PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN - A stray cat caused a widespread blackout in Puerto Princesa City and seven other municipalities in Palawan early Monday morning after getting electrocuted at a major power plant.
According to Philippines News Agency, an information officer for the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO), the incident occurred around 4:46 a.m. when the cat entered the Palawan Power Generation Incorporated (PPGI) plant in Narra town and accidentally caused a short circuit. The cat's body created a bridge between a live wire and the transformer's base, disrupting the power supply. "The live wire and the transformer bushing are several inches away from each other, but apparently, the cat's body was long enough to bridge the gap," Rebusada explained.
The incident led to a chain reaction, causing four other power plants in the province—Delta P of Delta P, Inc., DMCI Aborlan of DMCI Power Corporation (DPC), DMCI Narra, and PPGI Puerto Princesa—to trip and shut down one after another. Efforts to restore electricity commenced by 6:08 a.m., with power service gradually returning to the affected areas.
Electricity has been restored in Puerto Princesa, the provincial capital, as officials continue to address the aftermath of the unexpected outage.