Power Pylons In Mindanao Bombed

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 2, 2008) – Unidentified men bombed two steel pylons of the state-run National Transmission Corporation in the southern Philippines, where security forces are fighting Moro and Maoist rebels.

The attacks occurred before dawn Sunday in the village of Panadtalan in Bukidnon’s Maramag town, military reports said.

It said the pylons were bombed one at a time, but did not cause much damage to the transmission lines, although power was cut for several hours.

No group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks, but previous bombings in the area were largely blamed to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and New People’s Army rebels.

A few dozen pylons had been toppled over the years in the southern Philippines, where government forces are battling the rebel groups.

In July, MILF fighters also attacked a power pylon in the hinterlands of Pikit town in North Cotabato province, scene of fierce clashes between rebel and military forces. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Rebels Attack Army Post, Topple Power Pylon In South RP

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 2, 2008) – Muslim rebels attacked military and government targets in North Cotabato province as sporadic fighting continue in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters attacked an army post and a power pylon late Tuesday in the hinterlands of Pikit town, scene of fierce clashes between rebel and military forces since last month.

“The rebels attacked military and government targets, but no one was injured or killed. The MILF has been attacking our troops and bombing pylons in Mindanao,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.

But the MILF blamed the military for the hostilities, saying, troops attacked areas controlled by rebels. “It is the military, not us who should be blamed. Soldiers are firing on us,” Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, said.

He said hundreds of government soldiers have been deployed near MILF camps in the provinces, increasing tension in Mindanao.

Armed Forces chief Alexander Yano has told security forces to use considerable force against MILF attacks. Fighting between soldiers and rebels still continue despite a cease-fire accord. Military and rebel leaders have accused each other of violating the truce.

Peace talks were stalled last year after Manila rejected demands by rebels to grant them ancestral lands that would comprise a separate Muslim homeland in the strife-torn, but mineral-rich Mindanao Island.

President Gloria Arroyo in 2001 opened up peace talks with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim secessionist rebel group, in an effort to end more than four decades of hostilities in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Troops Foil Bombings Of Power Pylons In Troubled South

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 6, 2008) – Philippine soldiers have foiled bomb attacks Friday on two vital power lines in the hinterlands of Mindanao, where several pylons had been toppled by rebels the past weeks.

Two bombs, assembled from mortars and rigged to an electronic timer, were discovered in two separate towers in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province. One of the bomb was set to explode at 9.30 a.m. and the other at 3.30 p.m. and both had been disarmed by soldiers.

A security guard of the state-owned National Transmission Corporation discovered the bombs and informed police and military about the explosives.

No group claimed responsibility for the failed attack, but authorities have previously tagged rouge members of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front as behind past bombings of power lines in Mindanao.

The MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, denied allegations it was behind the bombings.

On Tuesday and Thursday, two more pylons were damaged from separate bombings in Sultan Kudarat’s President Elpidio Quirino town and a third attack on power line failed in Tacurong City after soldiers discovered a bomb before it was to explode.

Security forces have stepped up its patrol in Mindanao to thwart attempts to bomb government targets, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

“We have doubled our efforts to prevent bombings of power pylons. We are doing our best to protect vital government installations,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ando said the attacks were aimed at targeting the local economy. “This is economic sabotage,” he said.

Last month, several pylons were also toppled in Sarangani and Lanao del Sur province, plunging many areas in Mindanao into darkness. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bombers Strike, Topple 3rd Power Line In South RP

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Unidentified gunmen bombed a power pylon, the third attacks in two days, in the southern Philippines where rebels are actively operating, officials said Wednesday.

Officials said the latest attack on government transmission towers occurred before midnight on Tuesday in the hinterland village of Sogod in Marawi City.

The National Transmission Corporation said the explosion toppled the pylon.

Engineer Emmanuel Abellanosa, assistant vice president for Mindanao operations and maintenance, the attack interrupted supply of electricity only in two firms, the Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines (PICOP) in Balo-I town in Lanao del Norte and the Mindanao Silicon in Manticao town in Misamis Oriental provinces.

He said they received no threats from any rebel groups, but admitted more security forces were needed in the area to protect the steel pylons from being attacked again.

"We need more fresh troops to patrol our lines," Abellanosa said.

Regional police chief Teodorico Capuyan said the bombers may have been motivated by revenge following the pullout of the Philippine Marines from the area.

Troops previously guarding the area have been redeployed to other provinces.

Authorities had in the past blamed such attacks on rouge members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-rule in Mindanao.

The MILF is currently negotiating peace with Manila.

Two similar pylons were also bombed and toppled over the weekend near Iligan City and in Lanao province. No groups claimed responsibility for all three bombings. (Mike Banos)

Zamboanga Gets New Power Plant

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 20 Dec) – To prevent power shortage and fully meet the growing electricity demand in Zamboanga City, the state-owned National Transmission Corporation (Transco) said it is fast-tracking the construction of a 100-megavolt ampere power sub-station and a new 138-kilovolt transmission lines in January.

Transco officials said the P1-billion electric project will augment the power supply generated by the 100-megavolt Sangali sub-station, which currently supply the entire city's electric demand.

"With the fast-rising numbers of households, malls, and factories in Zamboanga City, substation in Sangali can no longer service the increasing power demand in the city," Transco's North Western Mindanao project manager Gualberto Geonzon told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said Zamboanga city is increasing an average of 8 megawatt of electric consumption every year. Currently, Zamboanga's demand of power is pegged at 72 MW, but this could be higher because of the Christmas holiday where consumers use more electricity.

He said the construction of the new 100 MVA power sub-station in Pitogo district will supply the electricity to the city’s western part, where most of the major canning factories and industrial plants are located.

The existing Sangali sub-station will now supply the electric demands of the eastern part of Zamboanga, including the city’s business district. "The two sub-stations will now share the electric load of 40 MVA each," he explained.

The new 138-KV double circuit transmission line, on the other hand, is expected to help sustain the Sangali sub-station which serves as the end point of the Mindanao Grid.

Geonzon said Transco is currently negotiating with land owners affected by the constructions of the 138-KV double circuit transmission by-pass line to allow them to put up steel towers for the 67-km long project from Sangali to Pitogo.

"Although, at least 80 percent of the affected lot owners have agreed to let us use their lands temporarily,” he said. "We cannot afford to delay this project as this will significantly affect the power supply in this city."The project costs about P1-billion under the so-called Miyazawa Fund, a loan from Japan. (Mindanao Examiner)