SOME 2 million customers were affected by rotating blackouts or manual load dropping (MLD) implemented on Saturday in response to a severe lack of electricity supply, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said.

Customers in Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila, Pampanga, Rizal and Quezon were affected, the distribution utility said, adding that services were fully restored by just before midnight.

Meralco acknowledged the support of its commercial and industrial customers, which de-loaded a collective capacity of more than 200 megawatts (MW) to help mitigate the impact of the supply lack.

"We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience caused by this challenging situation," Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said.

"We continue to proactively exhaust all demand-side management efforts to help minimize, if not avert, power interruptions," he added.

National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Saturday reported that 4,682.30 MW of electricity was not available for the Luzon grid due to power plants undergoing forced outages and others operating at reduced capacities.

The supply situation normalized on Sunday, NGCP said.

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