Published June 1, 2019, 10:00 PM By Myrna M.
Velasco
After gaining traction at the
bicameral level of legislative maze, a bill that will clear up obstructions at
power line installations and operations is now inching closer on its enactment
into a law.
The Senate committee on energy
indicated that the bicameral conference committee with contingents from both
Houses of Congress already reconciled the relevant provisions of the
Anti-Obstruction and Power Line Act – and is now ready for transmittal to
Malacanang for the President’s approval and signing.
The propounded law targets to
safeguard the power line networks of distribution utilities as well as the
transmission facilities of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.
“The reconciled version of the bill
provides that the power line corridor – which includes the land beneath, the
air spaces surrounding, and the area traversed by power lines, shall at all
times be kept clear and free from any obstructions, dangerous structures,
hazardous activities or any similar circumstances that impede the continuous
flow of electricity,” a statement from the Senate energy committee has
expounded.
In particular, the measure prohibits
the planting of tall-growing vegetation (i.e. trees) as well as other
considered hazardous activities near power lines because these could trigger
power service interruptions and could also endanger lives.
As experienced in the past,
tree-cutting and storm-tossed trunks and branches of tress as well as burning
of grass beneath transmission lines had caused major blackout incidents in the
country.
In the distribution segment of
electricity services, technically snagged power lines especially in highly
populated areas had ignited fire incidents that had caused not just loss of
properties but even human lives.
And in areas where obstruction of
power lines had been prevalent, these also served as “harassment tool” against
the power utilities – with exorbitant costs often demanded just for the planted
trees or vines to be cleared by their supposed owners.
In the bill principally authored by
Senate Committee on Energy Chairman Sherwin T. Gatchalian, it was set forth
that the power line owners and operators can “seek the assistance of local
government officials, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces
of the Philippines (AFP)” to tidy up the power line passageways as warranted.
Corresponding penalties shall be
also be meted against individuals and/or entities that shall be “found guilty
of committing any of the prohibited acts” specified in the proposed law.
This legislative piece, according to
Gatchalian, sets recognition to “the continuous conveyance of electricity as a matter
of national security and as a central element to economic development.”
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