The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has assured consumers it would provide stable and steady power supply during the 30-day enhanced community quarantine throughout Luzon.
In a statement, Ronnie Aperocho, Meralco senior vice president and head of networks, said the power distribution company activated its business continuity plan even before the government placed Metro Manila under a lockdown.
“Meralco remains always ready and will continue working with the energy sector so as to ensure that electric power services remain uninterrupted,” Aperocho said.
Hospitals and other critical establishments, as well as national and local governments and utilities, will have round-the-clock power supply, Meralco said.
Meralco also said it had deferred its maintenance activities during the community quarantine period except in critically loaded areas, with the approval of the Department of Energy.
“There has been close to zero interruptions experienced in the franchise area distribution utility,” the listed firm said.
Meralco implemented a scheme of “triple-redundancy” in its Control Center to ensure “continuous real-time visibility 24/7 of the entire distribution network even during the quarantine period,” Aperocho said.
Activities during the quarantine period included:
- installations in Cavite City Hall and Maynilad facilities in Cavite on March 21;
- installations in the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the completion of the service application of Urban Homes on the same day, which will provide free lodging to health workers at St. Luke’s Medical Center in BGC on March 23; and
- power supply to Quezon City’s COVID-19 regional evacuation center on March 25.
Ray Espinosa, Meralco president and CEO, said: “Going beyond the power and light we deliver, this current crisis that our country faces calls for us to be a beacon of reliability and hope. We are keeping the lights on for our customers as we also provision for the safety and comfort of our employees.”
Meralco urged consumers to go to the Meralco Online service for all updates and transactions, and download the Meralco Mobile App at http://onelink.to/meralcomobile. Regular updates will also be provided official channels, such as the Meralco Website: www.meralco.com.ph; Meralco Facebook page: www.facebook.com/meralco; Meralco Twitter Account: @meralco; Call Center number 16211; and text hotlines: 0920-9716211 (Smart), 0917-5516211 (Globe), and 0925-7716211 (Sun). (PressONE.ph)