Three of the tower’s legs were damaged, said Engineer Bob Dawis, department manager of TransCo Inc., describing the damaged down to the pylon in Barangay Pagayawan, municipality of Bacolod, when a bomb exploded at the base at around 9 pm.
Dawis warned that power supply in Mindanao could be affected if the bombings continued.
He said the wave of bombings followed an earlier one that happened between March and June 2007, with eight towers bombed.
“The second wave started in December 28, 2007 onwards this January. We have a total of 13 towers bombed, one of which remains toppled because of its difficult position in the hinterland part of Bubong, Lanao del Sur,” he said.
Dawis said the bombed power pylons were Tower 83 in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte; Tower 22 in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte; Tower 26 in Agus 2-Kibawe line; Tower 4 in Abaga; Tower 39 in Kauswagan; Tower 19 in Sugod, Marawi City; Tower 15 in Abuno, Iligan City; Tower 8 and Tower 9 in Abaga and Tagoloan; Tower 50 in Bubong, Lanao del Sur; Tower 59 in Buadiposo Buntong, Lanao del Sur; Tower 13 in Kiamba, Marawi City; and Tower 44 in Pagayawan of Bacolod, Lanao del Norte.
Dawis said there has been close coordination with AFP to secure these vital installations. He declined to disclose the persons or groups that authorities have suspected as behind the bombings.
“They are conducting random patrolling but because it’s random patrolling… it makes these remote state properties still vulnerable to attacks,” he said.
Brig. General Roney Javier said the 103rd Brigade is augmenting its forces from the 1st Infantry Division, “so we can shorten our reaction time.”
The bombing heightened after Task Force Kilat was disbanded on December 16, 2007. “The forces from the 4th ID pulled out from Lanao provinces for a change of area of responsibilities,” he said.
Javier said “this is also part of the realignment of units in Western Mindanao Command the activation of Task Force Tabak.”
Together, these forces are tasked to secure the vital installations, he said. (Violeta M. Gloria / MindaNews)