ALBAY — The election watchdog Kontra Brownout, Iwas Daya!, formed by multi-sectoral groups, is calling on the government and power sector to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply during the 2025 midterm polls to safeguard their integrity.

In a statement, the group warned that persistent power outages could jeopardize the elections, as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines announced possible yellow and red alerts starting late April. Both need careful monitoring and energy conservation to prevent outages.

“Brownouts and power interruptions have historically been linked to election fraud — disrupting transmission, exposing vote counts to tampering, and endangering teachers and other frontliners who guard the people’s votes,” said Krishna Ariola of energy think tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, which is part of the said watchdog.

Ariola claimed that “power supply issues can easily make or break our elections” with “hundreds of power outages recorded across the country annually, many of them during the summer season.”

The 2025 Power Outlook Report of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities predicts yellow alerts for Luzon in May and red alerts in June, with Visayas also at risk. Meanwhile, Mindanao is expected to have enough power supply during this time. Yellow alerts signal low reserves, while red alerts mean demand exceeds supply, causing rotating brownouts.

ICSC analyzed the gap between generating capacity and peak demand in the three main island grids using the 2025 Weekly Demand, Supply, and Operating Margin Profile from NGCP and DOE.

The ICSC’s report reiterated the flaws in the country’s dependence on baseload power, which is traditionally centralized and reliant on fossil fuels and natural gas. The multisectoral groups also highlighted this vulnerability, along with the need for energy transition, as critical issues that both incumbent and aspiring candidates must address.

Protection for teachers
For Benjo Basas of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, brownouts also pose an election risk for teachers whom they consider the backbone of election operations. “We’ve seen it before—teachers rushing to safeguard ballots, machines, votes, and [even] themselves in situations that could have been avoided.”

“We do our duty every election. This time, we ask the government to do theirs. No teacher should be left in the dark, literally and figuratively, while performing this crucial role in our democracy,” he said, while reiterating the need for proactive coordination, support and contingencies for teachers.

Beyond election day

Lawyer Ona Caritos, executive director for the Legal Network for Truthful Elections, emphasized that stable power must be available beyond election day. 

“We cannot have an election at risk of failures because of failure to secure dependable power. We are one in this call for our energy and relevant authorities to do their part in preserving electoral integrity, upholding democratic principles, and ensuring that Filipinos’ right to suffrage are protected,” Caritos said.