NGCP tower bombing leaves western Mindanao areas without power
A POWER transmission tower in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte was bombed on Monday, causing supply interruptions in western parts of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, the country’s grid operator reported on Tuesday.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said Tower No. 8 of the Baloi-Aurora 138-kiloVolt (kV) line was bombed, which prompted rotational brownouts to prevent overloading of the remaining line.
“The tripping was due to the bombing of Tower No. 8 of the said line located in Sitio San Isidro, Brgy. Bagombayan, Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte. The bombing resulted in the toppling of the said tower,” NGCP said in a media release.
The transmission firm said affected areas are the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, including the cities of Dipolog and Dapitan; Zamboanga del Sur, including the cities of Pagadian and Zamboanga; Zamboanga Sibugay; Misamis Occidental; and several areas of Lanao del Norte.
Power restoration in affected areas may take two to three days, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia P. Alabanza said in a Viber message on Tuesday.
“NGCP is currently coordinating with local law enforcement to secure the area as repairs are to be done by NGCP personnel,” the company said.
Preliminary investigation by authorities show that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were used.
A still unidentified individual was found at the scene with fatal injuries, but “it is unclear if this is related to the bombing,” NGCP said.
The transmission firm warned that “suspicious activities within or along the power transmission corridor which may disrupt the transmission of power is punishable by law, with a penalty of as much as P200,000 or 12 years imprisonment, or both.”— Ashley Erika O. Jose
