Thousands of residents in Barangay Gueguesangen and nearby areas endured hours without electricity after a pickup truck crashed into an electric post early morning on Thursday.

The outage, which started around 5 a.m., affected more than 5,000 households across Barangays Gueguesangen, Amansabina, and Alitaya.

With the extreme heat, many residents, especially children and senior citizens, sought refuge outside their homes to cool off.

“Kawawa ang mga bata, sobrang init. Dapat matapos na nilang magawa ‘yan,” Remy Ungos, a resident, said.

The Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (CENPELCO) responded immediately and transferred the damaged power lines to a concrete post to restore service.

"Hinintay lang namin ang boom truck para madala ‘yung malaking poste at ito na ang ginagawa namin, inililipat na namin ang main line,” Arturo Aquino, Head of Line Operation and Maintenance at CENPELCO-Mangaldan, said.

By midday, power was restored in the areas affected. CENPELCO has asked for residents’ patience as they work to improve the system.

The driver of the pickup truck has yet to release a statement, and CENPELCO has not confirmed if they will file a complaint.