How It Works

brownout is a crowd-sourced brownout tracker for the Philippines. Anyone can report a brownout or restoration for their ZIP code, and everyone nearby can see what neighbors are reporting in real time – together with the scheduled power interruptions that utilities have announced.

1. Search your city, town or ZIP code

Type your city or municipality (such as Makati, Lapu-Lapu or Tagum), a Metro Manila district (such as Diliman or Malate), a province or a 4-digit ZIP code into the search box, or tap the location button. Every ZIP code in the country has its own live page, showing the utility or electric cooperative that serves it, its hotline, and any scheduled interruption.

2. Report a brownout or restoration

Tap Power is out when the lights go off and Power is back when it returns. Reports are anonymous: we don’t ask for your name, phone number or address. To keep the data clean, each device can report the same ZIP code only once every few minutes.

3. How the status is calculated

When the most recent reports say the power is out, the ZIP code shows Brownout reported once people on at least two different networks agree (one report shows Possible brownout). It stays open until someone reports Power is back, or until 24 hours pass with no new report, when it is marked Resolved automatically. With no recent reports the page shows No recent reports, which does not prove the power is on.

4. The brownout schedule

Several times a day the site reads the official advisories that Meralco, electric cooperatives and other utilities publish, and adds each scheduled power interruption – date, time, affected barangays and streets, and reason – to the brownout schedule, the matching ZIP code pages and the live map (amber markers). Times can change or be cancelled, so always check the official notice linked next to each entry.

5. Who fixes a brownout: your utility

Brownouts are fixed by your distribution utility – Meralco, a private utility such as VECO or Davao Light, or one of more than 120 electric cooperatives. Each page lists the utility that serves the area with its hotline, text line and Facebook page. Where two utilities share a town, the company name on your electric bill tells you which is yours. This site does not notify utilities – always report a brownout to your utility too.

6. Grid alerts and typhoons

When NGCP places the Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao grid on Yellow or Red Alert, a banner appears on the affected pages – rotational brownouts are possible. Tropical cyclone, earthquake and flood alerts are shown on the regions they affect.

Safety first

Never touch a fallen power line or go near it – treat every line as live, especially in floodwater, keep well back, and call your utility (or 911 if there is danger to life). Never run a generator indoors or connect it to your house wiring without a transfer switch. Use emergency lights instead of candles.