Another power failure. And it was a special occasion for this guy, with a ceremony, and a band- you can see the remains by the light of his candle: the program in front of him, the drums piled up beside him.
Of course when the lights went out, everyone waited around to see if it was just a short brownout; but after awhile they all drifted out. Then the band packed up and left. Not surprising.
Power failures happen all the time here, and they seem to be accepted as a natural hazard, like rain. Sometimes they last for a few minutes, sometimes for an hour or two. But long enough to drop whatever you planned to do next, or to stop whatever you’re doing now.
And these interruptions never make the news; they are barely even acknowledged or remembered by anyone. It’s just accepted as a fact of life here that electric power is something you can’t depend on.
Not only is electricity unreliable, it’s also not cheap. The cost of power in the Philippines is much higher than in many other countries, and no one can say why. Whatever the reason, power problems certainly hold this country back from progress. Who would build a factory where cheap, reliable power cannot be found?
People here groan when they get their electric bills. They grumble to each other during brownouts. They mutter to each other about corrupt officials, the bad quality of transformers, the inefficiency of line maintenance. Possibly true, but it’s not the real root of the problem.
The real power failure comes from “The People”: passive people, people who accept intolerable situations with nothing more positive than frowns and shrugs. In many places, this low level of public service would be cause for constant scandal, protest marches and media outrage. Here, nothing. They just don’t care.
Without serious public protest, why should the political establishment take any action to correct the situation? Why should power companies change their ways, or pay close attention to their problems? After all, if people are willing to accept the situation as it is, why worry about it?
The guy in the picture with the candle – his evening was ruined by a power failure, but he doesn’t seem very upset or even concerned. Everything works on electric power, but- well, you know… sometimes there’s no power, so everything just stops. It’s normal.