Meralco: Power back in most of Metro Manila, nearby provinces within the day

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Wednesday said power in most of Metro Manila and nearby provinces will be back within the day, hours after strong winds spawned by Typhoon Basyang sent billboards and trees crashing down on power lines. "Ang ating suplay ng kuryente [ay] kakaunti pa [Thepower supply we are getting is still not enough]," Dina Lomotan, corporate communications head of Meralco, told radio dzBB in an interview. She said that as of 10 a.m., Meralco has received 580 Megawatts of electricity, which accounts for about "10 percent" of the average power supply that the power distributor gets on a daily basis. But Lomotan assured the public that power would be restored within the day in majority of the households and establishments in their service area. "Pero madaming mababalikan ng kuryente ngayong araw [But still, power will be restored in most areas]," she added. She said if ever there would be places where power could not be restored, it would only be in "isolated areas." She assured people living in these areas that power could be restored Thursday at the latest.

In a GMA Flash Report, Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said they are coordinating with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to expedite power restoration works. "May constraints pa rin tayo sa transmission of the power supply chain na kasalukuyang binubuno pa rin natin [We still have constraints regarding transmission in the power supply chain]," he said. Lomotan said the power restoration operations of Meralco are focusing on damaged power lines. "Importante po na kami sa Meralco, ihanda ang aming pasilidad para kapag bumalik na ang kuryente sa amin, maibabalik na namin kaagad," she said. She also said they are prioritizing bringing power back in Malacañang, military camps and hospitals, as well as the Metro Railway Transit and the Light Railway Transit. The "system blackout" in areas serviced by Meralco started at 12:42 a.m. Wednesday. Affected areas include the entire Metro Manila and parts of Laguna, Quezon, Cavite and Bulacan. Lomotan urged the public to call or text Meralco's hotlines at 16211 or 0917-5592824 and 0920-9292824. She reminded customers calling in for inquiries to leave their names, contact numbers, landmarks in their area, and service ID number. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ, GMANews.TV