BPI Increases ATM Fees to 15 Pesos

Effective October 22, 2012, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) will implement an increase in fees for cardholders withdrawing from non-BPI ATMs. The announcement was made through BPI website.

From the current 10 Pesos charge, it will become 15 Pesos. But withdrawals using BPI ATMs will remain free though.


BPI is the third largest bank in the country in terms of assets (behind BDO and Metro Bank). It is also the oldest bank in the country and is owned by the country's oldest conglomerate, Ayala Corporation.

VIDEO: MMDA Traffic Enforcers Dances Gangnam Style

Oppa Gangnam Style meme continues to spread around the world and more and more version of the popular video have already been uploaded to video-sharing sites like YouTube. The videos range from funny to corny.

Well, our very own MMDA traffic enforcers has their own version too. Posted by MMDA "traffic czar" Yves Gonzales, the MMDA men will show the world that they deserve a space in YouTube, by dancing to the tune of PSY's Oppa Gangnam Style.

What do you think? Funny or corny?

You Can Now Pay Your PAL Booking At Seven-Eleven Stores

7 Eleven sign in L.A. (Photo credit: Tommy Ironic)

Following the move of the low-cost airline Airphil Express, Philippine Airlines (PAL) now allows customers to pay online bookings via Seven-Eleven stores. This would mean that you don't need to have a credit card to avail of their latest promos and deals. Furthermore, PAL will install ECPAY Payment Center facilities in all 766 7-11 retail stores nationwide to accommodate as many customers as possible.

Procedure of Purchase
The customer just need to go to PAL's website, input  the travel details including the destinations and the dates of flight. After clicking next, you will be taken to a page where you will be asked to choose whether to Proceed to Payment or Reserve and Hold. If you chose to reserve and hold your itinerary, then you have to log-in with your username and password. If you don't have an account, click on the "Create New Account"  link to register.

Upon successful log-in, proceed to the next steps and enter the passenger information. After completing all the required booking procedures, then you will receive a confirmation email. Print that email and go to the nearest 7-11 store to pay. After paying, you will receive the official e-ticket via email also.

Please remember the following:
(1) Your travel time should be at least 48 hours from the time of booking.
(2) You need to pay at a 7-11 store within 24 hours after the booking is completed.
If both conditions are not met, then you will either be denied to book or forfeit your reservation.

For inquiries, you may call the ECPay Customer Support at these contact numbers and email address:
(02) 421-6032 to 35 
customerservice@ecpay.com.ph

Airphil Express Revamps Booking Page - Added Seven-Eleven, Petron or M Lhuillier as Payment Options

San Miguel owned low-cost airline Airphil  Express website had a major face-lift featuring a cleaner and clearer interface for easy booking and management of of your bookings. Here's a snapshot of the new Airphil website:

Just like the previous designs, Airphil Express still maintained its motif: orange. But this time, the contrast between the white background and the graphics make it easier to find the function you are looking for like the Manage Booking, Web Check-in and Flight Status.

New Payment Options: 7-11, Petron, M Lhuillier
One major change aside from the looks is the addition of new payment options. Before, you need to have a credit card to book online. Now, even without credit card, you can avail of Airphil Express deals and promos. Just go ahead with the normal booking procedure until the Payment portion. In that portion, choose "other" payment choices. Just take note of the reference number and the amount. On that same day, before 11:30 PM, you need to go to the nearest 7-11, Petron, or M Lhuillier Stores and pay the amount. If you fail to do so, your booking will automatically be cancelled.

Click to ENLARGE the image.

Jessica Sanchez and other American Idol Season 11 Finalists Arrive in the Philippines

American Idol logo 2008–2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jessica Sanchez along with the top 10 American Idol Season 11 finalists have arrived in Manila early this morning. The 10 finalist will be having a concert this coming September 21 and from today until then, they will be very busy touring the malls in Metro Manila to promote not only the concert but also their album: American Idol Highlights.

Jessica Sanchez is the first runner up of AI Season 11. She has a Filipino-Mexican roots. Well loved by the judges because of her powerful voice and fearless renditions of her songs during the contest, she went all the way to the finals despite an instant where the votes wasn't able to save her. Philip Philips ends up the the winner and Jessica as the runner up.

List of Philippine Holidays for Year 2013 - Proclamation 459

As early as last month, August, the Office of the President have already issued the list of holidays for next year, 2012. Proclamation No. 459 s. 2012 list all the regular, special non-working, special working (for schools only), and movable holidays.

Unless otherwise deemed necessary to move any of these holidays, the dates were already fix. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was given the charge to promulgate guidelines for this Proclamation.

Regular Holidays 
January 1 (Tuesday) - New Year's Day
March 28 -  Maundy Thursday
March 29 - Good Friday
April 9 (Tuesday) - Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)

May 1 (Wednesday) - Labor Day
June 12 (Wednesday) - Independence Day
August 26 (Last Monday of August) - National Heroes Day
November 30 (Saturday) - Bonifacio Day
December 25 (Wednesday) -  Christmas Day
December 30 (Monday) - Rizal Day

Special Non-working Holidays

March 30 - Black Saturday
August 21 (Wednesday) - Ninoy Aquino Day
November 1 (Friday) - All Saints Day
November 2 (Saturday) - All Souls Day
December 24 (Tuesday) - Additional special non-working day
December 31 (Tuesday) - Last Day of the Year

Special Holiday (for schools only)

February 25 (Monday) - EDSA Revolution Anniversary

Movable Holidays:

Eid’l Fitr*
Eidul Adha*

*The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall determine the dates of these Muslim festivals based on the Islamic calendar.

