Bombing leaves parts of Philippines in darkness

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines

Unidentified men bombed a 138-kilovolt tower in North Cotabato late Tuesday, causing power outages in parts of the province, Cotabato City and Maguindanao province.

The bombing in Manarapan village, Carmen Town, which occurred around 11.00 p.m. (1500GMT), toppled the steel tower owned by National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), NGCP said as reported by Inquirer News.

Carmen police chief Inspector Julius Malcontento told the news outlet an investigation is being conducted to determine the number of explosives used to bomb the tower, which was only reached by police and military forces early Wednesday.

NGCP and other power providers have attempted to shift power sources but have failed, citing security reasons.

As a result of the limited power supply, rotational brownouts have been imposed in the affected areas.

As of press time, no one had claimed responsibility for the attack, but the province is reportedly being frequently harassed by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway group of around 1,000 armed followers fighting for an independent Moro state, named after the region's indigenous Muslims in the south. Its members are mostly rag-tag rebels who engage in extortion, kidnapping, robbery and bombings.