Philippines Guide
For Travelers, Expats and Pinoys
Dumaguete Personal Blogs
I know for sure that everybody had ‘head-turning’ moments in one or two occasions in our life. Being mesmerized to a certain person, to a thing or to a specific place is nothing but natural: it is a fact of life. Nonetheless, here in the Philippines, there is a place that would ‘snatch’ the hearts of every tourist if ever they would have a chance to see and experience this destination. Get ready and be hooked up by the charms of Dumaguete City!
The City of Gentle People
History dictates some proof why this place’s charisma is simply irresistible. ‘Daggit’ is one of the root word attributed to the location for two (2) possible reasons. During the ancient times, Muslim bandits or pirates frequently attacked this almost coastal place. Thus the word ‘to snatch’ or ‘Daggit’ was relatively attributed to the place. Another instance it was said that the natural charms of this place never failed to attract visitors and stay there for good and consequently another word was coined, ‘Dumaguet’, meaning ‘to swoop’ then it was named as ‘Dananguet’ in 1572 and was referred as ‘Dumaguete’ not until 1734.
Dumaguete City and its Charms
Sea lovers and divers alike would definitely love this place of Apo Island and Sumilion Island dive spots. Apo Island dive site showcases the wonder of the various marine flora and fauna which is one of the best in the world. Scuba diving is another activity to enjoy in this city. Children and the ‘young at heart’ would definitely enjoy whale and dolphin watching near Bais Bay. Another aquatic related activity or sports is kayaking.
If a tourist loves nature tripping through the land, spelunking in Mabinay Cave System is possible. Long walk or hiking on top of Mount Talinis to enjoy the three (3) lakes is another reason why this island ‘snatches’ the hearts of tourists and visitors alike. These sites or locations are Dumaguete City’s priceless gems and that is why the local government promotes and preserves them at the same time.
The City of Dumaguete is simply appealing. Its enticing charm had been its natural wonders and beauty since the ancient time and history attested to the place’s alluring appeal was overwhelming that whoever had seen this place would just like to stay for good. Nature has given Dumaguete City one of the best places to spend a lot of reasons (diverse activities in land or sea) why tourists and visitors should visit this place and be mesmerized.
Getting a Job as an Expat
Foreigners in the Philippines usually come to the country to see the unique tourist spots and destinations, and to meet wonderful people from a different culture. Because of the beauty of the Philippines and its people, many expats decide to stay longer in the country. Some of them applied for extension of their visa while some look for expat jobs.
So, how does one look for expat jobs in the Philippines? In the Philippines, just like in other countries, there are jobs that require a specific college degree and license to practice, apart from relevant experience in the job description. Examples of these jobs are jobs in the medical field, engineering, accounting and other types of employment that require passing the licensure exams. Which is why, as a foreigner, it could be difficult to get expat jobs similar to what you had in your country.
If you don’t plan to stay for a long time in the Philippines, you can start looking for expat jobs in the teaching field. Many foreigners now work in language schools training Filipinos in understanding, speaking and writing foreign languages. Who else would best suit expat jobs such as these but someone who has had experience in using the language. Not only Filipinos benefit from foreigners working in these expat jobs. There are also other foreigners who come to the Philippines to study in college or to learn a foreign language. Working in these expat jobs will lead you to meet people from different nationalities.
To make you more efficient in working in expat jobs related to teaching, it would be better to learn a bit of the Filipino language. This will make it easier for you to translate words and sentences for your trainees. Also, if you have been familiar with the Filipino culture, people in expat jobs who know how to speak Filipino finds it easier to mingle with Filipinos. Filipinos appreciate it when foreigners exert some effort in learning a bit of the local tongue.
To look for expat jobs, there are a number of Philippine job websites that you can check. Many language schools now look for language trainers who handle ten to fifty hours of language training. The most popular foreign languages that you can look into when checking expat jobs are English, Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese and German. Some languages from the Middle East, such as Arabic, are also being taught.
Apart from language schools, you can also look for expat jobs as a trainer in call centers. Call centers prefer trainers who have experience in dealing with native foreign language speakers. The language schools and the call centers are your best options in looking for expat jobs.
