Tag Archives: Philippines

As a rising tourist destination that will soon eclipse all other destinations in the Philippines, Palawan does not come cheap in certain places, especially with the omnipresent travel agencies and tour companies that make a living out of your travel budget. So before you sign up for a 600 peso …

When authority speaks, we ought to listen. This year, the heavyweights of the travel industry have spoken; taken their pick (and road-tested) superlative – best, fairest, cheapest – destinations for 2013. Their choices definitely vary, but they arrived at a common conclusion despite differences in criteria: Southeast Asia just won’t …

If you prefer DIY tours, then knowing how to haul yourself and your stuff from one point to another via public transport helps a lot. It’s economical and allows you to touch base with everyday people which makes travel realistic and multi-dimensional. In the Philippines, public transport can be a …

Having a row with the neighbor occasionally happens, and that’s what has been happening to Malaysia and the Philippines lately (although the “fight” is more like between the Filipino heirs of an ancient sultanate and the Malaysian government). The two countries are presently involved in a territorial dispute concerning Sabah, …

It’s easy to see Manila as a city of bumper-to-bumper cars in rush hour and overlook the pockets of charm that it exudes when the monsoon rains come. But look past its urban trappings and the vagaries of weather to experience the city’s character that provides an apt introduction to …

Before it snagged the coveted title of one of the world’s newest Seven Wonders of Nature, the St. Paul Subterranean River National Park, now more famously known as the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR), was already on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed December 4, 1999) for …

Malacanang Palace is yet to release the official schedule for Philippines public holidays in 2014 sometime in the middle of the year in the form of an executive order (EO). Every year, Philippine public holidays are celebrated on the followings dates, except moveable dates that depend on the liturgical calendar …

“Kadayawan sa Dabaw” started as a tribal festival in the 1970s to showcase the indigenous peoples’ rituals of celebration after a bountiful harvest. To entice investment into the region after a tumultuous Martial Law regime, local executives decided to bring to the fore the agricultural and natural bounty of Davao …

Consider these numbers for a Philippine province: 1,780 islands (out of the country’s more than 7,000); 52 living dialects and languages (of the more than 120 in the Philippines); 279 bird species, 27 endemic to the country. There is also that 2,000 kilometers of coastline and two UNESCO World Heritage …

The number 7,000 (islands) figures prominently every time any article about the Philippines is written, and for good reason. The country is archipelagic, and it pays to toot one’s own horn and flaunt statistics, especially if it serves the purpose of attracting curious travelers. Not all tourists coming to the …

If you’re making your way to the Philippines any time this year, check out this “Long Weekend Guidelines for 2013” by Jonas Roque. At a quick glance, you’ll be able to know which days in a month are declared as official holidays, and which dates are marked as non-working days. …

Mangroves enchant me in the same way underwater worlds do. They appeal to my sense of wonderment that I cannot quite verbalize, as if some primeval part of me responds to the shrill cries kingfishers make as they flit from tree to tree. Everytime I find myself in a mangrove …