Choosing A Car

Many ex pats make a choice of buying a brand new small japanese sedan car like TOYOTA VIOS or HONDA CITY which you can avail from around 650 000 Philippine peso (around $15 000). You can go much higher above that or go for a second hand car, it all depends on your budget. It’s good value for many since used cars are more expensive in the Philippines than in the western countries. Although the repairs are cheap. For example for used Toyota Corolla year 1990 you probably gonna spend around 100 000 Philippines peso (around $2300). Repairs will cost you from P250 for simple repair in the authorized garage to P2000-P5000 per day for some serious repair. In the Philippines you can find plenty of mechanics, if you befriend one then they can work for you for cheaper with better effect plus you always sure of the repair since the mechanic is your friend.
If you fancy a vintage car there are plenty of VW bugs here going cheap. Like for a perfect condition, fully refurbished will cost you around P150 – 200 000(around $3500 – 4600). Also you can find here some nice vintage japanese cars from 70s and really nice ones american cars from 50′s 60′s and 70′s. You can also go Filipino style buying a brand new small jeep made of scrap aluminum. It’s new, parts are new, it’s reliable in the hard terrain and easy to repair by anyone. Downside of the project is security since the jeep doesn’t have either doors or windows. Protection from the rain gives you sheet of tarpaulin on the back. and the windscreen with a bit of roof on the to

Sorting Out Papers

After purchase of a car you take the papers to the local LTO (Land Transportation Office), pay a tax equivalent to the VAT (about 10% ) and get your papers. Like everything else in the Philippines that has to do with the government offices, The process can take all day or a few minutes. All depending on how much “snack money” you are willing to use to grease the wheels. You can easily find “fixers” outside the LTO who will charge you whatever they think you will pay but P500 is more than enough. Often they will be retired government workers, policemen, etc. or their wives. When I was buying my car I was lucky enough that the person who was selling me the car had their connections in the LTO.

Ownership

It’s not always a wise idea to put a car in your own name. Accident settlements here are generally low. For example you can’t find a motorcycle liability policy for more than P50 000 but this can change if a “rich” foreigner is involved. No matter who is driving, the owner is ultimately responsible. This is what I have done. My car is registered on somebody’s else name. I am not scared that he will ever claim my car as his because the courts in the Philippines are more interested in equity and if you can show that you provided the money for the purchase of the car and that it has never been paid back than in what is written on the papers. It’s very unlikely the court would award the car to the other person plus it takes months and a lot of money which most Filipinos are usually not willing or having to provide.

Driving vehicle in the Phills

Then comes the most important thing, driving a car in the Philippines! Well, driving here is a bit chaotic. There’s a lot of vehicles on the road, plenty of tricycles, bicycles, jeepneys and old fuming cars. (For the latter reason is wise for you to get a car with good Air Conditioning.) Drivers don’t save on the horns, there’s loads of tooting but the drivers don’t argue! They simply either letting you know that they coming and you should stay where you are instead of joining the traffic, or over taking you. Also there’s whole galactic of another purposes like tooting on a friend, on a too slow going jeepney, on a dog or sexy lady.It gets noisy. After a while you notice that the chaos is only an impression and most of Filipinos drives very cautiously to avoid damaging there ‘expensive’ vehicles.
Parking in the bigger cities may be a problem although in smaller cities you can park literally everywhere. Traffic lights are quite rare here in the Philippines, instead you often see a Policeman coordinating the traffic.

Don’t always expect drivers to use lights at night because they just might be broken, same goes for brake lights and indicators. Also badly tinted windows adding to the danger at the night time when a young driver cannot see enough because of his ‘cool’ car tints. I’ve heard about few accidents caused by negligence in brake servicing as well.
If you have experience in driving in a big city like New York or London with high volume of traffic, then you should be fine. If not you may have a problem with getting used to new ‘road environment’. This problem can be solved by hiring a chauffeur (prices start from P2500/£60 per month) for your vehicle and trying to get a feeling of the Filipino road conduct.

Driving License Laws

So called “international” drivers licenses are not recognized here. You can legally drive on your foreign license for a period of 90 days along with your passport. Then you have to get a RP license. Again, it’s just a visit to the LTO. In theory you take a written test and a driving test but again P500 of “snack money” gets you your “temporary” license immediately. No matter where you are, all permanent licenses come from Manila and will take 6 to 8 months because of the overload there. Although, your “temporary” license is good until you actually get the permanent one.
Plenty of people will tell you how they drove on their US/UK/whatever licenses for years and just played ignorant when caught. That happened to me few times here and Police/Traffic enforcement never asked any questions when saw my british driving license. Sometimes you will be warned to get an RP license immediately. There are also cases when a policeman will use such an opportunity to extort money so it’s up to you what you gonna do.

