Iloilo extends deadline to clear overhead wires

ILOILO CITY — Public utility companies have been granted an extension until the end of April 2025 to remove their overhead wires and cables along Diversion Road or Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue.

NO DANGLING WIRES Calle Real, also known as JM Basa Street, is free from overhead utility wires on Jan. 13, 2025, after public utility providers have undertaken a significant project to remove hanging wires and place them underground. PHOTO BY RJAY ZURIAGA CASTOR

The new deadline is a three-month extension from the initial Jan. 16 cutoff set by the city government.

The adjustment was made after utility providers requested additional time to comply with Regulation Ordinance 2023-006, which mandates the underground placement of utility cables in key areas such as plaza complexes, heritage sites and major thoroughfares in the city.

"I understand that some companies may need additional time to address this matter properly," said Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas in a statement on Monday.

On Monday, the city government met with the public utility companies to secure their commitment to clearing the overhead wires along Diversion road.

Treñas, however, clarified that companies who failed to submit a formal letter of request for extension will have their wires dismantled by the City Engineer's Office (CEO).

"I have tasked Francis Cruz, the co-chairman of the Public Utilities Group in Iloilo, to work with the CEO to walk through, identify, and remove any unaccounted-for lines," he added.

The city mayor cited the need to clear the "clotheslines of the utility companies" as they are "unsightly" in the 14-kilometer stretch of Benigno Aquino Avenue.

This initiative follows the successful clearing of overhead wires along Calle Real or JM Basa Street, a heritage zone celebrated for its well-preserved colonial-era architecture from the Spanish and American periods.