On the eve of the May 12 national and local elections, the Department of Energy (DOE) has raised a heightened alert status to guarantee a stable and uninterrupted power supply across the country.
Through the Energy Task Force Election led by DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella, the agency has activated 24/7 operations beginning Sunday, aimed at preventing outages and ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.
The task force is composed of energy-related government agencies, private sector players including transmission and generation firms, distribution utilities, and other stakeholders. Their mission is to implement coordinated preventive measures and quick-response protocols throughout the election period.
“All hands are on deck. The entire energy sector is fully mobilized and working in full coordination to ensure an unimpeded and reliable power supply, along with adequate fuel availability, for tomorrow’s (Monday) national and local elections,” said Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla.
The DOE confirmed that readiness checks have been completed nationwide, contingency measures are in place, and command centers are fully operational. These include facilities under the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), National Electrification Administration (NEA), Manila Electric Company (MERALCO), and the DOE’s Energy Sector Emergency Operations Center.
All command centers are equipped with real-time monitoring systems and technical response teams. The heightened alert will remain in effect until May 13.
The public is also urged to report any power-related issues or interruptions to their respective local distribution utilities and help maintain vigilance during the critical election period.
Power Reserves Holding Steady
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, the NGCP reported normal operations across all transmission lines and facilities. In Luzon, available power capacity reached 17,195 megawatts with a demand of 10,028 megawatts. The Visayas grid showed 3,138 megawatts available against a demand of 1,957 megawatts, while Mindanao recorded 3,615 megawatts available versus 1,835 megawatts in demand.
