Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) chief operating officer, Engineer Bernard Bailey del Castillo have initiated discussions on an initiative to relocate the city’s electrical and telecommunication cables underground.

This strategic move aligns with Benitez’s vision to elevate Bacolod into a “world-class Super City.”

The proposed project entails the underground placement of all cables along Lacson Street, encompassing telecommunication and Negros Power lines.

The implementation will leverage horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology, enabling conduit installation with minimal surface disruption, thereby reducing traffic disturbances and ensuring pedestrian safety.

Benitez expressed his displeasure with the current visible network of overhead cables, often described as “spaghetti wires,” which he perceives as unsightly.

The underground cabling endeavor aims to rectify this issue and enhance the visual aesthetics of the urban landscape.

Del Castillo outlined that the forthcoming underground cables will be custom-designed for subterranean settings, offering enhanced heat resistance and waterproofing properties compared to the current above-ground wires.

Despite a marginal increase in cable costs by about 2.5 percent, the overall expenditure is projected to be approximately tenfold higher than the existing overhead system, owing to the efficiency of the HDD machine.

Additionally, they aim to synchronize the installation of underground conduits with various telecommunications companies, enabling shared infrastructure usage to minimize expenses for each company.

In preparation for the project, Benitez and Del Castillo deliberated on the necessity of a city ordinance to establish the project’s legal framework and secure approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission.