By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
Iloilo City started 2025 grappling with an internet service disruption in the City Proper district after the local government removed cable wires of telecommunication providers along J.M. Basa Street.
The outage left consumers of telecommunications company PLDT, including City Hall, without internet access, prompting frustration from Mayor Jerry Treñas, who called out the company for delays in transferring their cables.
“I am utterly disgusted and disappointed with PLDT’s recent actions,” Treñas said in a statement on Friday, January 3.
Treñas outburst, however, exposed the City Hall’s lack of redundancies or backups for critical infrastructure like information technology or internet services despite its posturing as a modern governance model.
The disruption occurred days after Treñas warned the telco to dismantle its overhead cables before the New Year.
The city mayor lamented that the entire City Proper – including the City Hall — has been left without internet service, despite PLDT’s assurance to the City Administrator and City Engineer’s Office that they had already transferred their wires.
He added that PLDT has also granted permission to the city government to remove their unsightly spaghetti wires.
He noted that the broadband service provider initially promised to complete the transfer before Friday noon, then extended that to 2 PM.
However, as of his departure from City Hall, Treñas said internet service had yet to be restored.
“This unacceptable situation should not be tolerated. PLDT has been given ample time to comply with the city ordinance,” he stressed, urging the company to take immediate action.
The city government on Thursday removed the remaining utility lines and poles of public electric utility companies and telecommunication carriers in the area.
The action followed the city government’s December 31, 2024, deadline for public utilities to remove their paraphernalia from the area, warning of enforcement measures for non-compliance.
The disruption in internet services also compels Iloilo City residents to pay their real property taxes (RPT) at City Hall, as the RPT system has been disconnected from offsite payment centers.
“In the meantime, the public is advised to process their real property tax payments at City Hall as we work on our local network,” the city government said.
“We ask for everyone to be patient as efforts are made to address the issue at the soonest possible time,” it added.
Iloilo City Regulation Ordinance No. 2023-006, approved on January 18, 2023, mandated public utility providers to place their cables underground in specific areas, including J.M. Basa Street.
The city government gave utility providers 240 days to comply after the ordinance took effect on March 13, 2023.
Treñas previously criticized public utilities for their delayed compliance, noting that many acted only after he returned to office in early December following a medical leave.
