The Philippines is known for its stunning beaches, with Boracay ranked by Travel + Leisure as one of the world’s best white-sand destinations. Last year, the island attracted just over two million tourists, according to the Malay Municipal Tourism Office.
But as scorching heat gripped the country, mounting frustration over extended blackouts spilled onto social media, with residents and tourists in Boracay voicing their annoyance. An 18-hour power outage on May 4 prompted a wave of complaints on the Facebook page of Aklan Electric Cooperative Inc. (AKELCO), the island’s power provider.
“You are destroying our appliances!” commented one consumer while another gave the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and AKELCO five thumbs-down. Someone else wrote, “I’ll be losing sleep again fanning my kids when their rechargeable fan runs out of battery. Boracay has been experiencing brownouts almost every day.”
After a thorough investigation, NGCP identified a broken cut-off jumper wire along the transmission line in Nabas as the root cause of the widespread power outage. The 69-kilovolt Nabas-Unidos-Caticlan line tripped at 9:48 p.m., plunging several areas of Aklan, including Boracay island, into darkness.
According to the Department of Energy (DoE), Boracay does not have its own power plants and depends solely on electricity transmitted via an underwater cable from the mainland. This makes the island especially susceptible to outages caused by transmission line disruptions.
Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. On January 2, 2024, Panay Island faced a major blackout that swept across Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Guimaras. Several power plants went offline, plunging the region into darkness for four days.
While Iloilo Province experienced an estimated economic loss of ₱3.7 billion, Capiz Province suffered an estimated economic loss of ₱552 million from its four-day blackout.
Other beach destinations across the Philippines face similar vulnerabilities, with many coastal areas dependent on aging transmission infrastructure or limited power sources. As tourism continues to grow in these regions, so too does the urgency to strengthen their energy resilience.
(Also read: Electric Coops Underinvestment Threatens Panay Grid)
Surfer’s haven battling power woes
Siargao, widely known as the “Surfing Capital of the Philippines,” drew 14,404 visitors in the first half of 2024 alone. With its powdery white sands and iconic surf breaks like Cloud 9, the island remains a magnet for domestic and international travelers.
But this island haven hasn’t been spared from recurring power woes. On May 5, a transmission line fault forced Siargao Electric Cooperative Inc. (SIARELCO) to implement a nearly hour-long blackout. Another brief outage hit the entire island the next day, underscoring the fragility of its power system.
In December 2024, an even bigger energy crisis struck Siargao. The island was left without power for 13 days after its aging submarine cable failed, cutting electricity and crippling the local tourism, fishing, and farming industries at the height of the season.
Authorities in Surigao del Norte declared a state of calamity after parts of Siargao, including General Luna, Dapa, and Del Carmen, were forced to run on generator sets. SIARELCO rushed to fix the submarine cable, with support from the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and the Agusan del Norte Electric Cooperative (ANECO), which deployed backup generators totaling 12 megawatts.
Although power was restored in two weeks, officials warned that Siargao’s booming tourism industry needs a more reliable, long-term energy solution.
(Also read: Power Shortages in Visayas Tied to Transmission Issues)
Enchanted island, powerless reality
Siquijor, a small island province in the central Philippines, is known for its mystical reputation, rooted in centuries-old tales of folk healing and spiritual rituals. Beyond the mysticism, Siquijor is celebrated for its pristine beaches, waterfalls, coral reefs, and unspoiled atmosphere.
However, Siquijor grapples with frequent power outages, earning it the nickname “brownout capital of the Philippines” from a frustrated netizen. The island relies solely on Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SIPCOR) to supply electricity to the Siquijor Electric Cooperative Inc. (PROSIELCO), the local electric cooperative.
According to the latest data from the Department of Energy (DoE), Siquijor’s power demand had climbed to 9.3 megawatts as of April 21, outpacing its contracted supply of just 8.16 megawatts from SIPCOR. In response to the shortfall, the DOE urged PROSIELCO to launch a competitive bidding process to secure additional power.
The power crisis in Siquijor has stirred frustration among residents and business owners, some of whom have taken to social media to warn tourists against visiting during the summer. Reports highlight not only frequent blackouts but also water shortages in certain areas.
On an online forum, an expat described daily power interruptions lasting for hours, disrupting businesses and threatening food safety due to repeated refrigeration failures. The netizen blamed outdated infrastructure and inaction by local officials for the island’s worsening energy woes.
Diving into darkness
Malapascua, a small island off the northern tip of Cebu in the Philippines, is best known for its world-famous diving spots, particularly for encounters with thresher sharks at Monad Shoal. Its town, Daanbantayan, was previously ranked as the fourth most popular destination in Central Visayas. Meanwhile, the island was said to host more than a thousand tourists monthly.
