Meralco: Ready for Pepito

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) assured the public its personnel are prepared to respond to service concerns that may arise due to Super Typhoon Pepito (international name: Man-yi), with several areas in the country under tropical cyclone wind signals (TCWS).

In an advisory on Sunday, Meralco said it is closely monitoring the weather situation, and it has put in place necessary measures to help mitigate the impact of the storm.

“As a 24-hour service company, our crews are always ready to attend to any possible electricity service concern due to weather disturbances,” Meralco vice president and head of corporate communications Joe Zaldarriaga said.

In the same advisory, Meralco also called on customers to continue electrical safety measures during flooding such as: 

• Ensuring the main electrical power switch or circuit breaker is off.
• Unplugging appliances from wall sockets,
• Removing mud and dirt from service equipment.
• Making sure that devices are completely dry, and that flood-damaged electrical appliances are not turned on.

Meralco constructs, operates, and maintains electric distribution systems in the cities and municipalities of Bulacan, Cavite, Metro Manila, and Rizal, as well as certain areas in the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, Pampanga, and Quezon.

It ended September with a customer count of 7.99 million, 4% higher than the 7.77 million recorded the same period in 2023.

The company allocated P40 billion for its capital expenditures (capex) this year, including P24 billion for distribution utilities and P4 billion for power generation.

Pepito was last seen 120 kilometers east southeast of Baler, Aurora, with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, and gustiness of up to 230 kph. It was moving northwestward at 20 kph.

Tropical cyclone wind signal (TCWS) 5 is still raised over the eastern portion of the Polillo Islands, as Pepito maintained its strength late Sunday morning. Lower wind signals are also raised in more areas.
—Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News