Any foreigners ever drive in the Philippines?

[BadAmmoWitch 208]

My story of driving in the Philippines, would love to hear yours.

 

When I visit, I love the freedom of having a car to drive anywhere, wherever. We like to stay in out-of-the-way places without constant trikes, jeepneys, etc. We like to go to the palengke at 6am. We like to get ihaw at 10pm. It's been well worth the hassle to rent a car for all the time I have visited the Philippines.

 

My fiancee lives in Pampanga, and during our visits, we've always stayed on the big island Luzon. Subic, Zambales, 100 Islands, Vigan, Baler, Tagaytay, Mabini and other places, so no ferries or planes. Driving in the provinces is great. It's still not what Americans are used to, but it's easy. Manila is a nightmare.

 

There are very few signs in Manila, so I often exit a highway when I shouldn't. The globe/smart coverage is spotty, so Google or Waze cannot be relied on completely. Obviously there is so...much...traffic. Defensive driving is #1.

 

In 2019, I was in stop-and-go traffic in Manila, and a police officer on foot flagged me over to the side of the road. I only realized later that he saw a foreigner and fabricated some kind of offense I had committed. He took my California driver license and said I need to come back to some municipal building in a week to pay the fine and get my DL back. But surprise, there was an option to settle it immediately for 4500 pesos. I would not be returning to Manila then, so I opened my wallet and (thankfully) I only had 2000 pesos. He accepted the 2k, gave me back my license, and sent me on my way.

 

Two days ago, I was driving in Manila in stop-and-go traffic (sound familiar?) and was flagged down by a police officer. I already knew. I also remembered that I had about 8000 pesos in my wallet at that time, which was a stupid thing to do. Long story short- the same exact thing occurred, but this time I had the money and he saw it when he took my DL. He got me for 7k pesos.

 

The moral of my story is that it's very rewarding to be self-driving when visiting the Philippines, but beware of metro Manila. If you look like a foreigner and a police officer has the chance, you'll likely be pulled over and have to give up whatever money is in your wallet. I have a new rule: maximum 2k in my wallet when I'm driving.

 

Do you have any experiences to share?

 

 

[PWB 213]

Driving in Manila is like swimming with sharks.

[Redro 4,602]

.

Edited May 15, 2022 by ROK2USA

[Adventine 3,187]

This is exactly why I didn't let my husband drive in Manila when we were there. I didn't want to drive either, even if we always had a car available at home. It was well worth just booking a Grab everywhere and letting our driver worry about getting us places. We took Grab almost every day and it worked out pretty well.

[flicks1998 1,044]

14 hours ago, BadAmmoWitch said:

My story of driving in the Philippines, would love to hear yours.

 

When I visit, I love the freedom of having a car to drive anywhere, wherever. We like to stay in out-of-the-way places without constant trikes, jeepneys, etc. We like to go to the palengke at 6am. We like to get ihaw at 10pm. It's been well worth the hassle to rent a car for all the time I have visited the Philippines.

 

My fiancee lives in Pampanga, and during our visits, we've always stayed on the big island Luzon. Subic, Zambales, 100 Islands, Vigan, Baler, Tagaytay, Mabini and other places, so no ferries or planes. Driving in the provinces is great. It's still not what Americans are used to, but it's easy. Manila is a nightmare.

 

There are very few signs in Manila, so I often exit a highway when I shouldn't. The globe/smart coverage is spotty, so Google or Waze cannot be relied on completely. Obviously there is so...much...traffic. Defensive driving is #1.

 

In 2019, I was in stop-and-go traffic in Manila, and a police officer on foot flagged me over to the side of the road. I only realized later that he saw a foreigner and fabricated some kind of offense I had committed. He took my California driver license and said I need to come back to some municipal building in a week to pay the fine and get my DL back. But surprise, there was an option to settle it immediately for 4500 pesos. I would not be returning to Manila then, so I opened my wallet and (thankfully) I only had 2000 pesos. He accepted the 2k, gave me back my license, and sent me on my way.

 

Two days ago, I was driving in Manila in stop-and-go traffic (sound familiar?) and was flagged down by a police officer. I already knew. I also remembered that I had about 8000 pesos in my wallet at that time, which was a stupid thing to do. Long story short- the same exact thing occurred, but this time I had the money and he saw it when he took my DL. He got me for 7k pesos.

 

The moral of my story is that it's very rewarding to be self-driving when visiting the Philippines, but beware of metro Manila. If you look like a foreigner and a police officer has the chance, you'll likely be pulled over and have to give up whatever money is in your wallet. I have a new rule: maximum 2k in my wallet when I'm driving.

 

Do you have any experiences to share?

 

 

The company I worked for would not let me drive in the Philippines for quite a few different reasons.

