Machine drilling on Siargao costs ₱1,500 per foot plus a ₱15,000 mobilization fee. A standard 90-foot well comes out to about ₱150,000. That's the real number, not the ₱30k bagdak quote your neighbor's cousin mentioned.
If you're building a villa for rental, water reliability isn't optional. One dry week during peak season and your Airbnb reviews tank.
Machine Drilling: The Real Rates
This is professional drilling with a rig truck, the method you want for a villa build. Current rates from a Siargao-based driller (March 2026):
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Standard drilling | ₱1,500 per foot |
| Hard rock surcharge | +₱500 per foot |
| Mobilization fee | ₱15,000 (one-time) |
A typical well in General Luna goes 60-90 feet deep. Here's what that costs:
| Depth | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 60 ft (shallow) | ₱15,000 + (60 x ₱1,500) | ₱105,000 |
| 90 ft (standard) | ₱15,000 + (90 x ₱1,500) | ₱150,000 |
| 120 ft (deep) | ₱15,000 + (120 x ₱1,500) | ₱195,000 |
If you hit hard rock (and in some parts of Siargao you will), add ₱500/ft on top. A 90-foot well through hard rock could run ₱195,000+.
How We Price It in the Calculator
Our cost calculator uses depth-based pricing that matches the machine drilling quotes:
| Calculator Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Shallow well | ₱90,000 |
| Standard well | ₱135,000 |
| Deep well | ₱195,000 |
These are good ballpark numbers. Your actual cost depends on depth and ground conditions at your specific lot.
Bagdak (Manual) vs. Machine Drilling
| Machine Drilling | Bagdak (Manual) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ₱105-195k | ₱20-40k |
| Can penetrate hard rock | Yes | No |
| Reaches deep water table | Yes | No |
| Reliable year-round | Yes | No |
| Good for rental villas | Yes | No |
| Good for pools | Yes | No |
| Completion time | 1-3 days | 3-7 days |
You'll hear about bagdak. That's the traditional manual method where a team hammers a pipe into the ground by hand. It's cheap (maybe ₱20,000-40,000) but has real limitations: can't penetrate hard rock or coral, shallow depth means lower water quality, and higher chance of the well going dry in summer.
Bagdak is fine for a small personal house with low water demand, not for a 2+ bedroom rental with a pool.
Water Filtration: Don't Skip This
Well water on Siargao isn't potable without treatment. Even municipal water can be inconsistent. Here's what filtration systems cost:
| System | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| None | ₱0 | No filtration (not recommended) |
| Basic (sediment + carbon) | ₱35,000 | Removes particles and improves taste |
| UV sterilization | ₱90,000 | Kills bacteria and viruses |
| Whole-house system | ₱180,000 | Multi-stage filtration at every tap |
Municipal Water Connection
If your lot has access to the municipal water line, the connection fee is about ₱10,000. We'd still recommend having a deep well as backup. Municipal supply on Siargao can be inconsistent, especially during dry season.
You can also run both: municipal as primary, deep well as backup. Our calculator calls this the "both" option, and it's what we'd pick for most builds in General Luna or Cloud 9 where municipal lines are available.
Total Water Budget
Compare that with solar power costs which run ₱550k-1.1M. Water is the smaller infrastructure expense but arguably just as important for guest satisfaction.
Want to see how these costs fit into your total build? Our cost calculator factors in well depth, filtration level, and water source alongside everything else.
