Bacolod city: Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is eagerly anticipating the completion of the city's first underground cabling project, nearly two years after its groundbreaking ceremony. Initiated by the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power), the Lacson Street Underground Distribution System Project is reported to be 85 percent complete.

According to Philippines News Agency, Benitez expressed his gratitude towards Negros Power and major telecommunications companies, including Converge ICT Solutions, DITO Telecommunity, PLDT-Smart, and Globe Telecom, for their support in transitioning overhead cables to underground facilities. "We have been working with the Negros Power and major telco and internet companies to transfer overhead cables to underground facilities. Soon, we will enjoy a safer, more reliable and better connection," Benitez stated in a recent announcement.

The project, which Benitez advocated for during his tenure as city mayor from 2022 to 2025, aims to enhance the city's aesthetics and reduce risks associated with hazardous shocks and weather-related damages. With a budget of PHP79 million, the project allocates PHP43 million for civil and electrical works, and PHP36 million for the reconfiguration and removal of overhead wires.

Benitez acknowledged the solid partnership with telecommunications providers, emphasizing the project's goal to remove utility posts along the one-kilometer stretch of Lacson Street efficiently. The underground cabling endeavor, first of its kind in Bacolod City, began groundwork in November 2024 and construction commenced in January 2025.

Before concluding his term as mayor in June 2025, Benitez enacted an ordinance, authored by now Vice Mayor Claudio Jesus Puentevella, establishing underground cabling as a priority for Bacolod City. The ordinance mandates the city government to undertake efforts to construct and implement underground cabling for all power and telecommunication networks operating within the city.