2 NGCP towers toppled in Marawi City

COTABATO CITY – Two towers of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) were bombed in Marawi City by unidentified suspects Thursday night, throwing a wide area of Mindanao in total blackout, reports said here yesterday.

Beth Ladaga, NGCP communications officer in Mindanao, said that towers 19 and 20 located in Barangay Patani were toppled with the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at around 9:20 p.m.

Ladaga said the incident caused a 150-megawatt deficiency as power produced by Agus 1 and 2 was isolated from the entire Mindanao grid.

Lt. Virgilio Dorotan, a company commander of the Army 65th Infantry Battalion, said their soldiers, accompanied by local police, were only able to enter the blast site at around 5 a.m. Friday. The contigent has since secured the area to make way for emergency repairs to be undertaken by the NGCP.

He said they still had no idea who staged the bombing as Army ordnance specialists were still ascertaining the type of explosives used.

The bombing came two days after the NGCP released a press statement warning that an “uncooperative landowner” in Marawi City demanded money and refused its repairmen’s entry.

The Marawi City towers were the latest to be bombed among a number of towers operated by NGCP. Previous bombings also topped towers in Lanao and Cotabato regions.

Past bombings in Maguindanao and North Cotabato were blamed on elements of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).