Do Not Flush The Tissue
This is a difficult topic to approach but it is part of the human experience that none of us can avoid in one way or another. Please no one challenge me on that. When you come to the Philippines, at least in large parts of it, you’ll have to go through potty training again! I just hope you don’t need any assistance.
Not long after arriving in the Philippines, I rented an apartment in Talisay. A suburb of Cebu City. My GF told me not to flush toilet paper. I thought on that for a bit and asked her what do I do
with it, “Throw it away?” That didn’t sound like a good option to me! Jessie explained “I don’t use it.” So now I’m really confused.
I thought about that for a while. I then realized why nearly every home or hotel I’ve been to in the Philippines has a water bucket and a pail or dipper as they call it. I’m not going to go into details on this, you’re going to have to think on it yourself.
I have a good friend that lives here. He has been here for more than 8 years. I mentioned this in a story in the past. My friend said he’d never even heard of that. Then my confusion went way up. I asked my girlfriend again and she didn’t understand either.
I had already been learning how different the culture of the Philippines is from island to island and even city to city. So I realized there must have been some influence in Cebu that they don’t have in Mindanao where my friend lives.
I’ve also been to the Island of Leyte and the same holds true there. The plumbing can’t handle the tissue paper. in the places I’ve visited in both Cebu and Leyte Islands.
Moving To The Philippines
My purpose in writing this story is to try to get across to people how different the Philippines is from what most Westerners realize. I don’t think anything will fully prepare someone that’s on his or her way to live here but it is my purpose to explore these massive differences and then hopefully get across that if millions of people live like this you can too. Not only can you adjust, you can learn a lot about what is important in life and what is not.
Please share your experience with this and where you’re located at. What is the practise in Luzon for example? Let me hear from you so we can solve the great toilet paper mystery of the Philippines!
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Tagged with: Living In The Phlippines • Moving To The Philippines • Taboo • Toliet Training
Filed under: Filipino Culture • Living In The Philippines
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Rusty I have been using toilet paper ever since I can remember growing up. I was a student in Cebu, I always buy toilet paper in the grocery and that is one of our basic needs or one in our grocery list. You caannot find toilet paper in the restrooms in the Philippines except major airports, and holtes becaue people tend to steal it. One time I went home, my cousins and I went to the mall and I forgot that there are no toilet paper supplied by the mall. thankfully my cousin remembered and she ahd to knock my stall to give me some. I was there in Tagbilaran mall and the lady watching the toilet gave me some but I always carry toilet paper in my pocketbook because of the past experience. It all depends on the family practices if you use toilet paper or water. We also flush our toilet paper.
I left out a significant fact on this.
The picture was taken on the back of the door of our room while staying at Tickety Boo Beach Resort on Bantayan Island. I’ve seen signs like this almost every place I’ve been.
Hi Rusty, I lived and worked for 32 years on lighthouses on Canada’s West Coast. We had septic tanks which would take and dispose of pretty well everything except grease. So don’t dump your greasy cooking pot sediment down them.
A friend that worked with me for four years moved to the Philippines (Ilocos Sur, Luzon) and has been living there for ten years. When I visited we were also told the same thing – no paper in the toilet. They had a small plastic bin for disposal of the dirty papers which was later burnt by the gardener.
Upon querying him; yes, he had a septic tank; no, please no paper down the toilet. Why? The sewage pipes were too small and the paper clogged them up which then required cleaning and/or repair. He built his own house – wonder why he didn’t put in bigger pipes? Maybe they are not available!
I never saw a place where I was required to use only water. I was also warned about the lack of toilet paper and always carried a roll in my suitcase.
As they say, when in Rome . . .
That has not been my experience. Some hotels/pension homes don’t have that rule but many do.
Putting in the trash bin and burning. Nasty!
Rusty, well done! You made me laugh hard on this one.
It’s been a long time that I actually forgot. Our family in Manila uses water. Makes me wonder what is the rate of hepatitis A in PI? Hepatitis A is highly transmissible via faecal matter if one does not wash hands properly. If I was there at the time, I would have told you “put it in your pocket” 
And I would have told you to open wide. I’m a pretty quick witt too.
Bastos, walang galang!
You’ll have to get Jess to translate that! It really is funny I had to re-read it. Keep it up. I’ll probably feel refreshed after my Phil. holiday, I can submit another health article for you. Take care…..
Sounds like you missed an email. I want you to write on this site, not RF.com. After thinking about it, that site should be all me.
