Public Bathrooms in the Philippines
First thing - a bathroom in the Philippines is usually called a CR, or Comfort Room. If you ask for the restroom or bathroom, a lot of people might not know what you are talking about. For our British visitors, the WC or Washing Closet (right?) will be unheard of! Just ask for the CR and you will be in business!
A lot of people have commented, both here on this blog and other places that I’ve seen and heard about the state of public bathrooms in the Philippines. Some I agree with, some I don’t. In general, I feel that public facilities have improved a lot in the past 10 to 15 years. If you go to any place that is even slightly upscale, they will all have toilet paper now, and some even have soap for you to wash your hands! Mid and low scale places will not offer even toilet paper, so watch out for this. For safety sake, if you can find a way to carry some tissue or toilet paper with you when you go out in public, you may find yourself quite happy.
Another trend that I’ve seen lately is that a lot of public bathrooms here are beginning to have vending machines where you can buy toilet paper. At least this is a way to get it when you need it! Better than no paper at all. Another thing to look out for is for a small pail with a long handle near to some water source. This is actually used in lieu of toilet paper, you can use the water to fill the pail and use that to wash yourself strategically. This is the way that most people in the Philippines clean themselves after using the toilet. It is something that is very foreign to western tastes (hmm… maybe “taste” is not a word that I should use here!), but if you can force yourself to try, you will learn how to do this. It’s a good thing to know when no other method is available.
Another sore spot is soap. About half of the bathrooms that you find have no soap at all. Some have liquid soap. I like liquid soap, but the problem is that they usually put a small amount of liquid soap in the dispenser, then fill it up with water, thus watering down the soap to where it is the consistency of just water. I find that this does not work too well.
As I said earlier, public bathrooms are improving, and I expect that they will continue to do so. In the meantime, you will be good to do a combination of bringing your own supplies, and also adapting to the local custom if possible.
Being a native-Filipino, when I first came to the US, I had some difficulty adjusting to using toilet-paper after each dump. One of the first items I bought was a plastic container which I could use as “tabo” to wash myself. Of course now I do it the western way.
But I can’t help to ask, isn’t it that the best way to clean yourself up is with soap and water, just like the way you wash your hands? I guess you could say you don’t really use your bottom to shake hands so there’s no need to have it disinfected?:)
Hi Bob
I am familiar with the facilities in Restaurants , shopping malls ect. in Davao and it is indeed far removed from what we know in UK where I am from and still live at the moment. We Brits incidentally never use the term “bathroom ” when looking for toilet facilities and will always look for the “toilet”. However I do know that in Davao we have to request the CR. This is something I only do when absolutely desperate in The Philippines and will always try to make sure I have been before going out!
Keep up the good work Bob, by the way, do you never write blogs at weekends?
Malcolm
Having traveled to a number of different countries, I’ve learned to figure this out first thing. Bad things happen when you can’t find the bathroom!
Hi Dindo - It’s a cultural thing. For Westerners like me, using your hand to clean that area, given that it is very dirty, is not something that we do. I agree with you that it should be made very clean, and that soap and water is a good way to accomplish that, but it’s not the way we are used to doing it. Just like for you, toilet paper is not what you are used to. I am lucky, I have gotten to the point where either method is OK for me now.
Hi Malcolm - It’s always a good idea to use the facilities before going out, as you say. Regarding writing… I do write on my Mindanao.com blog on weekends. On this blog, I try to write Mondays through Fridays, and not on weekends.
Hi Tom - Good strategy!
Hi Bob, as Malcolm says, we Brits have never looked for the comfort room, we of course look for the toilets, its one of the subjects that tickles me about the Philippines, when I go to a major shopping mall here, I expect excellent wc facilities, my wife remarks on how clean and nice smelling our WC facililities are in UK, but sadly in shopping malls in Visayas, they are actually disgusting by my standards, how Filipinos put up with it, I will never know, I call them ‘no paper zones’ ‘no hand cleaner zones’ yes I noted the facility to buy toilet tissue, at 4Pesos for a couple of sheets, very amusing when you see it for the first time.
