By I. Inojales, Helen Castaño | 11:13 AM May 16, 2026
TAGBILARAN CITY — Residents and businesses in Tagbilaran City and nearby towns endured a 10-hour power interruption on Saturday, May 16, as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) carried out preventive maintenance work at its Tagbilaran Substation.
The blackout began at 7 a.m. and was expected to last until 5 p.m., affecting thousands of consumers across the province.
Under NGCP’s advisory, areas connected to the Dampas Substation experienced the longest outage, while communities served by the San Isidro, Baclayon, Loay, Panglao Bolod, and Lourdes substations were subjected to shorter power interruptions in the morning and afternoon.
NGCP said the activity forms part of its annual preventive maintenance servicing aimed at improving the reliability and stability of the transmission system in Bohol.
In Tagbilaran City, businesses scrambled to cope with the prolonged outage. Generator sets hummed across commercial areas, particularly along CPG Avenue and City Square, allowing many establishments to continue operations despite the absence of electricity.
Still, several power-reliant shops temporarily suspended operations for the day.
Some residents also sought relief from the heat by spending time at nearby beaches while waiting for electricity service to resume.
NGCP said it would exert efforts to restore power earlier than scheduled if maintenance work is completed ahead of time.
