Baguio folks want Globe tower out amid radiation, health, danger concerns

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – Residents at central business district here urged  relocation of a telecommunications tower in the area saying radiation among others endangered their lives and many of them got sick of diseases as a result.

The city council is now probing the controversy as it referred to its committee on public utilities, traffic and transport legislation documents on request of Upper Market Subdivision barangay for immediate relocation of the 60-meter Globe tower constructed in a residential area over two decades ago.

The committee was tasked to study the request as Globe Telecom filed a motion with the local legislative body seeking reconsideration of Resolution No. 239, series of 2008 that supported request of the barangay for immediate relocation of its tower.

The committee was mandated to look into health issues raised by residents wherein a number of people living within the area of the tower reportedly succumbed to breath shortage, stomach and ovarian cancers the past several years blaming the tower as culprit that triggered their illnesses or worsened them.

Residents called on the local legislative body to consider safety of residents saying a strong earthquake could cause the tower to collapse and imperil lives and property.

The barangay council of Upper Market Subdivision endorsed setting up of the 60-meter Globe tower in their barangay in 1996.

Later the barangay revoked their endorsement in 1999 after a petition from concerned residents over alleged health and safety hazards posed by the metal structure.

The city council committee will decide the coming weeks whether or not to invite all parties, including their technical personnel to inspect the site to ascertain its stability to withstand an earthquake. Lawyer Solgrandioso David, Jr., head of Globe Telecom’s government regulatory compliance, regulatory compliance division and corporate and legal services, said the firm complied with all requirements for setting up of the tower and health issues raised by concerned residents were addressed.

The city council will set a future hearing on the matter inviting, among others, experts from the health department to shed light on the issue of radiation being emitted by the tower that allegedly poses a serious threat to the health of the people in the surrounding areas.

David said health issues against their tower could be well clarified by health experts who conducted studies on whether radiation emitted by radio waves from their tower was detrimental to health of the people living in the surrounding areas of the tower.

He said Globe will comply with whatever action of the local legislative body but warned signal of mobile phone users in the central business district area will be compromised once they will remove the tower in Upper Market Subdivision.