Hand cleaner ? I dont think so, the only place in the Philippines where I have been impressed is in Glorietta in Manila, there is a nice facility adjacent to travel bag shop, on level 2, Glorietta 4, they charge 10 Pesos, but for that you get a personal boy to go in and clean the cubicle, then you get complimentary tissue paper, Hand cleaner, and body lotion all within the 10 pesos, now thats what I am talking about ! in Bacolod City, at Gaisano mall, the Comfort rooms smell so bad, I refused to go in them, I would wait until back at the hotel, as always a very thought provoking peice of journalism Bob.
Hi Peter - Whew! I am quite relieved. When you said that the personal boy to go in and clean….. I thought you were going to say he cleaned something else for you, not the cubicle! Ha ha…. Now THAT would be service!
Another thing that’s foreign to the Filipino here in the Philippines is a toilet seat. Even if the CR has one in place, you can bet that it’ll either be filthy (with urine stains) or broken (either people here squat on the toilet seat when they do number 2 because that’s how they were taught or they simply squat because they don’t trust how clean the toilet seat is). The owner(s) of the public CR either get tired of replacing the broken toilet seat or they just buy a toilet without the toilet seat. It’s a vicious cycle no matter how you look at it. I agree with Bob on how the CR system has improved over the years. some public CRs now have toilet papers, provided no one has stolen the toilet papers or used them all up.
By the way, you have got to love the Google Adsense ads that have popped up on this page (at least at this moment in time):
1. Dual Flush Toilets
2. Toilet Paper Holders
3. Hands-Free Hygienic Seat
4. Wall Mount Bath Dispenser
Tom that one has cracked me up LOL all over the floor, you are right, just look at the google adsense words Bob, we have Bathroom accessories and Bathroom shops today, yes Bob I find the boy going in a bit weird, if he would clean my …..great..not bad for 10p.
Hi Julius - Yep, I forgot about the toilet seats! Missing at least 50% of the time. Oh well…
Tom - Yeah, I just looked at the AdSense and indeed there are some very interesting results!!
Peter - Might be better if it was a girl instead!
Bob adsense picked up, paper towels and toilet rolls, we are doing well, yes a girl would be more acceptable, I can just imagine it “Sir good afternoon, I am your a…wipe service” good thread on this one Bob..
Hi Peter - latest AdSense is for “The Whiz” a device so that women can pee standing up. Now, that I’ve got to see!
I grew up in the Philippines, I remember when visiting my relatives in the province it was challenge to use the rest room. They had corn husk, coconut husk which was rather rough or just plain paper that had to be soaked in a little water to soften it.
Hi Larry - Thanks for posting your comment! Now, I had not hears of corn husk or coconut husk being used in the bathroom! Whew! It makes me itch and break out with red marks just thinking about it!! Ouch!
Hello! I came across your blog actually looking for ways to alter the Filipino diet to make it more healthy. To agree with another blog of yours, we do eat the right kinds of foods but they are mostly cooked in the unhealthiest ways. Anyway, I think this blog that you and your wife put together is GREAT! and to say something about the bathrooms in the Phlippines… we (our family) usually carry a unisex looking bag that contains toliet paper and baby wipes and hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE we go just in case because since we stay with our family in a province in Luzon… no public bathrooms carry toliet paper
Hi Ina - Thanks for dropping by! I’m glad that you like our blog! Good idea about your little “bathroom kit.” We carry around the hand sanitizer with us, but the rest of the kid is a great idea too!
“Another thing to look out for is for a small pail with a long handle near to some water source. This is actually used in lieu of toilet paper, you can use the water to fill the pail and use that to wash yourself strategically. This is the way that most people in the Philippines clean themselves after using the toilet. It is something that is very foreign to western tastes (hmm… maybe “taste” is not a word that I should use here!), but if you can force yourself to try, you will learn how to do this. It’s a good thing to know when no other method is available.
Another sore spot is soap. …”
Well, the pail with water thing is really a western thing. It’s called a bidet. Except it’s not mechanized, and you would use your hands instead. The real problem is coupling this with the lack of soap. Hmm, I would not want to shake that guy’s hands!
