Da Nuts and Bolts Guide to Manila August 1999

The "Manila experience" can be quite puzzling for the uninitiated. Many things will seem familiar to the foreigner, whether Eastern or Western, but others are bound to be daunting. In a humble effort to shed light on things Filipino and ease the stress of life in this particular urban jungle, herewith a few observations, opinions, and idiosyncratic tips.

Language: Although the Philippines has eight major linguistic groups, Tagalog (sometimes called Pilipino) is the most widely spoken. English is the lingua franca of commerce and politics, and no knowledge of Erap's "binocular" is required to do business here. Cantonese and Mandarin are spoken in the Filipino-Chinese community. Spanish, the mother tongue of the old mestizo elites, is spoken by an ever-declining percentage of Filipinos.

But even though you don't really need to, memorizing a few Tagalog phrases can do wonders for your credibility and help you make a dynamite first impression. Some examples:

Good morning	Magandang umaga
Good afternoon	Magandang hapon
Good evening	Magangdag gabi
How are you?	Kumusta kato?
Fine, thanks	Mabuti naman, salamat
Thank you	Salamat

Currency: The peso has been trading in a narrow range from 38 to 40 to the greenback. As in most places, don't change your money at the airport or a hotel. Go to the local moneychangers, preferably those with a lot of volume. The best rates in Makati are at the moneychanger in Glorietta just across from the Landmark Supermarket and the one inside Greenbelt Mall (by the Paseo de Roxas entrance, in the corner near Wendy's). In Ortigas, the booth inside the Unimart in Greenhills Mall is okay, as is the Shoemart Department Store in the Megamall (customer service desk on Level 1). In Ermita, there are several areas along Mabini and adjacent streets where you can bargain on rates and stretch your money by haggling. If you're changing larger sums, however, stick to the more secure environs of Makati.

The Geographical Layout: Most business people will be staying in one of three areas: Makati, Ortigas Center, or Ermita.

Makati has long been the home of the financial district and favored high status locale for corporate headquarters. If you want to sound like an old Manila hand, call it Makati Commercial Center; the new terms are either the Makati CBD (Commercial Business District) or Ayala Center after the folks who own most of it. Makati has lost some of its shimmering star power the last few years as physical plant and infrastructure have aged while rents remained high and congestion magnified. Unspeakable jam-ups occur unpredictably, especially when it rains, so always allow plenty of extra time. By the way, if you spot a low flying helicopter swooping across the Makati skyline seemingly inches from top floors, it will probably alight on the roof of the Allied Bank Building on the corner of Makati and Ayala, none other than Lucio Tan going about his appointed capitalist rounds. I assume his pilot is a real pro (one can hope anyway).

Top hotels clustered around the Glorietta Mall: Makati Shangri-La (813-8888, shangmnl@freemail.webquest.com), Hotel Intercontinental (815-9711, www.interconti.com), New World Renaissance (811-6888, newworld@mnl.sequel.net), Peninsula (812-3456, www.peninsula.com), and Dusit Hotel Nikko (867-333, dusitmnl@dusit.com). Located a few blocks up Makati Avenue are the Mandarin Oriental (750-8888, momnl@worldroom.com) and Atrium Suites (552-0351). If you're staying a little longer and like to cook, look into the one of the numerous apartelles in the northern part of Makati; they usually have larger rooms, with kitchenette, utensils, and fridge, with rooms chargeable on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. If you're looking for a dingy and cheap place with faded colonial charm, try the Robelle House (899-8209) off the northern stretch of Makati Avenue; when I stayed there in '82, it was the favorite of USAID consultants and Australian oil workers.

Ortigas Center, home of San Miguel Corporation and the Asian Development Bank, has emerged as the major competitor to Makati at the end of the millennium. There are numerous shiny new high rises, rents are competitive, and Emerald Avenue has now become a prestige address. Hotels include Robinsons Galleria Suites, EDSA Shangri-La, aka EDSA Plaza (633-8888, www.Shangri-La.com), and the Legend (633-1501, fo@wpi.webquest.com).

