UNTANGLING THE SPAGHETTI WIRE MESS

Hazardous “spaghetti wires” continue to pose safety risks across the city despite ongoing cleanup efforts, prompting local officials to push for stronger accountability measures among telecommunications companies and utility providers.

The city has cleared 49 streets across 22 barangays in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 as part of its continuing campaign to remove dead and dangling utility lines that endanger pedestrians and motorists.

Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) head Daryll Longid reported the figures during a Management Committee meeting presided over by Mayor Benjamin Magalong. He also cited the city's coordination with major telecommunications companies, including PLDT, Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, DITO Telecommunity, Converge, and utility provider Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO).

The cleanup campaign began in December 2019 following a directive from Mayor Magalong requiring telecommunications companies and utility providers to help clear hazardous wires throughout the city. In 2023, the city institutionalized the effort through the creation of a dedicated Dangling Wires Team under Executive Order No. 04.

Despite progress, officials said the lack of a strict disconnection policy remains a major challenge, with outsourced contractors often leaving behind unused wires after service disconnections. To address the issue, the city is pushing for an Anti-Dangling Wire Ordinance that would require stricter disconnection practices and impose penalties on companies that leave hazardous wires unattended. The proposed measure is currently pending before the city council.