Cebu Personal Blogs
Cebu City has been the considered to be center of industry, education, trade and business. It has become more than a place but it has been a symbol of progress and development in in the Visayas Region. Being there is tantamount (almost) as being in Metro Manila (capital of the Philippines). The famous Magellan’s Cross is also one of the main tourist attractions of Cebu City.
Surviving Cebu City’s Whereabouts
Since Cebu City is a highly-developed metropolitan in the Philippines, there are a lot of must-see places around the vicinity. Most of these places have historical and religious significance throughout the history of Cebu. Two (2) of my favorite places are Casa Gorordo Museum and Basilica of Santo Niño (Basilica del Santo Niño or Basilica of the Holy Child). Casa Gorordo is a well-maintained grand mansion with Spanish-themed design. The said mansion is built mostly of wood and it has one of the best garden settings I had seen. The Basilica of Santo Niño, however, has been regarded as the oldest religious artifact or relic in the Philippines. Unlike old churches around the world, this church is still active-meaning devotees, not just tourists, flock the church for Catholic liturgical or spiritual activities. This church marked as the symbol for the conversion of the natives of Cebu (since the Spanish colonization) to Christianity or Catholicism.
How to roam around Cebu City
Philippines ‘King of the Road’ or Jeepneys are the main transporters of Cebu City. These jeeps are designed with colorful patterns that tourists would surely love! Minimum charge for the fare of this public utility vehicle is usually uniformed with standard fare in the Philippines. Buses are also available in the city transporting visitors on all parts of the island. Of course, if one has a bigger and heftier budget and would like to have some personal approach as per roaming around the city, taking or renting a cab would be the best option. Taxis are available virtually around the city. As per experience, it is always best to have somebody (a relative or local in the city) to guide through the city to do some bargaining to save some hard-earned money. Nonetheless, taxis provide better comfort compare to the usual public jeeps or buses, and of course, it always comes with an additional cost. Before I forget, tricycles are also available as one of the popular public vehicles that can get tourists and visitors alike in short distance travels.
Knowing and being informed of something about a certain place would definitely spell a big difference in traveling, roaming or exploring experience. As for me, it eases up away some tension or pressure and let me enjoy my precious moments of vacation worthwhile. Cebu has been a wonderful destination for me and I would be looking forward to be there anytime given another opportunity.
General Santos Personal Blogs
Emmanuel ‘Manny the PACMAN’ Pacquiao has been the the ‘real-life’ hero in the Philippines and in the professional boxing nowadays. His stardom was donned by the seven (7) world titles in seven (7) different weight categories or divisions. Most importantly, ‘The PACMAN’ has been the reason why the city of General Santos in Mindanao, Philippines has resurfaced in the limelight.
The Tuna Capital of the Philippines
I love tuna! I remember when my siblings and I were just a bunch of kids concern only with their toys, my mom usually described foods or meals she had to serve in order for us to eat them. When she cooked a certain kind of dish (it was tuna), I remembered her getting a piece of our toy fish and giving us some description of our dish. It was effective, and since then I love eating tuna.
I then realized that my mom’s description was a bit ‘short’ when I started my formal schooling. Based on the pictures and images I saw in my books, tunas are caught and were carried by fishermen over their shoulders. That means they were usually colossal in terms of size! I immediately confronted my mom about it, and she just laughed. Actually we both had a good laugh.
Encountering the Big Fish
We had a sort of team building planned by one of our superior at the office. I remembered him saying that it would be held somewhere in Mindanao. We were all excited and since Manny Pacquiao had been hitting the headlines, I thought his hometown: General Santos City. The day before our flight to Mindanao, my superior gave us a sort of documentation regarding his plans for the team building and lo and behold, we were on our way to General Santos City. When we arrived at the place; we were surprised to see and encounter our ‘big bosses’ offshore and gave us warm welcome. These guys were the ones we usually encounter through video phone or live chatting for meeting. It was good to know they were very accommodating. One of them actually admitted that he funded the team building at GenSan (another moniker of the city) because of the number one (1) pound-for-pound boxer in the world today: Manny Pacquiao. He advised us to enjoy and relax for us to be prepared of his culminating activity for the team building.
