TWIN explosions of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) have toppled down a tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Lanao del Norte, cutting off power to several areas in the region.
Brigadier General Antonio Nafarrete, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, said the two explosions that occurred around 5 p.m. Monday, October 24, 2022, and were heard by the personnel of the Inudaran detachment in Kauswagan village, Lanao del Norte.
Upon verification, Nafarrete said Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the troops discovered that the Tower 8 of the NGCP’s Baloi-Aurora transmission line at Sitio San Isidro in Bagumbayan village was toppled down.
Nafarrete said that the troops of the 43rd Mechanized Company discovered an unidentified cadaver near the toppled tower.
Nafarrete said that Explosive Ordnance Demolition (EOD) teams of the Army support command and police’s Scene of the Crime Operatives of Iligan City Forensic Unit Team immediately conducted an on-site post-blast investigation.
He said they discovered fragments from a 60-millimeter mortar and other paraphernalia attached to an IED.
“Based on their initial assessment, the 60-mm mortar was used as the primary explosive used in employing the method of command detonating using remote control switch,” he added.
The NGCP said in a statement Tuesday, October 25, that power service was interrupted in several areas after they implemented Manual Load Dropping (MLD), after the incident, to prevent overloading of the remaining transmission line.
The implementation of MLF has affected several areas that include the entire Zamboanga Peninsula, namely Zamboanga del Norte (including Dipolog City and Dapitan City), Zamboanga del Sur (including Pagadian City and Zamboanga City), Zamboanga Sibugay, entire Misamis Occidental, and parts of Lanao del Norte.
Power service has been gradually restored in several areas as of Monday night, according to the NGCP.
However, the NGCP said in a text message around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, October 25, that they continue to implement MLD on the 69-KV lines servicing Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative, Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperatives 1 and 2, Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative, as a contingency measure to avoid overloading of the remaining 138-KV Baloi-Aurora line. (SunStar Zamboanga)