BLOGGED PHILIPPINES

After months of rumors as to the design and features of  the next-generation of Apple iPhones will look like, it was finally revealed last Wednesday (Tuesday in US) September 12. Apple announces the release of three new iPhones: iPhone Xs , iPhone Xs Max and iPhone Xr. I will not talk much about the features of these new phones but here's some that I found interesting. Xs Max us like the Plus version of older iPhones. It's the bigger iPhone Xs. Xr is the new low-end iPhone. The only major difference between this and the iPhone Xs's is the screen. This one is LCD while the iPhone Xs's are OLED. Dual SIM support - Nano + eSIM. The all new iPhone Xs Max and iPhone Xs. Photo by Apple Inc. If you want to know more about the features of this new iPhones, you can visit Apple's website . Price and Availability in the Philippines As it has been in the past, Philippines is not included in the first or second batches of countries where these beautiful iPhones will...

My dad needs a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan for his prostate problem. I did a little research on how much does it cost to have one. Well, it depends on many factors, such as which body part is to be scanned. There's also this technique called "MRI with contrast," wherein the patient will be injected with a chemical to make the scan clearer. For your information, this technique of adding contrast is known as  Gadolinium Contrast Medium . It adds cost to the procedure, but with more clarity, the more you can trust the diagnosis. MRI Machine KasugaHuang , CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link So, in my father's case, we had a  Prostate MRI,  and I assume it was without contrast since he was never injected with the "contrast" chemicals. We got it in  i-Scan Healthcare Inc.  here in Quezon City. The cost is  13000 Pesos . Please take note that the amount was just for the scan, and a separate professional will read the result. Some laboratories offer this service (i....

Asia’s first commercial passenger airline, Philippine Airlines announces their latest promo covering both domestic and international flights. For those flying domestically, the offer is as low as 599 pesos base fare on selected destinations. On international flights, the offer is as low as 109 USD for selected destinations. The promo begins July 9 and will be available for booking until July 15 or until promo seats last. The travel period is from July to December 31, 2018. For the complete list of destinations under this promo, please check the link below. https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/promotions/julyseatsale-ph Philippine Ailrines By Konstantin von Wedelstaedt http://www.airliners.net/photo/Philippine-Airlines/Boeing-777-36N-ER/2422638/L/ , GFDL 1.2 , Link No More Free Baggage I'm not when did it start but I think it's late last year that Philippine Airlines began to offer their cheapest domestic fares without baggage allowance. This is in contrast with what...

I literally saved about 50% of my original fare in UBER by doing this simple trick. And maybe, most of the time you can do this. The trick is simply to SCHEDULE your trip. Here's a photo demonstrating what I mean. In the left photo, I scheduled a trip from the airport and as you can see, because of the demand, my fare ended up at 539 Pesos. Now, when I postpone my trip just about 30 mins or even less than that, I was able to bring down the fares to 276 Pesos. That's a pretty significant amount, isn't it? I don't know if it works on all locations but as for me, booking here in Cebu City, I can really see this significant drop. But I don't see any reason why this wouldn't be so in other cities. One may say though that the photo above shows that there's a surge in the left photo and none in the right. Yes that's true but even if there's no surge, the difference is pretty significant as well. Why not try and see it for yourself? Ride Sharing ...

Starting 2018, December 8 will be a special non-working holiday in the Philippines after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the law entitled: An Act Declaring December 8 of Every Year A Special Nonworking Holiday in the Entire Country to Commemorate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Principal Patroness of the Philippines. By  Bartolomé Esteban Murillo  -  [1] , Public Domain,  Link The Philippines, a predominantly catholic country has been celebrating major religious festivities such as Christmas and the Lenten season. But it also pays attention to other major religious sector of the Filipino section such as the Muslims and the Chinese. For Muslims, the country celebrates two Islamic festivals: the Eid'l Fitr and the Eid'l Adha. For the Chinese, the country celebrates the Chinese New Year. This new holiday comes amidst recent disagreements between the government and the Catholic religion over governmental policies. Additional Holiday in 2018 ...

This week will be a "normal" week for most of us because December 4 and 8 are NOT non-working holidays contrary to popular expectation. Let me explain what happened. Let's start off with December 4. The Philippine Flag.  December 4 Holiday? No More Militant transport group PISTON has planned to hold a two-day nationwide transport strike starting tomorrow, December 4 but as early as this morning, news broke out that they decided to cancel the transport strike. The last time PISTON held a nationwide transport strike last October 16, Malacanang Palace responded by canceling classes and government work. With the strike canceled this time, classes and work will resume normally. And yes, you will have to face the deadly traffic of Monday Manila! December 8 Holiday? Not Yet Late last month, the lower house of the Philippine congress approved a bill that aims to make December 8 an annual special non-working national holiday to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculat...

