Manila, Oct. 1 -- Consumers in Iloilo City are encouraged to observe energy conservation measures after the Visayas grid was placed on yellow alert status following the 6.9 magnitude earthquake off Cebu on Tuesday evening.

Mayor Raisa Trenas made the appeal Wednesday following the announcement of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) that the Visayas grid has lost around 1,444.1 megawatts (MW) after most power plants were affected by the strong quake.

"We appeal to everyone to conserve energy and avoid unnecessary electricity use during this period to help ensure a stable supply for all," she said in a statement.

In an advisory, NGCP said 27 plants are on forced outage due to the earthquake, 16 others have been unavai...