The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in District 1 has allocated P18 million for the much-delayed relocation of Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) electric posts and utility poles that have been affected by road widening projects.
Engr. Amelia Fajardo, DPWH District 1 officer, said that PALECO utility posts that are mostly affected are those in the municipalities of Roxas and El Nido.
“May pondo tayo dyan at naiirelease na sa kanila ang advance payment. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali ay noong August ‘yon. Ang alam kung apekatado ng road widening sa Roxas and El Nido,” Fajardo said in an online press briefing.
Previously, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan urged the DPWH and PALECO to relocate electrical posts and utility poles that remain standing in the middle of national highways in the province, citing a rising number of vehicular accidents involving motorists crashing into them.
Board member Cherry Pie Acosta, who authored the board’s resolution on the matter, cited “numerous complaints” she has received and recalled a recent incident where a motorist died after crashing into an electric post in Roxas town.
“We keep on passing resolutions, pero hindi nakikita ng mga tao ang implementasyon. How many lives will be lost if these electrical posts will not be removed?” Acosta said.
She said many of the posts remain in hazardous road areas because they have not yet been removed as part of the provincial government’s road-widening efforts particularly in some areas of Roxas, such as barangays Magara and Tinitian.
“Maganda ang mga efforts sa road widening, but if we do not give due attention sa isyu ng mga kalsada natin, it is useless,” she added.
However, PALECO said that is not keen on shouldering the cost of relocating electric posts affected by certain government projects and are usually shouldered by the consumers who are seeking replacements of posts.
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