Angeles City (Balibago) Tips

[The Lord]

On most visits i do not usually carry cash with me.... This time round i did the same and carried plastic cash (POSB atm card).

Now POSB charges $5 per transaction. So obviously you gotta withdraw as much as you can per transaction to minimise the recurring $5 per transactions.

however the ATMs limit your withdrawal to P10000 per transaction.

In addition most ATMs now charge a P150-200 fee per transaction. A Double Whammy here???!!!

In addition the Bank (corresponding to the ATM USED ) gains from Forex rates as well.

Infact i noticed there was quite a bit of money loss this time and i am gonna check that up with DBS so that i can gain clarity on where my money went.

Many of my friends suggested carrying Physical cash to get over the loss. What do you guys do?

My gf suggested the Pinoy Money Card. You need to buy the Pinoy Money Card and then you can use it at all atms in the Phil for a charge of P12 per withdrawal.
You can remit money to the card and withdraw here in the Phil. Substanial savings i guess... But i am not sure if foreigners are allowed to sign up for it.

Any other options???

[Ah_Hia]

Originally Posted by The Lord

My gf suggested the Pinoy Money Card. You need to buy the Pinoy Money Card and then you can use it at all atms in the Phil for a charge of P12 per withdrawal.
You can remit money to the card and withdraw here in the Phil. Substanial savings i guess... But i am not sure if foreigners are allowed to sign up for it.

Any other options???

When u remit.....u lose on exchange rates too.

I use Citibank.
They have a branch in Marlim Mansion opposite Savers Mall.
No ATM fees for withdrawals.
Only exchange fees.

Cheers !

PS : u wait , someone will post that he uses Smart Money......

[Ninja_Assassin]

Originally Posted by The Lord

Many of my friends suggested carrying Physical cash to get over the loss. What do you guys do?

You can only bring in P10,000.
The people at the airport will pocket the excess.

[Ah_Hia]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Assassin

You can only bring in P10,000.
The people at the airport will pocket the excess.

U can bring more in foreign currencies.

[OodN]

Remember I mentioned about getting a whole bottle of local whisky as part of the transaction for the barfine? White Castle or something? Never got to try it. Gave it away to my gal the next morning who was so happy to get it. Don't understand at all. No matter, as kong as she loves this "gwapo" guy long time.

[The Lord]

Yeah i am aware that you can bring a max of P10000 with you.

You can also bring foreign currency not exceeding 10000

What most of my friends do is they bring in foreign currency as hard cash and then they change it and lock it up in the safe lockers...

Again not sure if its a good idea...
if ur damned to lose i guess you will (ATM fees/exchange fees/remittance fees/airport officials or theft)

Originally Posted by Ninja_Assassin

You can only bring in P10,000.
The people at the airport will pocket the excess.

[The Lord]

Yeah i heard about SMART Money. I found the concept pretty innovative and useful.

So i made my way with my GF to the SMART money office at SM MAll Clarke and found that the office of SMART Money is located on the first floor.

I went into the office. Here is where i was told that i needed a local passport or a local id.

I spoke to the guy manning the queue numbers and i also spoke to some staff manning the counters.

All of them said that a local ID was essential. They even asked me to go to a post office and obtain a local ID from there. They mentioned that the post office was the easiest way to get a local id.

Then i met Ziebart. I explained my experience to him. He told me that he does not recommend SMART Money to anyone as the checks are more stringent these days.

Having said that Ziebart has SMART Money... Lucky eh??

[The Lord]

The last bar that we headed for while at Baretto in Olongapo was Bar Baretto.

Not a bad place i must say. prices are standard as other bars.

I liked the place cause it had a live band and i liked most of the songs they played.

On the day we were there they offered us quality drinks on the house...(shooters ofcourse). Nevertheless it tasted great.

My friends and I almost got ourselves drunk at Bar Barettos.


Now before we headed to Bar barettos we needed to have dinner. So we went to one of the Resorts that dot the coastline and had a pretty nice dinner. It was kinda romantic as it was a seaside dinner, not crowded at all, lovely music in the air and romantic lighting.

My gf and I chose filipino food, while one of my friends and his gf chose western food. there were 3 others at our table. Cant really remember what they ate

After getting drunk at Barettos we still managed to do the drive back to Angeles City where we stayed for the night.


I did not know that littering in Olongapo is a strict "No No" no wonder you find the streets quite clean.

Originally Posted by The Lord

All the way to Subic and then onwards to Olongapo City and forward again to Baretto.

Now Baretto is a coastal town.... There is one main road and most of the bars (not many) are along the main road....

One side of the main road fronts the sea and is lined with seaside resorts obviously while the other side of the road has the bars.