No I did not missed an email. I got it. hey, what I will do, I’ll submit it to you. Put it anywhere you like it, including in your pocket, ha,ha
Yeah, most filipinos use the water method, which I’m not sure how it’s done and wouldn’t be able to say. You really have to remember to carry a travel pack of tissues especially women, as even some fancy public buildings won’t supply toilet paper–I’ve learned from experience. At least you don’t have to use a corn cob!
For plumbing in general in Cebu, I can’t vouch for that, but we built our house and don’t have any trouble flushing toilet paper. It must vary from place to place, as John in Austria suggests.
Rusty–you and Christine are so fresh to each other!
Fresh? I’ve not heard that term in a long time. I thought it meant flirt? I flirt with her but she never returns it.
of course! a lady must play hard to get. Even your monkey is good at it!
Queenie? corn cob? What are you talking about? We’re no talking about torture here!
Then you don’t want Rusty to explain about red cobs and white cobs.
It varies from place to place how they prefer it done. I’ve been in a number of places that had neither paper or water. That’s fun. Good bye BVD’s 
Tom, I don’t know what you guys do out in the Midwest but in the south, that’s only a folk tale.
I grew up in Texas.
Had relatives in Oklahoma and Missouri who had outhouses well into the 50′s.
Hey Tom, where does the red cob/white cob fit in? Have I missed something here? And what is BVDs. It’s probably something the Antipodeans donot use at all!
As I said in the past… in 9+ years of living here, I have never seen such a sign before. We flush toilet paper all the time!
Correction Bob, now you’ve seen the sign. Just not in person.
Best topic ever.
Why do you think so Joe?
What I like about it is how so many disagree on it.
And I like how it demonstrates so well how vastly different regions or as Terry said, it depends on the family.
But one thing I know is these rules are all over the place. Sometimes they are in the fine print in the hotel rooms. Often not in such fine print as the above photo illustrates.
I know…even queenie suggested corn cob…that hurts!!!!
I don’t even know why I said that…
You probably mean to say corn husks…that softer than the cob….LOL people in the barrios actually used the softter dried banana leaves if not the old newspaper …i do not know if they still are…if they can afford cell phones now, so probably they can afford toilet paper now.
Queennie, I still did not get a response for the the street in Cebu where they seel the herbal medicine…I am still waiting for the email back from one of my officemates. I remember it is near the University of San Jose-Recoletos but not Carbon (which is also close by the university). I used to buy champoy in one of those stores. I will let you know immdiately when I find out.
Queenie, cause you’re just a redneck at heart! LOL
Terry, its an old joke, especially in the Southern USA.
I’ve been places that used them before. Many years ago. Believe me it is no joke.
Sell not seel…sorry queennie..
Sears catalog ? haha Rusty yea even here in Tagum we flush da paper man !
Never used a sears catalog for that either, better choice than corn cob, Geash! Why not just pull a plank off the out house?
OMG that made me LOL “Why not just pull a plank off the out house?”
That is funny, funnier to me a year later.
Oh man this topic can go bad fast.
I added it to my ebook last night because its one of the best ways to show just how different the Philippines can be from the West but just as important to me is how different peoples experiences are.
Some are surprised to even discover this about the Pi. Some that have been here for a long time too. Culture of the Philippines is as different as the barangay your in.
That makes a lot of sense too because they are based on ancient tribes. There was a time when they were not back to back but were separated by jungle!
I think this is one of your best post ever Rus, if not the best. But yes, toileting in the Philippines is something we eventually confront if we go out and about. Even I, who used to live there has forgotten what it was like. During an outing in 2008 (my first visit), I asked my sister in law why she gave me a roll of flattened toilet paper. She just told me that I would need it. Once we got to SM, I figured what she meant. lol!
Rusty, this post about toilet training; I realize that it is not new but I just read it for the first time now, and I guess I am real slow on the uptake on this.
If the pinoy, do not use the toilet paper, then what their bare fingers?? and then they poor the water over the but crack and wash with the same dirty fingers??
Sorry for being so direct but I guess I am very stuck in my American thought process—-toilet paper— that is the only thought that makes since to me!!
please give me some details, in a generic way, if you will???
later man, Salud bro Thomas
Rusty I made a post that I think as an after thought was disrespectful to the pinoy people, I am sorry for how it came across. Please do not post it on the web I do not mean to be rude, Thanks Thomas
thomas jensen n You are right about them using thier hands it seems shoking and gross to most forigners but if you really think about it how well do you clean your butt in the shower. Most do this in there and don’t give it a second thought as thier is not as big of a mess. I can say from many experiences thou that MOST all Filipinos are much more clean and wash and bathe more than westerners. They are always sure to was thier hands VERY thouroughly after they are done. And it is very common to have a bottle rubbing alchol around the house for daily use of hand sanatitaion.