Any added holidays shall be declared via separate presidential proclamation.

Link to the official proclamation.

Money: List of Universal Banks in the Philippines

What is a universal bank or unibank? Well, universal banks are licensed to do many kinds banking activities covering both the activities of a commercial bank (loans, time deposits, savings) and an investment bank (underwriting, issuance of securities, assisting companies in mergers and acquisitions).

In the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral  or the Central Bank has the sole right to issue licences to banks who wanted to operate as a unibank. As of August 1, 2012, the Philippines has 21 Universal Banks. Here' the list of them.


1. Banco de Oro Unibank, Inc.

2. Bank of the Philippine Islands

3. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company

4. Land Bank of the Philippines

5. Philippine National Bank

6. Allied Banking Corporation

7. China Banking Corporation

8. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation

9. Union Bank of the Philippines

10. United Coconut Planters Bank

11. Security Bank Corporation

12. Development Bank of the Philippines

13. Philippine Trust Company

14. Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines

15. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

16. Standard Chartered Bank

17. ANZ Banking Group Ltd.

18. Deutsche Bank AG

19. Internationale Nederlanden Groep Bank N.V. – Manila Branch

20. Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd. – Manila Branch

21. East West Banking Corporation

Source: www.bsp.gov.ph

Domestic Flight Tip: Arrive At Least 45 Minutes Before Your Fly Time

I've been flying domestic flights for about five years now since I started working in Cebu. Through the years, I have witnessed the growth of the number of travelers and the changes in policies of local airlines. For instance, before the second half of 2010, you can still bring your umbrellas with you inside the cabin. But, sometime on the on the second half of that year, things changed: you are now required to check-in your umbrellas.

In my opinion, in some if not most, of the changes, people are not well informed. So they usually find themselves arguing with the ground personnel. But in most of my experience, the airline companies is less considerate when it comes to making exceptions. For example, because of the "umbrella" policy change, my friend was forced to leave hers at the airport just to make it to the plane. In some cases, people paid extra baggage just to check-in their umbrellas.

But to be fair to the local airlines, they are now more considerate than before. For instance, Cebu Pacific already offers to check-in your umbrellas for free.

Check-in time for a domestic flight

One of the travel experiences that will surely spoil your day is not being allowed to board the plane. Well, there are a several possible reasons for this and the decision is usually case-to-case basis. But, I guess the most common reason is: failure to check-in on time. Remember, when you purchased your ticket, you have agreed with the following terms (taken from Cebu Pacific but was similar to other airlines):

Clause 10 - Check-in and Boarding
10.1 Check-in
10.1.1 Check-in counters open two hours before departure.
10.1.2 The Airline may refuse to check-in a Passenger and proceed to cancel that Passenger's confirmed reservation for release to waitlisted passengers if the Passenger fails to show up at the check-in counters at least forty-five minutes before the scheduled departure time of his flight.

It is an industry practice to overbook the flight. Also, there are these so called "chance passengers" who are in the waiting list. If you won't make it to the check-in counter 45 mins before your domestic  flight (2 hours for international flights), then, consider your ticket forfeited.

Only one hand-carried baggage allowed

Please take note too that the airlines doesn't allow you to use both hands for hand carried items. This is for safety reasons. Failure to comply to this rule will cause your refusal for boarding.

The best way to avoid inconveniences during your travel is preparation. Preparation involves getting knowledge about the things you should remember when traveling. It takes time and effort to prepare though, but the benefits outweighs the effort spent.
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Entry to Personal Finance and Investments!

I've been studying for over four years now regarding investments and personal finance but it seems that I don't have the courage to take the first step. Well, it was my brother who told me about it. He started investing in 2006 starting with his company cooperative and then later, he entered into Mutual Funds.

English: Phillippine stock market board (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It Started with F.J. Colayco's Wealth Book

My bother showed me a book, written by Francisco J Colayco entitled "Pera Mo Palaguin Mo (Wealth Within Your Reach). It was a best-seller book in personal finance. Actually, when my brother told me to read it, I was a little bit skeptical. You know, I'm not fond of reading books. But when I started reading the first few pages, I was amazed on how simple the words are. Actually, the book is written for OFWs according to the author.

That event opened-up my mind to personal finance. But I was still jobless at that time. I am freshly out of school and just passed the board exam. Soon, my attention was shifted to finding a job and being good in my chosen profession, a mechanical engineer.

PSE's Stock Trading Game

In mid-2009, in the middle of the unprecedented recession, I discovered PSE's stock trading game. It was a fantasy game wherein you will be given an imaginary amount of money, 1 Million pesos, as a start-up capital. Your mission is to invest that into existing stocks in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

The PSE Stock Trading Game mimics the actual stock trading procedure. The rates at which stocks are sold reflects the real-world values. The board lot as well as the time of trading is also the same as the real one.

In short, I joined the game. I bought stocks randomly. Only those companies whom I know like SM, GMA7, Jollibee, DMCI, Globe Telecoms, BPI etc. I kept on trading for over two months and because of the small progress and losses due to recession, I lost my interest. Eventually, I left the game.

After 3 Years (PSE Stock Trading Game)
Then comes 2012, after almost three years of inactivity, I visited PSE Stock Trading Game just to see how much did I virtually earn from my stock picks. The result were surprising (or is it?). I was shocked to find out that my 1Million virtual money is now worth 2 Million. 100% growth in three years? Imagine if I invested real money on it.

My stock picks in the PSE Stock Trading Game (2012 data)

From that moment on, my interest in personal finance and investments was rekindled.