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By FROILAN GALLARDO
Contributor with NORA SORINO
and SITA ASEQUIA
of GSD-Iligan Bureau

UNIDENTIFIED men bombed two towers of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) in Marawi City, isolating the electric supply generated from the Agus 1 and 2 hydroelectric power plants to the Mindanao grid.

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Elizabeth Ladaga, NGCP regional communications officer in Mindanao, said towers 19 and 20 were toppled after the bombing at around 9:20 pm Thursday night, causing power loss in several areas of Mindanao.

Ladaga said the toppling of the two towers caused the deficiency of 150 mw because electricity produced by Agus 1 and 2 became isolated from the Mindanao grid.

“Our technicians will start restoration work as soon as the area is secured by the army and police,” Ladaga said.

Lt. Virgilio Dorotan, a  company commander from the Army 65th Infantry Battalion, said soldiers and policemen only managed to enter and secure the area of the blast site in Barangay Patani in Marawi City at around 5 am yesterday.

“We found the two towers toppled on its side but we have already secured the area for the NGCP repairmen to begin their work,” Dorotan said.

He said they still have no idea who exploded the bombs as Army ordnance specialists are still in the blast site to check the evidence left.

The NGCP, in a statement released earlier, said 80 mw from the Agus 1 plant, and 180 mw from the Agus 2 plant were isolated from the grid as a result of the bombings.

Ladaga said she could not say yet which areas were immediately affected but added NGCP’s maintenance and security group carried out aerial patrols after the blasts.

The village of Patani is located one kilometer from the Marawi-Iligan highway.

The bombing came two days after the NGCP released a press statement complaining that an “uncooperative landowner” in Marawi City demanded money and refused entry to their repairmen.

The NGCP said at least 30 megawatts of electricity produced from the Agus 1 hydroelectric dam became isolated from the Mindanao grid because of the incident.

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