Around 40 percent of Mactan Electric Company (MECO)'s franchise areas in Lapu-Lapu City experienced a power outage on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

The power interruption was started at 9:14 a.m. after the 69KV line or 795 MCM line at the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) Substation tripped off. 

According to Engr. Gilbert Pagobo, MECO senior vice president and general manager, they checked on how the line was cut off, pointing out that they have checked the line several times, and that there were no signs it would tripped off. 

The 69KV Line is described as a backbone as this supplies three major substations in Lapu-Lapu City, two in Basak, and one at Clip Substation. This means that over five barangays were also affected.

Pagobo described the works on the line to be very risky and challenging because of high-voltage lines. But MECO has implemented all safety protocols and avoided affecting other lines.

MECO apologized to its consumers because the power outage is unscheduled and deemed unexpected.

In a statement issued by NGCP on its social media page, they pointed out that the transmission facilities which supplied electric power to MECO operated under normal conditions and that there are no reported line outages.

NCGP cited that the power outage in the franchise areas of MECO is because of the tripping-off of MECO-owned and maintained Lapu-Lapu Basak 69KV Line.

At 12:36 p.m. on May 6, 2025, the affected line was restored completely.

Six days to the May 12, 2025 midterm polls, the power interruption raised concerns about power supply during election day.

However, Commission on Elections (COMELEC) 7 Regional Director, Atty. Francisco Pobe, said that despite a possible brownout on election day, batteries of automated counting machines (ACMs) can last up to 14 hours.

Pobe added that there are extra batteries for each ACM.

Final testing and sealing of ACMs is set on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

According to Pobe, the final testing will gauge the capability of the ACMs.