Filipinos endure double whammy: Power cuts amid sweltering summer heat - Khaleej Times

Source: OFFICIAL UAE NEWS · Khaleej Times

Filipinos endure double whammy: Power cuts amid sweltering summer heat The Philippines is hard pressed to deliver diesel to fuel stations and power generators; a severe diesel shortage — due to the Middle East conflict —has led to rotational power outages

• PUBLISHED: Sat 16 May 2026, 6:00 AM Hundreds of thousands of homes in the Philippines went dark and millions of Filipinos had to endure the hottest month of the year, as rolling power outages hit across Metro Manila and the rest of the main island of Luzon this week. Energy authorities explained that rising demand during the Philippines’ summer months, as well as insufficient capacity by power generators, are to be blamed for the rotating supply shortages. Gregorio, a painter who works at home, had to drop his brushes and wheel his 92-year old ailing mother outside of their home in Rizal province when electricity tripped at 3:12pm on Friday. He spent the next two hours fanning his Alzheimer-stricken mother until power returned and they could turn on their electric fan back again. “It had been the second time this week. I hope this does not become a daily occurrence,” he said. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. The heat index in most parts of the Philippines hit a scorching 47ºC, forcing residents to turn electric fans and air-conditioning units to maximum. Before midday, however, power distribution companies issued yellow and red alerts, resulting in rotational power cuts in the country’s most densely populated regions. A yellow alert is declared when the power supply reserve falls, meaning the grid still has enough electricity, but the margin is very thin. A red alert means there will be power outages that could last several hours. How the Mideast war is a factor The Philippines had been severely affected by the increasing shortage in diesel since the Middle East conflict started on February 28. Majority of its refined oil supply comes from China, Japan and South Korea that have since stopped exporting to client countries to secure their domestic supply. The Philippines is the first country in the world to declare a State of National Energy Emergency after the war started. With its lone oil refinery scrambling to fill supply demands, the Philippines is hard pressed to deliver diesel to fuel stations and power generators that service off-grid areas. A severe diesel shortage has led to rotational power outages in remote islands and off-grid communities where power is solely generated by diesel plants. The Philippine Department of Energy admits that in such cases, the rest of the country switches to what it calls the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) that rely on businesses running their own diesel-powered generators to reduce strain on the grid. While majority of the country’s power plants are coal-fired, increasing oil shortages due to war in the Middle East is worrisome to island provinces and off-grid sites that depend on diesel and heavy fuel oils. With inadequate and expensive diesel, the program becomes costlier and less effective, resulting in hardships for residents and loss of income to small businesses that could not afford generators.