Zambo, ibang bahagi ng Mindanao, balot na naman ng blackout!

Mindanao Examiner Photo

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 12, 2010) – Muli na naman binuysit ng sunod-sunod na blackout ang Zamboanga City sa mga nakalipas na araw at batikos ang tinatanggap ng lokal na kooperatiba mula sa publiko.

Ilan sa mga himpilan ng radio naman ay nagsabing nasira ang kanilang mga computers dahil sa blackout. Maging ang boltahe ng kuryente ay madalas bumaba sa 220 volts kung kaya’t lalong nadagdagan ang hinaing ng publiko dahil sa naapektuhang mga appliances.

Isang tanggapan naman ang nagsabi sa Abante na nasira ang baterya ng kanilang UPS o universal power supply dahil sa eratik na blackout at mababang kuryente mula sa Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative.

Sa ibang bahagi ng Mindanao ay 9 na oras naman ng blackout ang inanunsyo ng National Grid Corporation of the Philippines upang maayos diumano ang daloy ng kuryente sa kahabaan ng Maramag-Kibawa 138-kilovolt transmission sa lalawigan ng Bukidnon.

Saklaw nito ang buong lalawigan ng Cotabato, Davao, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat at katabing mga lugar.

Nitong taon lamang ay napeste ng ilang buwan ang malaking bahagi ng Mindanao, kasama ang Zamboanga City sa 9 na oras na rotational blackout dahil sa kakulangan ng kuryente sa rehiyon. (Mindanao Examiner)

Power pylon bombed in southern Philippines

MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 13, 2009) – Unidentified men bombed a steel pylon in the largely Muslim province of Lanao del Sur in Mindanao on Friday and cutting off electricity in some areas in the volatile southern region of Mindanao, Philippine authorities said.

Police said Tower 10 was damaged by the blast which occurred before dawn in the mountain village of Pagalamatan near Marawi City.

“Unidentified armed men strapped four explosive devices onto the base of Tower 10 and set them off. Three legs were totally damaged due to the explosions fashioned out from 81mm mortars. Responding policemen recovered one unexploded IED,” said Superintendent Esmael Pua Ali, the provincial police chief said.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous bombing in Lanao del Sur, one of five provinces under the troubled Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, were largely blamed to Moro rebels extorting money from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines is a consortium composed of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corporation, State Grid Corporation of China and Calaca High Power Corporation. It took over the National Transmission Corporation in January this year.

By offering a bid of $3.95 billion, the consortium won in the bidding for the franchise to operate and maintain the country’s transmission network – the biggest government auction conducted in efforts to reform the local power sector. The franchise is for fifty years. (With a report from Merlyn Manos)