One of the beautiful and inviting countries in southeast Asia, Philippines features numerous world-class shopping centers, which are important to trigger tourism and stimulate economic growth in the country. Many Philippines shopping complexes have modern architecture and relaxing atmosphere. To attract more customers, these establishments play home to several business centers and retail stores that offer affordable services and merchandises. For the comfort and convenience of customers, shopping malls provide capacious and safe parking areas. Above all, these places feature outstanding restaurants that serve delicious and reasonably priced meals.

SM Mall of Asia

Considered as the Philippines biggest shopping complex, SM Mall of Asia is situated at the Central Business Park Bay Boulevard in Pasay City. This commercial establishment features numerous apparel stores like Apple and Eve, British India and Arrow. Customers who want to shop for high-end products can always check out the merchandises available at Calvin Klein. For the enjoyment and recreation of shoppers, this place provides several arcade or gaming centers. When it comes to dining establishments, people can enjoy various delicacies at Chef d’ Angelo, Café Adriatico, Bangus Restaurant and French Baker. For refreshments, shoppers can satisfy their cravings for sweet snacks at the famous Krispy Kreme.

Festival Supermall

Known as the top performing shopping center in Muntinlupa City, Festival Supermall is easy to access because its location is very strategic. At the ground level, people can find several fast food chains and restaurants including Pizza Hut, Giligan’s Island Restaurant and Bar as well as Goldilocks. For those who want to buy branded items, this establishment plays home to Guess?, Calvin Klein and Bayo. Customers who like to purchase sports apparels can go to And1, Adidas and Sporting Goods. Shoppers can relax after getting all their needs inside the state-of-the-art cinemas that feature some of the latest foreign and local films.

Glorietta Mall

One of the most stylish and elegant shopping complexes in the Philippines, Glorietta Mall can be found at Ayala Center in the City of Makati. With seven grandiose and comfortable cinemas, customers can have a wonderful and relaxing time at this establishment. This mall features apparel stores such as Apriori Boutique. To satisfy the cravings of shoppers for delicious, delectable and mouth-watering dishes, Glorietta plays home to some of the popular restaurants in the country including Cabalen, California Pizza Kitchen and Almon Marina. Customers who have limited budget can dine at the inviting fast food stores such as Burger King and Jollibee.

Boracay is an alluring, enticing and inviting island in the province of Aklan, Philippines. Aside from swimming, jet skiing and diving, another enjoyable and fun activity to do at this place is shopping. To enhance tourism in the island, local entrepreneurs establish several souvenir shops that offer beautiful and cheap keepsakes as well as dry markets that sell high quality handicrafts. To provide a comfortable and relaxing shopping area, Boracay features a small but spacious mall, which plays home to cozy restaurants and enticing retail shops.

Talipapa Market

Tourists who want to cook their own food can purchase fresh vegetables, meat, fruits and seafood at Talipapa Market. Customers can also have a nice time at this Boracay shopping place because it has a dry section where they can find cheap but beautiful bracelets and necklaces. Most of the accessories available at this place are made from beads and seashells. One of the main attractions at this commercial market is a tattoo shop that offers cheap services to tourists and locals. This establishment is not hard to find since it stretches from the Main Road of the island to the White Beach. By allotting 200 pesos to 500 pesos, shoppers can purchase three to five keepsakes at Talipapa Market.

D’ Mall Shopping Center

Aside from Talipapa Market, tourists who like to do some shopping can visit D’ Mall at Station 2. This Boracay shopping complex plays home to stores that offer branded clothes and swimwear. Additionally, this business center features various souvenir shops that sell handicrafts like bags, lampshades, home decorations and rugs. D’ Mall is also popular for the fine dining places that it features. To have a fun time at this place, shoppers should allot 300 pesos to 600 pesos as a budget.

Lonely Planet

Local travelers and foreigners who collect different home products should take a look at the beautiful items offered at Lonely Planet. They have nothing to worry about the quality of the products available at this place because most of the merchandises were imported from other Asian countries like Thailand and India. The prices of items at Lonely Planet range from 400 pesos to 1,000 pesos.

Crystal Shack

When it comes to accessories and jewelries, one of the best Boracay shopping places to see is the Crystal Shack. This establishment offers silver jewelries like earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The costs of jewelries available at this place usually range from 300 pesos to 1,000 pesos.

The best way to earn in the country second to a high-paying employment is doing a business. Starting a business in the Philippines can be summarized in the following steps.

First of all, starting a business means getting a birth certificate. Then open the Sunday classified ads of any major daily in the country to look for people or companies offering business. Choose one that suits your preference, list several offers, and call them up one by one. Of the offers in the list choose two to three that seem to promise a more preferable deal. Meet with representatives of these offers. Most of these will probably be franchise offers, the trend in the country.

If the business is a franchise, ask for franchise documents that will prove one’s ownership of the franchise. This document will be asked by city hall officials and stall or concession owners one will later meet. Be sure that franchise documents are complete. This is important in starting a business. For particulars on franchise documents, contact the franchise main office. They will likely be listed online. Or try telephone operator service.

If the business is non-franchise, be sure to have all pertinent documents and records of the business one has bought. Among these are Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) documents for solo or single proprieties or a partnership and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) papers for corporations. Then there’s the business permit which is secured from city hall. Last, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) business papers. Be sure to have all these documents transferred to one’s name. Besides these business documents, starting a business also needs one to secure a barangay character and business clearance from the barangay where one plans to put up a business. Birth certificate is needed here.

