To spare Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company Inc. from further financial trouble, the government could only give one last set of reliefs to the respective customers of these water utilities, which includes a 30-day grace period for unpaid bills from August 4 to 18.

For the unpaid bills before that period, customers either have to pay them immediately or apply for a promissory note arrangement with their respective distributor to prevent their water service from being disconnected.

This is according to Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Chief Regulator Patrick Ty, who ordered Maynilad and Manila Water on Wednesday to implement grace period and installment plan for Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and Modified ECQ (MECQ) water bills.

This is, according to him, in solidarity with the provisions of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), the legislation that should help and guide the government in the implementation of COVID-19 measures for the rest of this year.

However, Ty pointed out that this recent order of MWSS-Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) covers only the August 4 to 18 period.

With the grace period, customers who were not able to pay during this period will have additional 30 days to pay without incurring interests, penalties and other charges.

But since this 30 days already technically ended, customers – except industrial customers – could now apply for a three-month installment scheme for their unpaid bills from August 4 to 18.

“Technically, they can pay until December for this period. If the due date of your water bill falls on this period, you are allowed to pay in installment,” Ty said.

Starting this week, Maynilad and Manila Water could already start issuing disconnection notices, but Ty said these concessionaires assured that they won’t disconnect customers for as long as they will apply for a promissory note arrangement with them.

Ty said that Maynilad and Manila Water are now asking for “public understanding” since their inability to charge many of their customers since March is already “severely affecting” their cash flow.

“Maynilad and Manila Water no longer afford to give a longer grace period for payment. This is the maximum that they can do. Their services might already be affected if they fail to charge consumers further,” Ty said in a virtual interview on Wednesday.

Jennifer Rufo, Maynilad’s head for stakeholders communications office, earlier told Business Bulletin that an extension of the ‘no disconnection policy’ of MWSS will be detrimental to the firm’s operations.

“We need funds to continue operating facilities, purchasing water treatment chemicals, and maintaining the network to ensure sustained water service for customers,” Rufo said.

For this recent order on grace period and three-month installment scheme for August 4 to 18 period, however, Rufo said Maynilad will “comply with the guidelines, as we have always done”.

Manila Water's Corporate Communications Head Jeric Sevilla also said they will abide by the Bayanihan 2.

“We will further discuss with MWSS-RO their directive on the installment scheme after the grace period since we have been extending promissory agreement with our customers for all bills, ECQ, MECQ or not,” Sevilla said in a separate text exchange.

“Promissory arrangements, depending on the customer's paying capabilities, in fact, ranges from three to six months. We wish to assure our customers that Manila Water recognizes the plight of our customers given the current situation and we continue to provide all means possible to alleviate their payment concerns,” he added.