The Philippine National Police has ordered intensified night patrols nationwide as rotational brownouts raise public safety concerns in communities dealing with darker streets, low visibility and scheduled power interruptions.
PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. said regional and provincial police directors were instructed to boost foot and mobile patrols in residential areas, commercial hubs, transport corridors and other high-traffic locations affected by outages.
“I have already directed all regional and provincial directors to intensify foot and mobile patrols specifically in residential and commercial hubs during the scheduled power interruptions at night,” Nartatez said on Friday, May 15.
The directive came after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid under red alert, resulting in rotational brownouts and manual load dropping in several areas. Meralco also implemented scheduled outages in parts of its franchise area because of insufficient power supply.
More than 320,000 Meralco customers in Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila, Pampanga, Quezon and Rizal were affected by rotational brownouts Thursday night.
“Darkness must not be an invitation for ‘akyat-bahay’ (home burglars) or street-level crimes. Our personnel are instructed to utilize high-visibility tactics, including the use of blinkers and searchlights, to let the community know that the police are present and vigilant even when the lights are out,” Nartatez said.
The PNP also mobilized Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams to serve as additional “eyes and ears” on the ground. Police stations were instructed to coordinate with barangay officials and local governments to strengthen community watch systems during blackout schedules.
Emergency hotlines, including Unified 911, and police command centers will remain operational through backup power systems. Police emergency response units were also placed on standby with alternative power sources to ensure communications and rapid deployment continue during extended outages.
