10/09/2026
No Rest in the Dark: The Hidden Home Struggles of ManCCnians Under the VECO Brownouts
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โThe struggle doesnโt end when ManCCnians leave the campus. For most of them, the real endurance test begins the moment they get back to their respective barangays and find their houses completely pitch black. It is a harsh and frustrating reality. With Visayan Electricโs (VECO) unpredictable rotational brownouts hitting residential areas day and night, these homesโwhich are supposed to be safe spaces for restโhave turned into the hardest battlegrounds of student life.
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โAccording to recent advisories from VECO, these rolling power cuts, or manual load dropping, are triggered by energy supply deficits and grid maintenance directives from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). But while these utility companies have operational reasons to prevent a total grid collapse, the daily weight of the energy shortage falls directly on the youth.
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โThe most brutal challenge hits ManCCnians the exact second they sit down at night to review for a major physical exam. The moment the power cuts out, the absolute igang inside their rooms becomes suffocating. Trying to read printed handouts or write down notes while dripping in singot is an uphill battle. They find themselves squinting under the dim, flickering light of a cellphone flashlight or a single emergency bulb. The intense eye strain, combined with the heat, makes a simple study session feel like pure torture.
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โBut the worst part is the severe lack of sleep. When VECO drops the power late at night, the electric fans die, and bedrooms instantly turn into ovens. ManCCnians are forced to toss and turn for hours in the dark, waking up completely drenched in sweat.
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โBy the time morning comes, they are forced to drag their exhausted, sleep-deprived bodies back to school, running on nothing but pure willpower. Trying to focus during a heavy daytime lecture when the body is completely drained from a sleepless night at home is a quiet nightmare that so many ManCCnians are secretly fighting right now.
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โThese students are showing up to campus every single day trying to fight for their futures, but the reality is that they are fighting just as hard in their own living rooms. These brownouts have stripped away their ability to rest and study properly. It is a heavy, daily burden that proves the struggle for a diploma doesn't just happen in the classroomโit follows them all the way home into the dark.
Article by | G.P.
Art by | A.M.A.
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