Ideally, restaurants in Cebu City should provide free drinking water to their customers.Since that’s not happening, Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem has proposed the passage of an ordinance to make it so. He observed that most restaurant customers are forced to buy drinking water, bottled or tap, since it is not provided as a complimentary service of the establishment “Purified drinking water for water dispensers is so affordable already compared to three years ago. In the United States, drinking water is free everywhere,” Jakosalem told . The proposed ordinance covers cafeterias, eateries, bistros, cafés, and other establishments where food and drinks are served. But he said potable water does not necessarily mean purified drinking water. It just has to be clean and safe to drink. Section 2 of the proposed ordinance defines potable water as water free from disease-producing organisms, poisonous substances and chemical, biological and radioactive contaminants. He said the general public gets its water from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD). The chlorinated water supply, if stored in a clean container, is already potable and safe the for drinking. In the proposed ordinance, the City Health Department (CHD) will monitor and conduct regular inspections to check the quality of the drinking water of the establishments. Fines for violators are P500 for the first offense, P2,500 for second offense and P5,000 for the third offense. The proposal would also give the CHD authority to suspend or revoke business permits of the establishments are found unsanitary and operating under unhealthy conditions. The proposed ordinance was presented to the City Council last week and referred for study to the committee on laws, and the committee on trade commerce, cooperatives and entrepreneurship. Reporter Marian Z. Codilla | 
