The Quality Of Drinking Water In The Philippines

[Art2ro]

Where and what is the source of your drinking water? Deep under ground well, filtered city tap water, expensive mineral bottled water or bottled distilled water? What other types of water that's available and what are the benefits! Like bottled water, is mostly distilled water that has no minerals! Not enough minerals in the body I hear is bad! What about alkaline water? I hear now it's a fad! What's the benefits in drinking alkaline water? We're always concerned in what we drink, when and where and also the consumption of local foods out of doors in fast food joints and dine-in restaurants! Food poisoning in 3rd world countries are common place and inevitable unless one is extremely careful!

Edited March 2, 2011 by Art2ro

[Dave Hounddriver]

I use bottled water from one of the many filtration companies around Cebu. It is only 20 or 25 pesos for 5 gallon jug and I use 2 or 3 jugs a week. I still need to be a careful because 2 of the distributors I have tried did not do a good job purifying their water and I got sick. When you find a distributor you can count on then stick with them.Because the filtered water seems lacking in minerals I drink Buko juice every day and also take supplements when I feel a bit run down.Cost of bottled water: 300 a month. Cost of Buko juice from fresh coconuts: another 300 a month. Cost of vitamin supplements: about 150 a month.

[MikeB]

I am cautious to the extreme when it comes to drinking water over there because I contracted amoebic dysentery on my first trip in 2002. Hit me in Boracay, one of the most beautiful places on earth. I was scared to death the plane back to Manila wouldn't have a CR (it did). Horrible. Since then I don't drink tap water anywhere, I don't care how safe they say it is.

[gapotwo]

just drink beer... no, seriously, if you just add boiling water in the morning to the chores for maid to do in the morning, would that be good enough for daily drinking? and cooking, at least i would know it is safe for me to drink. and if that fails, then i can justify MORE BEER..tanks ej.:emostrongbow:

[Jake]

just drink beer... no, seriously, if you just add boiling water in the morning to the chores for maid to do in the morning, would that be good enough for daily drinking? and cooking, at least i would know it is safe for me to drink. and if that fails, then i can justify MORE BEER..tanks ej.:emostrongbow:

Totally agree with ya EJ, boiling water for an extra 5 or 10 minutes in the morning would be a daily chorefor my family. And then after that, San Magoo, along with Buko juice (as suggested by Dave) will also bemy daily routine. Although I do get the chits initially of drinking beer, after a couple of days, I'm good to go.Respectfully -- Jake

[gapotwo]

just drink beer... no, seriously, if you just add boiling water in the morning to the chores for maid to do in the morning, would that be good enough for daily drinking? and cooking, at least i would know it is safe for me to drink. and if that fails, then i can justify MORE BEER..tanks ej.:emostrongbow:

Totally agree with ya EJ, boiling water for an extra 5 or 10 minutes in the morning would be a daily chorefor my family. And then after that, San Magoo, along with Buko juice (as suggested by Dave) will also bemy daily routine. Although I do get the chits initially of drinking beer, after a couple of days, I'm good to go.Respectfully -- Jake

jake, gust pop a couple of baluts before drinking beer, and its all good.:cool_beans:

[Mr Lee]

We have water delivered to our condo weekly from a company called Hey Culligan Man, and have for the last few years and fortunately we have never gotten sick from it. We use about two 5 gallon bottles a week and it cost us p50 each to have them bring it right to our door, which has to be a heck of a job in a high rise condo development, but I guess it is worth it for them because there are so many units here to sell to. They sell another brand across the street for p40 but I am not going to carry them for the p10 difference and why chance it when this works for us. When out in the provinces our family buys a 5 gallon jug of filtered water for my wife and I as needed, and we supplement that with smaller water bottles from the supermarkets or stores as we travel around, and to date I guess we have been lucky and have never got sick from any of those. So many foreigners I see think nothing of drinking with ice in the glass in restaurants, or the ice tea, yet buy bottled water, tip, the ice and ice tea is made of water, and only in the big malls is it filtered water that it is made of. So many I have spoken to never realized why they got sick and now know, it was probably the ice or ice tea. Another tip, be sure to clean the tops of can soda or beer cans before you open them. One time my wife and I and two other couples ate out at Lemon Grass in the Ayala Mall. Everyone shared, or at least tried what the others ordered and none of the men got sick, but all three women got sick, and the only difference was the women had canned soda. Tip, there are rats, roaches and who knows what else running around the warehouses, and they no doubt run all over the items stored in them, so they can no doubt pee or defecate on them, so be sure to clean the cans well before opening any can, and maybe even clean the bottle tops if you intend to drink from them because the safety ring is still on the water bottle when it is opened and the glass bottles are recycled. Also always insist on opening your own bottle in restaurants because it has been known that some refill the bottles to make more money. As a precaution when traveling, or here, and even when in the states, we always have a supply of Imodium with us. Drink safe all and I hope that saves someone from a raw bottom.

[No name]

We too have water delivered.Drinking from the tap? No way. I assume most Filipino don't. I know Jessie doesn't. I don't know though, perhaps they do. There are are outbreaks from drinking contaminated water. I can't recall the name of the most common one. There have been a couple in Cebu recently.Even if the water is treated, low pressure is a constant problem. I wouldn't drink tap water.Even with the delivered water, try to find a company that distill it rather than uses filtering or osmosis. The water we get in Bogo is only filtered and it has a smell to it that I don't like. Never made me sick but I rarely drink it. Could always buy it at Gaisano but that's fairly expensive but does taste better to me that what I can get delivered in Bogo. One of the negatives of living on the edge of the jungle.I've been drinking too much coke though, I'd probably be far better off if I just drank the water that stinks to me. :yes: Jessie says it is fine. Okay, resolution, I'll try to get use to the water. I'm drinking too much coke!Can't help recalling the guy that said I was arrogant because I drank one SM a day. LOL I had to stop because my diabetes is not doing so well. Water would be helpful for that too. All this caffeine in the coke zero gotta be worse for me than water that smells bad. Yep, easy to change to make and I will make it. My nerves have been shot lately too.Can't get coke without caffeine here. Oh you might find it in AC or Makati but I've never seen it in Bogo, maybe Robinson's has it. I can't go 120km for caffeine free coke. LOL

[Art2ro]

Rusty,If you don't mind drinking diet 7-up, it has no caffeine! I myself only drink Pepsi Lite with caffeine! Just love my Pepsi Lite no matter what people tell me! I'm also diabetic type 2, but my blood sugar is under control with medication and insulin (approx P10,000 a month, but TRICARE reimburses me 70% of the total cost).