COTABATO City – The cities of Cotabato, Kidapa-wan and Koronadal and other parts of Southwestern Mindanao suffered power outage Thursday night after an explosion that destroyed a transmission tower of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
Capt. Tony Bulao, spokesperson of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, said a loud explosion was heard at the vicinity of Sitio Malabuaya, Barangay Kayaga, Kabacan, North Cotabato around 7:45 pm.
Bulao said that soldiers who went to the area to check found that an NGCP tower was downed with a suspected improvised explosive device.
Last Sept. 1, an NGCP transmission tower in Barangay Madia, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao was also bombed.
The incident came a few days after clashes in Midsayap, North Cotabato between government forces and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters that displaced.
Authorities, however, have not pointed to any group as behind the blast.
North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, meanwhile, assured that the provincial government is closely coordinating with government security forces to possibly thwart further attacks by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (Biff).
Mendoza issued the statement amid talk that the Biff would launch another attack in some parts of the province.
In a text message, the governor said the military and police are on alert to avert “any diversionary, opportunistic and terroristic plans of any armed group in the province.”
“Our disaster, medical and relief teams are on standby for support. We are getting constant updates from the LGUs (local government units) down to the barangays for any sightings of the armed group,” the governor said.
Fears of another attack came following the sporadic clashes in the rice-producing villages of Midsayap on Monday, which displaced at least 2,000 families and left two civilians dead.
On Thursday, government forces were able to foil another attack by the Biff rebels in barangays Tibao in M’lang and Dalapitan in Matalam.
Mendoza assured that “it’s business as usual in the province of Cotabato.”
“We cannot allow fear to stop us from working and providing foods on the table,” she said. (Ferdinandh Cabrera and Keith Bacongco of Mindanews)