My blog has been around for almost two (2) months. By this time I’m sure some of you, my ever loyal readers are already excited to come to my country, experience our way of life and of course, to meet me! Just kidding. Well, I’m feeling excited for you, too! But wait; hold your horses first ladies and gentlemen. I haven’t told you yet about the basic regulations that you must be aware of upon entering our country. Sorry, my bad. HelloPhilippines cannot afford to let you experience any hassles and bumps at the airport so here’s what I have researched for you. Bring out your pen and paper people!

General information about the Philippines

The Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands covering a land area of 115,739 sq. miles (299,764 sq. km.). The main island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The country's capital is Manila.

Time zone

The Philippines is GMT +8 hours. Its time difference from the following Key Cities in the United States are as follows: New York (+13 hours), Chicago (+12 hours), Los Angeles and San Francisco (+16 hours)

How to get here

• Manila, Cebu, Davao, Clark, Subic, and Laoag are the international gateways.
• The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila is the premier gateway.
• The Cebu Mactan International Airport (CMIA) in Cebu also handles international commercial or chartered flights.
• The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Angeles City and Subic Airport in Subic Bay both receive regular and chartered flights from nearby Asian capitals.
• The Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte services regular flights from some key points in Asia.
• Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier links Manila to 14 cities in 8 countries. Major cruise liners call on the port of Manila.

Entry regulations

• U.S. citizens may enter the Philippines without a visa upon presentation of their U.S. passport, valid for at least six (6) months after the date of entry into the Philippines, and a return ticket to the United States or an onward ticket to another country.
• Upon arrival immigration authorities will annotate your passport with an entry visa valid for 21 days.
• If you plan to stay longer than 21 days you must apply for an extension at the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and Deportation's main office at Magallanes Drive; Intramuros, Manila, Philippines, or at any of its provincial offices
• Persons who overstay their visas are subject to fines and detention by Philippine immigration authorities.
• Travelers departing the country from international airports must pay a Passenger Service Charge in Philippine Pesos.
• Special requirements exist for the entry of unaccompanied minors. In an effort to prevent international child abduction, the Philippine government requires that a waiver of exclusion be obtained from a Philippine Embassy or Consulate or from the Bureau of Immigration and Detention in Manila for a child under 15 years of age who plans to enter the Philippines unaccompanied by either a parent or legal guardian prior to the child's entry into the Philippines.

Airport information and facilities

• Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is 4.35 miles from the city center while the Manila Domestic Airport is 0.6 miles from the NAIA.
• It has two major terminals namely NAIA Terminal 1 and the Centennial Terminal
• The international airport has adequate traveler facilities: duty-free shopping, tourist information and assistance centers, hotel and travel agency representatives, car rental services, banks and automated teller machines, postal service, national and international direct dial telephone booths, medical clinics, and baggage deposit areas.
• Handicapped Facilities: The airports are handicapped-friendly. Wheelchairs are readily available upon request from the airline ground staff.
• Customs:
  
  -Visitors are advised to fill in the Baggage Declaration Form before disembarking to facilitate Customs examination.
  
  -The following are allowed duty-free; reasonable quantity of clothes, jewelry, and toiletries; 2 cartons of cigarettes (400 sticks of cigarettes in total) or 2 tins of tobacco; 2 bottles of wine or spirits of not more than 1 liter each.

• Porterage:
  
  -Baggage carts are readily available for free.
  -Porter services are also free. Tipping is traditional.
  -Airport Transfers: Visitors are advised to avail themselves of accredited fixed rate or metered taxis at the NAIA arrival area.
  -At the Manila Domestic Airport, accredited transfer services are available on a pre-paid coupon basis.
  -Other airports are served by metered taxis.
  -All airports have counters for hotel transport and car rental services. Airport Fees: There is an airport terminal fee of P550 (U.S. $10) for international departures and P200 (U.S. $3.50) for domestic departures (paid in Philippine Pesos only) -In early September of this year, MIAA has launched a “free shuttle” services for all airport users. You can ride these busses if you want a better safer passage through the different airport terminals

Do’s

• Be cooperative and follow immigration laws at all times. Don’t be “pasaway,” a very popular term in my country which pertains to a person who lacks discipline.
• Well, you have to be aware of your visa status to prevent yourself from being fined
• Be alert and aware of your surroundings to prevent being taken advantage of.
• Always be polite and respect everyone regardless of status, class or appearance
• Have your documents ready at all times
• Bring enough and appropriate clothing
• Bring just enough cash. Don't worry major establishments accept credit cards.
• If you have a friend or relative in the country, have them pick you up
• Or if you already have a reservation from your hotel, request that they pick you up – you might have to pay an extra amount
• If there’s nobody to pick you up and you don’t want to take a cab, there are transportation counters at the terminal where you can rent a car
• Make sure that you already have a place to stay in
• Be conservative in giving “tips,” Php 30-50 per bag is just okay
• Report abusive taxi drivers – we hate them as much as you do!
• Protect your valuables at all times – keep your wallet in your front pocket
• Ride the “free shuttle services”
• Contact our Philippine Embassy in your area for information before you even go here. They will give you every thing you need.

Don’ts

• Don’t be too gullible. If you need help, get it from customs or airport officials. Be sure you ID them.
• Don’t just jump into any taxi cab at the airport. When somebody is already inside, find another cab
• Don’t let somebody carry your bags for you
• Don’t be too demanding
• Don’t be offended by people who keep on staring at you especially the kids– they’re just amused to see you
• Don’t bring prohibited articles such as:

1. marijuana, cocaine, or synthetic drugs
2. firearms and explosives
3. gun replicas – leave your toy grenade at home, please.
4. obscene or immoral articles – if you’re planning to have your honeymoon here, just do away with the dildos
5. adulterated articles of food or drugs
6. gambling outfits and paraphernalia
7. used clothing and rags – we call them “ukay-ukay” articles in the Philippines
8. ivory tusks – yes, elephants are also not allowed even if his tusks are still in place!
9. anything that violates the Intellectual Property Rights Code – don’t bring “pirated” DVD’s, CD’s and VCD’s for example
10. and other regulated items – such as transceivers, controlled chemicals (we fear that you make bombs here), substances and precursor

Okay, so that's it. I think you're ready to go. See you next time. Should you have any questions or suggestions, please don't be scared to drop me a note. I've included a shoutbox on my page so that I'd be able to hear from you alot more. Thank you very much for visiting my site.

I'll see you around.

But wait before I go, I'm going to give you a small quiz. Let see how much you know about my country. Here it is: our most popular airport is called Ninoy Aquino International Airport, right? Who is Ninoy? Why did they name it after him? Can you give me the answer??

Credits: Philippine Embassy-USA, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Virtual Tourist, Dept. of Tourism and US Travel State

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