Manila Electric Company yesterday asked for understanding as it vowed to restore power as soon as possible to its customers affected by severe tropical storm "Paeng."

As of Saturday afternoon, the company said 2,243,212 of its clients have experienced power interruptions from the 1,143,499 in the morning.

Meralco said some 626,343 customers in Laguna, Quezon, Batangas, Cavite, Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan and Pampanga were affected by power interruptions.

"We ask for our customers' patience and understanding since we could not give a definite time on when service will be restored," Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said.

"For safety reasons, we have to wait until the strong winds and heavy rainfall subside before restoration activities in some areas resume," he added.

The Department of Energy also reported Saturday that Bacman Geothermal Plant Units 1, 2 and 3 had been shut down since 5 p.m., 28 October. The three units have a total capacity of 140 megawatts.

Paeng interrupted power in off-grid areas including in the provinces of Marinduque, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Burias Island.

A total of 14 69 kV transmission lines and one 230 kV lines are still down due to the weather disturbance.

"Out of 91 electric cooperatives, 32 ECs are in normal operation, 24 are experiencing partial power interruption, five total power interruption, and 30 ECs without submission," DoE said.