After a hefty lunch, we went to the Kalaja Eco-Tourism Destination. Kalaja Karsts Land was one of the best sights I was able to see in my entire life. Karsts are terrain formation molded by the dissolution of layers of soluble rock layer. It was called as ‘Kalaha’ after the name given by the natives because it resembles a cooking ware, particularly of a frying pot. The place was very relaxing because of scenery.
We continued our tour at GenSan and before we arrived in a fish port, one of the big bosses stood up and shouted, ‘are you ready for the challenge?’ Clueless of what we were about to do, in unison, we just replied ‘Yes!’ and the boss quipped ‘you better be ready guys!’ and laughed, since he was the boss we laughed with him as well.
When we entered the post vicinity, we were pleased to see a banner welcoming us. What made us wonder was the settings of the place seemed to suggest a sort of an activity. The host greeted us and gave us instructions of what would be happening after we change clothes and put on some gears. We were geared up for a game involving tunas, not just tunas, they were big tunas! We have had a relay game of transferring of tuna from one station to another. Tunas’ weight was no joke considering the fact that we had to carry them from one point to another. It was a fun-filled and very memorable experience for us. To be exact, it was a humbling experience. As for me, it made me more respectful of the fishermen who would do the activity over and over again to earn for a living. It made me realized as well the value of my present job.
General Santo City or GenSan had been blessed with tons and tons of tuna production the whole year long. This industry made them competitive in terms of economic growth amongst progressive cities in the Philippines. As a sort of thanksgiving, the locals celebrate the ‘Kalilangan Festival’ to showcase their talents and efforts as a sense of gratitude for an abundant harvest. For me, GenSan is one of the most memorable places in terms of natural resources.
Angeles City Personal Blogs
My favorite Food
One of my favorite foods or delicacies I consider is ‘Sisig’. The crunchiness, spice tingling taste and its sour based flavor made it a truly uniquely ‘Filipino’. I even asked my one of my relatives to teach me how to cook ‘Sisig’ in her own version. Cooking the dish was a learning experience; the procedure needed a lot of effort and in order to perfect it, one must learn the secret of the ‘know-how’ of the dish.
Angeles City: The Home of ‘Sisig’
I had cooked the dish twice or thrice since it needed a lot of effort, as I had said. Whenever there would be a sort of drinking sessions, ‘Sisig’ would definitely complete the gathering. During my college days, I was dubbed by one of the refectory servers as ‘Mr.Sisig’ for obvious reason. I always ordered or asked for the same dish every lunch time. I recalled searching for the origin of ‘Sisig’ for a day instead of researching for my thesis.
My girlfriend was from Pampanga and she knew about my ‘obsession’ with the dish. She surprised me as she asked me to accompany her at home and spend our short break with her family. Her mom cooked a special ‘Kare-kare’ (Philippine stew) also one of my favorite. I never appreciated peanut butter but, ‘Kare-kare’ was an exception. The dish was made from variety of vegetables, oxtail, tripe, beef and peanut sauce. Anyway I looked for ‘Sisig’ but to my surprise, it was not in the menu. It seemed that one of my girlfriend’s siblings noticed a sort of disappointment in my aura. I then observed my girlfriend and her parents whispered something and had grinned. I sensed they were up to something. The lunch continued then we rested for sometime.
My girlfriend then asked me to prepare because we would be going somewhere else and it would be a surprise. We went to SM (a famous local mall in the Philippines originally stands for ‘Shoe Mart’) and I observed a lot of locals gathering. As if I was hearing a count down or a loud music, all of a sudden the place was literally filled with ‘Sisig’! it was the annual ‘Sisig’ Festival that we were going to attend to and my girlfriend gave me a sweet kiss on my cheek asked me to open my mouth then she gave me a spoonful of my favorite ‘Sisig’! It was a lovely and memorable afternoon for me again with my beloved and her family. Her parents then asked me to celebrate Hearts’ Day with them instead of being somewhere else with their daughter. I simply said a definite ‘Yes!’ to their request.
