Electricity Supply Not Guaranteed on May 12, According to DOE

Powering Through the Polls: Preparing for the May 2025 Elections

The countdown to the May 2025 national and local elections has begun, with the Visayas region gearing up to ensure a seamless and secure process. The potential power crunch during this peak summer season is being addressed head-on by officials, who are pulling out all the stops to guarantee an uninterrupted electricity supply.

With the elections looming, the Department of Energy (DOE) - Visayas Field Office is collaborating with several partner agencies to ensure that electricity will remain unscathed throughout the election period. During a Kapihan sa PIA press conference on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, DOE Visayas Energy Industry Management Division Supervisor William Carido assured the public that the region's power reserves will be sufficient up until the elections.

Carido highlighted that the elections fall within the peak summer season, during which the Visayas region will experience increased power demand, projected to exceed 3,100 megawatts. In light of this anticipated surge, the DOE has deferred various maintenance activities and increased its collaboration with distribution utilities to meet this spiking demand.

When asked about potential setbacks like burnt-out transformers and complex load management issues, Carido confirmed that emergency crews from electric cooperatives and private partners are on standby to immediately address any outages. He emphasized that they have contingency plans in place, involving their transmission operators, distribution utilities, and private distribution utilities. One key measure, Carido explained, is the Integrated Load Power (ILP) program, which engages large industries, establishments, or participants in managing power usage during critical periods.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Central Visayas has reported that it is nearly ready to manage the upcoming elections. Regional Director Francisco Pobe announced that approximately 16,986 electoral board members and 14,393 support staff have been recruited for the entire Central Visayas region. The region boasts 2,281 voting centers and 5,662 clustered precincts, although there are still 4,000 Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) yet to be delivered.

Pobe encouraged optimism and raised the bar for this much-anticipated electoral activity, stating that "this activity is not only for Region 7 or the Philippines but for the world. It demonstrates that we, as Filipinos, are mature in this electoral activity." To bolster public confidence, multi-sectoral groups like Kontra Brownout and Iwas Daya are monitoring compliance, ensuring that all necessary measures to maintain a steady power supply are being adhered to, and that the votes are counted accurately and honestly under safe and well-lit conditions. Stay informed, and let's rock the May 2025 elections!

Behind the Scenes

In addition to the measures mentioned in the base article, the Visayas region has taken extensive steps to prepare for the elections:

Grid Operations and Infrastructure Repairs: The DOE mandated all electric cooperatives to maintain normal grid operations, complete infrastructure repairs before election day, and exempt polling centers from load shedding. Pre-election testing of power systems is being conducted to identify vulnerabilities.
Emergency Response Teams: Utilities are required to deploy 24/7 emergency crews equipped to address outages promptly. The DOE-Visayas conducted simulations (weeks 17-24 of 2025) to anticipate and mitigate potential grid issues during the election period.
HVDC Power Imports: The Visayas grid will use High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) imports from Mindanao (via Santander, Cebu) and Luzon (via Ormoc) to supplement reserves, ensuring an adequate supply during peak demand.
Collaboration with Security Forces: The Comelec is partnering with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to protect critical infrastructure like substations and transmission lines. In Western Visayas, MORE Power has committed to providing 101% of projected power needs to safeguard electoral activities under a formal agreement.
Battery Use and Voter Confidence: While automated counting machines have battery backups, authorities emphasize a stable power supply to avoid perceptions of irregularities and ensure lighting for post-sunset operations (voting ends at 7 PM, transmission until 8 PM). Multi-sectoral groups like Kontra Brownout, Iwas Daya are monitoring compliance to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
The Department of Energy (DOE) - Visayas Field Office is partnering with various agencies to maintain a stable electricity supply during the May 2025 elections, as electricity plays a crucial role in ensuring the election process runs smoothly.
All electric cooperatives in the Visayas region have been ordered to complete infrastructure repairs before election day, maintain normal grid operations, and keep polling centers exempt from load shedding to support the elections.
Utilities are required to deploy 24/7 emergency response teams equipped to address any outages promptly, with the DOE-Visayas conducting simulations to anticipate and mitigate potential grid issues during the election period.
The Visayas grid will import HVDC power from Mindanao (via Santander, Cebu) and Luzon (via Ormoc) to supplement reserves and ensure an adequate electricity supply during peak demand.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is partnering with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to safeguard critical infrastructure like substations and transmission lines during the elections in the Visayas region.
Multi-sectoral groups like Kontra Brownout and Iwas Daya are monitoring compliance to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process, emphasizing the importance of a stable power supply to avoid irregularities and ensure voting is carried out under well-lit conditions.