Underground cabling project green-lighted

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City is set to move forward with its long-awaited underground cabling project following the go signal from Mayor Raymond Garcia.

“WE are going UNDERGROUND!” exclaimed Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the City Council’s Technical Infrastructure Committee and overseer of the city's infrastructure projects, in a Facebook post. Guardo, who authored the city ordinance on underground cabling, confirmed that Garcia had approved the commencement of the project.

According to Guardo, the mayor has ordered Fibernet Konstruction Company (FKC) to begin laying underground cable wires along major thoroughfares in Cebu City. The contractor has been instructed to secure the necessary permits immediately to facilitate a swift start to the project.

In an interview with The Freeman yesterday, Guardo revealed that FKC has already conducted an ocular inspection of the pilot area for the project.

“Ganina, nag-ocular inspection na mi sa katong contractor/supplier together sa mga representatives sa mga telcos diri…Actually, kaila raman sila kay halos-halos kay daghan na sila’g projects sa Luzon, sila maoy nag-trabaho (FKC) unya ang kaning mother companies sa mga telcos diri, familiar na pud sila sa program,” he said.

The group carried out a walk-through of the proposed pilot area, personally identified by Mayor Garcia for the Proof of Concept (POC). The initial locations include the Heritage District in Plaza Sugbo, fronting Cebu City Hall and the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, as well as another site at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Based on the proposed POC route, the Heritage District pilot will span 1.3 kilometers, covering D. Jakosalem, MC Briones, and P. Burgos Streets. Guardo assured that this project would not interfere with the ongoing Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) link to the port component.

The SRP pilot area, meanwhile, will be significantly longer, with Phase 1 covering 12 kilometers around existing locator areas and Phase 2 extending 10 kilometers to areas yet to be occupied by locators.

“The contractor/supplier is expected to commence construction of the project in the first week of March. The project will be at No Cost to Cebu City,” Guardo stated.

The contractor plans to execute work on both areas simultaneously, deploying separate teams for each location.

“According sa ilaha, to put the underground lang, mahuman ni nila mga one month lang,” Guardo noted, adding that another month would be required for telecom companies to relocate overhead wires underground before presenting the results to the public.

“I-present ni unya sa public nga limpyo na…wala lay daghang wires makit-an unya sa Heritage District,” Guardo concluded.

The initiative aims to improve the city’s aesthetics and infrastructure by eliminating unsightly overhead cables while ensuring a more organized and efficient system for telecommunications and power distribution.