The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has successfully restored and energized the power line that was down after one of its towers was toppled by lawless elements last 24 October.
The NGCP said the Baloi-Aurora 138-kiloVolt line — which services the entire Zamboanga peninsula, Misamis Occidental, and parts of Lanao del Norte, was successfully restored and energized at 4:39 a.m. of 26 October.
It added that it expedited the dismantling of the toppled Tower No. 8 in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte and erected an Emergency Restoration System to restore the affected line less than 36 hours from the incident.
"It is NGCP's mandate to provide reliable power transmission services. We are committed to our mandate, and we will continue to deliver on this commitment, despite challenges posed by lawless elements," the NGCP said.
"We laud the efforts and bravery of our line personnel who pursued immediate restoration without hesitation. We thank the local police and armed forces who secured the area and ensured the safety of our people," it added.
The NGCP also appealed to the public to report any suspicious activity involving NGCP's transmission facilities saying any malicious activities intended to damage or cripple NGCP's transmission lines and facilities "may cause power interruptions which serve only to burden ordinary power consumers."
Meantime, Senator Raffy Tulfo said security measures protecting power transmission facilities must be strengthened following the recent tower bombing, stressing that the incident in Sitio San Isidro, Barangay Bagumbayan brought so much inconvenience to the affected residents and its nearby communities.
"The damage is an indication that more things done to improve the security of our transmission facilities," Tulfo said.
To recall, the two powerful explosions caused rolling blackouts and service cut in the entire Zamboanga Peninsula including Dipolog City and Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Sur, as well as in Pagadian and Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, the entire Misamis Occidental, and parts of Lanao del Norte.
The senator, meantime, is encouraging the local government units and the Department of Energy to prepare for a possible repeat of the incident.
With Lade Kabagani