Power outage hits parts of Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines–Power outages have been reported in various parts of Metro Manila and other provinces affected by Typhoon Glenda (international name: Rammasun).

“We would like to assure people that we are in full force in restoration efforts after the heavy rains and strong winds stop. We will do it immediately,” said Manila Electric Corporation spokesma Joe Zaldarriaga in a television interview on Wednesday morning.

Commuters wait for their ride home Tuesday as the country braced for typhoon Rammasun (local name “Glenda”) which hit Manila the next day. Power outages were reported in various parts of Metro Manila and other provinces on Wednesday. AP PHOTO

“In the southern part of our franchise area there were recorded [power] interruptions in Tayabas in Quezon, our covered areas in Laguna, Cavite and even Metro Manila,” he said.

Zaldarriaga said the power outages were due to their facilities’ being affected by the typhoon, adding that their system sometimes automatically shuts off for safety measures.

Meralco’s Twitter account said the power outages might have been caused by “a temporary system balance at 1:29 a.m. due to a sudden plant outage.”

“We de-energize it for a while for safety reasons. We are seeking for your understanding. The winds are still strong, we still cannot restore power. We have to wait this out and let it pass for safety reasons,” he said.

Glenda is expected to exit the Philippine landmass via Zambales by noon.