See you on the road!

Jozef Gorka.

Muñoz City Description

Muñoz City or the “Science City of the Philippines” is one of the 5 cities of the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. This recognition was given last year 2000, as various agricultural research and development centers could be found in Munoz City such as the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE), and the Central Luzon State University (CLSU).

Muñoz City Attractions

Muñoz City offers various sites for visitors. Explore the CLSU campus, a landscape of full-grown, shady trees, a sight to behold indeed. Other attractions include the Pantabangan Dam, the very first multi-purpose infrastructure of its kind in the Philippines; the Pampanga River which is a major source of irrigation, generation of hydroelectric power, and also for flood control. Other natural scenes are Minalungao National Park, Rizal Hot Spring, Burburayok Springs and Pajanutic Falls, Barrio Puncan in the town of Carranglan.
Muñoz City also takes pride of its establishments for researches. Feed your mind with volumes of information at the Agricultural Museum of Muñoz. The museum is housed at the Central Luzon State University with six sections, such as rice and vegetable planting, household ingredients and utensils, personal apparel, and hunting and fishing apparatus.

Living Fish Museum, also at the Central Luzon State University campus showcases native and tropical freshwater fishes collected from different provinces in Luzon.
Munoz City is also home to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in barangay Maligaya. This is the central station for agricultural experiments in the Philippines. The focus of these tests is the improvement of rice production.

Muñoz City Location

Muñoz City is 147 kilometers North of Manila and 30 kilometers away from Cabanatuan City. It is easily accessible as it is situated along the Maharlika Highway which is the major route to Northern Philippines.

Manila City Description

Manila City is the largest as well as the capital city of the Republic of Philippines serving as the economic, educational, industrial, and cultural center of the country this country. Covering an area of about 39 square kilometers and with a population of about two million people, Manila City is the world’s most densely populated megalopolis.

Once a stronghold of the Spanish Empire during the colonial times and a point of trade between Europe and Asia, Manila has now become one of the most prominent cosmopolitan cities in the world. Metro Manila is regarded as one of the world’s mega metropolises being made up 17 cities and municipalities.

Manila City Attractions

Manila city exhibits a wide spectacle of endless attractions from historic buildings, monuments, and interesting museums to entertainment facilities and parks and gardens. A favorite tourist point is Intramuros, which is a medieval fortified city designed in European style. This served as the central administrative point during the Spanish regime. Another is Fort Santiago; Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church, which is the oldest of its kind in the city; and Casa Manila, a 19th century mansion noted for its beautiful furniture.

A museum, exhibiting some rare collections of oil paintings, can also be found within the San Agustin Church’s old monastery. Apart from these, attractions also include the Rizal Park, an excellent area for enjoying recreational activities. Named after the national hero, Jose Rizal, the park is credited to be the largest of its kind in Asia.

Another worth visiting attraction in the city is the magnificent Malacanang Palace, which now serves as the official residence of the Philippines president. Located along its palatial complex is noted for its splendid architecture, and consists of sections such as Malacanang Palace; the Bonifacio Hall, which was formerly the office of Ferdinand Marcos successor Corazon Aquino; Kalayaan Hall, built under the American administration; Mabini Hall, sometimes referred to as the administration hall; and a guest house. Also, a significant attraction in Manila is Bahay Tsinoy, which is an interesting museum that has on display collections related to Chinese-Filipino culture. Housed within the Kaisa Heritage Center, the museum’s collections include pictures depicting life of Chinese immigrants, and Chinese artifacts such as coins, pottery, and kitchen utensils.

Further, popular attractions in Manila cover Paco Park, which is probably the one of its kind in the whole of the world. Once a cemetery, the park consists of two circular structures with different levels of recesses. In short, the way the park is designed is truly stupendous.

Other not to miss attractions in Manila are Manila Zoological Garden, which is home to some rare collection of Philippine as well as African wildlife; Carfel Seashell Museum, which has on display some rare seashells; Kanlungan ng Sining, where you can find a unique variety of sculptures, paintings and photographs; Ayala Bridge, which connects San Miguel to Arroceros; Meban Garden, the city’s first botanical garden; and Liwasang Bonficacio, a park that has been built to commemorate a Philippine hero, Andres Bonifacio.

Manila City Location

City is situated at the mouth of the Pasig River on the eastern shores of Manila Bay on Luzon western side. The city is bordered by several cities and municipalities such as Navotas and Caloocan City in the north, Quezon City in the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong City in the east, Makati City in the southeast, and Pasay City in the south side.