The older "downtown" area of Ermita is far more atmospheric (and dangerous) than either Makati and Ortigas. However, there is still a lot of important economic activity down there, especially along Roxas Boulevard facing Manila Bay, so you may find yourself there. The sunsets across the Bay are still as stunning as they were when Admiral Dewey used to stroll along the promenade. The hotels tend to be older, but many are still well regarded. Among them: Manila Hotel (527-0011, www.travelweb.com/summit.html), Holiday Inn Manila (526-1212, hlmanila@info.com.ph), Heritage Hotel (891-8888), Grand Boulevard (526-8588), Century Park Hotel (528-8888, century@globe.com.ph), Manila Diamond (526-2211, diamond@cnl.net, www.diamond-hotel.com), Bayview Park (526-1555), and the Pan Pacific (536-0788, rsvnmanila@panpac.com.ph).

Getting Around Town: Make no mistake about it -- Manila traffic is among the worst in the world and will no doubt get even worse in the 21st century. Thus, getting from place to place can be a challenge. I don't know if Manila has crows or not, but you sure can't fly like one.

If you move here and have a car, you have to make a policy decision on whether to drive. Most ex-pats get a driver, and my own wife swears she'll personally break my legs before she'll let me get behind the wheel. Given the extremely affordable cost of labor, investing in a driver is probably a good move. Besides, you can get a lot of work done in the back seat while crawling from Point A to Point B. If you do drive, prepare for Wild West action and crank up your aggression level -- yielding the right of way is a sin and only the strong survive.

If you're in Manila on a business trip and are fortunate enough to have a dedicated car and driver, good for you -- sit back and enjoy the smog. But if you're on your own or need to negotiate your way about by taxi, you might take the following into consideration.

It's unwise to schedule more than two meetings a day unless you know for sure the destinations are close together. If the meetings are in different parts of town, try to do one first thing in the morning and the other early afternoon. You might buy a decent street map -- the dinky tourist ones sold in hotel gift shops aren't very useful. If you're compulsive like me, you'll know where you're going ahead of time. Call the secretary and get directions, and ask for someone who speaks better English if you have to.

Manila is a New York style taxi city, so it's usually not a problem to flag down a cab. However, do not count on the taxi driver knowing the way. Many are fresh from the province, and English skills are limited. Know where you're going, and keep an eye on the route. Drivers will often get exasperated, wave their arms around, and say: "very traffic this way . . . shortcut, boss?" They usually know what they're doing, and I haven't been waylaid yet. However, commit three important words to memory: Kaliwa = left; Kanon = right; and Derecho = straight ahead. Never get out of the taxi until you're sure you're at the final destination. If you're having trouble finding the place, tell the driver you'll pay him extra and insist that he drive around until you are properly situated.

Getting around by taxi in Manila is cheap. The official meter drop is 20 pesos, good for the first 500 meters, then regular clicks at a peso apiece for each 200 meters. That's very reasonable, e.g.: short hops around Makati about 50 pesos, Roxas Boulevard to Makati 70 pesos, Makati to Ortigas 80-100 pesos, Makati to Quezon City about 100 pesos. Always get small peso notes before you leave for a day of business meetings; drivers are reluctant or unable to change anything over a 100 peso note.

By law, taxi drivers are supposed to take you wherever you want to go. In reality, they are very selective and blatantly flout the regulations (you can call a regulatory agency on them, but most people don't bother). The usual practice is to open the front door to see if he wants to take you. If he tries to wave you off, you can either look for another taxi or negotiate a flat rate. If you've had a problem getting a taxi, are in a weird out-of-the-way place (somewhere you really don't want to be), or are dead tired, you're better off to buy the guy off.

