By Froilan Gallardo
Special Correspondent
AN explosion occurred at one of the 138-KV transmission towers of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) injuring seven soldiers and two linemen in Buadiposo-Buntong town in Lanao del Sur this morning.
Brig. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo, commanding general of the Marawi-based 103rd Infantry Brigade said two helicopters from the Philippine Air Force base in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro have been deployed to extricate the wounded soldiers and linemen.
“A third helicopter from the NGCP is also on the way,” Cuerpo said.
Cuerpo said the transmission tower was not toppled.
Gold Star Daily tried to reach NGCP officials in Iligan City but Beth Ladaga, NGCP Regional Corporate Communications, and Public Affairs Officer in Northern Mindanao declined to give a statement.
“I will refer your question to our head office,” Ladaga said in her text message.
Cuerpo said the NGCP linemen escorted by a security detail of seven Army soldiers walked for two days to the 138-KV transmission tower in the mountains in Buadiposo-Buntong town.
“It was a regular checkup of the tower and usually the linemen have a squad of soldiers to accompany them for their security,” Cuerpo said.
The 138-KV transmission tower connects the electricity from Agus 1 hydro plant to the Kibawe relay station and the rest of southern Mindanao.
Cuerpo said the initial report they received was one of the soldiers stepped on a pressure-activated landmine planted on the base of the transmission tower.
He said they are conducting an investigation on who is responsible for planting the landmine on the base of the tower.
Cuerpo discounted the possibility that communist rebels or members of the Dawlah Islamiya Maute terror group were responsible.
“Usually the bomb is attached to the tower and exploded to topple it down. This is different,” he said.
Cuerpo said NGCP transmission towers are always the subject of numerous attacks in the past and those responsible were mostly disgruntled landowners.
