Local governments asked to assist in protecting transmission facilities

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is asking local governments to help in dealing with “uncooperative” landowners hosting its facilities after one of its transmission towers in Cotabato was bombed on Tuesday night.

NGCP said on Wednesday Tower 106 along the 138-kilovolt Kibawe-Sultan Kudarat and Kibawe-Tacurong transmission lines in Brgy. Manarapan in Carmen, Cotabato was toppled at 11:10 p.m. on Oct. 3.

“Restoration of tower 106 will commence as soon as the area is secured,” the company said in a statement.

NGCP said damage to transmission facilities only served to increase the burden of the public “which must suffer through service interruptions when towers are bombed.”

“[We continue to] appeal to the local and national government, local community leaders, and the public, to help identify the perpetrators of the bombings, and to negotiate with uncooperative landowners, to prevent longer power interruptions.,” the company said.

NGCP is also attending to its “failing and aging” nationwide network through “massive” improvement projects. The upgraded backbone infrastructure was needed to support new power plants.

For 2017, NGCP expects to complete 24 transmission projects, continue work on 26 others, and start work on 22 more.