The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it should not be blamed for the massive flooding in Cagayan and Isabela due to Typhoon Ulysses, as it is not involved with the release of water from the Magat Dam.
This follows a media report tagging the Sy-led firm as behind the opening Magat’s floodgates. Government rules state that the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is authorized to release water from hydro dams like Magat.
In the same manner, SN Aboitiz Power also denied any role in the release of water from Magat, though it is present in the dam complex being the operator of the 360-megawatt hydroelectric power facility.
Located along the boundary of Isabela and Ifugao, the Magat Dam runs along the Magat River, a major tributary of the Cagayan River, the country’s longest and largest river.
The NGCP is asking for a retraction of the news item.
In a related development, the NGCP also believes that it wasn’t its transmission lines that electrocuted a rescuer in Tuguegarao City. NGCP spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Alabanza said in an ABS-CBN report that the grid company’s lines are placed at a minimum height of 35 meters above ground.
Tuguegarao City Mayor Jefferson Santiago, meanwhile, wants to know all the details leading to the incident before taking any action.
Cagayan’s capital city is serviced by the Cagayan I Electric Cooperative.