 

I know some foreigners who do drive though.  They keep 500-1000p separately in the car in case they are stopped.  They also all have front and rear cameras installed because if you are ever in an accident, you will be at fault.  The ones who had the accident recorded, all were able to pin fault on the other driver.  Finally, most times, drivers will be uninsured and it will be you that has to fixed your own car or get your insurance company to pay for it.

 

 

[seekingthetruth 1,219]

11 hours ago, PWB said:

Driving in Manila is like swimming with sharks.

My wife calls them crocodiles.

[BadAmmoWitch 208]

7 hours ago, Adventine said:

This is exactly why I didn't let my husband drive in Manila when we were there. I didn't want to drive either, even if we always had a car available at home. It was well worth just booking a Grab everywhere and letting our driver worry about getting us places. We took Grab almost every day and it worked out pretty well.

Yes - when traveling within Manila, we always use Grab. My problems always occurred when we were coming to/leaving Manila, or just traveling through.

[seekingthetruth 1,219]

16 hours ago, BadAmmoWitch said:

My story of driving in the Philippines, would love to hear yours.

 

When I visit, I love the freedom of having a car to drive anywhere, wherever. We like to stay in out-of-the-way places without constant trikes, jeepneys, etc. We like to go to the palengke at 6am. We like to get ihaw at 10pm. It's been well worth the hassle to rent a car for all the time I have visited the Philippines.

 

My fiancee lives in Pampanga, and during our visits, we've always stayed on the big island Luzon. Subic, Zambales, 100 Islands, Vigan, Baler, Tagaytay, Mabini and other places, so no ferries or planes. Driving in the provinces is great. It's still not what Americans are used to, but it's easy. Manila is a nightmare.

 

There are very few signs in Manila, so I often exit a highway when I shouldn't. The globe/smart coverage is spotty, so Google or Waze cannot be relied on completely. Obviously there is so...much...traffic. Defensive driving is #1.

 

In 2019, I was in stop-and-go traffic in Manila, and a police officer on foot flagged me over to the side of the road. I only realized later that he saw a foreigner and fabricated some kind of offense I had committed. He took my California driver license and said I need to come back to some municipal building in a week to pay the fine and get my DL back. But surprise, there was an option to settle it immediately for 4500 pesos. I would not be returning to Manila then, so I opened my wallet and (thankfully) I only had 2000 pesos. He accepted the 2k, gave me back my license, and sent me on my way.

 

Two days ago, I was driving in Manila in stop-and-go traffic (sound familiar?) and was flagged down by a police officer. I already knew. I also remembered that I had about 8000 pesos in my wallet at that time, which was a stupid thing to do. Long story short- the same exact thing occurred, but this time I had the money and he saw it when he took my DL. He got me for 7k pesos.

 

The moral of my story is that it's very rewarding to be self-driving when visiting the Philippines, but beware of metro Manila. If you look like a foreigner and a police officer has the chance, you'll likely be pulled over and have to give up whatever money is in your wallet. I have a new rule: maximum 2k in my wallet when I'm driving.

 

Do you have any experiences to share?

 

 

Don't drive in Manila unless you do your homework and are prepared.  Those fines you paid are ridiculous and you made it worse for everyone by overpaying.  You just handed over all your money without question?  Standard is p500 or maybe p1000 if they won't budge.  Negotiate.  Everything is negotiable in the Philippines.

 

As Flicks said and adding more here:

 

1. Follow the traffic laws to the letter in Manila, especially Makati.  "Swerving" is a common accusation.  When approaching an intersection, the lines will become solid white near the intersection and crossing them is swerving.
2. Use a GPS.  Waze is best in the Philippines.  Google maps has failed me several times.
3. If you miss a turn, don't try a quick recovery.  Follow the GPS instructions.
4. At least front dash cam.  Point the cam at the window during the stop.  When you get to negotiating, tell the officer you have a dashcam.
5. Your car should have sufficient tint so that you can't easily be seen.
6. Wear your Covid facemask.
7. Avoid driving a vehicle that does not have NCR plates in Manila.  When the know you are from out of town, you are more likely to be targeted.
8. Never show your cash to anyone in the Philippines.
9. In Manila, keep your license by itself with a p500 note.
10. Don't drive by yourself in Manila.  Have your wife or a Filipino friend / relative with you.  Let them negotiate.
11. Avoid rush hours.  More crocodile activity then.

I avoid Manila like the plague.  I have been stopped 3 times but one was legit (turned down a one way street).  In Makati, my nephew was with my on a visit and not much tint, so a double whammy.  My nephew gave him 1000.  The other times, 500.  For the real violation, my Filipino BIL jumped out and said "I'll take care of this".  p500 and on the way.

 

The new skyway is great!  You can go North/South without ever touching Manila.