Hot-Air Ballon Festival
Months after the ‘Sisig’ Festival, my girlfriend reminded me of my commitment to her parents. I even gave her an assurance that it would be happening. As far as I could recall, we went back to Pampanga again before Valentine’s Day. I was surprised that from Los Baños, Laguna, we had a non-stop travel going to Angeles City, Pampanga. We had not even had a chance to drop by at their home to leave some loads to make ourselves a bit comfortable. As we arrived at the venue, I saw a familiar sports utility vehicle and my girlfriend just opened the trunk and put all our things and headed towards the hot-air balloon field and this was actually the first (1st) time I saw such huge balloons with their pilots in them! Her dad told me that this festival had been celebrated for seven (7) or eight (8) years in Pampanga. I was really a crowd drawer. Since my girlfriend’s dad was part of the organizing team, they planned to have it longer than the usual weekend affair. I was really happy that time. Spending Hearts’ Day with your beloved and her loved ones as well made us even closer.
Angeles City has been transformed and has improved to a booming export processing area or zone in Pampanga. The two festivals are indeed tourist attraction and are definitely an income generating event for the benefit of the municipality. Since Angeles City has been strategically located to the busy lifestyle of Metro Manila, commerce and business would certainly flourish.
Ormoc Personal Blogs
At a young age, I felt a terrible sensation of being disturbed when poor locals of Ormoc had been ravaged by series of landslides and flashfloods way back 1991. I could still recall the horrific views in every newsflash that time and it really made me sick in a way or two. Nonetheless, as a gesture of respect and hope, my parents and I offered prayers every night for the healing process of the province and as well of our country.
Years after the tragedy, I was still stunned by the memory of those fateful days. When I entered college, I met one of the survivors of the said tragedy. At that time, whenever she shared her life threatening ordeal, see could not help but shed tears. All I could do that time was to tap her and assured her that things would be better. As if I had a genie in a bottle, things went well for the next few years on her end. During the last days of our college years, she initiated that we should plan a vacation and she would be the gracious host. I was surprised to her that and I agree to join the trip (not without some inhibitions). Few days after getting our hard-earned diplomas, we were set to her place at Ormoc and we were all surprised.
Ormoc City: the Leyte’s humble Economic Center
Yes, as soon as we set our foot to Ormoc, we were immediately captivated by its charm. It was like that my reservations had been overcome and I knew for a fact that this was most likely, a major factor for my friend’s recovery. Ormoc had definitely bounced back big time from its terrible past. As per economic progress, it was now considered as a first (1st) class city.
Best Places
We stayed at our friend’s home for the rest of our vacation. As a gracious host, she provided everything we needed. She said that it was her way of thanking us for understanding her situation and for the friendship we had for the past four (4) years of our college lives. For the next days, she led us through various noted landmarks of her native land. Located at the heart of the city, we had some good bonding time with the Ormocanons (locals of Ormoc) as we strolled along the Centennial Park. Since my one of my favorite fruits was pineapple (for some unknown reasons) we went to Brgy. Hibunawon to visit the pineapple plantation and to taste one of Ormoc’s pride the Queen Pineapple. It was best pineapple I ever tasted! We also had a chance passing by the Leyte Golf and Country Club where we met one of our friend’s relative who was a golf enthusiast. We were able to visit as well the Tongonan Hotsprings National Park. It was the first (1st) geothermal plant to run in the Philippines. This power plant also served as the main source of electricity or power of the whole district. Our tour was capped at the Lake Danao and tried to be with ‘Mother Nature’ as we boarded on floating cottages to be relaxed and rejuvenated.
Ormoc City after their worst ordeal as a municipality had been a symbol of hope and possibility to rise up and start all over again. Being a first class city in terms of financial or economic stability proved that this city had been gifted with determined people who knew how to handle their own fate and success.
