House OKs safe wires bill

The House of Representatives recently approved on final reading a measure requiring electric distribution, cable, and telecommunications companies to assume full responsibility for the safety and proper management of overhead power and communication lines.

With 223 affirmative votes, lawmakers passed House Bill No. 7565, or the Safe Overhead Electric Distribution, Cable, and Communications Lines Act, clearing it at the plenary level.

The proposed law compels utilities to conduct regular inspections, clear dangling and unused wires, properly bundle active lines, replace damaged or leaning poles, and maintain required clearances under the Philippine Electrical Code. The measure squarely places accountability on service providers to safeguard lives and property.

Violators face escalating fines: ₱250,000 to ₱500,000 for a first offense; ₱500,000 to ₱1 million for a second offense; and ₱1 million to ₱2 million for third and subsequent offenses.

Beyond penalties, the bill institutionalizes periodic audits and coordinated clean-up and rehabilitation efforts within utilities’ service areas. It also mandates the establishment of a Monitoring and Service Team in every city and municipality to conduct semi-annual inspections and oversee the removal of unused cables and unsafe installations.

Local government units are empowered to pass implementing ordinances within 60 days from the effectivity of the implementing rules and regulations, and may withhold or deny the renewal of business permits of non-compliant utilities.

At the national level, an Inter-Agency Committee chaired by the Energy Regulatory Commission will be formed to set uniform standards, coordinate nationwide clean-up drives, and monitor compliance.

The bill also promotes the joint use of poles and utility structures, subject to safety and engineering standards, to reduce visual clutter and rationalize the proliferation of overhead lines in densely populated areas.

In cases where cables and poles must be relocated or reinforced due to public infrastructure projects, the implementing agency or private project proponent will shoulder the cost to avoid delays while clarifying financial responsibility.

House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, one of the principal authors, said the measure directly addresses persistent safety hazards in communities nationwide.

“This bill makes it clear that utilities cannot simply leave hazardous wires hanging above our streets. They have the responsibility to maintain safe, orderly, and compliant systems because public safety must always come first,” Marcos said.

“We are setting uniform standards and meaningful penalties so that compliance becomes the norm, not the exception. This is about protecting lives, safeguarding property, and ensuring that our infrastructure keeps pace with development.”