The much hyped and awaitediPhone X is now priced locally. For the 64GB model, you can have it at 64490 Pesos while the 256 GB Model is priced at 73990 Pesos. These price points makes the iPhone X the most expensive smartphone in the history of iPhones. The local price points were revealed at Apple PH's website early this week. The iPhone X iPhone X is set for local release this coming December 1. It was announced by Apple last September 12 amid numerous rumors about its design, most of which were eventually proven true. It was the first iPhone to ditch the famous home button and feature an almost all-screen interface. It is also the first iPhone to use a facial recognition as a way to unlock the device. iPhone 8 and 8Plus as an Alternative For those who are dissuaded by the iPhone X price point, iPhone 8 offers a less expensive option at the expense of not having the new features mentioned above. The iPhone 8 prices starts at 44990 Pesos for the 64GB model while the iPhone...

Just a few weeks before the much hyped iPhone X arrives in the country, we can still find the item in Lazada Philippines being sold discounted from its original price of ~100,000 Pesos. The lowest that I currently see in the online retailer website is 69900 Pesos, about 28000 pesos less when it first appeared as part of the grey market. Newly launched iPhones doesn't reach the country at the same time as the United States and other wealthier countries. Before, it can take about two or more months. I can even remember the time when Globe Telecom owns the exclusive right to distribute iPhones in the country but only after several months since its release. To counter this delay, some are willing to go to the grey market which can jack up the price to 100000 Pesos or more for the immediate availability. The iPhone X was announced last September 12 in an Apple Event in the United States. It officially goes on sale November 3. Earlier this week, Apple PH website indicated it...

It will not be a long wait after all. The much awaited iPhone X (pronounced as "iPhone Ten") will be finally coming to the Philippines this December 1, about a month after it was released to the United States and other countries last November 3. The iPhone X. Image by Apple Inc. The Apple Store Philippines iPhone X webpage confirms the release date as shown in the screenshot below. iPhone X is the latest iteration of Apple Inc's flagship product. First released amidst a lot of speculation in June 29, 2007, the iPhone has changed a lot through the years. From a 3.5-in display with home button, it has grown in size and features. After ten years since its first release, the latest iPhone version - iPhone X- ditches the home button in favor of a 5.8 inches all-screen phone with pure gestures, sensors and software buttons as ways to interact with the phone. It was announced last September 12 and went on sale in the US and selected countries last November 3. iPh...

Aside from the typical island tour in Bohol where you'll visit the Chocolate hills and check out the small primates called Tarsiers, there are other activities you can add to your itinerary. One of those is island hopping. Here's three islands you can visit in that activity Panglao The island hopping actually begins in Panglao island, the biggest land mass close to Bohol. While you won't need a boat to reach it, you still need to cross any of the two causeways connecting it to the mainland Bohol. Panglao is home to many interesting spots. The Alona beach in particular is the most famous among tourists. It's Bohol's own version of Boracay albeit the white sand shore is narrower than Bora. The Alona beach. Fine white sand and palm trees. From Alona beach you can rent for a boat and diving gear. You can also rent a boat to go and watch for dolphins early in the day. The boat costs 1500 to 2000 Pesos. Balicasag Balicasag is another interesting i...

Aside from the fact that the current President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte came from Davao City, it is also famous for another thing, Durian. The phrases "king of all fruits" and "taste like heaven but smells like hell" all refer to Durian because of it's pungent smell when ripe. This fruit is famous in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand. And as indicated earlier, here in the Philippines, Durian is indigenous in Davao region. The Durian fruit. So if it happens that you're in Davao City between the months of August and November, here are three places where you can have the best deal for this incredible fruit. 1. Magsaysay Park There are fruit stands outside Magsaysay Park, a piece of land named after a former president of the country. Here, you'll find different types of fruits depending on which part of the year. But during the Durian season, the notorious fruit dominates them all. You can get to eat Durian for a...

After five long years after SMART and Globe launched the country's first LTE networks, PLDT-owned Sun Cellar was able to finally catch up. Yes, starting this month of October, Sun prepaid subscribers may now be able to access PLDTs LTE network promising up to 42Mbps of mobile internet speed. Sun LTE now available for prepaid subscribers. Long Term Evolution or LTE is a 4G wireless connection technology capable of transfering data at a very fast rate, as fast as ~300 Mbps. Here in the Philippines, PLDT promises speeds up to 42Mbps. Upgrade SIM Cards Sun Cellular prepaid and postpaid subscribers who wants to access the LTE network can go to the nearest Sun shop. Sun will upgrade your sim cards for FREE without changing your number. Just go to the nearest Sun Shop, get a priority number and wait for your turn in the customer service section. You will need to surrender your old SIM Card and fill up a document. Along with this, LTE capable SIM cards can avail of Sun's n...

