NGCP urges residents to avoid ‘kaingin’

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – Power grid operator National Grid Corporation Philippines (NGCP) urges residents and farmers to avoid “kaingin” and other similar activities near transmission lines that can start grass fires that may damage their facilities and structures.

NGCP Regional Corporate Communication Officer Ernest Vidal, in an interview over a Central Luzon based radio station said that there are recorded cases of burning of hay and grass that has caused interruption in the transmission of power.

In many parts of the region, rice farming is a primary source of income. Kaingin is the burning off in field as preparation for cultivation.

Vidal cited that in Samar and Eastern Visayas, incidents of grass fires resulted in the burning of NGCP’s wood poles, which led to power interruptions. He also stressed during the interview that NGCP is a private company operating with an outlook of public service.

The company is in charge in the operation, maintainance and development of 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.