Water service disconnection activities banned only under Alert Level 5 or granular lockdown

METRO MANILA’s water concessionaires can carry out disconnection activities unless a locality is placed under Alert Level 5, the strictest under the government’s new quarantine system, or an area is placed on granular lockdown, according to the regulator.

Patrick Lester N. Ty, chief regulator of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office, said they have given the directive to Manila Water Co., Inc. and Maynilad Water Services, Inc.

“This is in light of the implementation of Alert Levels system and granular lockdowns in certain areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) beginning Sept. 16,” Mr. Ty said in a statement on Thursday.

The new alert level system took effect on Sept. 16 with the pilot run in the capital region, which has been placed under Alert Level 4. Meanwhile, Mr. Ty urged customers of Manila Water and Maynilad in areas not under Alert Level 5 or granular lockdown to pay their bills to ensure continuous water service.

“As the MWSS Regulatory Office has previously directed the concessionaires to provide economic relief and consideration for customers in this difficult time of the pandemic, customers who are not able to settle their water bills may contact their service provider for flexible payment terms,” he said.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has a majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.

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