House OKs bill regulating sale of bottled water

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill 6388 regulating the sale of bottled water to protect the consumers from trade malpractices and from substandard or hazardous products.

The Safe Bottled Water Act of 2012, principally authored by Reps. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro City) and Maximo Rodriguez, Jr. (Abante Mindanao) and co-authored by 44 lawmakers, mandates the Department of Health (DOH) to establish and enforce a clear, concise, and un-coded uniform source labeling requirements for all bottled water products, including the original source of the water, type of water, type of treatment, the date of bottling, the address of the bottler, and provide numerical specification of sodium content.

Rodriguez said the consumption of bottled water has increased markedly in recent years, with thousands of households currently consuming bottled water as the source of drinking water.