Now for those of you who are used to Fields Avenue.... let me tell you this is not Fields avenue..... However if you wanna get away from the "In your face" kinda bar scene in Fields then Baretto is for you... The streets are cleaner and there is no maddening rush. Most of the customers are Caucasians (not many) .... though i am not sure if its seasonal..

We visited quite a few Bars at Barettos like Wet Spot, Club 1, Angel Witch, Rum Jungle (hope i got the name right), Shooters (sports bar on top of Club 1) and finally we ended up at Bar Baretto... I cant remember the names of most bars. however i do have the list of bars with me... If any guys are interested to know the names of other bars there i can post it for your reference..

Most LDs are about 150 (so if you are visiting the bars here hoping for cheaper LDs stay away).... Also the girls tend to finish up their LD relatively faster.

The Bar fine stands at P1500....

Pricing for drinks varies.... Some drinks like Soda/SML/SMP are priced P70 in some pubs while Tanduay Ice is priced at P60....

There is this saying that goes "Of all the things you must try.... this one has gotta be in your bucket"... thats Tanduay ice for you..... IN may this year not many bars carried it.... Now all bars seem to have it.... if you still cant find it head to 7-11 or the Mini Stop Convenience store.... and you can get it for P34 (excl bottle charge)

[The Lord]

Back to Baretto those who dun wanna hire a car/SUV can also take the Subic express that costs about P600.

The Highway leading to Subic is reassonably scenic. so sit back and enjoy the ride...

[Ah_Hia]

Originally Posted by The Lord

Having said that Ziebart has SMART Money... Lucky eh??

U call that lucky meh ?
I would say getting top prize in Lotto or Bingo is lucky.

[The Lord]

Later Bro Ziebart gonna think you do not want him on this thread.

So i think lets just respect him la. He is a nice guy.

Originally Posted by Ah_Hia

U call that lucky meh ?
I would say getting top prize in Lotto or Bingo is lucky.

[ZIEBART]

Originally Posted by The Lord

Later Bro Ziebart gonna think you do not want him on this thread.

Can I ask permission to post on this thread?
I feel it is urgent to let those coming into AC now about the weather conditions here.
Typhoon Juan is crossing Philippines and is strongest in the north with a code 3 rating around Baguio and a code 1 rating in AC. My friends there are reporting heavy rains and frequent power disruptions. So if you are scheduled to be there, then be ready for wet weather.
I am in Samar now and just reached my hotel, surviving a frightening trike ride that saw heavy rain, fallen branches on the road and very limited visibility for the driver who thought he was in a Motor GP race.
My Lord, its my luck to have connections to have 2 smart money Visa cards in my hand. When i showed you the 2 cards, I wanted to pass you one with my compliments cos you are one great guy. The offer still stands.

[Ah_Hia]

Originally Posted by The Lord

Later Bro Ziebart gonna think you do not want him on this thread.

So i think lets just respect him la. He is a nice guy.

This is not my thread or my forum.
Everyone has the rights to post or share info.
So how can u say I dun want Ziebart here ?

Just enjoy urself and dun worry.

[NewMartin]

Originally Posted by Ah_Hia

This is not my thread or my forum.
Everyone has the rights to post or share info.
So how can u say I dun want Ziebart here ?

Just enjoy urself and dun worry.

dun fight over small small things laa...u wanna start a WAR in this tread meh?

[NewMartin]

Originally Posted by ZIEBART

Can I ask permission to post on this thread?
I feel it is urgent to let those coming into AC now about the weather conditions here.
Typhoon Juan is crossing Philippines and is strongest in the north with a code 3 rating around Baguio and a code 1 rating in AC. My friends there are reporting heavy rains and frequent power disruptions. So if you are scheduled to be there, then be ready for wet weather.
I am in Samar now and just reached my hotel, surviving a frightening trike ride that saw heavy rain, fallen branches on the road and very limited visibility for the driver who thought he was in a Motor GP race.
My Lord, its my luck to have connections to have 2 smart money Visa cards in my hand. When i showed you the 2 cards, I wanted to pass you one with my compliments cos you are one great guy. The offer still stands.

Samar ...I been there once...There are some dining options in Samar that may suit your taste but you shouldn’t expect to get something really gastronomic. You’ll still have some of the fast food options in the Philippines like Jollibee. Other dining options that highlight the best of local cooking include Tina’s Garden Restaurant, Eduardo’s RestoBar, Charito’s Delights, JC Foodspot, Ermie’s Pizza, and Fortune Restaurant for some delectable Chinese food.

Meals in the province would usually fall below $10, which is very reasonable. Fast food will be a bit cheaper at times averaging around $5. You can say that food prices in Samar will fit any backpacker’s budget just right.