Philippine E-Journals

The National Power Corporation and the Growth of Iligan as an Industrial City in the South (1936-1977)

Geoffrey G. Salgado

Discipline: History, Political Science

 

Abstract:

The auspicious beginning of Iligan as an industrial city in Southern Philippines occurred on November 3, 1936 with the passage of Commonwealth Act No. 120 creating the National power Corporation. As a government entity, NPC or NAPOCOR was tasked among others, “to conduct investigation, surveys for the development of water power in any parts of the Philippines and to conduct, operate, maintain power plants, auxiliary plants, dams, reservoirs… transmission lines, power stations and substations… for the purpose of developing hydraulic power from any river, creek, lake… and supplying such power to the inhabitants thereof. To accomplish such a tall order, the NPC in 1937 began gathering hydrologic and hydrographic data on main river systems in the country. A total of six of these river systems, together with other streams, were investigated and surveyed before the outbreak of the Pacific War. The data gathered by NPC became the basis for identifying the sites with hydroelectric potentials.