Also I got a terrible ear infection swimming in the ocean directly in front of the beach resort where I stayed then I figured out the sewer line from the resort went straight into the ocean I don’t think they have very many building codes there
Remember, the only thing consistent in the Philippines is inconsistency. I've lived in 5 provinces. In the Visayas, water from a "refilling station" in a blue 5 gallon jug is called "Mineral Water". I would not recommend drinking or even brushing your teeth from with the "tap water" Showers are fine, but keep it out of your mouth if possible. I agree with brett smith. Not all water refilling stations are created equal. I walk by four different refilling stations to go the the one that I use. Look at the filters being used. If you see masking tape with the date to change the filter written on it. Then you should be safe. I have bought my own 5 gallon jugs and have written my name on them. I don't want someone else's jug. Also watch how the returned bottles are cleaned. It will vary from refill station to refill station. The price also varies from one refill station to another. But it's still cheap. 30 cents to 50 cents per 5 gallons. Add another 10 cents if you want it delivered. My bottled "mineral water" runs about 5 dollars a month and I don't buy the cheap stuff. To be honest with everyone, I would rather drink tap water from Flint Michigan before I would drink tap water anywhere in the Philippines. Just my 2 pesos.
It amazed me in the hotel I stayed in. There is signs in the CR saying dont drink the water. I only used bottles water to drink and make my coffee with
Just came back from Philippines second trip this year. I drank dodgy water, been sick the past week, my wife never drinks the water in Philippines out of the taps. Blue water big bottle way to go. 🙌
as a local, I'm fine with our tap water and I'm quite confident with chlorine. but right after the end of the cold season, the water becomes milky white, and I know that it's heavily chlorinated. being unable to afford water filters(I think those filters that have pebbles are just a sham anyway), I would use a cotton cloth as a filter to fill a water jug and leave it for a day to let the chlorine to form and sink at the bottom, then transfer the un-chlorinated water to another jug. but yeah, it's safer for you guys to buy your potable water at distilled water filling station. they were established for a reason. you can use tap water here to wash your veggies that is if you're gonna simmer them or stir fry for 3+ minutes. but for raw salads... well... I'll let you be the judge of that :D
I have a under the sink reverse osmosis system that comes out a separate drinking faucet. Then I use a pitcher type filter. Our gated subdivision has it's own water well and water filter system also. My big concern is eating out. Restaurants often use unfiltered water to make their ice.
6dont drink the so called bottled water at TGIF at ayala mall in Cebu it costed me a week of work when i got back home and a trip to the doctors office and two types of medicine.
Top tip, If you go to a less busy shop In the Mall, be aware that the rent cost/to foot fall means they are not making the money, so any ice in your drink could well have been made with tap water, yep! I fell for that one In an Irish potato shop. Within 5 hours you will need a lot of toilet paper. If you are staying anywhere and there are blue water pipes above ground (quite normal In smaller towns or older buildings in the city), could have excess bacteria in the water supply, the natives have some immunity to It. Yes I'm a qualified plumber Steve.
You are absolutely correct about the immunity. My wife grew up drinking water from a river. She could drink from a mud puddle and be fine. If I even step in the same mud puddle, I'll be sitting on the toilet for a day.
Over more than 50% of Filipinos now drink water from that blue jug you mentioned as it only cost from 20 to 25 pesos a jug anywhere in the country. Any other water outlets would go down as 18 pesos a jug because of competition. The only people that don't rely on these water jugs are those from the mountainous area where you can't expect them to carry on their backs these jugs uphill into their mountain homes. Even the lowly daily wage earners in urban centers drink from these jugs and not anymore from tap water as they can afford these blue water jugs.
me neither, I NEVER heard of Philippines bad water in my life, this is the first...when I was there never had a problem in fact Philippines water is the best in the world, maybe it's the water system that ppL use to get the water out of the ground well.... the water ain't the problem ... it's the human error...
Before I went to the Philippines I bought a steri pen. It's an ultraviolet pen light. I was drinking water from a well that was from before WWll. the water was a little cloudy and discolored. But that uv light really did the trick. Didn't have any problems at all. I also disinfected the tap water from the hotel before I brushed my teeth. They cost around 50 bucks and you can take them anywhere you go.
I guess it's like the blue water jugs, but i use the American Home Water Dispenser Table Top (search for that on lazada). You can buy the 5 gallon jugs in the same manner as the blue jugs. The dispenser heats and cools water, it's not as cold as the fridge, but the water gets pretty damn hot. Hot enough for noodles or instant coffee.
Thanks Steve! When the pandemic first broke out, I got really paranoid and bought a one liter Life Straw water bottle. Look it up. I still use it. I still use it because my water taste so much better and I never really trusted LA tap water anyway. It's got a great filter, and I think it might be good enough for the Philippines. I'm thinking of bringing 2 to the Philippines with a couple of replacement filters. I'll let you know how well it works after I get there. We'll see if I have to eat an entire box of Imodium or not. LOL
The plastic jugs themselves may be toxic, depending on what they're made from. Berkey filters are the best. They take food coloring out of water and I think they do up to 3000 gallons. I used to change mine once per year. Strong stomach acid is a plus too!
I showered every day , sometimes twice a day ,when l was in San Fernando Pampanga ,the girlfriend would say to me at times ,Did you shower??...well l would say l smelled like bad a swampy creature from the black lagoon. Maybe it was the area but this was in the city.The only time I got a decent shower is when we went to a hotel
i alwasys buy blue jugs you use i bought the machine makes it hot or cold i buy a couple of jugs at a time yes because my pino family wouldnt allow me to drink ground water or even regular stands along the road .i never drank regular water in p i
OK let me weigh in, we live in Camarines Norte outside a major city. We have been here since 2014 and have drank tap water without any, ANY issues at all. We also have what you refer to as a "blue jug" in a hot/ cold dispenser. We also have a farm deep in the province with a dug well (with well tiles and stone) that provides clean cool water for our caretaker, our farm kubo and all the needs of the animals. It is 12 meters deep and has never gone dry. SO, let me provide a bit of a back story. In a previous life I worked in the Caribbean providing potable water to the population. That included river drawn off and treated water and desalination facilities both open ocean and drilled well supplied and NEVER would I dream of drinking the water that did not come from our systems or a bottle, nor an ice cube nor a face wash from water that I did not either provide or know the origins and distribution of. Here in the province I have complete confidence in the system of production and delivery. I am not saying I do not monitor the tap water especially during bad weather events but all in all it is far superior to any tap water in any "developing' country i have lived or worked in. Oh and the "blue jug" well here they take your empty wash and clean it and refill it and you get the same one back....25-30 peso. Salamat po
Those filter systems from ACE work well. The life of the filter depends how much crap is in the pipes. In one place I lived it was 2-3 months and we just cleaned it with water. Where we live now it’s about 6 months. The more filters you have in the system the more water pressure you need if you have a three or four filter system in a low pressure area then the water will just drip out. Well water is a real no no with all those leaking cesspit tanks contaminating ground water.
i financed my wife’s water refilling business over a year ago here in the province. blue jugs are referred to as “gallons” even though they are 5 gal capacity. all homes have dispensers and all people here in this area drink her water!!! 25p a pop. you can’t beat it. everybody keeps their own empty, she refills them, that’s the way it works.
An interesting thing to add is that water from different countries or areas within the same county often has different bacteria. These bacteria may not be harmful in and of themselves, but they will give you the trots simply because they are not what your system is used to. I drink distilled water when I go to some places temporarily because there are less bacteria in distilled water.
Hey Steve! Starting to think more about Thailand with all of the hidden costs in the Philippines. Yes the visa is a pain but they have lawyers that will navigate for you. Thanks for all of your knowledge. God bless
@@willsmith39 thank you I lived in Thailand from 2006 to 2014. Been on the fence about the Philippines but between scams, hidden costs, brown outs etc it is not looking very good.
Thanks for another informative video Steven. I have been to some rural areas in Oz where the water was dubious and the solution was a 4 stage filtration system so a 3 stage filter plus a RO (Reverse Osmosis) filter as the 4th stage - for those not aware of RO filters they are used by yachts to desalinate seawater into fresh/drinkable water and on a much bigger scale in salt water desalinators used in many countries of the world to provide fresh/drinkable water from seawater. The water coming out of these was amazing - as good as distilled water. Have you seen any RO filters available in PI?
I recommend an ultraviolet filter. Most people dont know about them. My unit cost new 1k and 100$ a year for bulb. Mine is rated for 4bd room 3 bath, so is overkill 4 my house. I've seen less expensive units.
Would you recommend rinsing your dishes with the blue water after washing? Another vlogger was right, when going out get your drinks without ice....just try and get the drinks already cold.
If you have a Filipino girlfriend, she will tell you, don't drink the water!! Mine also doesn't like me to have any street food, because of the same reason.
Why do the alwasy put a napkin on top of bottle of coke or beer? I have heard a couple reasons due to them having rust on the top from the cap, and also due to rodents and animals walking/urinating on them while they are stored before they are chilled
I was told by a couple of expats that have lived here for 20 years, that the caps on the beer bottles used to rust very badly. They also said that about 10 years ago that the caps quit rusting as much. Maybe the caps are made of a better material now?
In the province where I stayed there was no running water in the bathroom in front of the toilet there’s always a big Rubbermaid trashcan full of water for a bucket bath dip the pot into the bucket poured over your head I was getting ear infections terribly and then I happen to think where are my housemates washing their hands after they go to the bathroom right in front of them in my shower water of course there’s no toilet paper in the Philippines for the Filipinos don’t use it
Next time you go .. A refill station... Just ask when is the last time they change their water.. Filters.. Every Operate II ever ask this to ... Look like a deer caught in the Headlight
Also check to make sure the seal isnt broken on bottled water you buy. Some of those little sari sari stores will refil a water bottle with tap ( or worse) water and sell it to you
I dont agree the water out of the tabs in the Philippines is very good, depending on your purpose. If you want to loose a lot of weight, you just drink 2-4 Liter daily and I can promise you, that you will loose at least 10 Kgs within 2-3 days. 😉🚽 but most likely you will loose more than weight, most time you loose a big part of xour health
