Shopping

Shopping in Philippines

The Philippines is a haven for shoppers. There are many great places to shop but it all depends on what you intend to buy and your budget, of course. Innumerable bargain opportunities are available. Look for handicrafts of various regions; you’ll get them in the shopping complexes, malls, department stores and in the local bazaars. Check out the Duty free chain stores that offer everything from the famous barong tagalog (hand-embroidered dress shirts for men in delicate jusi material) to Tiffany lamps made with capiz shells. For local colour, there is nothing like the flea markets where visitors can buy all kinds of cloth weaves, brassware from the south, woodcarvings and other local crafts and souvenirs, like the painted papier-mache horses of Laguna.

Some particularly good buys are south-sea pearls, the silver jewellery from Baguio, coral trinket boxes, coral and pearl accessories, rattan furniture, baskets in different designs, woven grass mats (banig), antique wooden figurines of saints, ready-to-wear clothes, garments embroidered with the traditional callado, Filipino dresses for women (usually made from banana and pineapple fibres), cigars, terracotta, porcelain and abaca placemats. Handicraft stores are found everywhere in the country, especially in cities. Large department stores sell both local and foreign manufactured goods.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 1000-2000, but these can vary. Most department stores and supermarkets are open Sunday and there are some 24-hour convenience stores.