Fast&Furious Posted May 8, 2011 Posted May 8, 2011 How good is tap water in the Philippines?I would expect poor in some areas and OK in a few of the hills maybe?Do you need to boil it? Is it better to buy bottled water? If so, which brands are better and how much does it cost? (that's important since on average I drink 2 litres each day here.....while there probably more).Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted May 8, 2011 Posted May 8, 2011 How good is tap water in the Philippines?I would expect poor in some areas and OK in a few of the hills maybe?Do you need to boil it? Is it better to buy bottled water? If so, which brands are better and how much does it cost? (that's important since on average I drink 2 litres each day here.....while there probably more).Thanks"Tap water quality" in a 3rd world country is an oxymoron. I've told the story here before so I won't repeat it except to say I got very sick the 1st time I visited because I wasn't careful about that stuff. I would never, ever drink tap water there; includes ice, washed fruit and vegetables, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call me bubba Posted May 8, 2011 Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) this issue has been covered once before in another topic... if your in city , most tap water is safe,however if you want to feel safe.. bottle water is good. but no one place is the best, as many places " bottle the water" thru a filtration system. You may feel safer if you bought your own system or just use a 2 or 3 step filter. 1.sediment #2 is Carbon(gac) then #3 softener .unless you live a subdivision they might be on a DEEP WELL, which just a sediment may suffice. again look thru the past postings you should find it. OR call :unsure: :1800 i cant locate . this service is not available in most areas:hystery: (not a real number joke) Edited May 8, 2011 by ed villas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted May 8, 2011 Posted May 8, 2011 How good is tap water in the Philippines?I would expect poor in some areas and OK in a few of the hills maybe?Do you need to boil it? Is it better to buy bottled water? If so, which brands are better and how much does it cost? (that's important since on average I drink 2 litres each day here.....while there probably more).Thanks There have been many posts on this subject and that you can find most by doing searches of the forum for bottled water, purified water, etc. My answer to you is that in major cities, the water is OK but most has too much calcium in it. I have drank tap water in Cagayan de Oro and in Cebu City but we use bottled water 99.9% of the time to drink but brush our teeth with tap water, and then what type of bottled water to use is based on what is available where you live, and then opinions on taste. My wife and I use Hey Culligan Man which they deliver to our condo for p50 per 5 gallon bottle, yet other brands can be bought for p30 and up. Across from our condo building they sell 5 gallon filtered water in bottles for p35 but I will not carry them up for the difference in price and we have been pretty satisfied with the quality of the water by this company. So I guess if you end up living within Cebu City and wish to, then you can call them at their phone # 346 7238 and see if where you live is in their route area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy2cebu Posted May 9, 2011 Posted May 9, 2011 Simple answer.............if you want to lose 7 kilos in 3 weeks, visit the loo 20 times per day.... go for it.Bad mistake I made on my first visit here some years ago. Plenty of bottled water options about and not expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Sibbick Posted May 9, 2011 Posted May 9, 2011 I drinkl the water straight out of the tap and don't get sick.The hills don't necessarly have tap water. My experience with some hilly places is that the water is from your own tank or hand carted from the nearest spring. Regards: Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast&Furious Posted May 9, 2011 Author Posted May 9, 2011 well...I guess good that I asked.Can't be as bad as the one in half of the USA......any of you saw this documentary? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeatmanila Posted May 9, 2011 Posted May 9, 2011 They tell us it is good. all the neighbors though they do not drink it. Filipinos they do not drink tap water anywhere...why should i risk it...i do the same, bottled!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast&Furious Posted May 13, 2011 Author Posted May 13, 2011 and where does the bottled water come from?Unless it's imported... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted May 14, 2011 Posted May 14, 2011 and where does the bottled water come from?Unless it's imported... The have Water Refilling Stations as businesses all over the Philippines. Bottled water is usually just filtered water most of the time, yet some claim to be spring water, but I have my doubts. Hey Culligan Man is I believe a US company which developed a filtering system years ago. I have walked into some refilling stations and looked at the huge filters they have, so those are legit IMO. The problem I see is that nothing is totally safe here, or anywhere for that matter since humans seem to cut corners whenever they can, and most things done here are not done to any real set standards, so I see the trucks that deliver water will also pick up the empty bottles, and of course many of those bottles do not have caps on them, so along the dirty dusty roads they must get some dirt in them on the way back. I know the bottles that get delivered are usually covered with a fine coat of road dust, so we have to wash the outside before using them, so it is my worry that they do not wash them out first before refilling, and I wonder how sanitary the facility and people are that does the filtering and then puts the new caps on, did the guy or gal capping them wash their hands after using the CR, :( and how often do they change or clean their filters, since profit is the driving force of most businesses, and in a country with little to no regulations, and where even the regulations they do have is rarely checked up on, we all take our chances, but that is often true of back home too, and there have been studies of the bottled water back home, and the results was that tap water was just as good, yet here tap water is loaded with calcium and who knows what else, so bottled water must be better IMO.The other issue I have with tap water is that what pipes have been used to bring it to us, since most things here are done the cheapest way, so my guess is that they use old iron pipes and probably lead solder, so once again filtered water must be safer. I know that when I turn our water on after being gone for a number of months, the first water comes out rusty looking, so my guess is the pipes or fittings must be iron. We can all go crazy with worry, but I found it is just best to roll with how things are done here, and keep imodium tablets around for those just in case moments. So far I have not had to use any but people who visit seem to be more susceptible, so having the tablets around has come in handy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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