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Brix Lelis - The Philippine Star
May 14, 2026 | 12:00am
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) placed power grids in Luzon and the Visayas under red alert from 3 to 8 p.m.
Businessworld / File
MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of consumers in Luzon and the Visayas experienced blackouts yesterday after yellow and red alerts were raised due to high electricity demand and the shutdown of several power plants.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) placed power grids in Luzon and the Visayas under red alert from 3 to 8 p.m.
A yellow alert was also issued in both regions.
In Luzon, the alert notice took effect from 2 to 3 p.m. and from 8 to 10 p.m., and in the Visayas from 8 to 10 p.m.
A yellow alert is raised when power supply is on the verge of becoming insufficient, while a red alert is issued when supply can no longer meet consumers’ demand.
The Department of Energy ordered the NGCP to immediately address transmission constraints that affected the dispatch of large power plants and triggered grid alerts in Luzon and the Visayas.
“On both the transmission and the generation sides, our directive is the same: restore normal conditions as quickly as possible and protect Filipino consumers from prolonged supply disruptions,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said.
To help manage strained system conditions, power utility giant Manila Electric Co. or Meralco implemented rotating power interruptions averaging three hours, beginning at 3:23 p.m.
The power interruption affected more than 200,000 consumers in parts of Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal as well as in Metro Manila.
As of 3:40 p.m., Meralco had secured 240 megawatts of load reduction from its commercial and industrial customers.
Outside the Meralco franchise area, the NGCP said that temporary electricity cuts could be implemented in parts of Albay, Batangas, La Union and Quezon to maintain the integrity of the power system.
In the Visayas, the grid alerts threatened electricity service in parts of Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Leyte and Samar as well as Metro Cebu.
