While utilities in industrialized nations weigh the pros and cons of regulation and work to apply the latest technologies to maintain the quality of their water, their counterparts in less developed countries are struggling with the basic need to provide their citizens with clean, safe water. Although the goal is straightforward, any number of factors serve to complicate matters - not the least of which is cost. In the Philippines a program has evolved that will economically bring piped water to even the most remote areas, the ultimate objective being house-connected systems for the entire nation. Includes table, photographs.