Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U)'s long wait for the 69kV line relocation is finally over. On October 11, Sunday, the said university's officials witnessed the MORE Power workers relocate the 69kV line to an 80-foot intermediate pole installed in the area. At last, the overpass project to connect the adjacent ISAT-U La Paz campuses will resume.
The transfer of the high-voltage wires to a higher electric post, which took about 6 hours, was made possible by MORE Power's linemen and engineers. "MORE installed an intermediate pole in order to clear, as per the school's request, an overpass bridge that crosses the highway and links their two campuses. They had been requesting PECO non-stop for this work to be done for years but it remained a problem until we came along," said Engr. Paterno Cabangisan, MORE Power's Head of Transmission Lines.
PECO disregarded this request for two long years, causing the construction of the overpass connecting the two campuses of ISAT-U in La Paz to be ceased. The said company's failure to relocate the 69kV line prompted the university to purchase high voltage conductor covers to ensure the security of the personnel working on the overpass project
This momentous event was supervised by Mr. Roel Castro, MORE Power president, together with the ISAT-U officials. "It entailed a little inconvenience on the part of our consumers - our apologies - but the safety of ISAT-U students is imperative. And we had to do this on the least interruptive day. Buti na lang [It's a good thing] the consumers understood why this had to be done," Castro cited.
Russ Allen Napud, ISAT-U Director for Planning Development and Auxiliary Services, also shared his joy upon the transfer of the said wires. "I am very, very happy that after two long years, it's finally done. At long last, we can proceed with our overpass project," he said.
"On behalf of the University, we would like to say 'thank you' from the bottom of our hearts to MORE Power for realizing the transfer of that 69kV line to a much safer place. Now, there's nothing that prevents us from completing the overpass," added Napud.
The completion of the overpass connecting two campuses will be very beneficial in terms of security and convenience among students, teachers, officials, and stakeholders. The said university expressed its utmost gratitude for MORE Power's immediate action.
"Actually, the entire University is very happy. Construction of the skywalk started in 2017 but had to stop the next year because of the 69kV line. We requested PECO to help us relocate the line, but they did nothing. Now, we are extremely glad that this was carried out with the help of MORE Power. We are all looking forward to the completion of this project very soon," averred Engr. Gabriel Salistre, Jr., VP for Administration and Finance of the university.
ISAT-U President Dr. Raul Muyong commended Mr. Roel Castro, ISAT-U President, for the speediness of action regarding this matter. "In fact, MORE Power visited the site as soon as they received our request to evaluate the situation. They also promptly submitted a proposal to correct the problem, which we agreed with," he said. "We are grateful because it will now be very easy for us to access the other side of the campus," he said. Muyong further emphasized that MORE Power's fast action was remarkable, as compared to the previous company's treatment of their plight. "We had formal communications with PECO and even signed a certificate of undertaking with them regarding the problem. We also solicited the help of local officials to help us appeal to PECO to address our concerns, but all those requests fell on deaf ears," he said