The city council has once again requested the Department of Public Works and Highways, Benguet Electric Cooperative, Inc., and other utility companies to remove or relocate obstructive electric poles, dangling cable wires, and other obstructions within the national government’s right-of-way in preparation for road-widening and other related projects in the city.
The resolution is a follow-up to a resolution passed in August 2021 which requested all utility companies in the city to remove all their installed posts that obstruct the sidewalks.
The deadline for the removal or relocation of obstructive facilities has already lapsed in December 2019. However, the resolution noted that a number of utility poles still remain in the right-of-way, raising public safety concerns.
Citing the experience of John Paredes, president of the Pines City Federation of Persons with Disability, some sidewalks are not safe for non-sighted individuals as they are obstructed by utility poles, parked cars, and other objects.
The council said electric poles and other obstructions must be removed or relocated to avoid traffic, vehicular road accidents, and untoward incidents that may be experienced by motorists and passersby.
Section 13 of Department of Energy-DPWH Joint Circular 1, s. 2017 provides that the National Electrification Administration and an electric cooperative shall remove and relocate any improperly located pole in a government’s right-of-way, subject to payment of compensation. – Jordan G. Habbiling
April 27, 2024
