UST FACED an unprecedented power outage on Thursday evening, leading to widespread disruptions across campus and forcing the suspension of all face-to-face classes and office work scheduled for April 5.
The power outage occurred following a loud boom heard near the St. Raymund de Peñafort Building in Dapitan, site of the main power transformer, at approximately 6:55 p.m.
Meralco crew were conducting inspections when a second loud boom was heard near Gate 11 at 7:53 p.m., followed by another at 10:08 p.m.
UST has yet to confirm the reason behind the power outage, but it assured Thomasians that the electric utility was fixing the problem.
“The Facilities and Management Office is currently coordinating with the concerned electric power distribution company for the eventual power restoration,” UST’s Facebook post read.
While the power outage affected the entire campus, its duration varied across buildings.
According to the initial assessment by the Campus Safety and Security Office, power was quickly restored at the UST Hospital, Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, Beato Angelico Building, Albertus Magnus Building, Main Building, the student-athlete dormitory at the UST Carpark, Central Laboratory, and the Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Buildings near the Dapitan area, including the St. Raymund de Peñafort Building, Tan Yan Kee Student Center, Miguel de Benavides Library, and San Martin de Porres Building, continued without electrical power.
The incident resulted in a long line of vehicles waiting to leave the UST Carpark until after 9:30 p.m., with carpark staff calculating parking fees manually due to the power failure.
The power outage also resulted in blackouts at restaurants in the carpark building.
Some people were briefly trapped in elevators, such as those in the Albertus Magnus Building, before power was restored.