Manila Overview

Manila, a sprawling mass of humanity, is one of Asia’s most diverse and energetic cities, acutely reflecting its long heritage as a point of convergence for cultures and classes. Straddling the delta of the Pasig River, the capital of the Philippines is actually several cities fused into one.

Visit www.hoteltravel.com for further information about Manila City of The Philippines. If you are looking for a great selection of places to stay with discount prices, visit Where to stay in Manila for more information.

Sorsogon City Description

Sorsogon City is a melting pot of cultures and influences. From its earliest days as trading post frequented by Chinese and Malay merchants, Sorsogon City has evolved into a center of trade and commerce in the Bicol Region. Now a newly created city, Sorsogon City offers a promising economic climate.

Sorsogon City Attraction

Sorsogon City offers magnificently colorful dive sites and marine sanctuaries, mysterious caves with interesting folk legends to explore. Visitors are welcome to soak, relax and unwind in various  hot springs and healing mineral water spas that abound Sorsogon City.

The tourist does not need to go far to appreciate Sorsogon City’s natural attractions. All the eco-tour destinations within the city are easily accessible, including the once in a lifetime exciting, high adventure Whale Shark or Butanding Interaction activity off the waters of Donsol, Pilar, Castilla, Magallanes, and Bacon District.

Sorsogon City boasts of a rare nature-commune at the Mt. Bulusan Natural Park and the mystical Bulusan Mountain Lake Resort, with its exotic flora and fauna.

The picturesque little islands within Sorsogon Bay and off Matnog, offer fine white, black or pink sand beaches. The historical landmarks, including old churches, ancient houses and monuments, historic ruins of baluartes, murallas, and astilleros or ancient shipyards are worth exploring.  Sample the local arts and crafts that boasts of souvenirs and curio items.

Sorsogon Bay is located offshore parallel to the Sorsogon Bay.  The 3-hectare island is suitable as a picnic resort, complete with swimming pools, bird and butterfly sanctuaries, a mini-zoo, a botanical garden, bicycle lanes, picnic huts and cottages, or a small hotel, a seafood restaurant, a small marina for boating in Sorsogon Bay, and other leisure facilities.

Bacon Beach is 20-minute drive from Sorsogon City’s central business district. It is famous for its long stretch of black sand and clear blue waters

The Bacon District have limestone caves, lakes and a marine sanctuary. Most notable of these are Tolonggapo in Caricaran and the Bato Limestone Caves in which were found prehistoric artifacts. Farther offshore, dive sites teeming with coral reefs and tropical fishes make for a colorful underwater experience. Short boat rides away are enchanting. Tourists are encouraged to explore the islands to find their own surprises.

Paguriran Island is surrounded by dark granite and a huge outcrop offers a view of the swirling currents below and the stolid mountains beyond. Rain-fed pools, springs, waterfalls and secret coves all contribute to Sorsogon City’s natural attractions.

Bucalbucalan and Palhi Springs in the City’s West District boast springs ideal for cooling down, especially in the hot summer months. Busay Twin Falls in the PNOC Reservation high up in the mountains also holds promise as an ecotourism haunt.

Rompeolas, with its walkway that serves as promenade, offers spectacular views of the Bulusan Volcano, as does Paroja Hill and Grotto, which overlooks Sorsogon Bay

Sorsogon City Location

Sorsogon City is the capital of Sorsogon, a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region it is the southernmost province in Luzon.

Sorsogon City can be reached from Manila by bus for about 10-11 hours. There are about 10 bus companies operating daily from Manila to Sorsogon and vice Versa. Some of these bus companies have connecting trips to one of the Philippine’s busiest seaport, the Matnog Seaport linking to Visayan provinces.

Silay City Description

Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. Silay City is the “Seat of arts, culture and eco-tourism in Western Visayas”. The Department of Tourism identified Silay City as one of the 25 major tourist destinations in the country. Silay city is a picture of dynamism and progress. It is a city where the link to the past harmoniously merges with the development of the future.

Silay City  Tourist Attractions

Silay City has a variety collection of steam locomotives, rich cultural heritage, flavorful hometown delicacies, untamed forest. Silay City has often been referred to as the “Paris of Negros” due to its large collection of perfectly preserved heritage houses. Silay City boasts of more than thirty of well preserved houses that have been declared as historical landmarks. Silay is the second Philippine city to have been declared a museum city, next to Vigan City. It has a sizable commercial and fishing port and is the site of the new Bacolod-Silay CityInternational Airport, which will replace the Bacolod City Domestic Airport. Silay

Silay City Location

Silay City is located at the northwestern part of Negros Island. It is 14 kilometers north of Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental.

