Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan told SunStar Cebu Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, that he already instructed the City Engineering Office to inspect the areas if the telecommunication companies have complied with his order before giving them a clearance.
Chan noted telecommunication companies have so far cleared the spaghetti or entangled wires along the streets of Barangays Buaya and Mactan.
“They can renew if they comply with the other areas. They need to not just focus on one area but all areas of the city, including main throughfares such as the Basak area,” Chan said in Cebuano.
Last year, the mayor gave telcos an ultimatum or until Dec. 16, 2022, telling them that it has been almost a year since the onslaught of Typhoon Odette (Rai), and yet entangled wires can still be seen in the city.
Chan said the presence of spaghetti wires in some parts of the city had caused traffic incidents, some of which resulted in the death of several individuals.
Telcos’ response
In a statement sent to SunStar Cebu Wednesday, Jan. 4, a representative of Globe Telecom said they continue to support Chan’s call for a collective effort to clean up spaghetti wires in the city as they believe that it is a matter of public safety.
“We have been undertaking a series of joint clean-up activities with other service and utility providers in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette. In Q4 of 2022, Globe also ramped up its efforts and engaged its teams in 24/7 clearing operations as part of its regular maintenance activities,” said Patrick Gloria, Globe Telecom’s director for external affairs-Visayas and Mindanao.
Gloria assured that they are doing their best to address such concerns and provide updates to the local government officials regarding the initiative.
Meanwhile, PLDT and Smart Corporate Communications Group head Cathy Yang earlier said they will heed to the mayor’s call, assuring the latter that they are taking the matter seriously.
Yang said there are two PLDT teams dedicated for the initiative.
In a statement, officials of telco firm Converge also assured the city government of their full cooperation in the clearing operations, saying they have removed all unnecessary cables in their operating vicinity soon after the typhoon exited Central Visayas. /