BLOGGED PHILIPPINES

I have been to Iloilo twice already, well, three times if you count the first time when I went to Boracay. But during that time we did not go to Iloilo proper so I'm not going to count that as a full-pledged visit :-)


Pasalubong (Butterscotch, Biscocho and Piyaya) Piyaya (Photo credit: Rock Portrait Photography) Anyway, the first time I went to IloIlo, I took the plane and I only stayed there for a couple of days. Not very exciting so not much to tell except that during that time, we went to Robinsons where a Pasalubong Center is located and bought lots of pasalubong (presents) there. We bought Biscocho, Butterscotch and Piyaya all branded Bong Bong's and lots of other candies and pastilles that can be found there. Actually, as far as pasalubong is concerned, the first three food I have mentioned is native to Iloilo. Iloilo is famous for butterscoth the most. Whenever I think of Iloilo, my mouth starts to water for their butterscotch. Yes, that is how much I like butterscotch.

If you still posses any of the 1985-design bank notes, make sure to dispose it at least before December 31, 2015. After that date, the old currencies will not be valid for daily transactions. From 2015 to the end of 2016, it can be exchanged with new currencies through Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) or through authorised financial institutions such as universal and commercial banks, thrift banks, and rural as well as cooperative banks. 
After December 31, 2016, the old currencies will be demonetised completely. Shown below are the old bank notes.

This is curious considering the looks and services provided by the second busiest airport in the Philippines, the Mactan - Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

Last year, the MCIA Authority, upon the approval of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) imposed an increase of 20 Pesos to the domestic terminal fee bringing the amount from 200 pesos to 220 pesos. This is soon to rise to 300 pesos starting January 1, 2016. The international terminal fee also increased last year from 550 Pesos to 750 Pesos.

As a maintenance fee for your card, Credit Card companies will charge you an annual fee. Depending on the card that you have, it can range from few hundreds to a few thousands. But did you know that there are ways to have your credit card annual fees waived? Here are some situations in which you can legitimately request for it.


You've spent a lot during the past year.  When you see your latest statement and you notice that you are charged with an annual fee, do not pay immediately. Call them and ask how to have it waived. This is especially acceptable if you've spent a lot in the past year.
Depending on the amount and the credit card company, you can have 50% off your annual fee or have it totally waived if you met the spending requirement. The key here is, ask for it.

Have you tried using the Cebu Pacific mobile app from the Play Store? If you haven't , here's some of the things you may be interested to know. I have here an informal review of the app based on Android OS (not sure how it performed in iOS).

Usability - Excellent Features - Poor Reliability - Poor
Here's some details to my assessment.

This is an informal review of my Sun Cellular postpaid experience. To give you a brief background, two years ago, I got a Plan 999 Galaxy Grand postpaid. Stipulated with the free phone were unlimited mobile internet, unlimited Sun-to-Sun text, and four hours of Sun-to-Sun calls.


To sum things up here's the criteria I used to judge Sun Cellular postpaid.

The Phone Handset- Poor The Mobile Internet - Poor The Call/Text Service - Superior The Support and Billing - Superior Value for Money - Superior

My second trip to Davao was not as long as my first one. But I was able to have a good time during that trip too. During that time, we did not stay at an acquaintance's house but in St. Camillus Dormitel located inside the Davao Doctor's Hospital Compound. The Dorm is quite nice because it is clean and it is not very expensive. The price is 200 to 250 pesos per person per night. The rooms are air conditioned and although the bathroom is shared, you do not have to wait for your turn because there are plenty of bathrooms and the water supply is plenty.

Related: List of Cheap Inns, Apartelles, Hostels, Pension Houses, and Hotels in Davao City
My second visit to Davao was the time when I acquired the taste for Durian. It was September 2010, a Durian season so the fruit was very cheap, around 20-30 pesos per kilo. There was one night during my stay there where we went to a Coffee shop that serves Durian fruit and Durian flavored Coffee and drinks.

The sun is still about to rise when we arrived in Barangay Tan-awan, Oslob, Southern Cebu. It was 5:30AM. In the recent years, the whale sharks of Oslob Cebu have become popular to both local and foreign tourists.


We thought that we are too early but upon arrival, we found out that there's another group who came before us. A friend volunteered his car to accommodate me, him and three others. We just agreed about the trip last evening. The decision was swift.

We knew from blogs that it would be best to be there early because of the long lines of tourists excited to mingle with these "sea monsters". So we left the city at around 3:30 AM. Still dark, no heavy traffic, almost no vehicles on the road, the travel was fast.

