Google map of the Zamboanga Peninsula.
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Power service had been cut in the entire Zamboanga Peninsula and two other provinces after two powerful explosions toppled a transmission line tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Lanao del Norte.
Elizabeth Ladaga, NGCP public affairs officer for Western Mindanao, said Tuesday that the bombing knocked down Tower Number 8 of the Baloi-Aurora 138-kilovolts (KV) transmission line around 4:50 p.m. Monday in Sitio San Isidro, Barangay Bagumbayan, Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte.
Police and military troops who rushed to the explosion site found a dead person near the toppled structure.
“It is unclear if his death is related to the bombing (of the tower),” Ladaga said in a statement.
Brig. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, said a military detachment nearby heard two explosions.
Army personnel "discovered fragments from a 60-millimeter mortar and other paraphernalia associated with an IED" at the toppled transmission tower, he said.
“Based on their initial assessment, the 60-mm mortar was used as the primary explosive used in employing the method of command detonating using remote control switch,” he added.
Ladaga said power service was interrupted in several areas after they implemented Manual Load Dropping (MLD) after the incident to prevent overloading of the remaining transmission line.
Areas affected by the MLD include the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte (including Dipolog City and Dapitan City), Zamboanga del Sur (including Pagadian City and Zamboanga City), Zamboanga Sibugay, Misamis Occidental and parts of Lanao del Norte.
Electricity was gradually restored in some areas as of Monday night.
As of noon Tuesday, Ladaga said they continued to implement MLD on the 69-KV lines servicing Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative, Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperatives 1 and 2, Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative, as a contingency measure to avoid overloading of the remaining 138-KV Baloi-Aurora line.
“NGCP is working on the re-energization of the 138-KV line and will issue an update as soon as available,” she said. (PNA)
