It was a bright sunny day when I flew into the Philippines from San Francisco on my way to meet a ship in Dubai UAE. I had five days to kill before I had to check on to the ship. (USNS Mars T-AFS-1 which was formerly the USS Mars.).
It was 1993 I was still single earning a great wage and banking my Navy Retirement checks since 1986. Using an old Boston expression; “Fat dumb and happy!” that was me in a nutshell. The last time I was in the Philippines was in 1982 when Mr. Marcos was in charge. I noticed many differences, one being there were far more brownouts than eleven years ago.
I noticed generators in front of a lot of businesses in Manila and Olongapo City. As I was walking down Magsaysay to my friends bar on Fender Street they (Generators) were everywhere. This was something I never saw in the early eighties (Maybe that could be because they weren’t available or unaffordable.) Whatever the reason, it was now the new normal.
During my short visit both in Olongapo and staying at the Marmont Hotel in the Barrio, I noticed sometimes the power was off during the day and more so at night so there was no Air/Con in my Air/con room which BTW cost extra. The trick was to drink a lot of beer, go to sleep and when the power went off you failed to notice, wake up in the morning slightly hung-over and covered in sweat as the power returned and take a cold shower (As if they had hot water) and phone the desk for coffee. (And a cold beer)
When I lived in Puerto Rico and we only had power outages after hurricanes or other types of storms; Florida was pretty much the same. Other countries I visited suffered from brownouts once in a while, it even happened on some ships I was on, but we called it losing the load. In Guam they were a regular phenomena but I lived on the ship there and had constant electricity (Except when losing the load)
When I built our house I also bought a new Honda Generator in 1999 (I still have the same one) and BTW it is running as I type this missive because for the second time this week the power is off. Plus it is a bright and sunny day, here on our mountain in Bataan on the big island of Luzon.
If Manila has a power loss, outlaying provinces will have their power diverted so the grid can supply Mega Manila, the home of the rich and powerful. But as a good guest in their country I understand and just fire up my Honda and say nothing.
As I’ve said in the past, depending on the time involved for the brownout, we will charge any neighbor’s smart phone for them, as many as 15 at a time.
So from 1993 until 2018 nothing has really changed with electric power outages in my area, I know I will hear from someone that will say they haven’t had a brownout in months…To which I say, Oh my, isn’t that wonderful, but are you residing in my Barangay? But it does not alter the fact that some of us do lose power at different times and different locations. Dear lord, can you imagine the panic if it was Nation Wide?
I like cruising Subic Bay on my friend’s 35 foot bunka (I never say Bunka Boat as that would be redundant in two languages) and seeing the old abandoned Nuclear Power Plant on the shores of Bataan. But I’m pleased it is not running as I’ve seen the films on Chernobyl in Russia and Jimmy Carter at Three Mile Island.
On the bright side we have had times with no brownouts for a month or so, should we just accept that, or celebrate it when it doesn’t happen?
Why are they called brownouts? A brownout is when you receive a limited amount of power, but not enough to power your entire house. Me; I get “Blackouts”, where there is absolutely no power flowing.
At one time the Electric Workers asked me to shut off my generator so they won’t get shocked while up the pole. I had to take the Forman to my drinking house and show him that the main breaker was off to the outside. And he is the expert?
One more item that miffs me to no end; is if I can go through over 96 hours a month with no electrify. And the following month wonder why my power bill isn’t lower? After all I paid for the gas to generate that power; do they still bill me because I have power even if I generate it? This is the main reason I won’t buy solar panels from China, the grid would charge me for not using their power.
So like Motel “6”, until next Monday: “We’ll leave the light on for you”, or at least a candle.
Oh now it is a rain soaked Friday morning, yes the power went off again, but with the power of the Honda I sent this to Sir Bob.
Good morning to you there.. 🙂 good read for Monday ( as every Monday) ..the title sounds like Alan Jackson’s song (or was it by George Strait?)
José
Jose:
It is the catch phrase for motel six, but you might be right and they made a country song out of it. Why not!
Here in Davao del Norte province (a 2-hour bus ride from Bob’s) we seldom have power outages. If it does, it is due to a schedule maintenance (8 hours tops, like once or twice a year) or some sort of emergency (less than an hour, at least once or none every quarter).
Well, Mindanao isn’t Luzon where power demand exceeds supply. However, extreme drought calls for power rationing but this has not happened for quite a long time.
There’s are solar power installations which only the few can afford but many are thinking about having one (even just to run the lights and phone chargers) installed on their roofs.
