Army: No NPA link to NGCP tower blasts

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – There was none of the usual New People’s Army pattern found in the Saturday blasting of three of the four newly-erected posts of the transmission tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) at Brgy. Sta. Catalina in Sagbayan town.

Colonel John Bonafos, commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, said the bombing did not show signs of NPA handiwork, and that there has been no word from the rebels claiming responsibility on the incident.

For the meantime, the military is leaving the matter to the police to avoid muddling the ongoing investigation.

Bohol Police Provincial Director Constantino Barot Jr. for his part said the incident was an isolated case, even if investigators have been looking into several angles, among which were the reports that some properties along the transmission lines of NGCP were left unpaid until now, and there were sub-contractors who were not fully paid for their services.

Barot said investigators have been comparing the type of explosives used in Saturday’s blast with the one used in Negros. They recovered from the scene an electrical wire and detonating cord, he said, adding that there has been no report of suspicious or armed men around Sta. Catalina before the blast.

Barot and Police Regional Office-7 director, Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr, have inspected the bombing site last Tuesday. The NGCP tower is about 100 meters from the boundary of Brgy Triple in Catigbian town and Brgy. Sta. Catalina in Sagbayan.

In the case of NGCP, it had been reported that, months before the blast, the NGCP got a demand letter, the authenticity of which however were doubtful and had to be investigated. Besides it was unsigned although it carried a logo of the NPA.

PO3 Hermes Sanchez of the Sagbayan Police Station said the initial suspicion was that the NPA was behind the incident, but barangay officials said they could not yet conclude that the group did it, despite reports that some people, claiming to be rebels, had demanded money from NGCP as revolutionary tax.

Barangay chair Rebecca Castro of Sta. Catalina narrated that at around 10 p.m. last Saturday, they heard two blasts—the second was louder. She said a set of improvised explosive device (IED) had been planted on each of the three posts of the NGCP tower and the second blast was the simultaneous explosion of two posts.

The explosion failed to topple the tower, though, except for three-foot scratches on the posts, said Castro.  (FREEMAN)