NGCP tower in Cotabato bombed

KIDAPAWAN CITY – A transmission tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) was almost toppled when a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) placed in the two of its poles went off in Barangay Pagangan , Aleosan in North Cotabato , around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday.

       Another bomb that was placed in another pole failed to explode, according to Sr. Supt. Alex Tagum, provincial director of the Cotabato Police Provincial Office (CCPO)

       He said the attempt to topple down tower Number 63 of the NGCP was the second since last year.

       The explosion resulted in the curtailment of power supply to the service areas of the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) and the Cotabato light and power Company of Aboitiz Power.

       Tagum said they have yet to determine the group and the motive behind the latest blast.

       Earlier, reports said an Extortion syndicate; whose members were former Moro guerillas was believe behind the NGCP tower explosions.

     The NGCP management, however, did not confirm such report.

       Tagum said they have already deployed personnel, including soldiers from the Philippine Army to secure power lines in North Cotabato, especially in the areas under attack by terror groups.

       The long hours of brownouts as a result of the explosion were apart from the two to three hours of rotating brownouts that power consumers in North Cotabato and in nearby provinces in Central Mindanao have been experiencing since last year. By: Gemma Roda