Samar Personal Blogs
More than 7000 fertile islands composed the country of the Philippines and the island of Samar is the third (3rd) biggest or largest one which is connected to Leyte which is an island on the southwestern part and flanking on the Pacific Ocean at the eastern part. The island of Samar has been defined by remarkable Natural Park, hot springs and stunning beaches. The Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park in Samar is located at the southern part of the island was established to conserve and protect thriving rainforest and mystifying caves. Another noted natural beauty of this island is the Blanca Aurora Waterfalls. It is a must for tourists or visitors to see and experience this natural landmark of Samar.
Catarman: Capital of North Samar
The beauty of Samar is still hidden in Catarman. Tourist spots in this location have yet to be discovered. For those who have had discover its wonder, the local government provided some tourist amenity and basic services. To accommodate tourists, pension houses are common in the place. Though the place is categorically rural, but its market and shopping center are significantly okay.
My Place of Refuge
Catarman had been my place of refuge when I was in college. Especially during those times I was really burned out by thesis making. My thesis moderator encouraged me to submit every week at least, two (2) pages of my work for me to finish my thesis earlier than the usual so that I could relax. Honestly, it was really a good discipline; nonetheless, I had to admit it was very tough. I had to make ends meet during that two (2) month journey to Calvary as I tried giving him report every week. However, it was worth it, I finished my thesis before the first (1st) semester ended and it was such an achievement for me but my energy had been totally drained. My moderator asked me if I were okay and I frankly said I was not. I told him with due respect that it had taken the best of me I really needed a break. He just laughed and said that my efforts had been paid off because he would be giving us a total relaxation. He told me to be ready in two (2) days because we were set to Catarman-his hometown. I felt a rush of cold water showered upon me giving and ecstatic feeling! For the next few days my classmates and I enjoyed a wonderful distressing vacation in Catarman.
The Catarman getaway was definitely one of the most memorable experiences for me. It was the best place for me to relax because it had defined the real meaning of the phrase ‘getting away from it all’. It was such a ‘retreat’ for me and maybe for some other classmates because unlike other tourist spots, it seemed that when we stayed there, it was as if it was our ‘own place’. The people were so warm and hospitable that I made a pact to the place that I would be returning to the place if stress had taken a big part of me. O failed with that pact, simply because I used to go to Catarman, not to do away with stress, but to answer the call of its irresistible beauty.
Sorsogon Personal Blogs
I remember during my primary and secondary education years in school, whenever somebody would be asking me what would be the best beach resort for me, I always replied, ‘Rizal Beach!’ Then, everybody around me would gave me their straight faces with the usual question, ‘Rizal Beach?’ Almost everybody in the classroom did not have any idea what or where Rizal Beach was located; except of course to some of my fellow ‘kababayan’ (native of the same province or region) who knew of the place. Honestly, I felt a bit of disappointment and regret to know that only a few had an idea where or what is Rizal Beach. Nonetheless, I was never embarrassed every time it happened because Rizal Beach was certainly one of the best getaways especially during summer days.
Gubat, Sorsogon: Our Place of Origin
My father was born and lived his first years of his childhood in Gubat, Sorsogon. Some of his siblings as well were born and raised in the same town until our grandparents took risk to have a better life in the concrete jungle of Metro Manila. Since my papa is a Bicolano, as always, whenever we planned to stay in Bicol for quite sometime, we would be staying at Legazpi City (on one of my father’s ancestral homes) for a day or two to prepare ourselves as we go to Gubat, Sorsogon. I really love the place because, as we always claim, we have a good ‘swimming spot’ at the back of our home! There is seashore waiting for us to swim and enjoy. Not to mention the best delicacies our relatives would be giving us.
The Rizal Beach
Whenever my father would be telling us to prepare ourselves to go to Rizal Beach, It would always be a mixed feeling of excitement and lonely anticipation. The ‘Rizal Beach Trip’ was the signal that our Bicol escapades would soon be over. It was always like that. Nevertheless, the thought of being in this cool place always made me awake the whole night because of exhilaration. After taking out hearty breakfast, we would now be headed to Rizal Beach for the next almost half-a-day of fun. Even the scorching heat of the sun could not tone down our enthusiasm a bit. Since it was our clan’s place, we would just stay on one of the best and biggest cottage or cottages available by the shore to secure our things. Cottages during that time were for rent and it was always a ‘first come-first serve’ policy. We were definitely exempted of this rule since it is ‘our place’. Just a short phone call and our relatives would be preparing the place for us. After a long and fun-filled day, we knew that within a day or two we would be going back to Manila.