There are many situations in which you might want to hire a car and driver for the day: perhaps meetings in outlying areas like Subic or Clark, or situations where appearances matter. The major hotels have fleets, just ask out front; the usual rate's around 200 pesos an hour with the driver, about 1000 pesos for the full day. If you're feeling adventurous or are on a budget, you can usually negotiate with a regular taxi driver. But wait until you find a seemingly safe and comfortable car (i.e., one that has shock absorbers, which many do not) driven by a guy who doesn't think he's Mario Andretti, speaks some English, and seems to know his way around. Ask him what his "boundary" is -- that's the flat price to hire him for the day, usually around 600 pesos. You can arrange it a day in advance, or get his phone number and call him when you need a full day's ride.

Gourmet Deprivation Department: If you're used to a city like New York, London, or Hong Kong, you may at first experience an adverse reaction to Manila. I came here after 15 years living on the Westside of Los Angeles, spoiled by a broad selection of crosscultural whatevers; I have now resigned myself to the loss of Salvadorean tamales and pupusas, Hungarian film festivals, Original Tommy's chili burgers, and Trader Joes cheese and wine. Whatever your own cultural or gastronomic reference points, you'll probably find major gaps as well (unless you spent the last few years in Dhakka or Timbuktu, in which case Manila might not seem so bad).

When I first visited here, getting a good cup 'a Joe was damn near impossible in Manila. Thanks to incipient globalization in the form of megalithic Starbucks, however, gourmet coffee shops are now popping up like mushrooms. Starbucks has shops in Makati (beside the Shangri La, 4th floor of Glorietta, Greenbelt near Herrera Street), Ortigas (behind Greenhills Mall and in the Emerald Building on Emerald Avenue), Ermita (right by the Manila Midtown at the entrance to Robinsons Mall), and elsewhere. Figaro is a decent local alternative. One nice surprise: dark roasted Batangas beans available at Rustans supermarket in Makati at only P 160 per 500 grams, about a third the cost of overpriced Starbucks.

Ex-pats love to complain about the supermarkets in Manila, with some justification. The markets are crowded and congested, like the rest of Manila, and are often nestled on the underground floor of malls. They are decidedly lacking in certain departments, say frozen microwave food (all but nonexistent), decent cold cuts and sausages, tortilla chips, and fresh salsa. The best of the lot is the Cash and Carry Supermarket on South Superhighway just north of Buendia (Gil Puyat). The baggers at all the markets will help you get a taxi outside, which can be an adventure during late afternoon rush hour. Tip him 10-20 pesos depending on how many grocery bags and how many cars he had to climb over to get you a taxi.

Many ex-pats swear by Santi's Deli; the original is at 7431 Yakal Street in Makati (844-1154). It's head and shoulders above any other deli in town (not saying much given the competition), with the only good cold cuts and sausage and probably the best wine selection in the Philippines. Santi's products are also available at the Landmark in Makati CBD. The shop is owned by a Swiss gent whose Filipina wife just happens to be associated with Philippines Airlines, insuring fresh European deli items. Hey hey, a positive function of cronyism.

Restaurants? (I was afraid you were going to ask about that). Let's just say that Manila is not known for it's culinary wonders, especially compared to cities like Bangkok and Hong Kong. I am doggedly on the trail of decent places to eat -- look for hot tips soon in the APMF's Restaurant and Bar Reviews. Ditto the music scene; on a rare night out recently, I heard some rather stunning blues performed (closed my eyes and thought I was in Mississippi). Specific info soon to be available. Also watch for an upcoming column that will clue you in on Manila casinos. As a lifelong and sometimes inveterate gambler, and reputedly expert card counter, I am very much enamored of the blackjack tables here. Don't miss it -- with my bastardized version of the Thorpe plus-minus point count system and a mucho zen attitude it is even possible to win with some regularity.

Clarence Henderson

Comments, questions?... Post a note to the APMF discussion list to share with over 200 others (See left hand sidebar) or email Clarence direct