The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines reported on Tuesday that one of its towers suffered damages after an explosion which caused massive power outages in some parts of Mindanao.
The NGCP said that its Baloi-Aurora 138kV Transmission Line tripped off Monday afternoon due to the bombing of Tower No. 8 of the line located in Sitio San Isidro, Barangay Bagombayan, Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte.
It added that the explosion toppled the tower while a body of an unidentified person believed to be responsible for the incident was found at the scene with fatal injuries.
Initial investigations disclosed that an improvised explosive device was planted at the base of the tower and after it exploded, the NGCP implemented a manual load dropping that caused power outages.
The NGCP added that it is already coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and local law enforcers to secure the area while repairs are being conducted by its personnel.
The company also condemned the bombing saying such incident increases the burden of the public who suffers from power interruption.
“NGCP reiterates that the conduct of suspicious activities within or along the power transmission corridor which may disrupt the transmission of power is punishable by law, with a penalty of as much as P200,000 or 12 years imprisonment, or both,” it stated.
Areas affected by the MLD are the entire Zamboanga Peninsula — Zamboanga del Norte including Dipolog City and Dapitan City; Zamboanga del Sur including Pagadian City and Zamboanga City; Zamboanga Sibugay, the entire Misamis Occidental, and parts of Lanao del Norte.
The MLD — aimed to prevent overloading of the line — is conducted to limit the demand during red alert when the generation is insufficient or contingency reserve is zero.
On Tuesday, the Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative announced emergency power interruptions from 7-11 a.m., 1-5 p.m. and 8-12 p.m. due to MLD affecting electric consumers in the towns of Kolambugan, Tangkal, Tubod, Magsaysay, Baroy, Lala, Salvador, Sapad, Kapatagan, Sultan Naga Dimaporo Lanao del Norte, and some parts of Aurora Zamboanga del Sur.