As part of its advocacy to promote public safety, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has ramped up its Anti-Dangling and Unauthorized Wire Attachments Operations to address urban blight concerns within its franchise area.

Meralco has been actively conducting inspections, correction of low-sagging wires, pole clearing operations, and removal of unauthorized attachments to its poles to ensure the continued safe delivery of stable and reliable electricity to close to 7.8 million customers.

With foreign attachments identified as one of the most common causes of pole troubles, Meralco has been appealing to cable and telco companies to coordinate with the distribution utility and follow the process for wire attachment applications. This ensures the capability of distribution facilities like poles to support these foreign attachments, therefore avoiding untoward incidents.

"Illegal wire attachments to our poles pose operational risks and endanger lives. We are appealing to telco and cable companies to secure the necessary approvals before attaching to our facilities. We also ask the public to help promote public safety by reporting incidents of illegal attachments to authorities," Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said.

Meralco recently held the latest leg of its Anti-Dangling and Unauthorized Wire Attachments Operation along Natividad Lopez Street in Ermita, Manila City. Similar operations have been conducted as well in various locations such as Binondo in Manila, Marikina City, and Pasig City.

Among those who expressed stands to benefit from Meralco's public safety campaign is Dolores Laron who has been living in Manila for over four decades. "We feel safer now that many of the idle wires were removed. Now, we can let our children play in the streets without fearing for their safety," she said in Tagalog.

For sari-sari store owner Evelyn Mapilisan, the correction of low-sagging wires has helped ease her worries of possible accidents, sharing: "I no longer have to worry of the possibility that a pole might fall and hit me. Now I can talk to my neighbors on the streets without worrying about our safety," she said.

In addressing urban blight, Meralco coordinates and collaborates with local government units and government agencies such as the Bureau of Fire Protection.

"We will continue to do more of these because we in Meralco put a premium on safety—not just of our employees but of the customers and communities we serve," Zaldarriaga said.

As the country's largest distribution utility and an active nation-building partner, Meralco continuously advocates for safety through the proactive maintenance of its distribution facilities and information campaigns to empower the public.