Proposed law on use of standard electrical breakers in houses up for approval

THE City Council committee on public order and safety chaired by Councilor Romeo V. Calizo on Friday discussed the proposed ordinance requiring the use of the standard Electrical Circuit Breakers as the minimum specifications prescribed in all residential houses in Cagayan de Oro.

The crafting of the ordinance, as authored by Councilors Ian Mark Q. Nacaya and Calizo, came out as a result of the policy study conducted recently by the Center for Inclusive Development Studies (CIDS) of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP), entitled: “Policy Intervention for the Prevention of Loss of Life and Damage to Property in the Fire Prone Areas of Cagayan de Oro City”.

The CIDS cited that the most effective strategy to mitigate the onslaught of fire among the poorest of the poor must have a holistic approach that is supported by policy intervention.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) reported that fires in residential and most densely populated areas are mainly caused by faulty electrical connections such as overloading, octopus wiring, among others.

The Office of the City Building Official (OBO) recommended the use of standard circuit breakers to prevent fires especially in crowded areas of informal settler families considered as high-risk fire populations.

The committee noted the comments, suggestions and recommendations of CDRRMD, CEPALCO, MORESCO-1, and Department of Trade and Industry-10 (DTI-10) representatives during the meeting.

The matter was favorably endorsed to the committee on laws and rules chaired by Councilor Ian Mark Q. Nacaya for appropriate action.