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CEBU CITY, Philippines - What was soot doing six feet up a steel post that power company officials said was used to replace a burned down wooden post in the town of San Fernando?
Mayor Lakambini Reluya yesterday raised this question during a meeting among town and barangay officials, fire and police officials, and businessmen to discuss the apparent vandalism of a wooden post in barangay Upper Pitalo, which caused a power loss in 17 towns and one city south of Cebu last Monday.
The presence of the soot raised speculations during the meeting that the steel post may have already been standing beside the wooden post before it was burned.
An official, who asked not to be named, said this supported the claim of some witnesses that the steel post was seen standing beside the wooden post days before Monday’s torching.
Reluya also said she wondered why personnel from the National Transmission Corp. (Transco), which owns the post, did not coordinate with the town government and proceeded directly to the post, located two kilometers from the main road.
Reluya said she was trying to get in touch with Transco since Tuesday evening to get an explanation, but nobody entertained her calls.
Transco representatives were not present in yesterday’s meeting.
“I am still groping in the dark as to what really happened,” she said.
In a separate interview, Transco spokesperson Ben Ypil told Cebu Daily News that the soot was caused by Transco linemen’s cooking.
“The linemen cooked there so that they could have something to eat,” Ypil said, adding that Senior Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, director of the Cebu provincial police, also asked the company to explain the soot.
As for why Transco did not coordinate with town officials, Ypil said company procedure did not require it.
“It is Transco’s SOP (standard operating procedure) to go straight to the area, examine and immediately restore power. There was a line interruption and we had to immediately attend to it,” Ypil said.
He said Transco linemen told him that they left the burned coconut leaves that the police found near the post.
“It was dark when they went there, so they burned the leaves to have a source of light. Our linemen will be explaining this to the provincial police.” he said.
Police earlier speculated that the burned coconut leaves may have been used to fuel the burning of the wooden post. During yesterday’s meeting, Reluya assured businessmen that despite the vandalism, the town was safe.
She dismissed theories that the burning of the post was the work of rebels.
Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos, director of Central Visayas police, said his men were still looking for proof to support theories that the New People’s Army (NPA) was behind the incident.
He said the police would continue to look into that angle, but would not discount other theories, such as vandalism by drug users, as claimed by Ypil.
Transco officials said this was not the first time someone torched the company’s power lines.
Deogracias Bantilan, Transco safety officer for Cebu and Bohol, said two of the power distributor’s posts in sitio Lakon, barangay Pitalo, San Fernando, were also torched in 2006.
“Post number 42 and 38 were also burned intentionally in 2006, just like what happened to post 39. The same people probably did it. They’re having fun with our posts,” Bantilan said.
He said he did not believe the NPA was behind the attack, however. He said he could not see the NPA’s motive if it was really the group behind the incident.
“We have not received any threats from the NPA concerning our transmission lines,” he said.
He also said it was unlikely that nearby residents set the post on fire because the residents had already been compensated by the company.
Ypil said the company was conducting its own investigation and was also taking steps to minimize the chances of vandals burning other posts.
Ypil said Transco is coordinating with police and members of the Barangay Intelligence Network to help monitor the posts.
“We also appeal to the public to be vigilant. Please call us in our hotline 343-9708 for any reports because we need your help,” he said.
Ypil said the Cebu Provincial Police Office was also helping Transco deal with an extortion letter sent by an armed group threatening the company’s Cebu-Panay Interconnecting Uprating project.
He did not say what group sent the letter.
Valmoria said he has ordered all police stations in the province to secure all vital installations and identify infrastructure that may be targets of rebel groups.
Valmoria said special attention would be given to San Fernando, where groups of people were reportedly seen near the torched post days earlier.
He said they could not yet conclude if the groups were rebels or drug users.
“However, it’s it unlikely that they’re communist rebels because their base is in the mod-north (of the province),” Valmoria said.
The post was burned Monday, causing it to topple at 6:51 p.m. and pull down a 69-kilovolt power transmission line. Two adjacent posts were also pulled down before the power line broke, causing power loss in Carcar City and the towns of Sibonga, Argao, Dalaguete, Alcoy, Boljoon, Oslob, Santander, Samboan, Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, Alegria, Badian, Moalboal, Alcantara, Ronda, Dumanjug and Barili.
Power was restored at 8:58 a.m. Tuesday.
Authorities as yet do not know who or what caused the fire. With Correspondent Chris A. Ligan
