Effects of Power Outage on Philippine Freelancers and Virtual Assistant Work from Home - Personal Experience

Posted by Admin Rachel

 As of 17 June, 3:21 am PH time, we are experiencing a power outage.


This started around 9 pm when every household was having dinner or preparing to sleep. Without any notification from MERALCO (electricity provider), our community was suddenly in blackout. What’s funny is as soon as it went out, our neighbors shouted synchronously, “BROWN OUT!” You could hear the frustration in their voices. This is common in Filipino communities; you're not Filipino if you don't shout “brown out” the second it happens. 😂

As soon as I confirmed that there was indeed a power outage, I whispered, “I'm glad it’s my day off.” Lying in bed, watching “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” on Netflix, I was relaxed and unconcerned about the outage.

However, this might be good timing for me, but what about those freelance writers or virtual assistants from the Philippines who are working from home and are on duty or will be on duty?

I did a little checking on MERALCO online because I didn't receive any notification from them about the power outage. Usually, MERALCO sends messages informing us about outages and the time of restoration. Since I didn't receive any notification and as someone who pays electricity bills in full and on time, I’m frustrated. I tried messaging their Facebook page but got no proper response, as expected. 

So, I proceeded to their website and found the “view outage” section (see attached). Through MERALCO, you can see outages from different service areas and if it is a sudden outage or a planned one.



From my understanding, MERALCO gave no notification since what happened in our area is an “unplanned outage” based on the information. However, I was frustrated because I checked the information around 9 pm and it stated the restoration time was around 11 pm. It’s now 4 am Manila time, and I’m currently writing this, still no electricity.

"Come on, MERALCO, my phone is fighting its 1% left battery."

This situation reminds us freelancers or virtual assistants from the Philippines that we should always have a “backup,” whether in the form of gadgets or other resources, since we work from home and electricity is a necessity. However, circumstances cannot be controlled.

With this situation, I advise fellow freelancers or virtual assistants from the Philippines working from home to follow these simple work-saving tips:

Have a Backup

Just like in this situation, we never know what will happen next. It might be a power outage, gadget issue, technical issue, or internet connection issue that could hinder your working hours. It causes anxiety, especially if you have time trackers or are working on a crucial role or will have a meeting with your micromanager (kidding) in the next few hours. Here’s the backup you might consider:

A. Backup Gadget - Have a spare gadget aside from your main setup. In my case, my main gadget for work is a desktop, and I have a tablet as a backup. But most freelancers from the Philippines use a second laptop as their backup. It's up to you what your backup might be, me. LOL

B. Backup Internet - This is crucial. You might have 100 backup gadgets, but if you don't have internet, you can’t work. Aside from your main Wi-Fi, it is best to have backup internet such as a prepaid SIM, prepaid plan, or a preload on your phone. We should accept that the Philippines has slower internet compared to neighboring countries in Asia such as Singapore and Japan. But we should prove that our country might have slow internet, but freelancers and virtual assistants from the Philippines are fast and always have a backup. Raise the flag.

C. Backup Electricity - This might be costly, but I think it’s one of the keys to a freelancer’s peace of mind is power generator. It is one of my aims to have this kind of equipment at home, but as I mentioned, it’s costly and ranges around 3,000-8,000 (mini). If you can afford it, I highly suggest you buy this. Not only as a backup for your freelancing or virtual assistant work from home but also for crucial situations at your home.

D. Backup Person - It’s best to have someone to call on to help you out, either to borrow a gadget, connect through their internet, or go to their home to use electricity. It's best to have a person that will back you up in situations and please make sure to reciprocate. He/She backs you up, then next time help him/her out too. Give and take, buddy!

On the other hand, it could also be someone at your work, someone you can contact to report your situation to your manager.

With that, as we know, NO ONE CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE. So freelancers and virtual assistants from the Philippines, be always prepared as MERALCO doesn’t send notifications >< (joke).

Be prepared. We are given such an opportunity to work from home; let us then make sure that we are doing great work as a symbol of gratefulness. A bit of money to use to buy backups to ensure our work is at peace is not an expense but an investment.

The better and more secure your work environment is, the better your output and work pace will be.

Rachel Monte – VA and Freelancer from the Philippines

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