One could also go to Oslob by riding public bus from the South Bus Terminal. Just look for the signboard "Oslob". The fare is less than 200 Pesos.

This is just an informal review of my stay there in Go Hotels Iloilo. To provide a short summary of my stay, here's the five categories I used to judge the hotel.


Location: Excellent Cleanliness: Acceptable Amenities: Superior Value for Money: Excellent Service Quality: Superior Will I Recommend to Others? Definitely
Here are the details.
Location - Excellent! Located at the heart of Iloilo City Proper and technically part of Robinson's Mall building, Go Hotels is in perfect location to have the convenience of having nearby stores, restaurants, access to public transportation.
Cleanliness - Acceptable Not sure if this true to all other rooms but I can clearly see the stains in the bed. Not sure what those are but it made the impression that the bed covers were not properly washed or if it was washed at all. With stains so visible in the deceptive yellow-light, it could be more pronounced if the bed covers were brought to white light.
But aside from that, it smelled okay, and f…

After the buying souvenir items from the Sevilla Souvenir Shop at the Hanging Bridge, we proceeded to the Loboc River Floating Restaurants.

Loboc River Floating Restaurants There are four restaurants to choose from, each of them has something different to offer. In our case, we chose the first one, the Riverwatch Floating Restaurant. Apart from the fact we thought the menu suits our taste, we also managed to get a substantial discount from them. The typical price of the buffet is 300 pesos and there's an entrance fee of 100 pesos. All in all, without any discount of whatsoever, you will spend 400 pesos for the cruising buffet meal.

As expected, the buffet meal was delicious. There's also a live music performance while you are eating and occasionally, the boat will stop at stations where there's a floating stage at the shore where there are people performing either a native dance and/or a song.

Traveling to Boracay this summer? Here are some activities you can add on top of the beautiful beach experience.

Boracay ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) If you do not want to get wet and still want to have fun, there are also activities you can do in Boracay. There is the ATV ride. You can rent the vehicle for 1 hour at 3500-4000 pesos. There will be a guide that can take you  sight seeing around the island of Boracay using the ATV. The beach is not the only interesting part of the island. Within the island, there are other sights to see and the guides will take you to see those sights.

Wall Climbing at D'Mall Believe it or not, Boracay has a small wall climbing facility at D'Mall. It is very hard to miss as it is located along the pathway of D'mall and is an open space wall climbing facility. The price is not too expensive. The last time we went there, the price is just 50 pesos per climb and there are three levels you can try to climb from beginner to expert.

As mentioned in the previous article, we only have up to three options when flying domestically: Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Zest. But do you know who among the three has the lowest baggage rate? Here's the comparative baggage matrix between the three airlines.


WeightCebu PacificPhilippine Airlines AirAsia Zest15 kg20020017020 kg32035028025 kg--58030 kg65067590040 kg1000-170045 kg-1250-

This is the second part of my Bohol Day Tour last August 2011.
Bohol Ship Haus After the fun at the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, we are bound to visit the Man-made Forest. But along the way, we our driver told us to try the new spot in Bohol, the Ship Haus. As you may have already thought, ship house is a house resembles a ship where sailors work. It was owned by Capt. Gaundencio Dumapias, a native of Bohol who was once a poor boy and later become a successful sailor.

The Ship Haus features the equipment inside the ship, the room of the Captain, Chief Mate, etc. The roof deck of the Ship house resembles the front of the ship where you can "pretend" to see the endless sea in your view.
The entrance fee to the Ship Haus is 30 pesos per head. You can also buy souvenir items inside for considerable prices.

It's been my second time going to Bohol, but I still find it surprisingly exciting. Here's the first part of the story: From Cebu to Tubigon Port, Bohol My friends from Manila visited in Cebu and after a couple of days touring in the city, we decided to go to Bohol before they go back home. We decided to have a one-day tour, renting a tourist van to accommodate the five of us. The price of the van is 3500 pesos for a day tour from 7AM to 5PM.

We left Cebu very early in the morning to be able to catch the first trip to Tubigon port riding a MV Star Crafts vessel. MV Star Crafts is a shipping line company catering the Cebu to Tubigon route. The first trip of Star Crafts is 5:45 AM. Before that time, you should have already purchased a ticket from their ticketing office just outside the gate of Cebu Pier 1 or else you will have to wait for the next trip which is at 7AM. If you will have a day tour, you should go for a 5:45 AM trip or else the time won't be enough to finish al…