The carnival and baratilyo in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte lost their electric supply after the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) said they have been connecting illegally. 

The power supply was allegedly connected to a sub-meter without proper authorization from INEC.

Carnival operators said that they have been doing it annually without any objection. This time, however, INEC took action against their connection.

"Sana ma-connect na [ang kuryente samin] para dire-diretso na yung operation ng carnival saka yung baratilyo," Remigio Vicencio, the Carnival Operations Manager, said.

INEC declined to provide a statement but in an official social media post, it explained that the connection was cut temporarily for safety reasons and to prevent overloading.

They added that the carnival also violates Republic Act 7832, also known as the "Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994."

As of this writing, the carnival and baratilyo are using generator sets to continue operating.

"Pag may kuryente na kami, mas maganda at makakatipid kami sa gastos," Vicencio said.

Vicencio also added that they plan to discuss the matter with INEC to resolve the issue.