Stop flying kites near power lines to avoid blackouts, says Meralco | ABS-CBN

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Stop flying kites near power lines to avoid blackouts, says Meralco

Stop flying kites near power lines to avoid blackouts, says Meralco

ABS-CBN News

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Electric wires snake towards an over stacked electric meter post in Tondo, Manila, MArch 7, 2018. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Meralco said Monday the public should refrain from flying kites near power lines while on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown to prevent blackouts especially in hospitals.

Kites entangled in power lines could cause possible power outage in critical establishments such as hospitals, the utility distributor said in a statement. It can also lead to electrocution, it said.

From March 16 to April 15, there were 47 unnecessary blackouts caused by kites and foreign objects. These incidents have affected 708,805 customers, 13 of which are hospitals and medical facilities, it said.

"Nakikiusap po ako sa ating mga kababayan, huwag na po muna tayong magpalipad ng saranggola. Hindi po ito nakakatulong bagkus ay nakakaperwisyo po ito hindi lamang po sa amin sa Meralco, higit sa lahat ng taumbayan na umaasa sa patuloy na serbisyo ng Meralco, lalo na yung mga vital facilities tulad ng hospital," Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said.

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(I am requesting our countrymen to refrain from flying kites. It does not help, instead it’s causing problems not just for us at Meralco, but more importantly for the people who are depending on Meralco’s continued services, especially vital facilities like hospitals.)

At least 260 kites per day are still being retrieved from power lines since the Luzon lockdown was implemented last March 17, Meralco said.

Meralco earlier said it would "keep lights on" during the lockdown but physical meter reading would be suspended to protect its workers from the disease.

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