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Manila Water, Maynilad ordered to suspend disconnection activities during NCR ECQ
By TED CORDERO,GMA NewsThe Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) has ordered Maynilad and Manila Water to suspend service disconnection activities after the government placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20.
In a statement on Wednesday, MWSS RO said it directed the water concessionaires to suspend disconnection activities for the duration of the ECQ period, “to ensure water supply availability within their service areas.”
The NCR will be placed under ECQ for two weeks in light of the threat of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Malacañang said Tuesday it is hoping that the ECQ to be imposed in NCR will be the last.
"Maynilad will suspend the disconnection of the water service of accounts with bills that fall due within the ECQ period. This is in compliance with the directive of our regulators, and also in line with our effort to ease the financial burden on our customers whose livelihood may be constrained by the ECQ restrictions,” the west zone concessionaire said.
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Manila Water, likewise, said, “As directed by the MWSS RO, we will abide with the directive and suspend disconnection activities during the ECQ from August 6 to 20.”
The regulatory office, meanwhile, appealed to concerned local government units in Metro Manila, Cavite, and Rizal to allow meter readers of Maynilad and Manila Water to continue their on-site water reading and billing operations during the ECQ period.
“This will enable the concessionaires to bill their customers based on the actual water consumption, and help minimize billing complaints that may abound if the customers were to be billed on average consumption,” the MWSS RO said.
Likewise, the agency directed Maynilad and Manila Water to ensure strict compliance of their meter readers and other personnel with the prescribed health and safety protocols in the conduct of “read-and-bill.”
“The agency will continue to protect the welfare of the public, especially during this difficult time of the pandemic,” the MWSS RO said.
Maynilad currently serves customers in the west zone which covers the cities of Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Quezon, Valenzuela. It also services certain areas in Cavite such as the cities of Bacoor, Cavite, and Imus; and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario.
Manila Water, on the other hand, is the east zone concessionaire which services 23 cities and municipalities including Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, and parts of Quezon City and Manila, as well as the towns of Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Jalajala, Morong, Pililia, Rodriguez, Tanay, Taytay, Teresa, San Mateo, and Antipolo in the province of Rizal. — RSJ, GMA News