Hi Jae - Exactly! Ha ha…
Hi Bob - I originally discovered your site surfing the net when I was toying with the idea of “living in the Philippines” , to help me make my decicion. I now enjoy catching your site bcause there are many stories I can really relate to, including the CR. In my wifes hometown there is no public CR that I know of so make sure you’ve been before venture out. At the local barbeque stall at night whe I enquire “Where is the CR?” the guy pointed at the vacant lot between 2 bbq places! Also when I am in phils I am pretty adveturous with food and drink so inveriably end up being prepared to use a toilet at a moments notice, which means I take toilet paper everywhere, which my wifes family thinks is pretty funny. p.s If you were wondering my decision to live in phils.. At this stage no, as the island my wife is from does not have the level of hospital care, amenities, infrastructure, hygene standards etc to my liking. We have bought a couple of properties there [one close to the family, and one far enough away] so we can have a tropical holiday in paradise as often as possible.
Hi anthony haire - Ha ha…. did you use that empty lot? If you were in Manila they might have had one of the pink urinal stalls on that lot!
I’m glad that you enjoy catching some stories on my blog!
bob, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! Lets not go into the CR in the provincial videoke bars and on the ferries where it is hard to avoid them!!!!!!!!!!
I will say that I’ve seen some improvements when we went to Davao this past March. I can recall stepping into the bathroom on the first floor of the Gaisano mall in the past…too much coffee when Cafe Blugre was there (what’s with the Pancake House… Blugre seemed a whole lot better than that!!!) The bathroom was really disgusting in 02 and my wife was not happy that I was going in there to take care of business.
We were caught between a rock and a hard place this last time…we were getting a family photo shoot at Lito Sy’s and my son had to use the potty really badly. I took him down there and expected it to be as bad as it was before. The bathroom had been redone and seemed clean. I had no problem getting Richard (my little boy) to use a toilet in a stall-usually he’s picky about the cleanliness of stalls and toilets in public bathrooms in the states. So…Kudos for the folks at G-mall in Davao for stepping up and making a needed change!
Hi Stebujiji - Glad to hear that things have improved at G-Mall! Kudos to them from me as well! Thanks for letting us know!
hey bob,
i came across your site when i was searching in the net about what’s new in butuan.
(i am going back to butuan for a visit nest month) i found it really helpful, esp when i found out that butuan has wi-fi service already. thanks for the info.
and yeah, talking about cr’s… the first time i used the acronym CR to my american friend, i was confused because she didn’t know what i meant. then i realized, it was a filipino thing! then i had to explain to her.
the next time we saw each other, she excused herself and said, she needed to go to the BR. and I didn’t get the joke at first. so i asked her what BR was, and she said bathroom! she said i could use CR for comfort room and not BR for bathroom? hahaha. that was a joke i remembered when i read this entry.
To comment #13,
What in the world are you trying to describe here?
I am trying to imagine what this is and have difficulty imagining it but the best I can imagine, I am a bit perplexed about what I see (in my mind).
Oh boy, great mental exercises here, Bob!
Hi Jae,
I agree with you on bidet being a western thing. See #17.
However even in the States you won’t find bidets in public restrooms at the malls or at restaurants. They’re not very common. (I think bidet is an idea that originated from France, if I’m not mistaken.)
So… since there is no toilet paper supply at restrooms, I think this would be one source of business for vendors. Are there people peddling bathroom supplies close to the entrances?
I remember zooming thru a mountain tourist attraction in Mexico last year and their public CR was not any better (than the ones described here). But an enterprising little girl was doing her trade close to the entrance of the CR. She peddled toilet paper (measuring them carefully) at $1.00 per however-unit-of-measure-she-determined $1.00 should be worth.
What caught my attention was her infectious smile and in her crafted English, she wished me to “have a good time.” Have a good time at the restroom?? I had to laugh but at her age, doing what she’s doing and trying to bring cheers to the tourists? She made my day!
Hi guys:
Toilet seats broken ? this is because people step on it instead of seat. Missing or not installed at all because it will just get broken or dirty by stepping on it. I was in Brunei airport and the toilets were of two kinds. One is designed for the user to squat, which most Pinoys do; the other one was designed for users to seat. There were signs that distiguish both so one gets to pick their preference.
