Mabuhay! Welcome to the Philippines!

About the Philippines

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands covering a land area of 115,739 sq. m. (299,764 sq. km.). Main island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital is Manila.

ENTRY REGULATIONS

Travellers to the Philippines require a valid passport. Except for stateless persons and those from countries with which the Philippines has no diplomatic relations, all visitors may enter the country without visas and may stay for 21 days provided they have tickets for onward journey. Holders of Hong Kong and Taiwan passports must have special permits. Visas and special permits may be obtained from Philippine embassies and consulates. More info.

CLIMATE

March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy, November to February is cool. Average temperatures: 78°F / 25°C to 90°F / 32°C; humidity is 77%.

TIME ZONE

The Philippines is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Local time in the Philippines and the time difference from your home country can be found via this link: http://www.worldtimeserver.com.

POPULATION

There are a total of 76.5 million Filipinos as of the latest national census in May, 2000. Population growth is estimated at 2.36 percent annually. Luzon, the largest island group, accounts for more than half of the entire population.

LANGUAGES

Two official languages --- Filipino and English. Filipino which is based on Tagalog, is the national language. English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education.

Eight (8) major dialects spoken by majority of the Filipinos: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.

Filipino is the national language that is used nationwide as the language of communication among ethnic groups. Like any living language, Filipino is in a process of development through loans from Philippine languages and non-native languages for various situations, among speakers of different social backgrounds, and for topics for conversation and scholarly discourse. There are about 76 to 78 major language groups, with more than 500 dialects.

RELIGIONS

Some 83% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 5% are Moslem. The rest are made up of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhists.

UNIT OF MEASURE

The Metric System is used in most trade and legal transactions.

ELECTRICITY

220 volts a/c is the common standard. 110 volts a/c is also used, especially in major hotels.

CURRENCY

The Philippines' monetary unit is the Philippine Peso (Php), divided into 100 centavos. Bill denominations are Php 1000, Php 500, Php 200, Php 100, Php 50 and Php 20. Coin denominations are Php 10, Php 5, Php 1, Php O.25, Php 0.10 and Php 0.05. Foreign currency may be exchanged at most hotels, most large department stores, banks, and authorized money changing shops accredited by the Central Bank of the Philippines. The exchange rate is about Php 48 to US$1. The exchange rate with your home currency may be checked at http://www.xe.com/ucc/.

International credit cards such as Visa, Diners Club, Bank Americard, Master Card, and American Express are accepted in major establishments.

WATER

Water in Metro Manila and in key cities and towns is potable and safe for drinking. Bottled water is available in many hotels, restaurants, resorts, supermarkets, and convenience stores.

CUSTOMS

Visitors are advised to fill in the Baggage Declaration Form before disembarking to facilitate Customs examination. Visitors carrying more than US$ 3,000 are to declare the amount at the Central Bank of the Philippines counter situated at the Customs area. Foreign currency taken out upon departure must not exceed the amount brought in. Departing passengers are not allowed to bring out more than PhP 1,000 in local currency.

LOCAL TRANSPORT

Metered and fixed rate taxis are widely available in key cities nationwide. Airport taxis from the international airports in Manila have a higher rate, but is the most reliable way to your destination aside from planned hotel transfers. Hotels will aslo be glad to hail taxis for guests and there are taxi lines in most shopping centers. Flag-down rate is Php 30, and Php 2.50 is added for every 500 meters.

Jeepneys and buses are inexpensive ways of getting around most places.

In Metro Manila the fastest way of commuting is via the railway system. LRT connects Monumento on the north to Baclaran on the south. MRT traverses the length of EDSA from North Avenue to Taft Avenue.

HELPFUL PHONE NUMBERS

This information was partly collected from the Philippine Tourism website. Please visit WOWPhilippines for more information.