THE Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced it will conduct rotational brownouts across several areas in Luzon from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM this Thursday, following the declaration of Red Alert status for the Luzon power grid.
The power distributor said each interruption will last up to two hours, varying by location and schedule, as the system faces tight supply conditions amid high electricity demand. Affected areas cover parts of Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Quezon Province, and Rizal.
Within Metro Manila, scheduled outages will hit select barangays in the cities of Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, Quezon City, Pasig, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Pasay, Marikina, Muntinlupa, San Juan, and Taguig. In the province of Cavite, service interruptions are set for Dasmariñas, Imus, Carmona, Silang, Amadeo, and Tagaytay City. Similar measures will also be implemented in designated towns and cities across Laguna, Bulacan, Rizal, and Quezon Province as part of efforts to balance supply and demand and prevent a total grid collapse.
To ease pressure on the power system, Meralco said large commercial and industrial customers enrolled in its Interruptible Load Program (ILP) have agreed to reduce or shift their power consumption. These entities have committed to collectively shed around 270 megawatts of load during the critical hours. “To help manage the demand, our big‑load customers enrolled under the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) have committed to de‑load a collective capacity of around 270 MW,” the company stated.
Meralco assured the public that it is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and power generators to stabilize supply. “We are closely monitoring the situation and are committed to doing our part in managing the system,” it added. Residents and businesses in affected areas were advised to charge essential devices in advance, prepare emergency lights, and follow the posted schedules to minimize inconvenience during the blackout period.
