By Madelaine B. Miraflor Customers of Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Company, Inc. were told to settle their statement of accounts by August and September at least in staggered amounts to avoid “bill shock.” In a statement, the Regulatory Office (RO) of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said it “encourages the public to contact their service provider and settle their statement of accounts (SOAs) in staggered amounts prior to the disconnection period in order to avoid accumulation of charges and bill shock, and to ensure continuity of services.” This, as the agency began implementing measures to make sure that Maynilad and Manila Water will issue the right water bills to their respective customers. To recall, non-lifeline customers of Maynilad and Manila Water were given until August to settle all their water bills, even those accumulated during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period, while lifeline accounts or those with way lower consumption have until September to pay. MWSS Chief Regulator Patrick Ty earlier said that the government will exercise compassion and will not allow penalty to be imposed on those who will not be able to pay on time. "If they still can't afford to settle it, then they can go to the nearest business centers of Maynilad and Manila Water and ask for longer period and sign a promissory note," Ty earlier said. "We will be compassionate and understanding," he added. The meter reading and billing operations of Manila Water and Maynilad are set to resume on Monday (June 1). “In order to ensure that customers only pay for their actual water consumption during the ECQ and modified ECQ (MECQ) periods, the MWSS RO has directed both concessionaires to reflect the actual water consumption and corresponding charges based on meter reading in the Statements of Account (SOAS) of customers,” MWSS-RO said in a statement on Friday.