Cops, soldiers probe power tower bombing in Marawi

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The police and military joined forces Friday to easily identify the bombers who toppled down two power relay pylons in Marawi City late Thursday using home-made explosives.

The attack caused outage in Marawi City and nearby areas.

READ: Explosion hits Marawi power pylon

Chief Superintendent Ronald Estilles, director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police, said investigators are still gathering information regarding the incident from folks residing in the immediate surroundings of the two towers the bombers destroyed.

Marawi City is capital of Lanao del Sur, a component province of ARMM.

Based on initial reports that reached the office of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, workers of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) are still trying to fix the bombed out towers to restore supply of electricity in Marawi City.

In a statement, the NCGP said the destruction of the two towers had caused a big power deficit in many areas.

The two towers, located at Barangay Patani in Marawi City, carried high tension cables linking the city to a hydroelectric plant in Lanao del Sur.

Major Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao, said he had ordered Army units in Lanao del Sur and Marawi City to help the ARMM police investigate on the incident.

He said intelligence operatives are now helping police probers determine the identities of the bombers.