Robredo to push for underground power, communication lines following typhoon Odette’s impact

VICE-PRESIDENT Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo, who is running for the country’s top post in next year’s elections, said on Tuesday that her infrastructure development agenda will include a push for setting up underground power and communication lines, which are more costly to install than overhead facilities.

“One realization from the series of very strong typhoons which hit our country is that our next priority infrastructure development agenda should be putting electric and communication lines underground, particularly in typhoon-prone areas,” Ms. Robredo said in a Facebook post.

If elected president in 2022, she said her government will aim to ensure “every affected area’s resilience even after a destructive typhoon such as Odette (international name: Rai).”

She said underground lines would be more cost-effective since there will no longer be additional spending to restore toppled down posts.

“We have, on average, 20 typhoons a year. It would be better to spend now and make them underground instead of repeatedly spending whenever a post falls down,” she added in a mix of English and Filipino.

She also said that cut-off power and communication lines add to the burden during disaster situations. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan