Can You Drink Tap Water In The Philippines?

The Philippines is blessed with wonderful beaches, incredible diving sites, festivals, and friendly locals. There is one thing that many visitors to the Philippines don’t want to experience which is food poisoning. The question of whether can you drink tap water in the Philippines is a common question asked and is one sure way to ruin your visit to the Philippines.

It is NOT advised to drink tap water in the Philippines this is due to their lack of infrastructure needed to clean the water that has been polluted with contaminants, agricultural waste, domestic waste, bacteria, viruses, and pathogens in the water. You should only drink bottled water.

In this post, we will go through whether can you drink tap water in the Philippines. So let’s get started!

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Is It Safe To Drink Tap Water In The Philippines?

No, it is NOT advised to drink tap water in the Philippines. Simply this is due to their lack of infrastructure, in particular not being able to properly clean and disinfect the water to a safe drinking standard. The water comes from wells and rivers around the Philippines but could have been polluted with domestic sewage and agricultural waste.

This means that there are bacteria, viruses, and pathogens in the water. You may think it is safe to drink from the tap cause you might see the locals drinking from the tap but they have built up a tolerance to the water. But generally, locals don’t drink from the tap.

What Are The Alternatives To Tap Water In The Philippines?

Again, it is NOT advised to drink tap water in the Philippines. You should remember that the locals do not drink the tap water and they would have built up a tolerance for drinking tap water in Bali.

Overall it simply is not worth the risk of getting sick while on holiday and that drinking tap water could easily ruin your visit to the Philippines. And it can take over a week to get better.

Here is a list of the tap water alternatives in the Philippines.

Bottled water.
Filtered water.
Boiled water.

Is It OK To Drink Boiled Water In The Philippines?

You can drink tap water in the Philippines if you boil it but the hotel will most likely provide you with some bottles of water. By boiling the water you will kill the bacteria and organisms that may be in the water.

Again, you should avoid tap water completely as you run the risk of getting sick. It is safer to drink bottled water.

Can You Brush Your Teeth With Tap Water In The Philippines?

Tap water is safe to brush your teeth in the Philippines but you have to boil the water first. Try to use bottled water before using tap water. If you are using tap water for brushing your teeth, don’t swallow the water.

Is Bottled Water Safe In The Philippines?

Yes. Bottled water is the smartest choice for visitors to the Philippines. It is clean and safe to drink. Here is a list of the popular bottled water in the Philippines.

Aqua.
Pocari Sweat.
Nature’s Spring.
Fiji.

1 liter of bottled water can cost around $0.60. The price depends on the brand with the local water brands being the cheapest.

Is It Safe To Drink Tap Water In Manila?

No, tap water in Manila is not drinkable. There is a lack of infrastructure needed to clean the water as well as aging pipes. It is safer to drink bottled water or filtered water.

How Safe Is It To Drink Filtered Water In The Philippines?

Yes, assuming that the filter for the filtered water is replaced and maintained regularly. This sometimes can be healthier than bottled water.

Again, it is advised that people don’t drink from their taps in the Philippines.

What Is Wrong With The Tap Water In The Philippines?

The problem with tap water in the Philippines is the lack of water infrastructure, particularly water treatment plants to clean the water. The local business and households depend on wells and rivers in the area for their water supply.

The issue is the water supply from the rivers and wells has been polluted with sewage and chemical waste. As a result, there is a high risk that there may be harmful bacteria, pathogens, or viruses in the water.

You may think it is safe to drink from the tap cause you might see a local drink from the tap but they have built up a tolerance to the water. It is very rare for a local would drink from the tap.

To summarise, the Philippines lacks the water infrastructure to provide water at a good safe standard to restaurants, hotels, and households. The water sources come from rivers that have been polluted with domestic and chemical waste.

USEFUL TRAVEL RESOURCES

Book Accommodation

Booking.com has a large range of properties from hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and resorts where you will find the best deals. Airbnb and Hostelworld also have a good range of places to stay at good prices.

Booking Flight

Skyscanner is a flight search comparison website that searches millions of flights all at once. Ultimately it is the best flight comparison website online at the moment.

Booking Transportation & Things To Do

Rome2rio and 12Go are useful to plan how to get anywhere by searching train, bus, car, and ferry routes. Especially useful in countries like Vietnam or Thailand. While Klook is great for exploring things to do in each place.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is cheap and more than likely you will never need to use it but you will have peace of mind if something does happen, you are covered in case of an emergency. World Nomads have great customer service and competitive prices.

Check out our resource page for the best companies to use when you travel.

Wrapping Up

Finally, I would advise NOT to drink tap water in the Philippines. If you need to use tap water, you should boil it first as this will kill the bacteria and organisms. You should stick to using bottled water as it is safer.

Remember getting food poisoning is a sure way of ruining your trip to the Philippines.

And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on the can you drink tap water in the Philippines has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.