And a small bottle of alcohol is carried by many Filipina in their purse.
Tommy how do you like Tagum…you are so far away…how many hours from Davao or Digos. My friends here are from Davao, Digos, Kidapawan and Caminguin. I have a lot of cousins in Davao. They used to own Dumoy ice plant. I was reading your blogs…quite interesting travel. I should let my husband read your blog..he wants to retire somewhere warm. I told him you would like Baguio, he is more interested somewhere up north of the Philippines. I told him I do not have realtives over there. Bacolod is another place I suggested aside from Bohol and Cebu. Cebu City is too congested and so is Manila. He is still not on retirement age but planning to retire early when the stock market is up before it collapse again. Our problem is our daughter-she is still young…so probably we will wait until she is in college which is 4 more years and then decide, we want her to continue schooling in the US…she wants to go to North Carolina for college.
I like Hawaii but the cost of living is high. We checked to buy a nice and decent house but very expensive. You could have a multi-million peso house with Hawaii prices in the Philippines. We are on a wait and see situation. I still want to continue working and I can always go back teaching in the Philippines-probably be a principal or a head teacher…or a regular teacher so no headaches after a day’s work. I don’t know
Hi terry and thanks for reading my stuff too I love Tagum City ! its a small town feel with big city access Davao City is only one hour south. The cost of living here is miniscule to what Rusty is paying me and my wife have a two bedroom one bath house and we pay 4000. But we may look for a house with a bigger CR and another bedroom as we have three of my wife’s sisters going to school here
Hi Terry, Thanks for straightening out my meaning! LOL I guess I’ve been a “promdi” too long! I hope eventually you’ll settle in the north of Cebu–I think you and I would be best friends!
Rusty, do you think I have “red neck” potential?
How many dogs do you have under your porch. You need a minimum of 3. They must have fleas.
It can’t be just any dog. It must be hounds, black an tan being the best kind, full blooded even though there is not a black and tan breed that is a hound that is recognized by the AKC. There is a black and tan, usually found in England and is certainly not a coon dog. you also need at least one mix breed German that you go from the pound but claim to have later registered. Which is impossible.
Oh, the same goes for Christine and Rusty!!
yeah but “you be one of them edumacated rednecks” Trust me, you can educate the redneck but we are still rednecks. Maybe a new breed, non-white hooded morons type rednecks.
Hmm I think I like this idea of everyone moving to northern cebu….
Rusty, if we all are going to visit you…that means we will be staying with you…so be ready with your adobong manok and humbang baboy…:) and your favorite mango shake. tell Jessie to make nilupak na saging…right Jess?
You can stay, I ahve a serious shortage of furniture. No extra bed,, not even a mattress and no blankets. Guess you’ll have to sleep in mine. And no I’m not moving out of it.
..and whereabouts do you want to put me then? probably on the bottom of your bed, like a footwarmer???
I remembered watching that movie “Roots”, by ALex Haley (gee my memory must be good, I still remembered the author’s name!) and there was a scene where the Master of the plantation was asked if he would like a “footwarmer”, and the Master said “yeah” he would want a foot warmer. Turns out the foot “warmer” was a very young black slave girl.
Now don’t you get carried out with your fantasies here Rusty, Just remember the name – “Lorena Bobbit”, ha,ha
I’m only interested in 18+ year old feet warmer and prefer brown….
But no, a foot warmer is not what I had in mind.
Oh, you prefer brown, well that pretty much exclude me coz I ain’t brown. So you like “chocolate” footwarmers???
I’ve seen you’re picture, you’re brown enough. I only know eight colors. Everything else is just fancy names.
That one was taken during the night. I’ll send one taken during the day..
Hi guys, I am back… went to Connecticut for a soccer tournament. My daughter’s team lsot to the championship by 1 point but she had a beautiful corner kick.
It’s ok to sleep on the floor then…i am not a footwarmer….probably… a body warmer esp in winter accdg to my husband…LOL
I never said you were a footwarmer those were the words of a Filipina!
Husband? Leave him in the US, that way hes just a technicality.
No, the term “Footwarmer” was from the movie “Roots” by Alex Haley. I still remembered because I saw it as a teen-ager, and I thought that was terrible that the black slave girl was being used as a “Footwarmer”. She did hopped into the foot of her Master’s bed. I think I might see if I can buy a DVD of that movie? That was a long time ago….
No, you can’t leave your hubby in the US Terry. He’ll be handy to carry your bags in PI, he,he…
Terry, where is Tagum? And does Tommy have his own blog site? What is it called Tommy?
