PIKIT, North Cotabato -- Suspected
extortionists set off improvised explosive devices on two steel towers of the
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) Friday night, sending parts
of North Cotabato and the whole of Maguindanao, including Cotabato City, in
total blackout for about four hours.
Last night's attack was the fourth this year against NGCP
towers in Pikit, North Cotabato and nearby
Pagalungan in Maguindanao.
Power was restored at past 3 a.m. after a series of blasts
toppled NGCP Towers No. 44 and 45 in Barangay Batulawan, Pikit, North Cotabato .
"We suspect extortion groups were behind the bomb
attacks," Senior Inspector Sindatu Karim, Pikit town police chief, said.
No one has claimed responsibility but Karim believed extortionists
operating in North Cotabato were behind the
attack.
Responding Army and police bomb experts belonging to Task
Force Pikit found fragments of 60 mm mortars at the toppled towers in Barangay
Batulawan, Pikit where the explosives went off at 11:30 p.m. Friday.
Power was cut in parts of North Cotabato, the whole of
Maguindanao and Cotabato
City
Power officials said the toppled towers transmit 138 KV line
from Kibawe power station in Kibawe, Bukidnon to Kabacan, North
Cotabato and Simuay station in Maguindanao.
According to Karim, the towers were located about 300 to 400
meters away from a militia detachment in the national highway of Barangay
Batulawan.
He estimated about six to seven IEDs were planted in
adjoining steel towers.
"These were very powerful bombs that it toppled the
steel towers," Karim said.
Police and Army bomb experts are still in the area
conducting post blast investigation.
Following the incident, NGCP transmit powers from Tacurong
Sub-Station to Simuay station at past 2:30 a.m.
Previous attacks on NGCP power lines were blamed to outlawed
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) which also operates in Pikit.
Large areas of Central Mindanao were plunged into darkness
Sunday night when another transmission tower of the NGCP was bombed in Pikit, North Cotabato .
On January 13 and 18 this year, suspected extortionists
toppled Tower 26 and Tower 41 in Barangay Ginakit, Pagalungan, Maguindanao and
Barangay Batulawan, Pikit, North Cotabato ,
respectively.
Like last night's attacks, bombs were crafted from 60 mm or
81 mm mortar shells with mobile phones as triggering devices.
The January bomb attacks also sent part of North Cotabato,
the whole of Maguindanao and Cotabato
City
Authorities blamed the outlawed BIFF in the January attacks.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=813580
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