The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is set to place a permanent tower in replacement of Tower 34 that fell in Alabang by the end of May to assure continued electricity supply through the Biñan-Muntinlupa 230kV transmission line.
“Our target for a permanent structure is on or before May 30,” NGCP South Luzon regional head Gerardo Torres said.
NGCP added that they will also construct a perimeter wall to make sure no informal settlers will build houses under the tower.
“We hope there’s no more opportunity for informal settlers to come back. We’re currently finalizing the design and the right-of-way for the perimeter wall. Once the permanent tower is in place, we will construct the fence within the year,” Torres said.
The grid operator will also meet with the Muntinlupa local officials to discuss other areas that have informal settlers in the vicinity of transmission facilities.
“We will make a presentation of all the transmission facilities with informal settlers. We will seek their assistance because we can’t force them out of the transmission facilities since we don’t have police powers,” Torres stressed.
Last month, Tower 34 collapsed due to a fire caused by informal settlers living under the said tower.
After three days, the tower was placed on a temporary base at the rightmost lane of Alabang exit amid repairs and construction of the permanent structure.
“The temporary structures, we’re confident that it is stable on normal circumstances. However, we can’t say when a storm will come or how long it will last,” Torres said.
NGCP continues to appeal to respect transmission right-of-way (ROW) clearances to avoid accidents that both threaten the transmission operations and safety of the people in the area.
“They also pose a hazard to the transmission facilities and to the public. We are asking those who are living under our transmission facilities to move to a safer location, away from our lines and towers to ensure that delivery of power to communities remains stable and uninterrupted,” NGCP said.
