DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/18 January) — Another tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) was bombed on Monday morning by unidentified men in Lanao del Sur, the second attack on power facilities in Mindanao this month.
In her Facebook post on Monday, NGCP Mindanao spokesperson Milfrance Capulong said Tower 50 of Agus 2-Kibawe 138 KV line, located in Brgy. Pantar, Dimayon Bubong, Lanao del Sur was not completely destroyed and restoration works would start as soon as the area is declared safe.
She said the attacks on NGCP towers have only worsened the Mindanao power situation.
Last year, 16 towers were bombed, of which nine were completely toppled. All except tower 25 in Lanao del Sur were restored on December 24, 2015.
Capulong said an emergency restoration structure had to be put up to connect the power sources back on the grid.
“NGCP stresses that the bombings only aggravate the tenuous power situation in Mindanao. The incoming 600MW of generation capacity from new power plants will not be sufficient to relieve Mindanao of its energy problems unless the bombing of transmission facilities are stopped,” she said.
She added sufficient supply and strong transmission are both integral to a stable power situation, as she encouraged support from the public, local and national governments, police, military, and community leaders to ensure the security of the towers and identify the perpetrators.
NGCP completed last Saturday repair works on tower 63 in Purok 4, Brgy. Pagangan in Aleosan town, North Cotabato after it was destroyed on Thursday by still unidentified men.
Capulong said tower 25 in Ramain, Lanao del Norte has remained isolated as the landowners won’t allow NGCP personnel to enter the location to conduct repair works, pending unsettled claims with the National Transmission Corporation.
“NGCP was denied access to tower 25 by the landowners who demand payment from Transco for their decades old claim. The dispute remains unresolved to this day,” she said.
She said the NGCP “appeals for the expedite resolution between landowners and Transco so that it may begin repairs at the soonest possible time.” (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
