Evenings in Siargao are calm until everything suddenly goes quiet. The fans stop, the streetlights fade, and the sound of small generators begins to fill the air. For people who live on the island, power outages are nothing new. It has become a part of daily life, something everyone learns to adjust to. In December 2024, a fault in the submarine cable that connects Siargao to the mainland caused one of the longest blackouts in years.
Why It Happens
The island’s electricity mainly comes from a submarine cable that runs from Claver in Surigao del Norte to Dapa. When that connection breaks, the entire island feels it. The recent outage started on December 1, 2024 when a fault was detected in a 1.6 kilometer stretch of the underwater cable. The problem left homes, resorts, and businesses without power for nearly two weeks.
According to the National Electrification Administration, the issue began after a breaker at the Claver substation tripped. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines confirmed that the fault damaged a key part of the cable, forcing a complete shutdown until divers could lift and repair it. Local officials later declared a state of calamity to speed up the restoration and provide fuel and generator support to affected barangays.
Life in the Dark
When the power went out, island life shifted. Some cafés closed early to save their fuel supply while others stayed open, lit only by lamps and candles. Households made small adjustments like charging phones whenever power briefly returned, cooking before sunset, and relying on flashlights at night. For many residents, these moments became another reminder of how island life always finds a way to adapt.
Businesses were hit hardest. Small shops without backup power lost stocks, guesthouses faced cancellations, and digital workers struggled to meet deadlines. Still, there was a sense of community that kept everything moving. Locals shared fuel, helped charge each other’s phones, and kept everyone updated on social media whenever power was restored to a few areas.
After the Blackout
When power finally returned, it brought more than light. It brought relief. Repair teams replaced the damaged section of the cable and added modular generator sets to help stabilize supply across the island. It was a hard reset for everyone who had lived through almost two weeks of darkness.
But many locals say the experience was also a reminder that Siargao’s growth comes with challenges. More visitors mean more demand, and the island’s energy system is still fragile. There are already talks about renewable options like solar power and microgrids, especially among resorts and new businesses that want to stay prepared. Progress may take time, but the push for a stronger, more reliable power system is slowly gaining ground.
Resilient by Nature
Power interruptions will always test island life, but they also show what makes Siargao different. People adjust, they share, they move on. When the lights go out, the island does not stop. It simply finds another way to shine.
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