Meralco cuts off power to 12 substations

MANILA, Philippines - Major portion of Metro Manila will still have no electricity today as the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco ) cut off power to 12 substations to ensure the safety of its customers before resuming electricity in flooded areas.

In a statement, Meralco said as of 11 a.m. yesterday, 12 substations are still de-energized since they are located in flooded areas: Bocaue, Taguig, Sampaloc, Cavite, Kaybiga, Las Piñas, Palomar, Cainta, Tegen, Binondo, Angat, and San Miguel.

Meralco external communications manager Joe Zaldarriaga said, “Areas serviced by these affected substations are still without power. Circuits without electricity number to 139, or 20 percent of the 683 circuits in the entire Meralco franchise area. Ensuring the safety of the public was the primary reason for cutting off power in the said circuits.”

As of press time, there are about one million Meralco customers without power, which is a little over one-fifth of total registered Meralco customers.

Zaldarriaga said virtually all field personnel have been deployed to conduct a round-the-clock inspection of their facilities first before power is restored in affected areas.

“Safety of residents remains to be the primary concern in restoring power to these affected areas. Unfortunately, the floods have been slow in subsiding and this impedes the progress of our restoration work in a number of our substations,” Zaldarriaga said.

Zaldarriaga said customers experiencing difficulty getting through to the Meralco hotline 16211 may also text flood situations in their areas and other Meralco-related concerns to the following numbers: 0917-5592824 and 0920-9292824.

Meanwhile, Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell and Seaoil have announced that their retail stations all over Metro Manila will accept donations for flood victims.

Petron public affairs manager Virginia Ruivivar said Petron Foundation will facilitate the distribution of the donations.

The Petron service stations that would accept donations are those located in Metro Manila, in major cities and towns in Luzon and Southern Luzon, including stations in Palawan, Mindoro, Masbate, Marinduque and Catanduanes.

Ruivivar said they would also be providing Gasulites (LPG-powered lights) for areas without electricity.

Petron Foundation managing director Malu Erni may be reached through 0917-5672307. – Donnabelle Gatdula