As more and more Lagunenses have come to depend on reliable Internet service for everyday tasks — from paying for goods and services to transacting with government agencies — the need has arisen for further improvements in the telecommunications infrastructure.
And with online transactions and services expected to boom as the country continues to recover from Covid-19, telecoms firms are now in a rush to build more cell site towers to improve their capabilities.
But how do we achieve the balance of building much-needed telecoms
infrastructure without compromising the safety of residents near these cell site towers?
This is the question that the city government of San Pedro in Laguna must answer as several sectors have raised concerns over the construction of a cell site that allegedly violates zoning and safety regulations.
In close proximity
In documents obtained by OpinYon Laguna, Councilor Bernadeth Olivares has forwarded to the city government some concerns raised by residents of Barangay San Roque (where she also lives) over a cell site tower in the area. (That cell site is already under construction, OpinYon Laguna learned following a visit to the area.)
STOP! This photo taken by the OpinYon Laguna staff showed the under-construction cell site tower in Barangay San Roque, San Pedro City in Laguna. Some residents and local officials have called on the city government to halt the construction of the tower, citing potential health and safety risks to nearby residents. Photo by the Opinyon News Team
In a letter to Mayor Art Mercado dated June 26, Olivares said that while Republic Act 11494 (Bayanihan to Recover as One Act) has streamlined the application for permits, licenses and clearances for the construction of telecommunications infrastructure, “no part of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act…states that resident’s safety may be compromised just to make the law’s provisions more effective.”
According to the councilor, the proposed site of the cell site tower in Barangay San Roque falls short of the 100-meter limit imposed by the city government for cell site towers.
In fact, the proposed site is less than 35 meters from residential areas based on documents filed by the Communication and Renewable Energy Infrastructure (CREI) Philippines, the firm responsible for building the tower.
Potential risks
Not only does the presence of the cell site constitute a potential hazard to Barangay San Roque’s residents due to the possible effects of radiation on their health, the very site itself has its risks, Olivares also pointed out in her letter to Mayor Mercado.
Citing data from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), as well as an incident in Occidental Mindoro in 2019 where a cell site collapsed during a typhoon, she said the proposed location of the cell site tower is “highly susceptible” to liquefaction, where solid ground can lose their strength during earthquakes.
Not only that, the proposed site is within close proximity to the Laguna de Bay, while Barangay San Roque has had for years coped with the problem of flooding during the rainy season.
Barangays’ side
In an interview with OpinYon Laguna, officials of Barangay San Roque said they have given out the barangay clearance for the construction of the cell site based on documents from the city government, as well as a presentation of the contractor.
“Sa amin lamang po, barangay business clearance [lamang po ang ibinibigay namin] based upon the presentation kung ano layunin ng isang negosyante. Pero on the issue of starting and stopping the construction, wala po sa amin iyan,” Barangay Secretary Ramon Legaspi said.
According to Legaspi, Barangay San Roque chairperson Ronaldo Villanueva also based his decision to approve the construction of the cell site on the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, as well as his personal observations on other cell sites in the city.
"Sa pagtatanong po ni Kapitan sa ibang mga barangay, napag-alaman niya na yung ibang cell sites dito ay sa mismong compound o sa mismong bakuran ng barangay. Gaya ng sa Cuyab, kung saan dalawa pong cell sites ang halos nasa mismong harap ng barangay hall," he explained.
When asked about the reports of possible liquefaction at the cell site, Legaspi said the city government should have been the one to check the site for any hazards that could pose a danger to residents.
"So hazard po pala, bakit nila binigyan ng building permit? Ang sa amin po kasi, ang ibinibigay lamang po naming ay barangay business clearance, pero yung building permits nga po, sila na po iyan. Alangang kami ang mag-inspect, kami ang maghayag na teka, kailangan sukat niyan ay ganito, di po sapat ang aming kaalaman sa ganoong teknikal na aspeto ng isang cell site,” he said.
Opposition faded out
Meanwhile, on the issue of another cell site in Barangay Fatima that also gained the opposition of some residents, barangay chairman Emiliano Salamat said the opposing residents were convinced that the benefits of the cell site will outweigh the risks.
The construction of the cell site at Barangay Fatima, which was owned by Dito Telecommunity, was stalled for almost three to six months, but Salamat clarified that this was due to internal issues within the contractor's firm.
However, he added that some residents had even accused him of accepting kickbacks from the telco for the project, an accusation he denied.
"Nagulat nga po ako, kasi sa ibang lugar na sakop ng Barangay Fatima, nakapagtayo naman po kami ng cell site nang walang problema. Dito lang po [sa proyektong ito] ako napagbalingan ng masasakit na salita. Ang sabi po nila, tumanggap raw po ako ng under the table, na hindi naman po ako papayag," he told OpinYon Laguna.
The only issue encountered during the project was the alleged "duplicity" of the homeowner's association (HOA) at the subdivision where the cell site was supposed to be located, the chairman added.
"Ang pagkukulang lang po kasi, nagpapirma sila [HOA] sa homeowners na niloko nila," Salamat related. "May sinabi sila na ito ay meeting lamang kasi ito ay SOP [standard operating procedure] na kailang ipa-bidding, iyon pala, pinapirma na nila na ang homeowners ng intention na sila ay sumasang-ayon sa proyekto."
Waiver
As of press time, CREI Phils., as well as the city government of San Pedro, have yet to air their side regarding the opposition of some residents of Barangay San Roque to the project.
However, in a notarized “Affidavit of Undertaking” dated June 6, Ryan James Pili, representing the owner of the site, and CREI Phils. Architect Orlando Palmares have pledged to waive their rights and agree to have their permits for the construction of the cell site “revoked” if the complaints raised by residents are proven valid.
Meanwhile, the local government should also look into areas with existing cell site towers and check with residents on how these sites have affected their lives.
After all, what’s good (or bad) for Barangay San Roque should also be the case for the city as well.
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