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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
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■16 JUL 19 P6:05
SENATE
S. No.615
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Introduced by Sen. Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV
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AN ACT
REQUIRING ALL FRANCHISE GRANTEES USING WIRES AND CABLES IN THE 
OPERATION OF THEIR BUSINESS WITHIN THE PHILIPPINES TO PLACE 
THEIR WIRE AND CABLE CONNECTIONS UNDER THE GROUND, PROVIDING 
PENALTIES THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
When super typhoon Yolanda slammed into the central part of the country, government 
officials located therein were unreachable, and the aforesaid affected areas were completely 
disconnected from the outside world. In the aftermath of the storm, one of the most pressing 
needs which require urgent action, is the restoration of power, as "90 percent of power poles 
are down and washed away,”1 with "248 transmission towers and 198 poles either toppled or 
broken, and 120 poles leaning.'"2 As the government and service providers struggle to restore 
electricity and communications, the feasibility and urgency of placing wire and cable 
connections underground, once more, surface into prominence.
Power outage is not a unique consequence of typhoon Yolanda. The country is met with 
natural disasters with frightening regularity. A large number of prolonged power outages are 
caused by these severe weather disturbances. Moreover, live wires and toppled power poles 
in the streets due to the same can pose grave threat to the safety of the people. TTius, year in 
and year out, time and resources are spent on the repair, maintenance and replacement of the 
damaged poles, wires and transformers. Add to these arcs the tangible and intangible impacts 
of extended outages such as unrest, discomfort, and lost economic activity among affected 
population.
In other countries, "concerns about the reliability of overhead lines, increases in their 
maintenance and operating eosts and issues of public safety and quality of life arc leading 
more and more utilities and municipalities to the realization that converting overhead 
distribution lines to underground is the best way to provide high quality service to their 
customers."3 In the country, a city ordinance to move power lines underground was passed by
1 P o w e r re s to ra tio n  in ty p h o o n -h it areas m ay ta k e  2 m o n th s . Iris G onzales (The P h ilip p in e  Star) I U p d a te d  
N o v e m b e r 11, 201 3  - 1 2 :0 0 a m . Accessed fro m
h ttp ://w w w .p h ils ta r.e o m /h e a d lin e s /2 0 0 3 /ll/ll/1 2 5 5 3 1 4 /D w e r-re s to ra tio n -tv p h o o n -h it-a re a s -m a v -ta k e -2 -
m o n th s  on  1 1 /2 4 /2 0 1 3
2 Per N a tio n a l G rid C o rp o ra tio n  o f th e  P h ilip p in e s. Leyte a n d  S a m a r islands s till w ith o u t p o w e r days a fte r 
Y olanda s u p e r ty p h o o n . N o v e m b e r 1 3 ,1 0 1 3  2 :09  am . Accessed fro m
h ttp ://w w w .g m a n e tw o rk /c o m /n e w s /s to rv /3 3 5 1 4 7 /n e w s /n a tio n /le v te -s a m a r-is la n d s -s till-w ith o u t-p o w e r- 
d a v s -a fte r-v o la n d a -s u p e r-tv p h o o n  o n  1 1 /2 4 /2 0 1 3
3 C o n ve rtin g  o ve rh e a d  u tilitie s  to  u n d e rg ro u n d . Accessed fro m  h ttp ://w w w .g o v e rn o r.m a ry la n d .g o v  
/  d o c u m e n ts / e O v e rh e a T o U n d e rg ro u n d ,p d f on  1 1 /2 0 /2 0 1 3 .