Brownout hits 5 Iloilo towns

MANILA, Philippines — A power outage hit at least five towns in Iloilo province after an aging substation of the Iloilo Electric Cooperative exploded, a radio report said late Tuesday. Radio dzXL reported the incident came days after a power outage hit parts of the Visayas region last weekend. The report said the affected areas, all serviced by Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO) III, included Sara, Ajuy, Lemery, San Dionisio, and Concepcion. It added that cooperative officials expect to restore power to the affected areas in five days. But ILECO III also sought help from the police’s 608th Provincial Mobile Group to look into the possibility of sabotage. Last weekend, a outage hit parts of the Visayas, prompting President Arroyo to order energy officials to find ways to avoid a repeat of the blackouts. - GMANews.TV