AT the apartment I had been renting earlier—which, I thought, was perfect for me until a new lessee put up a videoke bar within ear-splitting distance—a field agent from the Manila Water Co. arrived at one time with the intention of disconnecting our water.
A neighbor and I were alarmed because we had been paying our water bills religiously to our landlord, under some mysterious formula he conceptualized. We had the receipts to prove our payments and, yet, it seemed the compound’s water bill had ballooned to a humongous total, which our landlord had apparently neglected to pay. (The old man was an absolute sweetheart when I spoke to him before I moved in. But his true character eventually emerged via little incidents like this. So, renters, beware!)
My neighbor and I pleaded with the Manila Water agent not to disconnect us, and explained to him the circumstances of our water fees (which, to my mind, were ridiculously high, considering I lived alone and didn’t have a lot of laundry). The agent was actually very understanding of our predicament, and promised not to disconnect us until he had spoken with our landlord.
I appreciated the fact that the guy cut us some slack. He would have been in the right to unilaterally disconnect our water supply. Yet he heard us out, and was sympathetic to our plight. In fact, he even told us that, indeed, the landlord was overcharging us on our water bills—the cad!—after we showed him our payment history.
I recall this story because I’ve just realized how difficult it must be for these employees and especially the field workers of Manila Water to do their jobs in the face of uncooperative account owners, illegal connections, tampered water meters, busted pipes, leakages and the like. Every month, all we do is just accept our water bill and pay it religiously, unless we notice something off with it.
But these employees—especially the frontliners—all have to adopt a certain toughness, while not abandoning their sense of empathy toward the company’s customers. After all, they have to build relationships in order to make sure the bills are paid on time. They take the time to talk to customers to find out the real reasons that make it challenging for the latter to pay their bills.
I found out recently exactly how the utility firm’s backroom support operators, messengers, network controllers, lab technicians, water-supply plant operators, etc., dealt with the daily challenges in their work. Last Wednesday, I had the distinct pleasure of being one of the judges of Manila Water’s “Huwarang Manggagawa” (Model Employee), where 13 employees from the rank-and-file level made it as finalists for the yearly awards. The finalists come from the different departments, as well as various business areas covered by the company.
The Huwarang Manggagawa is now in its 17th year, and was instituted when Manila Water, the utility firm of the Zobel-led conglomerate Ayala Corp., took over the east zone of the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). (Yes, hard to imagine that it’s been 17 years since the MWSS was privatized!)
According to Jeric Sevilla, head of corporate communications of Manila Water, the Huwarang Manggagawa awards “recognize the most outstanding rank-and-file employees, whose consistent excellent performance and admirable work ethic and values serve as a model for all. They are men and women who are champions in making sure that care is given in every drop of water that reaches our customers.”
The finalists receive cash prizes and trophies, while the grand winner, apart from getting a bigger cash prize and trophy, will have his or her name etched in the marker at the lobby of the utility firm’s main headquarters in Balara, Quezon City, where all previous winners are also named.
The grand winner will be announced during the recognition night on December 17. As I and my fellow judges—the esteemed lawyer Eliezer C. Tanlapco and labor-management mediator Romeo Young—interviewed each candidate, it became clearer to me just how much these employees were so dedicated to their jobs. They found innovative solutions to not only please their company, but ease the worries of their customers, as well. In a way they act as relationship managers for their company, and, on their shoulders, they carry its reputation.
What should the field worker do, for instance, when he finds out that the reason a customer’s water bills have accumulated over a number of months was due to his undergoing dialysis for a kidney problem? Or in another instance, a candidate talked about facing the barrel of a gun, as he checked on a customer to find out why the latter’s account had become overdue.
It’s not simply a matter of forcing customers to pay, but also understanding why they haven’t been able to do so. One, who was assigned to government agencies, built relationships not only with the accountants and cashiers of these agencies, but all the way up to the top-management level, just to ensure that important documents would move and checks would be signed so the water bills could be paid.
Some employees practically put their lives on the line for their work. One candidate started his work at 10 pm, moving around underprivileged communities to detect illegal connections until 6 am. (Amazing how some field agents can detect this illicit activity by hearing alone, although they also use instruments.) When the neighborhood toughies harass you, do you run or continue doing your job?
The need to create a harmonious relationship with customers cannot be overemphasized. One candidate told of the time he was confronted by a particularly irate customer complaining about her humongous bill (by then she had already insulted him and the company for being unable to properly do their math). But he stressed to us that he couldn’t afford to lose his composure.
Instead, he discussed with her calmly how to solve her problem, which basically arose from old rusty pipes, which caused water leaks, and gave her options how to settle her huge bill (via promissory note and installment payments). Not only that, but he also recommended to install new water pipes from another section her house to the utility’s main, which would be less costly for her than replacing the old water pipes. In the end, the customer thanked him for helping her solve the water-leak problem.
Another candidate also underscored that the water flowing from our faucets is clean and potable. He also said there is actually no need to buy water purifiers, unless the Department of Health requires us to do so. The utility firm regularly takes samples of the water it supplies to its customers, and, unless you live in a depressed community, you really don’t have to worry about water quality. And here we are spending so much for bottled water!
I must admit that I thought the entire judging process for this award would be boring. But I ended up actually enjoying it because I learned so much about the utility firm and its people. It was an impressive lineup and all were deserving of their respective nominations. I was glad that I had been part of the judging process.
So, congratulations to the finalists, and major props to the grand winner.