04/04/2026
Palanggana/Basin System in doing the dishes.🫧
Just the way as we would when doing the laundry manually.
This must be a very basic knowledge to Filipino kitchens, but for the benefit of those who have no idea, this is when you use a basin to wash the dishes with soapy water ALL in one go. Then later on replace the soapy water in the basin with clean water twice for rinsing the dishes in two rounds.
This is --has been-- one of our very simple and practical, yet effective ways sa pagtitipid, di lang ng tubig, kundi ng pera.
Nakagawian ko/namin ito noong wala pa kaming Maynilad service sa location namin. Nagpapadeliver lang kami sa truck ng tubig para sa 1m³ water tank namin.
Php250 ang isang puno ng tanke (2017-2020). Kung hindi magiging madiskarte at masinop sa paggamit ng tubig, mababa na siguro ang Php2,000 para sa isang buwang konsumo ng 4-member household namin.
Hindi masyadong convenient. Hindi rin masyadong time-saver. But we had to choose what to sacrifice. A minor inconvenience and a little time extension in washing are nothing compared to the amount of resources we could save.
Nung finally dumating si Maynilad, na-excite akong maghugas CONVENIENTLY under a running tap. But as I observed, our monthly water bill would always go beyond the minimum lifeline rate (Php180 for 10m³ & below). Eh dati naman naglalaro lang kami sa 6-7m³ monthly.
Nasasayangan ako sa matitipid na tubig. At pera. Kaya sinubukan ulit namin bumalik sa dating gawi gamit ang palanggana. Yun lang ang binago, pero na-contain ulit namin within 10m³ ang konsumo namin.
The difference between Php180 and Php500-700 may be small to some, but when they add up, they're actually significant. Especially in this economy. And given the current state of our water security and availability. (Yes, we're also in water crisis.)
Along with demanding from the larger system a.k.a our government, may we also start with small acts of conservation and management in our own households.
Just imagine the collective amount of water we can conserve if every one of us and every household would practice mindful consumption.
The way we treat a single drop of water reflects how we will treat an entire ocean.
Every drop counts. And this can also not just be about water. 💙
