BIFF blasts power lines; outages hit six towns

From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 28): BIFF blasts power lines; outages hit six towns

Suspected Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) rebels blasted a transmission tower of a local electric cooperative in North Cotabato Thursday night, leaving several villages without power.

Police officials in North Cotabato said that the suspects set off an improvised explosive device at the main tower lines of the Cotabato Electric Cooperative between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday.

Army 6th Infantry Division spokesman Col.  Dickson Hermoso said they have deployed units from the PNP-Kabacan, thr 7th Infantry Batallion and the 6th Explosive Ordnance Team to to conduct pursuit operations against the suspects.

This developed even as fighting between soldiers and BIFF rebels erupted anew in the outskirts of Tulunan town, the scene of intense skirmishes last Tuesday.

Reports said the explosion hit Cotelco’s main line tower, the Transco Tower No. 141, located at Sitio Malabuaya, Brgy Kayaga in Kabawan North Cotabato, incurring serious damage and causing power outage at least six municipalities in the province.

Military authorities said they have yet to identify any suspect, but did not discount the possibility that it was the handiwork of the BIFF, which could have planted the device.

Hermoso said that power have been restored in some affected areas in the province and Cotelco personnel are rushing to repair the damage to the transmission tower.

The power outage has affected the municipalities of Marbel, Matalam, Carmen, Aleosan and Pikit and even the town of Datu Montawal in nearby Maguindanao.

Soldiers stationed in Kabacan said that they heard a loud explosion in Brgy. Kayaga, which prompted military officials to send troops to determine the cause of the blast.

Meanwhile, another bomb exploded in Zamboanga Sibugay but failed to topple a bridge.

The bridge is located in Barangay Muyo, Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay, the police said.

Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, spokesman of the Police Regional Office 9, said bomb experts are still investigating who planted and detonated the improvised explosive device (IED) which was placed under the base of the Muyo Bridge along the national highway.

The explosion happened at around 7:45 p.m..

“The loud explosion caused panic among the residents of the barangay, as similar incidents had been occurring in the nearby city of Zamboanga,” Huesca said.

Buug police Officer-in-Charge Inspector Raul Clavecilla said they are trying to determine what type of IED was used in the bombing, and which group was responsible for the incident.

“We’re still waiting for the result from the Zamboanga Sibugay Crime Laboratory Office and Explosive and Ordnance Division,” he said.

Clavecilla added that before the explosion, Bgy. Poblacion and nearby barangays of Buug municipality have experienced power outage.

He added that a sports utility vehicle was passing by the bridge, apparently bound for Ipil municipality, Zamboanga Sibugay, when the explosion happened, which caused panic among its passengers.

“Luckily, no one was injured from the explosion,” Huesca said.

He added that engineers who later inspected the bridge said that the bridge did not suffer any structural damage, and would remain passable to all types of vehicles. 

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/09/28/biff-blasts-power-lines-outages-hit-six-towns/