Terry, do you know if Clinical nurses get paid better than plain registered nurses in PI? Clinical nurses are higher in the rank, post-graduate studies such as Masters is a must, thus get paid well here. As a Clinical nurse, I would earn in 3 hours what a PI RN earns in 1 month. Any idea how much PI pays for clinical nurses? My brother says plain RNs in PI paid less than what a saleslady at SM would get. Any idea if this is true? If this is is true, then that would be an appalling situation. For I know that to send a daugter to nursing school is very expensive in PI, yet the returns in terms of wages for RNs are not compensated.
We should try and have a get-together in Cebu sometime. Rusty can cook for us
I like the idea of Rusty cooking for all of us…. … as long as he is not cooking snakes…LOL…and I would like that to get together but I do not know when I can go back to PI…really busy with soccer these months…April to July plus school during the rest of the months. Tagum is in Mindanao, part of Daval del sur or Norte, I am not sure but somewhere in that area. I clicked on tommy’s pic and it showed me a link to his blog. very interesting wiht his trip to PI
In answer to your question, my sis in law is the nurse supervisor in our town…most of her colleagues are here in the US. Her daughter who is also a recent nursing grad wanted her to go abroad and I told her no because whe her mom will start all over again. I know she is not paid a lot but the cost of living is not that high compared to the cities.
I do not know in big cities how much they earn…probably a lot esp in Makati Med or any prestigious hospitals but not like abroad.
Parents are sending their kids to nursing school hoping that someday the daughter can go abroad and there’s the ROI. a lot of filipinos changed their lifestyle and living because somedbody is earning dollars or pounds and that help the parents. You seldom see or hear parents send their kids to nursing schools because they want them to work in PI. Even doctors are going back to nursing schools because it is hard to go abroad if you are a doctor.
Hi terry – Tagum is in Davao del Norte Province, about 1 hour north of Davao City. It is actually the Capital City of Davao del Norte. Nice place.
Thanks Bod, we should have asked you…that’s why your name is Mindanao Bob. Duh!
so how is Mindanao doing with you as of lately….no more bombings in Davao or Zamboanga. I hope not.. No more kidnappings. They should be working together with the government, but….i used to live in Negros Occidenttal and the problem was the NPA’s (we call them new pwemanent address-in jest-which is literally true) Bhol used to have them or are there still left…I do not know.
Now I am calling you Bod, Bob…it is a typo…sorry I was in a hurrry to bring my daughter to school and I have to check rusty’s website to see if people are on.
That’s OK Terry, do you know Bob has the body of a God? so it is kinda appropraite.
Ask me which God…….
Christine, that was funny…so which God is Bod?
Hey Bob, you ok with this right? Come on, I can see a smile…
Awww, you didn’t know? it’s God the Buddha! he,he
Oh you like spam?
I can boil hot dogs but I ate too many of those after my first divorce and they make my gag now.
I’ll cook spam for me, hot dogs for you, save me more money that way. LOL
Been too long since I BBQ, sure i’ve lost my touch, besides, I was just turn into a mound of mush in the Philippine humidity. I need a BBQ with an Aircon!
Christine yes i have a site and rusty has a link somewhere and Bob answered the rest
Probably somewhere near where he hid the link to mine.
Ok Rusty fess up where did you hide them? 
Your just blind, unless i deleted it by accident..
I do? I don’t recall that Tommy? I may have put the link on another site. It is better if links are not reciprocal. Putting them on another site helps a little but they really need to be on different subnets. You might need to remind me.
Tom, your link is right where it is suppose to be.
oh Rusty,
I have mentioned that selling my house and moving is hard. But I did, and I an coming. Actually when I built the new house behind the old house here, I used same septic system. Guess what contractor screwed up and not really enough fall. You know s–t does not go up hill. Too late to sue out of business person by time I find out. So before divorce I have to have fixed twice a year Could not convince her to just throw away and not flush. Almost three three years and not a problem. I know what you are saying. Josey did not even have to tell me. Hahaha still not used to the pretend French toilet but I will.When in the Phil’s live that way or you might as way stay where you. My Brother is married filipina from Leyte and is going to be there a few years after me so she gave some insight to, like carry paper with you.
Hi Andy, I’ve been out of town for a bit, slow in replying to things.
Having a little trouble following you. Not sure where “here” is. You’re not the only person that does that. I think you’re talking about the USA. I have some though that say here that mean the Phlippines even when they are in the USA.
Really hard to know what people are talking about when they don’t type it out.
When are you coming and what are you waiting for?
