2 streets next targets of underground cabling

Following the inauguration of Davao City’s first underground distribution system (UDS) at the City Hall Complex yesterday, the City Government is eyeing to expand the experimental project in streets of San Pedro and C.M. Recto.
“We found out that it is possible to put all the wires underground without disrupting motorists and pedestrians,” city administrator J. Melchor V. Quitain told reporters yesterday.
The project started in the second quarter of last year when Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. (DLPC) started with the excavation. The DLPC earmarked P70 million of the P108-million total project cost. Apart from the the power distribution lines of DLPC, the cable lines of Sky Cable,National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Davao City Water District (DCWD), PLDT-SMART, Globe Telecom, DC Tech, Abratique and Associates, and BayanTel were installed in the underground system.
However, Quitain said, an ordinance mandating all involved companies to be compliant should be passed to ensure the continuity and success of the project.
“With so many businesses opening in the city, there should be a proper system on the cable lines. The presence of overhead wires posts danger to establishments. It may cause fire,” Quitain said
Quitain said there still no timeline and details for the implementation of the second phase but he revealed that the UDS project will be implemented in five phases.
Quitain expressed his gratitude to original proponent Davao light and Power Co. Inc. (DLPC) for taking the initiative.
Meanwhile, DLPC executive vice president and chief operating officer Arturo M. Milan told Edge Davao yesterday that the firm is waiting for the final recommendation from the Wires and Cables technical team (WAC) which is behind the underground cabling project.
Milan said the recommendation of the working group will be endorsed to the City Council for the passage of an ordinance.
The WAC is set to meet before the month ends to discuss the plan of expanding the pilot project in other areas in the city and its technical evaluation.
The WAC was created through the Executive Order No. 2 series of 2015 signed by Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte Januray last year based on Ordinance No. 0177 – 14 series of 2014 which states that “all electrical and telecommunication wires and cables within the vicinity of City Hall and the City Council will be placed underground”.
WAC is composed of the City Building Official, City Council Committee Chair Communication and Transportation, City Drainage Management Unit, City Planning and Development Unit, Public Safety and Security Command Center, Davao City Water District, PLDT, Globe, Sky Cable, BayanTel among others. CHENEEN R. CAPON