Filipinos urged to turn off appliances during Pacquiao fight

MANILA, Philippines – An officer at a Philippine electric company has urged customers to turn off major appliances to help prevent outages that have recently plagued his province so people can watch the much-awaited fight between Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

Palawan Electric Cooperative secretary Rante Ramos said Friday shutting down refrigerators in 15,000 households alone will reduce the demand for electricity in the province enough to compensate for the expected power deficit of 2 megawatts when the fight is aired in the Philippines.

He said air conditioners, washing machines and electric pots also consume a lot of electricity.

“If it is just for the Pacquiao fight, let us just leave electric fans and TVs on,” Ramos said. “We have waited so long for this, and now that it will happen … it is unacceptable not to have the opportunity to watch it.”

The electric cooperative, which only distributes electricity, said there has been an average of 3-hour outages in Palawan because of a breakdown and maintenance shutdown of four power generators in the province.

Big power consumers such as malls, department stores and hotels have agreed to disconnect from the grid and use their own power generators during the fight.