MICHAEL MEDINA
Editor in chief
OZAMIZ CITY—A steel tower of the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) located at Tingin-Tingin, Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte of the Abaga/Agus 5-Aurora 138-kilovolt power transmission line was bombed, 2:30 a.m., Saturday, by still unidentified men.
The explosion caused the main Mindanao power grid to instantly disconnect power supply to the three provinces of Zamboanga Peninsula and caused a massive blackout hitting also parts of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental.
Emmanuel Abellanosa, Transco’s assistant vice president for Mindanao operations and maintenance, in a statement obtained by MINDANAO MONITOR, identified the areas served by electric cooperatives Laneco, Moelci I and II, Zaneco, Zamsureco I and II and Zamcelco as the ones badly affected.
By Saturday noon, Abellanosa said the 100-megawatt power plant of the Western Mindanao Power Corporation (WMPC) in Brgy. Sangali, Zamboanga City was utilized to shift connecting power via Sta. Clara substation then linking to the Aurora substation.
The Aurora substation feeds power to Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Sur and Norte and part of Lanao del Norte.
Abellanosa explained that the power plant in Sangali can only operate in limited capacity and will have to be shared through a two-hour rotation scheme among the affected provinces and cities.
Abellanosa added that such remedial move will bring about intermittent power interruptions in the service areas of the affected electric cooperatives until Wednesday when repairs are completed.
The Transco executive further said that they will install an emergency line structure to temporarily replace the bombed steel tower in Tingin-Tingin, Kauswagan.
As of Sunday, no one has claimed responsibility in the bombing of the Transco tower as police and military personnel were told to be on full alert in their areas of responsibilities.
Meanwhile, a source from the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) claimed the bombing was the handiwork of the MILF, particularly those under the leadership of the infamous Abdul Rahman Macapaar alias “Kumander Bravo.”
The said source added that suspected Muslim separatist rebels planted four improvised bombs at Transco's tower no. 22, toppling the electrical transmission structure.
Military troops sent to check the area found one of the bombs failed to explode and defused it.
Transco supplies hydroelectric power to more than 90 percent of Mindanao, the second largest island, which is dependent on Agus power stations in Iligan City.