I’m sitting here in the dark. Another brownout in Cebu. My little City of Bogo is mighty black in this so called brownout. At least in the evening it wont be so hot. It is about 6:30pm.
My cable TV has been out for three weeks. We finally got a cable guy to show up this week. He tested a few things and then said the problem is inside the lines in the house. He said he would be back later. That was two days ago. I’m waiting to get paid so we can hire someone to actually fix it. We were trying to use a cheaper repair man. It wont cost a lot but funds are low at the end of the month.
Jessie (my girlfriend) tried to call the power company and that is broken too. When she calls she hears the famliar “The number you
Bantayan Island in The Philippines
called is under repair.” Sometimes when that starts, it stays that way for weeks. That could be a problem if we have a local power problem as the power company is a “fair piece” out of town. With no transportation of our own, it can be a pain to go out there and report a problem. We’ve not had a local issue in some time though.
While my internet is down due to the power failure, I can’t go to You Tube but when it comes back up, I will be looking for the Kenny Wayne Sheppard over of Bob Dylan’s tune “Everything is Broken.”
I couldn’t find a good copy of this tune, that is, with great sound quality. Seems fitting some how.
Sadly, to add to the aggravation, once the lights came back on, my Internet connection was totally dead. Globe, my Internet service provider did have a technician out before 11 am the next morning. Router needed to be reset. First time that happened, they gave us the password and let us do it.
I suppose this tune is my last ditch attempt at finding some humor in the situation. Brownouts and other infrastructure problems are just part of living in the Philippines.
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Tagged with: Brownouts • Cebu • Living In The Philippines
Filed under: Cost of living in the Philippines • Living in Cebu • Living In The Philippines
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Honestly, if and when I get to lived in Cebu on a full-time basis, I would invest in a good generator. I think it will be worth it, what with the high costs of electricity and frequent interruptions, I think I’d spend the money.
I would too if I had it.
Hey Rusty, Thanks for that video of Kenny Wayne Sheppard, I have that CD somewhere with that song on it.
Your welcome. I’ve seen him live three or four times too.
I have that CD someplace too, along with 10 other boxes of CD’s. All 8000 miles away.
I hope they are still there when I get back.
I didn’t know how to get them here. I wish I had had my eBook before I came here. LOL
I would suggest a good battery backup power supply for your computer. No one uses a refrig because the market should be close. Also its why you find viniger everywhere in the pinoy diet, it is a preservative. OK, as a problem solver, when I moved out into the Sonoran desert with a hammer and saw and a Dodge truck I observed the locals, circa 1979. Then in 2009 In my motor home I got ride of my Onan/Vangard V-Twin powered generator, hmmm you ask?
1. I got a cheap solar panel to charge 3 12V deep cycle batteries.
2. I got a ity-bitty HONDA, super quiet generator to kick on to charge batt and other.
3. I used my amp meter to measure current draw and battery condition gauge.
4. I also sent to Hong-Kong for 30 L.E.D. light pads with 1156 style plug (male) and changed out
ALL of my light bulbs.
5. My frig would run on 12 volts, my stereo ran on 12 volts, my TV ran on 12 volts.
6. Create a dual 220/12V (automotive) power system and ease off the grid.
6. POWER SAVER – INTELLICONTROLLER : Intelligent Energy Controller * Reactive…
In other words, do it with what the rest of the world never gets “YANKEE INGENUITY”……..
G
I don’t understand a word of that.
I also don’t understand what the link you provided has to do with a generator.
I’d love to understand but perhaps it takes a bit of basic electricity understanding than I have. If I got those things, I don’t know what I would do with them. What would it cost? Where would I get them? how to I put it all together?
Since you didn’t provide a real email address I’m going t remove the link.
Hi Rusty
I agree you very much, brownouts make you go nuts. You can hear but not se what is in the dark.
First year we had St.Bernard, we light op the resort with bottles half full of kerosene with a cloth as wick all standing in our pathway and beachfront.
I learned if you want to avoid to be to pissed and iterated you must have a backup generator. You can buy cheap Chinese in downtown for 6-7000peso for gasoline 500 – 750w, providing you 3-5hours power on a tank. Not best quality but maybe ok for back up as a starter.
The first we bought was a YANMAR 1 cylinder engine with a Chinese 5KW dynamo. I love that generator, it is 10years now and have tried to operate 3 straight weeks during FRANK, no problem, the voltage is very irregular up and down since it is comes with no auto voltage regulator. Found out, if we run generator, use a lot of power for big spots and like, then my YANMAR runs best.
We have a GHONDA 7,5kw as backup, I hate that monster, it give perfect power but drink more gasoline than I can swallow beer… but to be honest, it newer broke for 7 years.