Rizal Beach: My Latest Visit
After finishing college and receiving my diploma, I decided to have a trip to Gubat, Sorsogon after almost ten (10) long years. The accommodation was still the same and certainly it was very special. For years that I had not been here, the local government boosted their efforts in fostering the Eco-Tourism. What I liked best was the ‘Butanding’ or Whale Shark interaction. I was lucky that I was there at one of their peak months (February until May) that I was able to swim with these gentle giants. I never failed to visit my favorite place which was the Rizal Beach and it had surpassed my expectations. Ten (10) years ago, the place was not that developed until my last visit that there were now accommodations along the shore! I was surprised to see some of the famous movie stars relaxing with me as well enjoying my ‘favorite’ beach.
Sorsogon nowadays is one of the best places to be here in the Philippines. The accommodating and hospitable natives of this wonderful place this feat possible. I am definitely one of the proud Bicolanos to have had witnessed the place’s development throughout the years. As our relatives would greet us, ‘Dagos Tabi!’ which means ‘hop in or come in, you are very welcome!’
Makati Personal Blogs
I am certainly not from Makati City. I reside at one of the highly-developed cities around the Metropolitan Manila and it has been always that way for the past twenty-one (21) years with my family. However, I could easily say and express that my conscious being or my awareness has been formed by the city of Makati. If by chance, I would be a tour guide and I would be given options whether to tour visitors in my city or to guide tourists to Makati City, without a doubt, I would pick the latter. I maybe exaggerating to say this, but I would easily find my way back home anywhere from Makati City than to give directions how to roam around the city where I live.
A bit of a History
With great pride and honor, I could definitely say that I am a ‘Makateño’ (a local resident of Makati)! I had stayed at Makati for always eight (8) formative years of my life. After finishing my primary education, I decided to take my secondary education in an all-boys institution at Guadalupe, Makati City. As the saying goes, high school life is the most memorable part of being a student. I do strongly agree with whoever asserted that phrase.
As a student, I am a bit sentimental about the places I have been in a way or the other. It started during high school. We were trained to look up or use a dictionary whenever we were unsure of the meaning of the words we encountered through our readings. The beauty of this discipline is that, students would be given a chance to encounter other ‘words’, enriching their vocabulary in the process. Using a ‘bigger’ dictionary than thesaurus may give students an edge regarding etymologies and from what place these words originated. A bit of a history could be sense because of the ‘circas’ indicated on the note. Since then I was given a sense of sentimentality about almost everything.
Makati City is far from what it was the time it was discovered by the Spaniards. It was a useless swampy area and due to language barrier it was baptized as ‘Makati’-'ebbing tide’. The tides of progress started to favor Makati when Catholic Churches were built and since then, it was visited by devotees all over the country. Flocking people in certain place; even today ‘spells’ a possible good business venue. Since then, Makati has been evolved as the Philippines’ premium city in terms of business and economy
Financial Capital of the Philippines
Makati City, through the years has become the capital of commerce in the Philippines. It has become a ‘symbol’ of economic, financial and commercial status of the Philippines. It is said to be the ‘Pinoy’ (Filipino) version of the Wall Street because it has been the home of the prominent Makati Business Club and the venue of Philippine Stock Exchange. It is also because of the offices of multinational companies situated at Makati City made it a financial capital. As for me, Makati is a city that never sleeps because of the malls where my friends and I have fun to ease some tension from school demands.
Shopping Centers
Makati City is also defined by malls trying to allure you all kinds of materiality the corporate world could give. The definition my sound sarcastic but, nonetheless, strolling in the mall has been a favorite past time. Philippines is a tropical country and you do not expect people walking around the park most often than not because of the weather (with exemption to Philippines’ Summer Capital-Baguio, which is one of the places I also love). I remember when we were still students; we made sure that we ‘save’ some from our allowance to spend on our gathering at one of Makati’s famous mall, Glorietta. Though we have save a little, the point of ‘being there’ with your friends was a priceless moment. Makati will always be remembered because of those times.
