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COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/02 September) – A transmission line of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao was toppled Sunday night by an improvised explosive device (IED) made of four 60mm mortars connected to each other, according to an Army explosive expert.
Maj. Japoc Palma, chief of the Army EOD Battalion said that based on evidence gathered the IED was placed at the four-corner post of the transmission beam and was detonated using a cellphone as triggering device.
The blast felled tower 168 in Km 14, Barangay Madia around 9 p.m. causing a total blackout in Cotabato City and nearby areas, said Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesperson of the 6th Infantry Division.
Members of the Civilian Armed Force Geographical Unit assigned in Madia which is almost a kilometer away from the blast site immediately went on patrol upon hearing the explosion. But it was only on Monday morning that they found out a transmission line was bombed.
“We heard the loud explosion, but we can’t determine where it exactly happened. Besides, the surroundings became dark so we just kept ourselves alert,” a militiaman who refused to identify himself told MindaNews.
Michael Mayo, a resident of San Pablo in Cotabato City complained it took long before power was restored.
NGCP line engineer Fermin Manos said it will take three days for them to totally restructure the damaged post.
“What we do at the mean time is use a temporary bypass structure while restoring this transmission line. We are also using alternate supply of power from another source,” he said.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera/MindaNews)