The Philippines is abundant with rich natural resources such as water. Because of rapid urbanization in the country, most of the water bodies are polluted as a result of domestic, agricultural and industrial activities. The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) is the main government arm responsible for monitoring and inspection of affected water bodies. Only water bodies with at least four sampling events during dry and wet seasons were included in the assessment of water bodies that passed the DAO 90-34 water quality criteria. Water bodies were monitored for dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), and total dissolved solids (TDS), heavy metals, fecal coliform contamination and nitrates. High pollutant concentrations from domestic, agricultural, industrial and nonpoint sources were observed from monitoring events due to inadequate
sewage services and treatment facilities in the country. The objective of this paper was to present and evaluate the quality of the water bodies in the Philippines.
Keywords : Groundwater, Marine, Nonpoint source, Philippines, Point source, Water