Probably they are charging us for the cost of bringing electricity to our home that gets wasted along the way (system loss?), or for the fuel to run the gas-turbines?
Farmer;
As I said, there is always the person that lives in that perfect section of the Philippines where all is right and the power without fail. But alas not so in my neck of the woods…(LOL)
There pluses to every section, of the archapelogious and even if the power goes off without rhyme nor reason, you could not get me to move away from here. We should all be content in the area we built our houses. I am!
The power was off this morning, but we were in town shopping anyway, and it was restored prior to our return. Ya, just gotta love it, or remember where the airport is. (LOL) Stay safe down there.
Paul,
If you have to stay in Manila; you are welcome to stay with us here in Tagaytay.
Dennis
Dennis
My granddaughter was just up in Tagaytay, She has been there many times and loves it there. (I guess she didn’t run into that snob that wrote in to LiP that time! (LOL)
On my visits to Iligan City in Northern Mindanao I have experienced brownouts from time to time and in the more recent visits have noticed more commercial generators in front of stores, restaurants etc. The hotel where I stay used to have only one generator and now they have 3 of them that automatically switch over when there is a brownout to keep the entire place running including the room air cons. I sometimes comment to some of the students at MSU-IIT that the commercial generator business might be something for them to look into after graduation. After all, some one has to do the maintenance and repair of all of those generators.
I seldom have blackouts at my home here in New York but a couple of weeks ago we were without power for about a week after Twin Tornadoes decided to make a touchdown here. With a little help from a can of starting either my seldom used 3500 watt generator was up and running making things survivable for the week the power was out.
Bob (NY)
Wow both New York and Mindanao absolutely shocking! Or maybe non-shocking without power. But it just something you never know, I’ll keep my generator tuned-up and full of fuel just incase a Typhoon might appear here in the tropics. (LOL) New York, one week black out, who would have thunk it?
We just did a ride up to Pundaquit, San Antonio, place called the Car Wash. about 40 minutes north of Olangapo. Seems to be a retiree expat hang out cold beer and nice food. Then rode back to Angeles. Had a huge windstorm during the afternoon. Lot of damage and all the generators were working overtime.
Don;
Saw the place on Facebook recommended by some friends, not heard a bad word about it, and the fact you can tell the wife, “I’ll be back soon, I’m gonna get the car washed.” Shear genius, like my favorite bare on Imperial Beach CA. called “The Office” I will get up there soon.
Hi Paul
Here in Mis. Occ. it seems that the brownouts are getting more frequent nowadays, I’m never sure if “they” are watching me (not going to mention who “they” are) so that when the brownout comes and I start the genny “they” turn the power back on and so this may happen 2 to 3 times until I just leave the genny running. The brownouts seems to happen especially when it starts to rain, and my goodness have we had some rain in the past few months.
But yes Paul you are correct in that the cost dosn’t seem to change when the bill comes, maybe “they” are also charging me for the diesel I use. But like you I don’t complain.
Jack;
Like you there are times I’ll leave the Honda running instead of shutting the computer and A/C off over and over. I’m glad I’m not the only one paying for the power we generate. Hmmm there just might be someone watching! (LOL)
Hi Paul,
I am down in Mis.Orient. and I am seeing blackouts a lot lately. But like u I just go out and fire up the generator. And I am fine up til 10PM then I turn it off so that the noise does not bother our neighbours. Plus if needed I get a room at the Local Hotel that also has a generator that runs at night too. That way I can sleep using my CPAP and have A/C. And my neighbours still have a quiet nights sleep. But I am curious as to why more blackouts here and how the bill never drops with all the blackouts. Lucky for me normally here our blackouts are less than 2 hours..So I sit up and watch the trees sway at night then go back to sleep once it is up again. But hotel for the long outages.
But I have lived with black outs most of my life in the USA. I the Sierra Mountains of Calif. winter storms disrupt the power and in the summer the fires do also. Sometimes for several days or a week at a time. Hard to take showers in water that is almost freezing. Had to heat water on the wood stove so as not to freeze, or take a shower at work. Lucky for me I worked in a hospital and it had staff showers available. So I found power outages to be a bit of fun then and now..But then my wife tells me I am strange..
Luke
Because I keep the Honda in a building the sound is muffled. But mostly I do not let it run all night. My roof patio is over 12 feet high and has a steady breeze I’ll take a folding bed and netting and sleep out there. (Rain will prevent that), but then I open all the four sliding windows and turn on the rechargeable fans and sleep like a baby. My doctors won’t let me drink anymore! (LOL)
We used have a postcard with a candle on it ‘welcome to Zamboanga, brownout capital of the World’. Check your electric bill, you are paying the connectivity charge (to receive power when it’s available and distribution system) but will not be paying for power not consumed. Still a PITA anyway.
