GENERAL INFORMATION

About the Philippines

The Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world. It has a rich history combining Asian, European, and American influences. Prior to Spanish colonization in 1521, the Filipinos had a rich culture and were trading with the Chinese and the Japanese. Spain's colonization brought about the construction of Intramuros in 1571, a "Walled City" comprised of European buildings and churches, replicated in different parts of the archipelago. In 1898, after 350 years and 300 rebellions, the Filipinos, with leaders like Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo, succeeded in winning their independence.

Filipinos are a freedom-loving people, having waged two peaceful, bloodless revolutions against what were perceived as corrupt regimes. The Philippines is a vibrant democracy, as evidenced by 12 English national newspapers, 7 national television stations, hundreds of cable TV stations, and 2,000 radio stations.

Filipinos are a fun-loving people. Throughout the islands, there are fiestas celebrated everyday and foreign guests are always welcome to their homes.

APEC and the Philippines

The Philippines is one of the founding members of APEC, having joined the first summit in Australia in 1989. In 1996, the Philippines hosted the APEC meetings. It was here that the Manila Action Plan, which laid out the direction for APEC’s third pillar of Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH), was conceived.

Today, the Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations is the seat of the Philippine APEC National Secretariat. It manages and coordinates with the different government agencies all APEC-related matters.

Currency and Banking

The Philippines' monetary unit is the peso, divided into 100 centavos. Currently, the U.S. dollar is worth about 41 pesos, and the euro about 60 pesos. Foreign currency may be exchanged at any hotels, most large department stores, banks, and authorized money changing shops accredited by the Central Bank of the Philippines. International credit cards such as Visa, Diners Club, Bank Americard, Master Card, and American Express are accepted in major establishments.  

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%.   

Electricity

220 volts A/C is the common standard.

Communications Facilities

The country has international and national direct dial phone and facsimile services, mobile phone sites, internet and e-mail facilities, and worldwide express delivery service.

Internet – Broadband and wireless internet services are available in all major hotels and at the workshop venue.

Most national dailies are in English. Foreign publications are sold at major hotels, malls, and bookstores in Metro Manila and key cities. There are 7 national television stations which broadcast mainly in Filipino. Cable TV is available in many hotels in Manila and in many parts of the country.

Time Zones

Time Zone is GMT + 8 hours.

Drinking Water

Bottled water is available in many hotels, restaurants, resorts, supermarkets, and convenience stores.

Tipping

Although, nearly all major hotels and restaurants have a policy of automatically adding a 10 percent service charge to your bills, a small token to show you gratitude is still expected in the form of a tip, leaving the amount for the tip to the customer's own discretion. Apart from hotels and restaurants, other smaller service establishments as well as taxi drivers expect a small gratuity in return for the service rendered.

Tourism

Information on tourism can be found at Website: www.tourism.gov.ph.