(INQUIRER file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — Only a little over half of Filipino families, or 67 percent, have access to running and piped water, based on a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
According to SWS, the said percentage equates to around 17 million Filipino households.
Fifty eight percent said that their water consumption was billed, while 9 percent said that it was not.
READ: SOCIAL WEATHER REPORT: 67% of Filipino households have access to running/piped water
The SWS survey showed that P320 was the median expense per month for the 58 percent of billed consumers — P500 per month in Metro Manila, P312 in Balance Luzon, P340 in Visayas and P300 in Mindanao.
Meanwhile, the monthly expense for the 9 percent non-billed consumers averaged at P300 — P400 per month in Metro Manila, P300 in Balance Luzon, P300 in Visayas, and P225 in Mindanao.
The said survey was conducted from December 10 to 14, 2022 through in-person interviews, with a total of 1,200 adult respondents.
SWS said that the survey had a sampling margin of error at ± 2.8 percent.
It can be recalled that on March 20, National Water Resources Board executive director Dr. Sevillo David Jr, said that around 11 million Filipino families have no access to clean water and are forced to use unsafe water from deep wells, springs, rivers, and lakes, as well as rainwater.