Typhoon Tino cuts power to 1 million in Visayas

Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) knocked out electricity to more than 1 million customers in the Visayas on Tuesday, crippling power supply across eight electric cooperatives, according to the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

As of 9 a.m. on November 4, affected cooperatives included BANELCO (Bantayan Island), BILECO (Biliran), CEBECO 2 and 3 (Cebu), CELCO (Camotes Island), ESAMELCO (Eastern Samar), and LEYECO 2 and 3 (Leyte), NEA reported.

The agency’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department is monitoring 57 cooperatives in 35 provinces where heavy rains and strong winds brought widespread disruptions.

“423 out of 681 municipalities or 62.11% under the service areas of power cooperatives are awaiting electricity reconnection, equivalent to 3,016 affected barangays or 1,073,037 customers,” NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said.

Almeda said power restoration was ongoing and noted that DORELCO (Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative) in Tolosa, Leyte, may need additional support due to line damage.

“There was information on our Viber group that some lines are down… ‘Yun lang ang medyo kailangan alalayan (That is the lone EC that needs some assistance),” he added.

The outages extended to parts of Eastern Visayas and Caraga, including the Dinagat Islands and Siargao, although officials said conditions were improving.

APEC party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc, who also manages the Siargao Electric Cooperative (SIARELCO), confirmed that restoration efforts and line inspections were in progress, following standard safety procedures.

Almeda emphasized the urgency of maintaining electricity in hospitals and authorized ECs to use financial assistance for fuel to support generator operations.

He warned that infrastructure losses could still increase due to the storm’s impact on electric facilities.

“There is a safety protocol that has to be followed. Line inspection has to be done before electricity can be restored in the substations. So, just a little patience and I hope we are all safe,” Almeda said.