Give us a visit in Bantayan, Ill show you how it runs, then you can pay a visit to your old friend Pavarotti….they are 4 parrots now. Bring your monkey, he might like to get out, we can set him in an empty cage if he get to naughty…we had brown out 4am and can not expect power resume before 5 – 6pm. Regards Flemming
Hey Flemming! Always a pleasure to hear from you.
You know, I forgot that I found some generators on Bantayan Island that I could afford. You are talking downtown Bantayan right? I really want to come over there and if I do, I will make it a point to check your generators. I want to come in November but not being the richest expat in the Philippines, I don’t know if I can do it. A one day trip is hard on me. That is without an over night stay. I’m going to come in November though even if I can’t stay over night. With Christmas coming soon and the dollar taking a nose dive, things are tight. I really need a break though and maybe I can spend at least one night. That salt water would do my skin a lot of good too!
I love your little Pavarotti. I wonder if he will still take a liking to me.
Can’t bring Juliet, the monkey. That is one crazy little monkey. She has to be given some understanding though, she was abused by at her former home. The last time I reached in to get her out of the cage, I came out with one very bloody hand. What she needs is to be in a zoo with other monkeys though I don’t know if she could get along with them. she wants to fight everything. 
Now if I still had George, I could bring him. His fangs had been removed and he had been neutered. He as very tame. You told me a little bit about the troubles you had with your adult male. I don’t know if George would have gone that way too. I don’t THINK so because he had been neutered. He was a real joy. I miss him soooooooo much. Someone killed him out of spite or meanness or jealousy. I don’t know why.
Oh my an all day brownout. Ouch. I guess I had better bring my battery powered fan if I come.
Those generators are calling my name! I wont be able to get one until after Christmas though.
Hey Rusty…. gonna write a story about your monkeys sometime? I had a monkey in Indonesia as a kid. Thinking about getting one for our farm, but don’t think it’ll be a good idea with my kids around (1&3). Monkeys got a short fuse sometimes.
There are a lot of articles here about George and Juliet. One of the recent ones about her biting me.
Maybe try a search for monkey.
I seem ‘em now. Hadn’t explored the site yet.
perhaps you could purchase a deep cycle marine battery, buy an automotive battery charger, plug the charger into the power outlet on your wall. buy a 250 watt converter, hook it to the battery terminals and when power goes out plug your computer into the inverter. you also could run 12 volt lites and your printer for a long time on that battery.
here in the usa, that setup costs about $100 at walmart. that is what i did with my camper van except i hooked the battery up to the alternator and run lites, water pump, tv, stereo on the battery.
I wish I knew more about how to do that kind of thing.
I’d be afraid to power my PC with that because I don’t know what I’m doing.
Would be nice to have a huge fan connected to that though.
We’ve not had a brownout in a while. They brought two more power plants online and things have been stable since then. Only been a week or two. I’m sure that the brownouts will return.
oops, i don’t actually know what the battery charger would cost because i didn’t use one.
You know… I’ve never experienced a brownout in Marikina City. I’m sure they must have them sometime, but I’ve never been here for one, and I’ve spent months here over the last several years. I did experience one in Leyte over a one month period. It was also during a low pressure storm. We were in the countryside, and needed to hitch a ride in the town ambulance back to Tacloban. My wife’s friends with the town mayor, so he just lent it to us. Sweet.
Leyte had a long brownout yesterday. I don’t know what time it started but I heard from a friend yesterday, about 7pm that lights would not be back until the next day.
I’ve wondered if Metro Manila had as many power outages as the rest of the Philippines. Sounds like they don’t.
A city of 10 million people and a brownout? Wow that doesn’t sound like a good thing.
The National Power Corporation controls all the power in the Philippines. They tell places when to shut off power. Possibly to keep the lights on in Manila.
The number of brownouts one will experience living in the Philippines is dependent on where one lives at in the Philippines. The Visayas (central part of the country) recently was plagued with them.
It seems to be back to normal for now. It was surely becoming a major pain the butt for a while.
Dang Rusty, isn’t it hot there at night too. I can’t swett and sleep, no way. How do you do it. Maybe there is a breeze at night , huh ?
I’m not sure what you mean Jerry.
I’ve slept through brownouts but it is hard. Only had to do that once, during typhoon frank. Wasn’t that hot that night. Wasn’t bad at all. there was a huge breeze. lol Trying to stay dry was an issue though.
I have aircon and I have battery powered fans. Can get a room aircon for around $200, less really and at night probably don’t need as much as I have. I’m comfortable at 25C now. I’m not even sure what that is in F now. 80 I think. Jessie is cold at 25C.
I have a fan on me all the time. Even with aircon. I am extremely hot natured, my skin often feels like it is burning.
You’ll get use to it. But I would get aircon if you can swing it. Might be hard to pay for it. Not sure what it would cost running it only at night. $50 a month maybe, if you’re lucky. Some do it on less.
I don’t care what it cost, I’m running the AC.