NGCP, MTRCB team up for info drive on transmission line safety

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has teamed up with Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to reach a wider audience for its information campaign on transmission line safety and protection and right-of-way (ROW) information campaign.

NGCP said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with MTRCB in disseminating advocacy on transmission line safety and protection and information on ROW violations.

The grid operator said it tapped MTRCB to help them reach wider audiences by showing their safety and anti-pilferage public service videos in movie theaters.

MTRCB is the entity that supervises and regulates the public exhibition of motion pictures, television programs, and publicity materials.

The MOU was signed by with NGCP board director and chief administrative officer Anthony Almeda and MTRCB chairman Eugenio Villareal.

Under the MOU, both parties committed to “protect the physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being of the youth and other vulnerable sectors, inculcating patriotism and nationalism, and encouraging their involvement in public and civic affairs,” including safety, anti-pilferage and right-of-way of the nationwide transmission assets.

MTRCB made its commitment in “making available relevant expert information and other resources, to enable NGCP to mobilize the dissemination of its line safety campaign material to local theater operators.”

Meanwhile, NGCP said its partnership with the government agency is “a strategic cooperation between the public and private sector will further advance the advocacies of NGCP, particularly on spreading awareness on transmission line safety, anti-pilferage, and right-of-way issues.”

Earlier, the grid operator reiterated its call to Congress to pass a law which will declare the intentional planting of high-growing trees and construction of residential and industrial structures under power transmission lines illegal.

Late last year, it already called on Congress to pass a law that will prohibit these acts which will undermine the security of transmission lines.

Last May, the Department of Energy (DOE) made the same call to help maintain the security of the whole power grid and the continued power supply across the country.

The Interagency Task Force on Securing Energy Facilities, which was formed by President Aquino, is currently dealing with long term ROW issues and bombing concerns in the power industry.