Manila: Over 197,000 customers of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) remained without power as of 10 a.m. Monday following the onslaught of Typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-wong), with full restoration expected by Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, stated in a briefing that the company is collaborating with local governments and other government agencies in the affected areas to expedite the return of power services. He assured that services are prioritized for critical facilities such as hospitals, transportation systems, and government offices. Zaldarriaga appealed for understanding as line personnel face challenges in restoring power, particularly in flooded areas impacting around 10,000 customers.

Zaldarriaga reported that at the peak of the outage at midnight, approximately 408,611 customers were without power. This number was reduced to 197,133 by 10 a.m., with efforts ongoing to restore power to the majority of affected customers by the end of the day, or by the following day. He mentioned that based on historical data, restoration for the remaining 197,000 customers typically takes two to three days.

The majority of the affected customers are located in Cavite, Bulacan, Quezon, and Metro Manila, with some also in Laguna and Batangas. Zaldarriaga attributed the outages to damage inflicted on distribution facilities such as poles and lines by the strong winds and rains brought by Typhoon Uwan.

He advised customers to rely on Meralco's official website and social media pages for accurate information, following misinformation that went viral on social media, erroneously claiming that power in Metro Manila would be out by 10 p.m. Zaldarriaga urged customers to verify information directly from Meralco.

Customers can contact Meralco through Facebook (www.facebook.com/meralco), Twitter (@meralco), or by calling 0920-9716211, 0917-5516211, or the Meralco Hotline at 16211.