Power restored in areas affected by Taal Volcano’s unrest

MANILA, Philippines — The restoration of electricity in areas affected by the explosion of Taal Volcano has been completed.

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said its line crew worked around the clock to clean main lines and circuits affected by ashfalls.

“In the past week, portions of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas experienced power interruptions because... ashfall affected various circuits in these areas,” Meralco public information office head Joe Zaldarriaga said.

Meralco said around 180,000 households in parts of Bacoor, Silang, Amadeo, Indang, Naic, Trece Martirez City, Alfonso, Cavite City, Dasmarinas City and Tagaytay City in Cavite; Cabuyao and Calamba in Laguna, and Talisay in Batangas were hit by power outages.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said it is coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center and the power sector on the status of energy facilities and systems as well as issues that could affect energy supply in areas near Taal Volcano.

The DOE advised energy facilities in Laguna, Rizal, Aurora and northern part of Quezon to undertake appropriate measures to respond to contingencies with the volcano’s continued activity.

In recent visits to affected areas in Batangas and Cavite, the DOE also discussed measures to help ensure that unscrupulous traders do not take advantage of the situation.

A price freeze on basic commodities, including liquefied petroleum gas and kerosene, are in place in Batangas and Cavite, where a state of calamity was declared due to Taal Volcano’s activity.

Alert Level 4 remains in effect over the volcano. State seismologists said this means hazardous explosive eruption could still happen within hours to days.