Santa Rosa City Description

From a fourth-class municipality, Santa Rosa City in Laguna, became a first-class town in 1993 and subsequently declared a city on 10 July 2004. This is indicative of the steady and substantial progress of Santa Rosa City. It is a strategic gateway to Metro Manila and to the provinces of the CALABARZON subregion. Santa Rosa City has been attracting a constant stream of investors that have given residents access to numerous job opportunities. This quiet town of Laguna started its progress initially from the establishment of Filsyn, CIGI other small multinational companies. Santa Rosa City is now known to be the “The Investment Capital of South Luzon”

Santa Rosa City Attraction

Santa Rosa is the second city in Southern Luzon to have both an SM Mall and Robinson’s Mall,  after Novaliches in Quezon City, and Dasmarinas in Cavite.

Santa Rosa was mainly known for the Coca-Cola and Toyota Industrial estates. Santa Rosa City has also become famous for being the site of Enchanted Kingdom, a local theme park, as well as several housing developments. Santa Rosa is also the exit route that travellers take along the South Luzon Expressway to go to Tagaytay and Taal Volcano. This city contains the 3rd largest complex in Laguna, The Paseo de Santa Rosa.

Santa Rosa City is the home of the well-known Ford Motor Company, which assembles the Ford Lynx, Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Ford Escape, and Mazda Tribute and also selling the Ford Ranger, Ford Everest & Mazda 6. Other automobile manufacturers that have plants in Santa Rosa City are Nissan Motors Co., Ltd, Toyota Motors Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi. The manufacturing plant of Monde Nissin Corporation is located in Barangay Tagapo in Santa Rosa City.

Santa Rosa City boasts of the largest plant of the Coca-Cola Company in the Philippines which is situated right across the Santa Rosa Exit of the South Luzon Expressway.

Santa Rosa City Location

Santa Rosa City lies 38 kilometers south of Manila via the South Luzon Expressway. It is very accessible to all types of vehicles. Public transport, like the jeepneys and buses are also recommended from different pick up points in Manila.

Mandaluyong City Description

Mandaluyong City gained the moniker “Millennium City”, having come a long way from being a forested rolling hill to a bustling city of vibrant economic activities. It was a great leap forward. The city is considered as Tiger City of the Philippines, Metro Manila’s Heart, and the Shopping Mall Capital of the Philippines. The city has a total land area of 1,124.97 hectares, which is 1.77% of the total land area of Metro Manila. The four largest residential lots occupying the city’s total land area are Wack-Wack, Addition Hills, Plainview and Highway Hills.

Mandaluyong City Attraction

Mandaluyong City is well-known for its man-made attractions like the Bantayog ng Kabataan, the Wack-Wack Golf Club which is famous for its magnificent golf club, the Contreras Sculpture, The Dove of Peace which is a tribute to the peaceful EDSA movement in 1986 and also the Dambana ng Alaala which was built in honor of their local heroes. For art enthusiasts, satisfy your soul with the exhibits of Kaban ng Hiyas, Galleria Deumela, and the Anal Art Exhibit. All of this portray masterpieces related to local history.

Mandaluyong City Location

Mandaluyong City lies at the heart of Metro Manila, the 18th largest metropolitan area in the world. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of San Juan, on the northeast by Quezon City, on the east by Pasig City, on the south by Pasig River and Makati City, and on the west by San Juan and Pasig Rivers and the City of Manila.

San Jose City Description

San Jose City is a 2nd class city of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. San Jose City is one of the three major cities in Nueva Ecija (Region III). The area is called the Central Plains of Luzon for its production and supply of rice in the country. The city local crops range from rice, corn, and onion; thus the city is also referred to as the “Rice Bowl of the Philippines.” Other crops are mango, banana, eggplant, and garlic.

San Jose City is a drop off point heading to the Mountain Province and The Banaue Rice Terraces.

San Jose City Attractions

Its other worthwhile attractions include the Minalungao National Park, Rizal Hot Spring, Burburayok Springs and Pajanutic Falls, Barrio Puncan in the town of Carranglan, among others.

San Jose del Monte City Description

San Jose del Monte City is a second class city in the province of Bulacan. Today, it is evident that San Jose del Monte City has progressed much. It has become urbanized by the presence of major commercial banks, fast food chain outlets, real estates, and wide coverage of landline and cellular phone services.

