Misamis Oriental condemns tower bombings as NGCP pledges for peaceful May elections

By KIT KAIMO

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur (Feb.16, 2016) --- Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental expressed its support for peaceful May elections during the Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) Coordinating Conference.

In a Provincial Resolution, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan presided by Hon. Jose Mari Pelaez, Vice Governor of Misamis Oriental, strongly condemned the bombings of transmission towers in Mindanao and urged the national government “to take urgent action to include the declaration of a state of emergency in the affected areas.”

A similar resolution called on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the national government “to take immediate action and employ proactive and significant measures to prevent the destruction and the collapse of the Mindanao power grid…in order to secure the availability and continuous supply of electricity and ensure the integrity of the May 2016 national and local elections.”

“NGCP welcomes this development and recognizes the support of the Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental as this further highlights the need to prioritize the provision of reliable and stable power before, during, and after Election Day,” confirmed NGCP.

In an RJSCC Coordinating Conference for Region X, NGCP joined representatives of COMELEC, DILG, DepEd, PNP, AFP, and Smartmatic in evaluating the preparations of government security forces for the May 9 elections. This includes NGCP’s anticipation of the effects of the El Niño phenomenon and bombing of transmission towers to power supply in the region, to which the system operator recognized AFP and PNP in providing the necessary support.

The conference ended with representatives of member agencies signing a Pledge of Commitment to ensure clean, safe, and peaceful elections in Region X. 

NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related assets. The consortium, which holds the 25-year concession contract to operate the country's power transmission network, is comprised of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. led by Henry Sy, Jr., Calaca High Power Corporation led by Robert Coyiuto, Jr., and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) as technical partner.