2 N. Cotabato power towers bombed
DAVAO CITY– Two transmission towers of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) in North Cotabato were bombed yesterday morning.
The NGCP said Towers 95 and 96 of the Kibawe-Kabacan 138-kiloVolt (kV) line in Barangays Kitulaan and Aroman in Carmen town were affected.
The bombers used six improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that were detonated using mobile phones, said Chief Inspector Julius Malcontento, Carmen police chief.
“They detonated three IEDs for each of the towers,” Malcontento said. “The towers remained functional. The bombers failed to totally destroy both structures.”
The towers carry high-tension cables that connect the towns in North Cotabato to a hydropower plant in Bukidnon.
The NGCP said the restoration of the towers would start as soon as the areas have been secured.
The NGCP reiterated its appeal to local communities to help identify the perpetrators of the bombings.
The attacks were the fourth and fifth this year.
In 2015, at least 18 power transmission towers were either toppled or damaged due to bombings. Tower 25 in Barangay Gandamatu, Ramain, Lanao del Sur, which was bombed on Dec. 24, took almost three months to repair due to rightof-way issues with landowners.