REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Pangasinan Fifth District Representative 
HON. RAMON N. GUICO JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Amidst the country’s metropolitan sprawls, to the nooks and crannies of residential areas, and 
extending almost infinitely in our streets and roads, are distribution and transmission lines hanging 
overhead. These facilities, so sloppily arranged, have become synonymous with urban and industrial 
blight, and serves only to detract from the livability of our towns and cities. Moreover, aside from its 
unaesthetic appearance, these overhead facilities are also incredibly susceptible to the numerous 
typhoons that befall the country, including fires or road accidents, thus disrupting the provision of 
various services in critical circumstances. 
To address these problems, a solution often touted is the conversion of overhead facilities into 
underground ones. Undergrounding these distribution and transmission lines can beautify major 
roadways, residential and commercial areas, including public areas that hold significant historical or 
cultural value. Additionally, it can also elevate property values, lessen the visual impact of urban 
decay, and enhance service reliability. Suffice it to say, that underground facilities are expected to be a 
safer, more reliable, and aesthetically pleasing alternative to its overhead counterpart. 
Considering these, it is the intent of this representation to provide for the necessary rules and 
standards to facilitate the undergrounding of overhead facilities. Keeping in mind that undergrounding 
will be costly for both the service providers, local governments, and the utility ratepayers, strict and 
specific standards have been duly provided, and no such undergrounding will take place without prior 
consultation with the affected stakeholders and an ordinance mandating the same. 
The march of progress should be orderly and alluring. If we are to become a truly developed 
country, it is important that we not only perform like one, but also look like one. Beauty and order in 
our environ is important to elicit pride and confidence from our countrymen, without which we become 
accustomed to mediocrity and disorderliness. 
For both aesthetic and safety reasons, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly sought. 
Rep. Ramon N. Guico Jr.
December 5, 2022
10:38 am
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Pangasinan Fifth District Representative 
HON. RAMON N. GUICO JR. 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING 
RULES 
AND 
STANDARDS 
FOR 
THE 
UNDERGROUNDING 
OF 
DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSMISSION LINES BY COMPANIES, SERVICE PROVIDERS, 
INDUSTRIES, AND OTHER SIMILAR ENTITIES ENGAGED IN THE PROVISON OF 
CABLE TELEVISION, INTERNET, POWER SUPPLY, AND TELEPHONE SERVICES TO 
THE PUBLIC 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Cable Management Act.” 
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SEC. 2. Definition of Terms. – For the purposes of this Act, the following terms are defined as: 
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a. Overhead facilities consist of poles, distribution and transmission lines, and related
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equipment installed to deliver cable television, internet, power supply, and telephone
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services; and
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b. Undergrounding refers to the conversion of existing overhead facilities to
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underground facilities consisting of trenches lined with conduit housing the
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distribution and transmission lines, underground vaults, and/or surface mounted
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structures for transformers and equipment. It shall also refer to the construction of
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new lines, line extensions, and service extensions built underground.
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SEC. 3. Overhead-to-Underground Conversion. – All companies, service providers, industries, 
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and other similar entities engaged in the provision of cable television, internet, power supply, and 
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telephone services to the public shall replace its existing overhead facilities with underground electric 
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facilities along public streets and roads, and on public lands and private property across which rights-
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of-ways satisfactory to the service provider have been obtained, Provided that, the local government 
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unit (LGU) of the city or municipality in which such facilities are and will be located has: 
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a.
Determined, after consultation with the service providers and after holding public
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hearings on the subject, that such undergrounding is in the public interest for one or
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more of the following reasons:
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1. Such undergrounding will avoid or eliminate an unusually heavy 
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concentration of overhead facilities; 
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2. The street or road or right-of-way is extensively used by the general public 
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and carries a heavy volume of pedestrian or vehicular traffic; 
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3. Wheelchair access is limited or impeded in a manner that is not compliant 
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with Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for 
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Persons with Disability, as amended; or 
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4. The street or road or right-of-way adjoins or passes through a civic area or 
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public recreation area or an area of scenic, cultural, and/or historical 
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significance to the public. 
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b. Adopted an ordinance creating an underground district in the area in which both the 
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existing and new facilities are and will be located requiring, among other things, (1) 
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that all existing overhead facilities in such district shall be removed, (2) that each 
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property served from such overhead facilities shall have installed in accordance with 
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the service providers’ rules for underground service, all facility changes on the 
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premises necessary to receive service from the underground facilities of the service 
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provider as soon as it is available, and (3) authorizing the service providers to 
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discontinue its overhead service. 
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In circumstances other than those covered by subsection (a) of this Act, the service providers 
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will replace its overhead facilities with underground facilities along public streets and roads or other 
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locations mutually agreed upon when requested by an applicant or applicants when all the following 
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conditions are met: 
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a. All property owners served from the overhead facilities to be removed first agree in 
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writing to have the wiring changes made on their premises so that service may be 
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furnished from the underground distribution system in accordance with the service 
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providers rules and that the service providers may discontinue its overhead service 
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upon completion of the underground facilities; or 
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b. Suitable legislation is in effect requiring such necessary wiring changes to be made 
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and authorizing the service providers to discontinue its overhead service. 
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c. The applicant has: 
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1. Furnished and installed the pads and vaults for transformers and associated 
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equipment, conduits, ducts, boxes, pole bases, and performed other work 
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related to structures and substructures including breaking of pavement, 
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trenching, backfiling, and repaving required in connection with the 
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installation of the underground system, all in accordance with the service 
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providers’ specifications, or in lieu thereof, paid the service providers to do 
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so; 
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2. Transferred ownership of such facilities, in good condition, to the service 
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providers; and 
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3. Paid a non-refundable sum equal to the excess, if any, of the estimated costs, 
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of completing the underground system and building a new equivalent 
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overhead system. 
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d. The area to be undergrounded includes both sides of a street for at least two hundred 
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meters (200m) and all existing overhead facilities within the area will be removed. 
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e. The costs of removal of the overhead poles, lines, and facilities are the responsibility 
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of the service providers and will be paid for by the service providers. 
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SEC. 4. Periodic Inspection. – All companies, service providers, industries, and businesses 
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under this Act shall conduct mandatory periodic inspection of their underground facilities to ensure 
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strict compliance with the standards of and regulations as provided by the Philippine Electrical Code 
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and other relevant laws. 
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SEC. 6. Penal Provisions. – The following are the imposed penalties of those in violation of the 
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Act herewith: 
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a. Any company, service provider, industry, or any similar entity that fails or refuses to 
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relocate and/or establish their cable system underground in accordance with the 
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provisions of this Act shall pay a fine of not less than One Hundred Thousand 
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Pesos (P100,000.00) for each day of non-compliance. 
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b. Any company, service provider, industry, or any similar entity whose relocation and 
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installation caused any property damages and/or medical emergencies shall shoulder 
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the full costs and pay a fine of not less than double the amount of the cost of 
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damages and/or medical expenses. Their involved personnel shall also be penalized 
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by imprisonment depending on the gravity of the crime as determined by law. 
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SEC. 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity 
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of this Act, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the National Grid Corporation of 
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the Philippines (NGCP), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the 
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Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and the 
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Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in consultation with the appropriate government 
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agencies and other stakeholders, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective 
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implementation of this Act. 
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SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof 
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which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly: Provided; however, 
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That nothing in this Act shall amend, modify or repeal the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, 
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otherwise known as the Local Government Code. 
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SEC. 7. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision of this Act is declared invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the other parts not otherwise affected shall remain in full effect and force. 
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SEC. 8. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication 
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in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved,