Meralco says post-storm repairs on track

MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) said Friday the number of its customers affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine had gone down from 566,416 to 360,489, noting 24-hour repair works were ongoing.

Meralco said 40,000 of their electric poles were damaged by strong winds based on initial reports.

Majority of affected franchise areas were in Cavite, Laguna and Batangas, while the rest were in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan and Quezon.

Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said the number of affected customers was highest in Cavite with 191,186, followed by Laguna with 90,095, and Batangas with 39,133.

«The main reason why there was no electricity in the affected areas was because of strong winds, which in turn toppled some trees and then damaged our electricity poles and lines, which is what happened to some Metro Manila areas last night. Moreover, some flooding has also hampered us from going to the said areas in order for us to restore power there,» Zaldarriaga said.

Meralco said power outages and other concerns could be reported to its hotline at 16211 and 8631-1111 or mobile lines 0920-9716211 and 0917-5516211.

Meralco could also be reached through its official Facebook (www.facebook.com/meralco) and X (@meralco) accounts.