In July 2024, Cebu Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CEBECO), the main power distributor for several districts in Cebu, terminated its contract with PowerSource Philippines, Inc. (PSPI) due to poor electricity service in Malapascua.
“We were suffering from chronic power outages, so much so that we would have tourists fleeing the island,” complained Malapascua Business Association President Anna Reed. “It made Malapascua uninhabitable to tourists.”
To address this issue, the Cebu Provincial Government has since sought approval from the DoE to take over power generation and ensure a stable electricity supply for the island. Although CEBECO previously held the franchise to serve Malapascua, it had stepped back because of the island’s remote location. Meanwhile, PSPI has struggled to meet the growing power demand since 2019, causing persistent outages.
Provincial Ordinance No. 2025-01, signed by Gov. Gwen Garcia on March 4, set Malapascua’s power rate at ₱16.80 per kilowatt-hour—significantly lower than the ₱23 charged by PSPI.
Samal in power crisis
Another island paradise grappling with a power crisis, the Island Garden of Samal (IGOS) has been enduring prolonged and frequent brownouts that disrupt daily life and threaten local livelihoods. The outages have also taken a toll on the island’s tourism sector.
Served by the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative Inc. (NORDECO), IGOS is set for a major power shift when Republic Act No. 12144 lapsed into law on April 6, 2025. The RA reassigned the electric franchise areas of Samal City, Tagum City, and several municipalities in Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro from NORDECO to Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC).
NORDECO has contested the constitutionality of the RA and has expressed intent to pursue legal action to defend its franchise rights. Despite the legal contention, DLPC has indicated a commitment to a smooth transition, emphasizing collaboration with NORDECO. The law provides for a transition period of up to two years, during which NORDECO is authorized to continue operations in the affected areas until DLPC fully assumes control.
Public sentiment appears to favor the transition; a recent survey indicates that 99% of respondents in Samal support the shift to DLPC, citing expectations of improved service reliability and customer support.
Power loss, profit gone
Advocacy group ILAW reported that persistent blackouts inflict heavy financial losses on tourism businesses in top destinations like Siargao, Puerto Galera, Cebu, and Samal. Based on focus group discussions, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are losing millions of pesos each month as unreliable power continues to disrupt operations.
The study also revealed that nearly three-quarters of MSMEs surveyed reported daily losses ranging from ₱10,000 to ₱30,000, while larger businesses face revenue hits of up to ₱100,000 per day. Frequent blackouts have forced many to scale back operations—cutting staff, reducing inventory, and shortening business hours to cope.
The report highlighted the severe economic toll of recurring power outages on key tourist destinations. In Siargao, businesses lost ₱15,000 to ₱100,000 daily due to unstable electricity. Cebu posted the highest figures, with large firms losing ₱216,000 and MSMEs ₱82,000 per day. Puerto Galera saw average losses of ₱30,000, while Samal Island businesses reported daily losses ranging from ₱10,000 to ₱100,000.
ILAW urged electric cooperatives to improve service in top tourist spots, warning that persistent blackouts are damaging reputations, triggering cancellations, and threatening business viability. With tourism as a key economic driver, the group called for stronger oversight from the DoE and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to hold power providers accountable and ensure reliable electricity in high-demand areas.
The Department of Tourism reported that 1.168 million international tourists arrived in the Philippines during the first two months of 2025. South Korea topped the list of source countries, followed by the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, tourism contributed 8.6% or ₱2.09 trillion to the country’s economy in 2023. This marked a 47.9% increase from 2022 and represented the strongest annual growth in the sector since data tracking began in 2000.
These figures underscore the critical need to secure a stable power supply to support and sustain the country’s vital tourism industry.
Sources:
https://mb.com.ph/28/12/2024/the-fight-for-reliable-power-in-ph-tourist-hotspots
https://qa.philstar.com/the-freeman/opinion/2025/04/22/2437410/black-magic-blackouts
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/550742/iloilo-lost-p3-7b-during-3-day-power-outage/
https://thecapiztimes.com/articles/blackouts-bring-p552m-economic-losses-to-capiz/
https://dailyguardian.com.ph/end-of-suffering-power-back-in-panay-after-4-day-blackout/
https://www.cebu.gov.ph/sugbonews/story.php?id=954
https://tribune.net.ph/2025/03/19/power-crisis-in-major-tourist-spots-hurting-msmes-study
https://tribune.net.ph/2025/03/19/power-crisis-in-major-tourist-spots-hurting-msmes-study
https://wttc.org/news/philippines-travel-and-tourism-sector-set-for-historic-year
https://psa.gov.ph/content/tourism-posted-highest-growth-2023-contributing-86-percent-economy