It is advisable, if you're going to drink tap water, to boil it first. Most Filipinos don't trust tap water enough to drink it without boiling it. And even then, most of them still won't drink it if they have a choice. A lot of Filipinos view well water the same way because of the chance that a well could become contaminated by pollution.

What the locals do is fill large plastic buckets with water and use that for their non-drinking water needs such as washing, bathing and flushing the toilet. Many of the poorer houses don't even have plumbing and even when they do the water often has very little water pressure or the water is unavailable altogether.

Most people in the Philippines buy their drinking water from water refilling stations which are plentiful throughout the country. It is not uncommon for a barangay to have more than one water refilling station. That's how plentiful they are. And most of them will deliver too. The delivery charge is either free or a modest 5 pesos.

Unless you're going to buy one of those large, heavy, 5 gallon (18.9 liter) water jugs designed for water dispensers, you will have to bring your own container or buy one from them when you visit a water refilling station. They have several different sizes. The largest reusable container costs 200 pesos, holds 5 gallons (18.9 liters) of water, has a spout at the bottom for easy use, and costs between 30 to 40 pesos to fill depending on the refilling station. They also sell individual, single use bottles of water for around 12 pesos and you can even buy a very small plastic bag of water for 2 pesos if you're low on funds. You have to make a small tear in the bag wth your teeth to get to the water if you're buying water by the bag.

If you're going to have water delivered and want to keep the same container that you bought, then you should take the container to them and tell them to deliver the same container back to you. Make sure you label the container with a waterproof permanent marker so they can easily identify it as yours. If you just call or text message them on the phone for water delivery, then they will trade you your brand new container for a second-hand one. This is a common practice in the Philippines so don't be alarmed if it happens to you. Another option is to have them deliver water to you in a second-hand container and then poor the water into your container when they get to your house. Don't forget to wash your container first.

If you take the container to the water refilling station yourself, the employee will wash the inside and outside of your container before filling it with water. Afterwards they will put a plastic seal around the 2 caps and the spout. I don't know why they do this because it does not seal the lids. I think it's only for show.