Martyn;
Zamboanga must also supply Manila with power like Bataan, but it is nice to know who the brownout leader really is, it does bring me comfort! (LOL)
Paul, I have a (gas) generator here in Angeles City but the gas lines/carburator get clogged if I don’t start it frequently. Since we leave the area for weeks or months at a time, I can’t start it up regularly…so it gets clogged. I stopped getting the carburator cleaned because it was a hassle and will just get it ready if a typhoon heads our way. How often do you start your generator?
Al;
Since I’m always here in the area, I have my guy come in twice a year and service it.. When not in use,it is covered (The same stuff you use on a car.) And in the picture you can see it stays within my drinking house. Otherwise I start it when I need it, in 19 years it only failed twice once the rope broke and I called the guy, and a few years ago I had to rewind the generator part ($100.00) It’s a honda and it is a good one.
At my friends house we were sitting sipping bottled consumables, when his power went out, he had a nice electric start (No pull back-up) and his battery was ofcourse dead. He sold it and got a manual start like mine.(LOL)
Paul,
When we have a brownout here in Batangas we just tough it out or if it’s too hot, we’ll head to the mall or somewhere else with a/c. As far as the bill’s i believe they may be just looking at the last months bill and assuming it’s probably about the same amount. We were gone for a week to Vietnam in April, yet our bill was about the same as March’s. Figure that one out.
PapaDuck;
I think you might have figured out the billing system. The generator allows us to live in the house that we built and leave when we want to go out. It is the same reason I have a deep well incasr they shut off my water. (LOL)
Here in SoCal, I put solar on my house (3Kw) and I’m still getting raped.
BTW, I would rather go tent camping then stay at a motel 6.
Michael;
I like california’s railroad to nowhere,that nifty gas tax and that folks keep putting Jerry Brown”;s in as the governor . A tent? any hotel without room service is camping. (lol).
Hi Paul and Bob NY –
There have been a number of blackouts in New York City in recent times, but not one that lasted a week that I recall. The one I remember the most occurred in November 1965 around 5:30PM. I remember this one well because I was there.
I had just gotten off work from the New York City Public Library, and being still single at the time, I had no reason to go straight home right away. Home was a hotel room on 49th Street I rented by the month for $17 per week, and I was getting paid $120 every two weeks.
I was taking my time window shopping on 42nd St. in Times Square and stopped for dinner at one of those Manhattan eateries where food was dispensed by conveyor belts and frequented by bored middle-aged Jewish housewives. Then it hit.
A total blackout that would last throughout the night, affecting the Northeastern states and parts of Canada.
If you can visualize one of the most populous city grinding to a halt at rush hour in the evening, with hundreds of thousands of people trapped in darkened offices, department stores, elevators and subways, you can probably also visualize what could happen within those darkened offices, department stores, elevators and subways.
According to urban legend, there was an increase of babies born in New York City nine months later. LOL
Me? I was at the eatery gossiping with the bored Jewish housewives. Went home right after I finished my dinner in the dark.
John;
And then the song: “The lights all went out in Massachusetts, I was out to sea in 1965 when the blackout occurred, but my four brothers told me all about it my next trip back to Boston.
I remember that blackout. Many people began to worry that some kind of air attack was going to happen and the Northeast was blacked out because of that. We along with many others went riding around in the car to see what was going on.
Bob (NY)
When I was a kid in the 1950’s the military installed Minuteman Missiles on on some Boston Harbor Island. We knew that was the end of life as we knew it. But like brownouts in the Philippines, we survived.
We get the brownouts on a fairly regular basis up here in central Luzon. But, I haven’t fired up the generator yet. Either they don’t last very long, or I’m out and about in places where I don’t have electricity anyway. Up here in the hill country, there is usually a breeze and a shade tree. I’m growing fond of the lunch, then siesta routine hereabouts.
Take care,
Pete
Pete;
If I don’t need the power I’ll forego the machine, I agree with the shade tree and nap!
Our now-frequent brownouts in I.N. are explained away by the provincial co-op as being “maintenance related.” I believe it. Finally, the infrastructure is being updated – from the original components installed during “electrification” to slightly newer. ?
Paul;
Ongoing maintenance, or maintenance without end, both sound the same to me.