As for TP ( my husband calls it CR paper) , I bring a roll when travelling or few folds when malling or when in occasion.:lol:
Why don’t filipinos use chinese/japanese/korean traditional urinals where you are SUPPOSED to squat naturally? Instead of trying to squat using western style toilets?
Hi Everyone, i am glad to hear the quality of the CR’s are improving, in Bacolod City, I have yet to see it, I do live in hope, Gaisano City mall public Comfort rooms still stink, Robinsons is not much better, but…I am waiting…..!
My list of what I need to bring with me to the Philippines is growing by the blog. I’m kinda getting worried that I will go over my allowable luggage weight what with soap, toilet paper, enough clothes to last a week etc .:smile::smile:
Take care to make sure just what the purpose of the small pail. Some CRs don’t have the ability to “flush” without it!
Hi Janet - I think I’ve been in the Philippines to long! When you mentioned “BR” I had to stop and think - “What’s that?”
Hi Angie - OUCH! That coconut husk hurts just thinking about it! I think you are right on the bidet thing - it’s French. You didn’t answer for curious minds - did you have a good time in the bathroom?
Hi jul - I just can’t imagine squatting like that!
Hi Jae - In the Philippines so many things are a mixture of east and west! The toilet is just one more example!
Hi Pete - Can you prove it?
Hi Richard - Ha ha…. all the stuff is available here, just not in the bathroom!
Hi Paul - Exactly!
Hi Bob,
I remember using the bathroom at SM Davao years back, I noticed the young cleaning lady who kept the place spotless. She cleaned non-stop. I was so impressed and felt sorry for what she had to do for a living, cleaning toilets all day. I gave her a 50 peso tip. She looked at me wondering why I was giving her money and I explained that I appreciated how she kept the place clean. I walked away and left her still wondering what just happened.
I wish other places keep their facilities as clean. I hope that cleaning lady found a better job because she looked like she could do better.
Hi Tina - I agree with you, the employees at SM City Davao do a very good job of keeping the restrooms clean and presentable! They have about a half dozen workers who do nothing but attend to the bathrooms. My only complaint at SM City Davao’s restroom is that in the men’s room the toilets do not have seats. I don’t know how it is in the lady’s room, though. But, the bathrooms are certainly clean.
Hey Bob, great topic coz I’m OCD when it comes to the CR. I make sure that I don’t have to use a public CR when going out or going on a road trip. I always carry my own tissues, baby wipes and purell (hand sanitizer). The bathroom situations aren’t really bad but most places won’t supply toilet paper mainly because people steal the rolls. There are pay bathroom facilities with attendants and I would rather pay P5 to go in one, knowing its fully stocked and clean.
Hi Pia Sez - P5 is cheap for a good clean bathroom!
[...] Are you interested in this subject more? Read about this more at my blog about Living in the Philippines! [...]
In iligan there only a few clean comfort rooms.
The best are in Jollibee and Chow King.
Allso our hotel [ Rene,s Pensionhouse & Diner ] has excellent ones.
But most of the time you find the rooms not fit for foreigners.
So you have to wait and hope it will go.
But that,s not only in the Philippines.
In small villages in Spain and France it,s the same [ i,ve bin there ]
But , as with the most things in life , you have to make the best out
of it.
Hasta la vista and au revoir.
In regards to toilet seats… The reason they are broken is the ones that typically come with toilets are totally cheap pieces of crap! We bought a toilet for employees of our establishment to use, and within a day the toilet set was cracked and basically destroyed. I’ve never seen a toilet seat and lid that was cheap and thin. The flush handle was broken within a few more days. The sad thing is we can’t seem to find anything of decent quality. What happened to solid wood or wood filled toilet seats and metal flush handles??? I’m shopping for a quality toilet seat now… If anyone knows where on Mindanao to get one… Please let me know! LOL!
Hi Jeff - most of the higher quality hardware stores carry quality toilet seats, but they are pricey. I have seen them at Ace Hardware and Citi Hardware.
