Filipinos Asked to Avoid Appliances Ahead of Pacquiao Fight

Some residents in power-strapped parts of the Philippines are being asked to turn off their refrigerators to ensure there’s enough electricity to watch Manny Pacquiao compete in the “fight of the century.”

The Filipino boxer will take on Floyd Mayweather, the unbeaten American, in Las Vegas on Saturday in a years-in-the-making bout; the fight will air in the Philippines on Sunday. AFP reports Rante Ramos, the country’s secretary of the electrical cooperative on the island of Palawan, called for the conservation measures—including avoiding washing machines, irons and air conditioners—in a Facebook post on Wednesday. They can resume using them after the fight, Ramos said.

Puerto Princesa, the island’s capital, has already faced daily power outages recently, some lasting several hours. “Collectively we can do something,” Ramos said in the post. “On May 3, let’s all voluntarily switch off or disconnect as many appliances as we could.”

[AFP]