Ship Hits Power Line, Triggers Widespread Blackout in Navotas and Malabon
Navotas and Malabon experienced a widespread blackout after a ship accidentally hit an electric line along the river dividing the two cities.
The sudden brownout left several communities without electricity, including Barangay San Agustin, Barangay Concepcion, and Barangay Ibaba in Malabon, as well as nearby barangays in Navotas.
Around noon, power slowly began to return in some areas, but the supply remained limited because of the heavy damage caused to the circuit.
Meralco immediately dispatched restoration teams to repair the damaged lines. However, officials explained that full restoration might take hours due to the extent of the damage. Residents were advised to remain patient as crews worked to bring back power safely.
The outage caused disruptions in numerous business operations. Some small stores had to close temporarily, while others struggled to keep their goods from spoiling without refrigeration.
A few schools also decided to shorten their classes and switched to modular activities so students could continue learning despite the lack of electricity.
Many residents have no choice but to adjust to the heat and inconvenience, while others worried about their livelihood being affected for the day.
Local officials recognized these struggles and assured residents that they were closely coordinating with Meralco to speed up the restoration process.
The city government also announced that an investigation is ongoing to determine how the ship ended up hitting the power line and whether the operator should be held accountable. Residents now hope that the matter will be addressed quickly to avoid similar incidents in the future.
As of Friday afternoon (October 3, 2025), electricity was still being restored gradually, with workers continuing their efforts to normalize supply across the affected communities.
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