DAVAO CITY—Aboitiz-led Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. is aiming to transfer 7.5 kilometers of overhead power lines in Davao underground by 2029 in a bid to make the city “wire-free,” the company announced last week.
Prince Rainier Yamyamin, who heads the underground cabling project for Davao Light, told reporters that the power firm had so far completed the conversion of 2 km of power lines, or around 25 percent of the total project area.
The project is part of Davao Light’s compliance with a 2017 city ordinance that required it and telecommunication companies to implement the Davao City underground cabling plan that covers CM Recto, San Pedro, C. Bangoy Sr., Bonifacio, Pelayo and E. Quirino Streets, as well as R. Magsaysay Avenue.
Priority areas
“The target areas under this ordinance are under the ‘Kadayawan Route.’ The majority of these streets are the highlight areas during major Kadayawan events … These areas were chosen based on their historic and economic significance,” Yamyamin said, referring to the city’s annual thanksgiving festival that draws thousands of tourists.
Davao Light is currently at the second phase of its project, which covers R. Magsaysay Avenue, and aims to complete the entire stretch by the first quarter of 2025.
The project was originally set for completion in 2020 as required by City Ordinancce No. 0152-17, but Yamyamin noted that the pilot implementation along CM Recto and San Pedro Streets from 2017 to 2022 unveiled certain challenges, including road obstructions and right-of-way negotiations.
“That’s why we have a new forecast for the completion, and this was approved by the city,” he said.
Challenges
“We also had to adjust the schedule because of the pandemic. One of the main factors is right of way, as some property owners are no longer staying in Davao City … We need to get in touch with them, as we cannot just touch their property,” Yamyamin added.
While the ordinance only required the companies to implement underground cabling in selected areas, Yamyamin remained optimistic that it would be extended to cover the entire city, especially since it had started to attract investors due to technical measures in place to address the impact of floods and earthquakes.
Transferring the power lines underground employs a “semi-direct” burying method, through which Davao Light excavates parts of the road, lays out conduits, and inserts cables for the primary and secondary lines buried under sidewalks.
According to Davao Light president and chief operating officer Rodger Velasco, the company had set aside around P200 million to P250 million from its P2.4-billion capital expenditure this year for the project.
Davao Light is expected to earmark the same amount next year to “catch up on prepandemic delays,” he said. INQ