public utilities here.

Pastolero said the group agreed to spearhead the removal of “spaghetti wires” along major thoroughfares and public plazas in the city.

PUGI is composed of two teams. Team 1 is in charge of the removal and installation of facilities while Team 2 will focus on wire installation and dead wire removal.

“These two teams will report directly to the city government of Iloilo. Assisting me will be my co-member, Engr. Mars Umahag, and together we will keep the Mayor abreast of all the output,” Pastolero said.

PUGI also seeks to help the city beautify major thoroughfares and public plazas by eliminating the tangled eyesores.

“The group will allocate five days each week to remove the excess and redundant wires in all six districts of the city. You will definitely see significant changes on the main roads in the city,” Pastolero said.

The group also aims to free all plazas of electric poles.

“Plazas should be free from poles. We will do this gradually. All redundant poles and wires will be removed,” Pastolero added.

Since each utility company has an assigned task in the campaign, it is expected that the repair and removal of cables and spaghetti wires will go on as scheduled without hitches.

The linemen and equipment that MORE Power assigned exclusively for the project is expected to boost the implementation of the project while ensuring that the rearranged cable and communication lines will not only be pleasing to the eyes, but secure to protect the public.

“This is a project of Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas. He really wants to get rid of the unsightly poles and wires to set a standard. Iloilo City has to either be a cut above the rest or at par with other cities in the region and the country. This problem is happening everywhere. We will be doing this in Iloilo City so others will see that it can be done,” Pastolero said.

 

ALL-OUT SUPPORT

The project has generated support from cable TV and telecom companies operating in the city.

“We commit to the enhancement project of our city mayor for the development of our city,” said Engr. Stephen Daquita of SkyCable.

Dane Macapagal of Smart-PLDT said that PLDT and Smart share PUGI’s commitment.

“We are moving forward to align our services with that of the local government’s vision of a finer-looking city,” Macapagal said.

“Our support is all the way; together we shall rid Iloilo City of blemishes,” added Engr. Job Gimay of Globe Telecom.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas expressed his gratitude for the initiative, saying he was “so elated” with the organization of PUGI and the launching of its initial project.

“I am extremely happy with the program of MORE Power and the telecom companies together with Task Force Alambre. They were able to clean our plazas and streets of excess posts and wires. The Muelle Esplanade is now really a sight to behold after they cleaned the area of tall posts and old wires. As for our plazas, they started in Plaza Libertad, where they removed all the poles. Our eventual plan is to rid all public plazas in the city of electric posts. I thank Task Force Alambre for continuously working despite the pandemic. It only goes to show that we really want to beautify our city,” Treñas said.

MORE Power president and CEO Roel Castro said the “spaghetti wires” will soon be a thing of the past.

“Aside from being eyesores, the old wooden poles or posts with messy dangling wires and cables endanger the life and property of the Ilonggos, so this project, aside from supporting the city government’s beautification endeavors, is really more about accident-prevention. We at MORE Power-Iloilo are beyond proud to be part of this undertaking,” Castro said.