Wish this article was up BEFORE my trip to Mindanao last year, it would have lessened the “culture shock”, but it’s ok, I adjusted rather quickly once I figured out what the little pot was for. It’s great that you point out little gems like this Bob, I’m sure many visitors of the future will find the information invaluable. Keep up the good work!
I guess the worst thing I saw, was a Chinese restaurant where there was no TP or little pot, just a water spiget on the wall above a drain. I never made it passed the door there.
Hi DanJP - This article was originally published in April 2007, sorry if we missed your trip!
It is true that many bathrooms here in the Philippines are quite disgusting. I do see it as a situation that is improving, though.
Hi Bob and to all of you. My comment:
Hi Klaus - Can’t agree more!
WOW man ..I know how u all feel when…I try not to use public CRs’..My wife say they are bad and i might get sick … we built our home my wife had a C R put in our bedroom for and she wouldn’t let anyone else use it ..they wemt outside ..now we have two,one for me and one for everyone else ..and …but i have been in some and yes i allways carry my own TP …all we have in our house is a bowl ..no seat …and i think we are the only one’s that have CR in the house in our area ….Phil
Hi Phil - Oh, come on! Getting sick just makes the experience that much better!
Just kidding, my friend.
My wife was thinking of a stomach flu or a fever ..smell don’t bother me hee hee i guess i am licky that way ..
Hi phil - I hope you meant “lucky” instead of “licky” - you don’t want to be licking anything in those bathrooms!
sorry about that HEE
HEE i guess i was typing to fast and not reading it befoer i send it ..
Hi phil R - Ha ha… it brought a little comic relief for the day!
I recently visited the Philippines for the first time although I had been reading about it for many months prior to going. Thanks to Bob Nartins websites and a few others I was well aware of the typical CR situation compared to what we are acoustomed to in the USA.
When I travel I have medium sized camera bag for a carry on for air flights that gives me space for a few extra items. This time I packed it with a half used roll of toilet paper from home in a zip lock plastic bag as I had read about Airport CR’s. well in advance before I got there and I also packed a small barof soap in a zip lock plastic bag.
At home, I use Bounty brand paper towels for just about everything including cleaning my eye glasses, drying my hands after washing etc. I usually un-roll and fold a bunch of sheets of the paper towells, fold them and put them in one of the flap covered compartments of my camera case. I also pack a full roll or two in my suitcase.
Hotels without a shower or shower having cold water only were something new to me and in researching hotels at my destination I made sure it had hot and cold water. The well established hotel I stayed at had all of this as well as a toilet seat ( although slightly loose ). Toilet paper was supplied although the roll size was about half the diameter of what you would find in the USA and UK.
Whenever I go anywhere, I always have a few sheets of paper towell in one or more of my pockets and this proved most useful on my visit to the Philippines. Any public CR I used I don’t recall any of them having paper supplies. Most of the public CR’s that i used were in eating establishments. Out of theose that I used I found the best ones at Jollibee fast food establishments and I went to about 6 of them. They were clean, had liquid soap which appeared not to have been watered down and electric hot air hand driers .
Where I live in the USA we don’t have Internet Cafe’s and these were something I wante to experience as well as send a few e mails back to the USA. This is one place I really wanted to wash my hands. Can you imagine how many fingers use those keyboards ? Some of the cafe’s had facilities to wash your hands with soap and water and some had paper to dry your hands but you had to get the paper from the cafe attendant behind the counter. Once again, having paper towels folded and in my back pocket came in handy here as well.
Another hotel I stayed in for one night only, when I first arrived although the toilet in my room appeared to be visually clean, it had no seat. I had friends with me who stayed in the next room, I checked their toilet and they had a seat. I called the front desk and about 10 minutes later a maintenance person brought a new toilet seat and did an ” instant installation ” with a couple of nylon cable ties.
This made me wonder, is the lack of toilet seats due to the fact that people take them home for their own use from public CR’s ? That could explain the lack of toilet seats in many public places.
Fortunately I had come prepared and did not have any desparate situations, thanks to this website and Bob Martins other websites.
[...] At least 3 bedrooms and 2 comfort rooms. [...]