Before 2009, San Jose del Monte City, will have the first inter-modal terminal which will be constructed (the last terminal of the 20.7-kilometer MRT-7 line from SM North Edsa in Quezon City MRT-2 north). Light Rail Transit Corp. The 40-kilometer Circumferential Road 6 (C-5) will also start and branch out of the North Luzon Expressway between its Malolos and Marilao segments and after passing it, it will pass until it reaches Cavite City.

San Jose del Monte City Attraction

San Jose del Monte is gradually transforming from an agricultural area to a residential suburb, with farms shrinking as more land is converted to subdivisions to provide housing. Major industries are iron and marble works, furniture, handicrafts, food processing which are all world class.

Its proximity to Manila and Quezon City had made San Jose del Monte City and alternative and ideal place for a quiet and peaceful living. San Jose del Monte City is hilly with the majestic Sierra Madre Mountain providing a panoramic backdrop to the city.

San Jose del Monte City boasts of its tourist attractions such as the Karahumi Falls and the Sierra Madre Hills. The city has various parks such as the Grotto Vista Resort, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine, Palmera Resort, Ilog Malaki Riverbank Park.

San Jose del Monte City Location

It is bordered by Caloocan City and Quezon City, both in Metro Manila, in the south; by Rodriguez, Rizal in the east; Santa Maria and Marilao, both of Bulacan, in the west and Norzagaray, Bulacan in the north.

The following are the main arteries of San Jose del Monte’s road network which link the 59 barangays with Metro Manila and the rest of Bulacan.

a. Quirino Highway – a vital national road which stretches from the town of Norzagaray to North Caloocan City.
b. Sta. Maria – Tungkong Mangga Road – a vital provincial road which links the city to the town of Sta. Maria and to the North Luzon Expressway.
c. San Jose – Marilao Road – links the city with the Municipality of Marilao and to the North Luzon Expressway. This is now a permanent full exit.
d. Sapang Palay Road- links the Sapang Palay Resettlement Project to Quirino Highway and in the opposite end to Sapang Palay Proper.
e. Igay Road – links the upper barangay to Quirino Highway and Rodriguez, Rizal.
f. Bulacan- Manila – Cavite Expressway is now under construction which will lead to Rizal, Metro Manila and Cavite.

San Fernando City Description

San Fernando City is the capital city of La Union and the regional center of Region I in the Philippines. San Fernando belongs to District I in La Union province and is the main hub of financial, industrial and political events in La Union. The fact that San Fernando is situated on/near a peninsula, it has become a world class competitive port and commercial center alongside the likes of other middle-tier world cities.

San Fernando is an urban land, however 3,251 hectares or 48 percent of its land area is still agricultural. While other declared agricultural areas increased in market value due to closeness to the commercial center, Sugarcane and rice utilizes utilizing 44.17 percent and 25.83 percent of the total farm area. Others crops are cassava and vegetables. Other areas in San Fernando were converted to fishpond producing ‘tilapia’. Other farmland is used for livestock and poultry raising.

San Fernando City Attractions

San Fernando City boasts of beautiful beaches and parks. The famous La Union Botanical Garden is a must to see. The Kasay Marine Sanctuary, Children’s Park, Engineered Sanitary Landfill, and the Poro Point Special Economic and Freeport Zone

San Fernando City Location

San Fernando City is bounded by the North by the Municipality of San Juan, on the South by the Municipality of Bauang; on the East by the municipalities of Bagulin and Naguilian and on the west by the South China Sea.

San Fernando City is only 270 kilometers north of Metro Manila (5 to 6 hours of travel by land).The transit point as well as origin-destination of buses plying the Manila-Laoag City route. San Fernando City is only 60 kilometers, about an hour, away by car from Baguio City, the Summer Capital of the Philippines and transit point to the mountain vistas and rich cultural tourist destinations in the highlands of the Cordilleras.

San Carlos City Description

San Carlos City was known as Nabingkalan in the 17th century, which was derived from the name of a chieftain’s daughter in Negrito settlement who governs the barrio at that time. The settlement was later bought by a fellow Filipino from Cebu and the settlement since then developed into a Christian Village.

Cebuano is the major dialect spoken in San Carlos City. English and Tagalog are spoken well and understood especially in the urban areas. Pedicabs are common mode of transport within the city. Buses and jeepneys provide service for intertown travel.

San Carlos City Attractions

Antiques, hand woven cloth like hablon, shellcraft, ceramic ware, woodcraft, leather goods, pottery, baskets and children’s garments are among the best buys.

San Carlos City Location

San Carlos City is located at the Northeast part of Negros Island bounded by the Municipality of Calatrava on the North, Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto and the City of Bago on the West, Municipality of Vallehermoso and the City of Kanla-on in the South side, and by Tañon Strait in the East.