Manila, July 22 -- Manila Electric Company (Meralco) advised its customers to implement safety measures as flooding continues to hamper immediate power restoration in its franchise areas.

In a statement, the power distributor said it has reduced the number of power outage-affected customers to around 29,000 as of 6 p.m. Tuesday from over 167,000 as of 7 a.m.

Meralco said "nearly half of the remaining affected customers are in flooded areas" in Cavite, Metro Manila, and Bulacan, while the others are in Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon provinces.

High-bed trucks and motorized fiberglass boats have been deployed "to help in power restoration and aid in rescue efforts," it said.

"As we continue to closely monitor the weather situation ...