Aside from Durian and Duterte, there's more in Davao to be interested with. As you may already knew, the Philippines was blessed with many natural wonders. Some of them I have written articles in the past. But going back to Davao, let's take a closer look in the Island Garden City of Samal. Here are four places you can go to if you want to spend a day in that island. The Montfort Bat Sanctuary Monfort Cave with over two million bats. This is a 245-ft cave that serves as home to about 2.3 Million fruit bats. When you go there during the day you can see them hanging in the walls and ceiling of the cave... and sleeping. But when you go there late in the afternoon or dusk, you may be treated with a beautiful sight: bats coming of the cave in tornado-like formation...2.3 Millions of them. Oh by the way, entrance is to the Monfort Bat Sanctuary costs 100 Pesos per person. You will be greeted by a tour guide who has some knowledge about bats and the cave. Pearl ...

I was opening the Unionbank website today to pay my bills when I was greeted by an announcement saying that they are introducing the Unionbank Online , their new online and mobile banking tool. And yes this is different from their eBanking and uMobile services. The two are still existing though to serve you, at least for now. My hunch is that sooner or later, those two services will be shutdown to make way for this all-new service. So let me pass on the news about this new tool. Here's 3 things you need to know. 1. Available in Mobile and Web The new service is available to three platforms: Android, iOS, and Web The apps can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store and the web version can be accessed via  https://online.unionbankph.com/ 2. You need to register again.  Yes you do. The uMobile and eBanking username and password will not work. But don't worry, the sign up process is extremely easy and user friendly. Just follow the intuitive procedure. 3. ...

Maybe it's late but I would like to inform everyone of this one-day Piso Fare promo from Philippine Airlines (PAL).The flag carrier is offering 1-peso base fare to Cagayan de Oro from Manila, Cebu or Davao. Cagaryan de Oro is one of the closest gateway to the war-torn city of Marawi. Philippine Airlines Airbus A330-300 plane.  Image by  Kentaro Iemoto  from Tokyo, Japan -  Philippines A330-300(RP-C3340) ,  CC BY-SA 2.0 ,  Link The booking period is only until today, October 28, 2017 and the travel period is  from today until December 14, 2017 . This promo presents an opportunity for those displaced by the war to return to their homeland albeit a bitter-sweet one. Tickets can be booked online at www.philippineairlines.com ONLY. There's only 1000 seats available for this promo so please book quickly before it runs out. Battle for Marawi Marawi City, once a shining jewel of Mindanao is down to ruins. Last May 23, 2017 a conflict erupted b...

Good news to all! Taiwan will continue to be visa-free to Filipinos visiting the island state for tourism, visiting friends, attending conferences, business, and the like until at least July 31, 2024, after Taiwan's Manila office announced the extension of this free entry policy.  This visa-free policy started on November 1, 2017, and has been almost uninterrupted except for the glitch last year when several passengers were denied entry a few days after the July 31, 2022 deadline. The issue was later corrected, and the visa-free policy continued to be enforced. Filipino travelers under this policy can stay up to 14 days in Taiwan. Taipei 101. Image by Alton Thompson - 2007,  GFDL ,  Link

A few months ago, Grab released the feature enabling passengers to add extra stops to their Grab Car rides. This feature worked so great I had to use it several times, mostly to drop friends to their houses before going home. As you may have know, to use the feature, you just tap the "+" button in the destination box to add the an extra stop. Recently though, I haven't been using that feature and at the same time, the Grab app has been updated several times. Early this week though, I need to use it but to my surprise, I can't find it. Tapping the "+" button allows you to add extra stop to your Grab Car journey.

The first official trailer of the epic space opera film Star Wars: The Last Jedi (a.k.a. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi), has been released yesterday in the United States. Here's the clip from YouTube. But maybe you're asking when the movie will finally come out to the big screen? In the United States, it's scheduled to be released on December 15, 2017. In the Philippines though, there's no final date yet but it is likely that we will be able to see the soon blockbuster movie on the same date, December 15, 2018. Promotional poster of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Image by Source, Fair use , Link The Premise From the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) : "Having taken her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Rey continues her epic journey with Finn, Poe, and Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the saga." From Google's Knowledge Graph : "Luke Skywalker's peaceful and solitary existence gets upen...

Great deals from airlines and hotels usually needs to be book long before your trip. For those who are employed, they need to plan ahead in order to file vacation leaves. The good thing though is that the holidays here in the Philippines for each year is being announced about 5 to 6 months ahead. The Philippine flag. Image from Wikipedia under license  CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link

If you haven't noticed yet, the streets of Cebu is quickly being dominated by the increasingly ubiquitous motorbike drivers with blue shirt and helmet. Equipped with shiny new motorbikes and helmets, this new road "character" is the modernized "habal-habal", motorbike taxis that can take you basically anywhere you want in Cebu and Mactan islands. This is the famous Angkas, the Uber and Grab version of motorcycles. Angkas driver on his motorbike with rain cover. Image by amagnawa.