Toilet papers come from trees like all paper do. Using lots of toilet papers means you are wasting so much trees. It also means dumping a lot of solid waste. Yes, Filipinos don’t use toilet papers that much, except the ladies, who use toilet paper to wipe after they peed but not after they pooed. Water and soap is the commonly used medium for cleaning our butts after doing it. To say that Filipinos use only water is a great misunderstanding. Filipinos always use soap and water for washing, so smell is removed as well as any trace of intestinal sludge in the bottom. Filipinos are not backward. The Philippines, as well as the rest of Asia is not a toilet paper society. That’s all. Respect the culture of others. Don’t be ignorant.
I’m afraid we may have a language or cultural barrier in action here. There is nothing at all, in anyway, disrespectful about my post. I made no negative judgement. I did talk about the differences between what foreigners might encounter.
Thomas, it is okay, Filipino are just as shocked about our ways. I’m smiling and chuckling, I suspect they are too. It wasn’t disrespectful. If it was, I’d growl at you. You’re good.
But I’m just not going to go into details on it.
You saw the sign, read Christine’s comments. She tends to get very graphics. She’s a female, worse, she’s a nurse. haha
And I think you understood.
HAHA!, When I first got there was I surprised! I had no idea that they don’t have toilet paper in there households. Usually just in the hotels or resorts I was staying at they did. I have to ask my gf how I was suppose to wipe. She looked at me weird. She said,”do you use tissue to wipe”. I said yah. Then she said “yuck!”. Cause she always thought that tissue doesn’t clean very well. So she explained to me how there is a water sprayer hose I am suppose to use. I will just say that it was an experience trying to use that!
I was staying 21 day in bataan ph with my fiance’s family fortunatly they had toilet paper and thability to flush it , otherwise if we went out they always wondered why i only use the CR in the KFC’s (they have TP and can flush it too)
Yeah, it’s not a universal thing. It depends mostly on where you are but also the custom of the family.
Many but not all areas of Luzon are a bit more Westernized than much of the Philippines.
But it sounds like you’ve seen some of it.. re:KFC
hi Rusty i grew up in the province (WESTERN SAMAR)30 minutes driving to TACLOBAN CITY,in my experienced when i was a kid we used to use plain paper’s then a TABO with water lol!and ur right u can’t put paper’s in the toilet.
In some places the paper can be flushed. I know a guy that has lived here for more than 10 years and when I first wrote about this he was surprised.
Most places I’ve been, no flushing the paper.
Rusty, hey there!
First of all, Filipinos in general, were never comfortable with just “wiping” to clean up their backsides. In spite of the fact that toilet paper was invented in Asia, yes, in China, most Filipinos prefer to use water to clean themselves up. Washing the area with soap and water gives one the feeling of “cleanness” that toilet paper cannot match. So, the toilet paper was never a vital part of the typical Filipino household. Instead there is the pail and dipper, the ubiquitous “tabo and timba”. Being relegated to a minor role, the toilet paper is mainly used to “dry up” the area. I find it funny that most of my countrymen will deny that fact. Like using toilet paper is the ultimate symbol of affluence. That using water and soap to clean oneself up is ,somehow, so “uncivilized”. While most foreigners will find it disgusting, with even just the thought of touching that area with your bare fingers, most Filipinos, on the other hand find it disgusting when that area is not washed with soap and water. That there is no way one can be completely clean, unless washed with water. So in essence, the only role toilet papers have in the Filipino “comfort room” is a means to pat dry the area. So, in the plumbing schemes of most old houses, introducing and discarding paper waste in the bowl was never taken into consideration.
Oh and by the way, nice articles Rusty. I’ve been out of the country for most of my life, never been back, but one of these days I will.
This has always been such a popular post.
Me, I’m just not going into details.
Thanks for your comment though, it is much appreciated!
Oh and one more thing Rusty, here in Europe, instead of the pail and water dipper, they have the “bidet”, invented by the French. And even here, the toilet paper’s main role is to just “dry up” the area.
Rusty,
When I first read the tag line. I immediately thought of a job I worked on in the late 80′s. It was a Super Fund site , hazmat waste clean
up. An old scarp yard where gallons upon gallons of oil from electrical transformers had been dumped on the ground.
Quite a number of the laborers where from Central America. We had quite a few safety meeting. Where the subject of toilet paper being thrown on the floor after being used. The problem was. Where these people came from the plumbing systems just couldn’t handle the paper. The Company finally put in trash cans with plastic liners to be changed once a day.
A lot of the Americans on the site just could not even dream of not using toilet paper. Which I found quite amusing. having traveled a bit when I was in the Marines.
Marc