JONG CADION
Chief of reporters
The recurring brownout pestering city residents last week has brought another weight to the Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperative-I (Zamsureco-I) after it lost some P8.5-million in earnings, Levy Cabatcha, Zamsureco-I spokesperson said.
The intermittent brownout followed the bombing of National Transmission Corporation (Transco)’s Tower No. 22 of the Abaga-Agus 5 Aurora 138 KV line in Tingin-tingin Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte last Jan. 10.
With Tower No. 22 badly disabled, power supply to Aurora Sub-Station was cut and this affected the entire Zamboanga Peninsula including the neighboring provinces of Misamis Occidental and part of Lanao del Norte.
Two days after the incident, Gov. Aurora Cerilles issued a statement condemning the bombing.
“These situations is an acts of terrorism and have greatly affected the lives of everyone causing uneasiness and discomfort especially during night time, where Transco, in their efforts to overcome the situation has been rationing electricity but still, it cannot sustain its normal operations given the present predicament,” Cerilles said.
“I am therefore calling upon all people to stay calm and be watchful especially during night time. I am enjoining the AFP, PNP and other law enforcement agencies to be more vigilant and bring into justice those who are responsible for such atrocities. Together let us remain steadfast and pray that everything will be restored to normalcy at the soonest possible time,” the governor added.
Also, Mayor Samuel Co has said that he has already propped up security in the city in the wake of the irregular current supply of electricity in Pagadian wherein several activities are being held at Plaza Luz during evenings.
Co said that the business sector is hurting and badly affected with the present situation that some establsishments relying mainly on electricity have opted to close shop for the meantime.
Transco, in a report obtained by MINDANAO MONITOR said that 40 of their towers have already been toppled down by terror acts attributed to armed groups in Lanao area.
Transco spokesperson Raffy Magbanua said armed groups are making a heyday detonating bombs on key Transco towers, which carry major trunk lines and supplies power to metropolitan cities in Mindanao.
The military have categorically said that they suspect it was the lawless elements from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who are behind the bombing of Transco towers.
Engineer Emmanuel Abellanosa, Transco vice president for operations and maintenance, has said it would cost P1 million to repair one damaged tower for a duration of three days.
To recall, in December 2008, army explosives specialists foiled an attempt to destroy Tower No. 22 in Tingin-Tingin, Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte after they found IEDs attached to its pylons late afternoon of Christmas Day and quickly defused it.