World Toilet Day 2019 has come and gone and most people probably did not even notice. World Toilet Day is not about celebrating toilets, of which there are many varieties in the world, but about raising awareness about toilets. Lack of toilets, especially in poorer countries, is a serious health threat.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said that Filipino households should prioritize building toilet facilities as the practice of open defecation poses health risks.
“Many Filipinos can buy their cellphones but their households do not have proper toilet facilities. Maybe you can also prioritize the dignity of your family,” said Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo during the observance of the World Toilet Day in Baseco Compound in Port Area, Manila.
“Having a toilet is actually not a luxury. It is a requirement for the health and safety of your family,” he added.
Bayugo said that the practice of open defecation is connected to different diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and polio; as well as poor health conditions such as stunting and malnutrition.
Moreover, the DOH said that the act of defecating in open spaces such as in fields and bodies of water, “also put children and women at risk of sexual harassment and abuse.”
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Representative Julia Rees echoed the importance of the use of toilets.
“Always use toilets to prevent the existence of flies [and] to be healthy and safe from the dangers of open defecation. [We] also advocate the practice of handwashing with soap before eating [and] after using the toilet to prevent eating your excrement,” said Reese.
“We are challenging all local government units to prioritize sanitation in its effect to health, nutrition, education, and security of Filipino children. It’s time for the Philippines to focus on addressing the sanitation needs of people in urban slums, in remote and geographically isolated areas, and in indigenous communities,” she added.
“As of 2015, about seven million Filipinos ay wala pang toilet; and 3 ½ million of them are in Metro Manila,” said Villar. The senator added that 5,000 toilets need to be constructed in Baseco Compound alone.
3.5 million people in Metro Manila do not have access to a toilet! No wonder that city and its waterways are so disgusting. The DOH is talking about open defecation but I think a problem equally as great is that while some families do have toilets they are not proper toilets. Remember the toilet in an elementary school I wrote about?
That is not a proper toilet. No seat and no way to flush except dumping water down the hole. This is not an anomaly either. Here are more toilets just as filthy.
The last one is at SM Supermarket. Gross huh? A company worth billions of dollars and this is the toilet they provide for their customers.
Pooping outside and not burying it is certainly filthy and a health hazard but I would like to see the DOH address the issue of inadequate toilets as well. And what about toilets at the mall which have no toilet paper?
Just kidding. There is toilet paper in this bathroom but you have to grab as much as you need before conducting your business.
It's the same old same old. Everyone knows comfort rooms in the Philippines are not comforting in the slightest. Except for one.
Far Eastern University (FEU) has the best and the brightest “kubeta” in the Philippines.
FEU, one of the country’s leading universities established by Dr. Nicanor Reyes in 1928, emerged as the big winner in this year’s Golden Kubeta Awards bankrolled by water distributor Maynilad Water Services Inc.
It topped the schools and universities category and won the People’s Choice Award with more than 10,000 social media votes.
Is this really the best toilet in the Philippines? Really?
Look at that open bowl! You have to take a dump with everyone watching! This is what passes for the best toilet in the Philippines.
