Meralco targets 'brownout-free' elections

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Saturday reaffirmed its goal of delivering a brownout-free election on Monday, citing comprehensive contingency plans to ensure 100 percent reliability of power supply during the polls.

In a statement posted on its official Meta (Facebook) page, Meralco said it had already inspected over 3,000 polling sites, coordinated with local government units and other government agencies, conducted safety webinars and public reminders, and placed floodlights and back-up generators on standby.

In a separate press statement, Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said the company will be on full alert status, with crews ready to respond to any electricity-related concerns.

He said Meralco personnel are on standby to ensure stable and reliable service at polling precincts, canvassing centers, and key election sites across the franchise area throughout the election period.

“Historically, Meralco’s franchise has had no major troubles during elections. Nonetheless, we have put in place contingency measures in case of isolated outages or service interruptions. Our personnel across the organization will be ready to respond 24/7, with our crews strategically positioned across our franchise area and our customer care group on standby for the immediate resolution of any electricity-related trouble before, during, and after the elections,” Zaldarriaga said.

He added that over 160 generator sets and 470 floodlights will be deployed to strategic areas to ensure a prompt response to potential service interruptions.

“We also reiterate our call to the public to avoid flying kites near power lines as this could cause service interruptions. In addition, we would like to remind those manning polling precincts to refrain from bringing additional appliances such as rice cookers and electric fans to avoid overloading of facilities that could also affect electricity service,” he added.

Zaldarriaga said that since last year, Meralco has been actively coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Department of Energy (DOE), and other energy sector stakeholders to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted election day.

In preparation for the 12 May polls, Meralco crews also conducted inspections of schools designated as polling centers and carried out maintenance and upgrades to ensure that their distribution network and facilities remain in optimal condition.