By Paulo Loreto Lim

After discussions between the Iloilo City government and the Iloilo Utility Group, an official from the Panay Electric Company, Inc. (PECO) said the removal of so-called “cable spaghetti,” or an excessive number of tangled cables, and electrical posts will begin next year.

“Dead wires along JM Basa to Rizal Street, City Proper will be removed starting January 1, 2018,” said PECO Information Systems and Administrator Supervisor Marcelo Cacho. “We’ll also require all utilities to properly organize wires [on] poles through color coded tagging.”

Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III said the move is an effort to beautify the city.

“The city will look cleaner and more organized after working on the removal of poles in some areas and organizing the wires,” he explained.

Earlier this month, after speaking with representatives from PECO, Espinosa also suggested the installation of solar-powered streetlights.

The mayor explained he would prefer to have streetlights that did not require electrical cables, noting the potential for fire incidents and to dissuade city residents from hanging their clothes from cables./PLL, WDJ