Welcome to the Philippines! - Service Volontaire International

Welcome to the
Philippines!
Greetings from Global Intiative for Exchange and
Development Inc.!
Welcome to the Pearl of the Orient Seas, with its 7,107 islands and diverse and
rich cultures and traditions. We warmly invite and welcome you to experience a
more than the usual international voluntary service.
GIED Team
Airports
NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino) or NAIA
(IATA: MNL, ICAO: RPLL), also known as Manila International Airport is one of the two international
airports serving the Metro Manila Area and is the main international gateway to the Philippines.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport is located along the border between Pasay City and Parañaque City
in Metro Manila. It is about 7 kilometers south of the country's capital Manila, and southwest of Makati
City's Central Business District.
It has 4 terminals:
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Terminal 1: NAIA Terminal - International flights, non-Philippine Airlines
Terminal 2: Centennial Terminal - All Philippine Airlines flights only (North wing International,
South wing Domestic)
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Terminal 3: NAIA International Terminal – International/Domestic flights (Air Philippines, Cebu
Pacific, Zest Airways)
Terminal 4: MIAA Domestic Terminal - All domestic flights (Sea Air/Tiger Airways)
MACTAN-CEBU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Mactan–Cebu International Airport (Cebuano: Tugpahanang Pangkalibutan sa Mactan–Sugbo,
Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Mactan–Cebu) (IATA: CEB, ICAO: RPVM) located in Central
Visayas region, is the second busiest airport of the Philippines and one of the top 20 airports in the
ASEAN region in 2011.It is located in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island, part of Metro Cebu. The airport
is managed by the Mactan–Cebu International Airport Authority. It covers an area of 797 hectares (1,970
acres)
The existing terminal houses both domestic and international operations and has an annual capacity of
4.5 million passengers.
Transportation
Cebu, like any developed metropolis, has many different kinds of transportations. You can go from one
place to another with ease. There are such varieties of transportation from the casual ones to the
indigenous ones.
You can ride a cab and tell the driver where you want to go (generally they know all the routes) just ask
them to switch on their meter. By the way, the plug down rate in a cab is Php40.00. Jeepneys are also
widely used in Cebu. It is an innovative, one of a kind means of transportation in the Philippines. They
have certain routes and you’ll know their route by their sign board on front of the windshield. The
minimum fare is Php8.00 per 7 km. and they usually have this fare matrix displayed inside the vehicle
for reference.
We also have the tri-bike or as affectionately known in the Philippines a “trike”. This is a motorbike with
passenger side car. Usually it is used for transportation within the barangays, inside subdivisions or
places with buildings with near proximity. Two to three people can be accommodated on the trike and
the usual fare is Php7.00 to Php10.00 each. You can access nearby places with this transportation
means without walking!
Jeepney
Taxi
Tricycle
Bus
Weather
The climate in the Philippines is marked by comparatively high temperature, high humidity and plenty
of rainfall. Philippines enjoy a predominantly tropical climate. On an average, the mean annual
temperature of Philippines is 26.6 Celsius. In Philippines, January is the coolest month while the
warmest month is May. The entire nation of Philippines has a high relative humidity because of high
temperature and the surrounding water bodies. The different regions of Philippines do not enjoy a
uniform distribution of monsoon and it primarily depends on the direction of the moisture-bearing
winds and the location of the mountain systems. Based on temperature and rainfall, the climate of
Philippines can be categorized into two predominant seasons comprising of the rainy season, from June
to November; and the dry season, from December to May.
Clothing
People in the Philippines dress for the weather (HOT!). It would not be advisable, though to
wear too short skirts and shorts, revealing tops, etc. It is advisable to bring clothing that are
appropriate for warm tropical weather, but make sure to bring lightweight raincoat or umbrella
in anticipation of any change of weather. As it is the rainy season, it would also be advisable to
bring mosquito repellant.
Health
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Chong Hua Hospital
Cebu Doctors University Hospital
Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
Cebu has the best doctors and best hospitals in the Philippines. Although basic medicines are
sold at drugstores, which are very accessible, you might want to bring along some such as for
headache, colds and stomach ache.
Visa
Volunteers should apply for a non-immigrant tourist visa in their home country, if they are
staying longer than 30 days in the Philippines.
Nationals from 151 countries may enter the Philippines without a visa and stay for a maximum
of thirty (30) days, provided they are holders of a passport valid at least six (6) months beyond
the period of stay in the Philippines, and present a return or outward bound ticket to their
country of origin or to a next country of destination. However, Immigration Officers at ports of
entry may exercise their discretion to admit holders of passports valid for at least sixty (60)
days beyond the intended period of stay.
People
Halo-halo is a Filipino word that means mixture. While it describes a popular dessert, it could
also describe the Filipinos. The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put
together. The bayanihan or spirit of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for is
said to be taken from Malay forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been
inherited from the Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced
Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character
and this is what distinguishes the Filipino. Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only,
English-proficient Oriental people today. Filipino is the official national language, with English
considered as the country's unofficial one.