The best option is to start one’s own business. Starting a business from scratch (not bought from somebody else) requires routine securing of all aforesaid documents. A warning though: without the barangay clearances no documentation will be accomplished at city hall. Days or week may pass before DTI or SEC or business or BIR papers can be released. So while waiting, one can proceed looking for business locations. Location is crucial in starting a business so give it lots of time.

Starting a business in the Philippines need to go through several phases: getting barangay clearances, securing DTI or SEC papers, business permit from city hall, BIR permit, and choosing a business location.

Perhaps you’ve known Palawan for its pristine, white beaches, untouched forests, marine biodiversity , archeological sites as well as its breathtaking rock formations. But after you’ve got your tan, enjoyed your sumptuous seafood dishes, finished your dive explorations and ended your island hopping adventures, what’s next for your remaining Palawan vacation?

Finishing all these activities does not mean Palawan has nothing else to offer and you have no choice but stay in your hotel room, catch up on what’s happening with the rest of the world and take a rest. No, it’s not yet time for that as shopping in Palawan is another kind of adventure which may prove to be one of a kind depending on which city or town in Palawan you are.
The items that you may you want to buy in Palawan would serve as your souvenir gifts for your yourself or to friends and relatives when you go home. Since Palawan’s natural resources, sceneries, cultures, arts and beliefs are diverse, you may find yourself with tons of souvenir items worth shopping for.

Apparels – Shirts, with or without sleeves, for kids or adults are a dime a dozen. From simple logos and images of beaches in El Nido, the Palawan subterranean river, Coron’s diving spots to Palawan artworks, you can choose which one to best describe your vacation in Palawan.

Pearls – Palawan is a shopping mecca for south sea pearls. From big pearl earrings to complete set of pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings, pearls stores in Palawan sell budget-friendly pearl jewelries. You can also opt for ingeniously crafted jewelries made from seashells that would definitely add a touch of class to your wardrobe.

Rain maker – This bamboo instrument used by natives in Palawan to summon rain clouds have been in the shopping bags of local and foreign tourists. You will never have a hard time looking for this souvenir item especially when you are in Puerto Princesa.
Tourist spots memorabilia – Choose from a wide variety of memorabilis such as native baskets, pens, bags, slippers and display items.

You need not worry if these souvenir items are only available at limited or certain locations in Palawan. Whether you’re staying at one town, just head to these spots and you would definitely find souvenir stalls.

El Nido – At the town proper, small establishments have been set up to cater to multitudes of tourist in El Nido. You can also head to your respective resorts and check out their souvenir shops.

Puerto Princesa – Shopping in Puerto Princesa is as easy as taking a tricycle and asking the driver to bring you these souvenir stores either you can head to the plaza just right across Puerto Princasa’s municipal hall or look for items at your hotel or even at the airport.

Coron – Though Coron may seem to be the less commercialized among the three tourist destinations in Palawan, the town has its share of souvenir stalls worth checking out. You can head to the dry market section at the town proper or walk around the town proper vicinity and you will easily find shops offering Coron memorabilia.

A good vacation or maybe the best vacation is a combination of relaxation, discovery, sharing and shopping. Palawan offers not just a respite from crowded cities and busy schedules, the island also lets you benefit from the therapeutic aspect of shopping.

The island of Cebu has plenty to offer when it comes to malls, boutiques and stores. Shopping in Cebu is not only for the masses who would like to buy affordable items but it is also for the elite searching for designer fashion and upscale boutiques. You can find absolutely anything in this city in just a day. Let us introduce you to the hotspots of the city.

For those who are looking for affordable accessories, clothes and toiletries should be seeking out Metro Gaisano which is located right in the metro of Cebu City. This mall is not too big but it can often become a little overcrowded so take good care of your purses or bags. You can find a food court in the top floor so that you can relax and take a lunch break while shopping. You can even fill your refrigerator at home with the groceries bought at Metro Gaisano.

The next mall that makes shopping in Cebu a delight is SM which stands for Shoe Mart. The mall however has nothing to do with shoes but it offers a variety of different stores, restaurants and salons. Shopping in Cebu and especially in SM is great because this mall is huge and you can be sure not to have to bump into strangers. Get the latest affordable fashion items from various boutiques such as Guess, Maldita or Penshoppe. You will also find The Body Shop and Watsons as well as several popular fast food chains such as KFC, McDonalds or Pizza Hut.

The ultimate destination if you are going to go shopping in Cebu is the Ayala Mall. Ayala is synonymous for class, elegance and designer fashion. If you are going shopping in Cebu to hunt down the most exclusive stores then you are in the right mall. The Ayala mall has several international brands on display such as Linea Italia, Guess, Marithe Francois Girbaud, Nine West, Hush Puppies and so many more. You will also find the designer shop called Rustan’s within the Ayala mall. Rustan’s in the Philippines is known for the most expensive and most stylish designer items and shopping in Cebu has never been this classy before.

Just like every Filipino city, you will be able to find so-called Sari Sari stores when you go shopping in Cebu as well. These stores that sell native Filipino products can be found in the Ayala mall and in the SM mall. The stores sell local pottery, clothes and house wares. If all these places are not reason enough to go shopping in Cebu, then we don’t know what else could possibly convince you. Enjoy your stay and shop until you drop in Cebu City.