Manila: Power outages hit Metro Manila intermittently and the south Philippines due to the breakdown of old power plants and the inability of hydroelectric power plants to operate because of El Nino — a dry spell — that has affected the country since early March, officials and consumers said.

"It is the fourth or fifth time that power outages have hit Metro Manila," complained Ana Sevilla, an office worker in Makati City, the country's financial district.

High rise buildings have been running on generators so as not to inconvenience workers and multinational companies.

"Repairs are being done on power plants. We have to make the necessary repairs even if they cause occasional power outages in Metro Manila," said Jesusito Sulit, spokesman for the National Grid Corp.

"We will have a total of 1,700 megawatts in metro areas back online several days after mid-March," promised Sulit.

Engineers and workers gave their assurance that there will be no more power turbulence in Metro Manila next month, said Sulit.

Manila Electric Co confirmed that some parts of Metro Manila have suffered for an estimated 90 minutes per day.

Emergency

President Gloria Arroyo declared an emergency situation in the southern Philippines due to the worsening power problems there.

Since last February, 12 hours of blackouts have started to occur in Mindanao, one of the largest regions in the country, with 21 million residents."The situation shows no signs of changes in Mindanao," Sonja Ramos, a resident in Davao City, told Gulf News in a phone interview.

The dry spell, expected to last for a long time, would make the southern Philippines barren and powerless, with hydroelectric plants that cannot generate electricity.

"Repairs are being done there. The government will need 30 days more to solve the power problem in the south," said Sulit, adding the government has to solve the power problem nationwide before the country's first automated elections on May 10. "We are doing everything we can to make significant changes before the May 10 elections," said Sulit, adding: "We are sure there will be a continuous source of power even before May 10."

Arroyo said on Thursday that her declaration of a power crisis in Mindanao will help the government fast track a solution to the power problem there.