ERC Suspends Electricity Disconnections After Typhoons

The national government has ordered all power distributors to suspend electricity disconnections until year-end following the devastation caused by two major typhoons that killed hundreds and displaced millions in the country.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) announced Friday that residential and commercial customers will not face electricity cutoffs for non-payment during the billing period from November 4, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

Under the ERC directive, power distributors must offer flexible payment schemes to ease financial burdens on affected residents.

Consumers using no more than 100 kilowatt-hours monthly may defer electricity bill payments and settle them in installments over at least two months.

The commission has instructed generation companies, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp., National Power Corp. (Napocor), National Transmission Corp., National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, independent power producers, and market operators to extend flexible settlement arrangements.

Power utilities must submit compliance reports within 30 days after the billing period to ensure transparency.

Super Typhoon Tino, known internationally as Kalmaegi, killed at least 224 people, with the province of Cebu recording the highest death toll of 158.

The typhoon caused widespread flooding, landslides, and massive infrastructure damage before Super Typhoon Uwan struck days later.

Oriental and Occidental Mindoro were among the areas severely affected by Typhoon Uwan, which displaced more than 1,400 families in Oriental Mindoro alone.

Mindoro provinces rely on Napocor for their electricity supply, as they remain off-grid and not connected to the main Luzon grid.

Napocor operates the transmission systems linking the two provinces through a 69-kilovolt transmission line loop, allowing them to trade power and improve supply reliability.

Power was temporarily knocked out in Oriental Mindoro during Uwan’s onslaught but has since been fully restored, according to disaster management officials.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Proclamation No. 1077 declared a one-year state of national calamity on November 5, 2025 following Typhoon Tino’s destruction.

Marcos’ proclamation authorizing the one-year state of national calamity enables the government to implement mandatory remedial measures including price ceilings on basic necessities, no-interest loans to affected sectors, and prevention of hoarding and profiteering.

The declaration allows national and local governments to tap disaster funds for rescue, relief, recovery and rehabilitation programs. It also mandates law enforcement and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to maintain peace and order in disaster areas.