Makati greeted us back saying: Welcome to the corporate world!
After we graduated, since school was over, we stayed on our own hometowns to rest a bit. Nonetheless, after few months of unwinding, we found ourselves again at Makati City not as students, but rather as aspiring ‘young professionals’ trying to survive the corporate tide. We should be still spending more time at malls because of our salaries, but certainly, things have changed. Everything is in a constant flux and what is only constant in this world is change. Yes, we do have our own money to spend but time for ourselves has become an essence. Money can buy us whatever food we want to eat but it cannot definitely buy time. We tried other venues other than the malls of Makati to accommodate our other classmates but still, we would end up at Hard Rock Café boozing all the way.
Children of Makati City
Since graduating at one of the prestigious institution at Makati, we see to it that every Monday, my fellow alumni and I would be playing basketball at our school. Cherished memories will always be there to make us smile as we remember how we developed our own personalities.
Makati started out as a piece of ‘worthless swamp’. Nonetheless, that imagery has become just a mere shadow of the past. Dubbed as the Philippines’ ‘Wall Street’, Makati City is the representation of economic struggle on the way to financial progress and stability. Makati City’s development throughout the history has been a representation of my own corporate career path. I started at Makati as a student; a nobody trying to learn the ‘ways of life’ and surprisingly, I went back to Makati to prove what I have learnt and right now I am still at Makati making ends meet as a ‘young professional’. I am aware that after some time, I would be somewhere outside this great city, but definitely; Makati would always be a cherished part of my life.
Cebu Personal Blogs
Cebu City has been the considered to be center of industry, education, trade and business. It has become more than a place but it has been a symbol of progress and development in in the Visayas Region. Being there is tantamount (almost) as being in Metro Manila (capital of the Philippines). The famous Magellan’s Cross is also one of the main tourist attractions of Cebu City.
Surviving Cebu City’s Whereabouts
Since Cebu City is a highly-developed metropolitan in the Philippines, there are a lot of must-see places around the vicinity. Most of these places have historical and religious significance throughout the history of Cebu. Two (2) of my favorite places are Casa Gorordo Museum and Basilica of Santo Niño (Basilica del Santo Niño or Basilica of the Holy Child). Casa Gorordo is a well-maintained grand mansion with Spanish-themed design. The said mansion is built mostly of wood and it has one of the best garden settings I had seen. The Basilica of Santo Niño, however, has been regarded as the oldest religious artifact or relic in the Philippines. Unlike old churches around the world, this church is still active-meaning devotees, not just tourists, flock the church for Catholic liturgical or spiritual activities. This church marked as the symbol for the conversion of the natives of Cebu (since the Spanish colonization) to Christianity or Catholicism.
How to roam around Cebu City
Philippines ‘King of the Road’ or Jeepneys are the main transporters of Cebu City. These jeeps are designed with colorful patterns that tourists would surely love! Minimum charge for the fare of this public utility vehicle is usually uniformed with standard fare in the Philippines. Buses are also available in the city transporting visitors on all parts of the island. Of course, if one has a bigger and heftier budget and would like to have some personal approach as per roaming around the city, taking or renting a cab would be the best option. Taxis are available virtually around the city. As per experience, it is always best to have somebody (a relative or local in the city) to guide through the city to do some bargaining to save some hard-earned money. Nonetheless, taxis provide better comfort compare to the usual public jeeps or buses, and of course, it always comes with an additional cost. Before I forget, tricycles are also available as one of the popular public vehicles that can get tourists and visitors alike in short distance travels.
Knowing and being informed of something about a certain place would definitely spell a big difference in traveling, roaming or exploring experience. As for me, it eases up away some tension or pressure and let me enjoy my precious moments of vacation worthwhile. Cebu has been a wonderful destination for me and I would be looking forward to be there anytime given another opportunity.