[Kby175 115]

All the time in the province, but never in the NCR or Pampanga areas. Our windows have limo tint so it's hard to see who is driving, if we do get stopped for more than a check point I hand a neatly folded bill under my drivers license as I hand it to the traffic enforcer.  On our motorcycle we normally get stopped at check points to have our papers checked, we did get stopped for no helmets that is an automatic license surrender and a drive to the police station later in the day to pay the fine.  

[seekingthetruth 1,219]

21 hours ago, Kby175 said:

All the time in the province, but never in the NCR or Pampanga areas. Our windows have limo tint so it's hard to see who is driving, if we do get stopped for more than a check point I hand a neatly folded bill under my drivers license as I hand it to the traffic enforcer.  On our motorcycle we normally get stopped at check points to have our papers checked, we did get stopped for no helmets that is an automatic license surrender and a drive to the police station later in the day to pay the fine.  

Why not Pampanga?  We spend quite a bit of time there and are considering moving to Angeles.

[BadAmmoWitch 208]

We just drove to Baguio in our 1.3L, 3 cylinder rented Toyota Wigo manual trans. Apparently we took the wrong way into town, we were just following google. The streets are so steep here, and narrow. I'm not exaggerating when I say that we almost didn't make it. We stalled out multiple times while in 1st gear trying to climb the ridiculous hills. We had to neutral backwards downhill back to somewhat level ground, to floor it all the way up in 1st gear. Luckily nobody was behind us.

 

Anyway- we're here and the Airbnb is beautiful. Definitely going to use Grab while we're here

[seekingthetruth 1,219]

1 hour ago, BadAmmoWitch said:

We just drove to Baguio in our 1.3L, 3 cylinder rented Toyota Wigo manual trans. Apparently we took the wrong way into town, we were just following google. The streets are so steep here, and narrow. I'm not exaggerating when I say that we almost didn't make it. We stalled out multiple times while in 1st gear trying to climb the ridiculous hills. We had to neutral backwards downhill back to somewhat level ground, to floor it all the way up in 1st gear. Luckily nobody was behind us.

 

Anyway- we're here and the Airbnb is beautiful. Definitely going to use Grab while we're here

Regular taxis are normally reasonable and honest in Baguio, if you need to use them.

 

Are you referring to the roads to the AirBnb?  The main roads in Baguio are not too bad as far as steepness.  Traffic is terrible most of the time.

 

We have family in Baguio so we have been many times.  I used to have a 1.3 litre manual Avanza.  Had a bunch of people in it trying to go up the small, narrow and steep road to my BILs house.  Could not make it.  Clutch was burning.  Had to kick them out to walk the last 50 meters.

 

Wigo is a solid and reliable vehicle for around the town, but not built for the expressways and mountains.  3 cylinder is one short!  We bought a Honda Brio and it has a lot of zip, but we use our Chevy Trailblazer for long trips and the mountains.  Have a 5 hour drive up to Tondol white sands beach coming up at the end of the month.

I know a nice peaceful country road in Baguio, if you want to go for a drive.  No traffic.

Edited May 17, 2022 by seekingthetruth

[Carpe Vinum 2,314]

I have had good luck with metered taxis in Manila. Only once did I experience monkey business with the meter. I just shook my head and smiled and said start the meter please. Also, my wife is a meter hawk and will not let someone try to take advantage. Never any issues in Cebu with the the taxis. Always used the meter. I only drove a scooter in my wife's province in Mindanao and only for short distances. There didn't seem to be many rules there as I saw helmet-less children driving all over the place. I would never drive in Manila or Cebu. Too stressful. We always take the aircon bus when travelling longer distances in Mindanao. Perfectly fine for me...

[BadAmmoWitch 208]

56 minutes ago, seekingthetruth said:

Regular taxis are normally reasonable and honest in Baguio, if you need to use them.

 

Are you referring to the roads to the AirBnb?  The main roads in Baguio are not too bad as far as steepness.  Traffic is terrible most of the time.

 

We have family in Baguio so we have been many times.  I used to have a 1.3 litre manual Avanza.  Had a bunch of people in it trying to go up the small, narrow and steep road to my BILs house.  Could not make it.  Clutch was burning.  Had to kick them out to walk the last 50 meters.

 

Wigo is a solid and reliable vehicle for around the town, but not built for the expressways and mountains.  3 cylinder is one short!  We bought a Honda Brio and it has a lot of zip, but we use our Chevy Trailblazer for long trips and the mountains.  Have a 5 hour drive up to Tondol white sands beach coming up at the end of the month.

I know a nice peaceful country road in Baguio, if you want to go for a drive.  No traffic.

Yes- the roads to the Airbnb are really steep. We haven't been in the town yet, but I prefer to let the grab/taxi drivers do the driving for me while in a heavy traffic area. The Wigo has been great, and ultimately it did the trick, even here in Baguio.

[B_J 2,752]

I've never driven in the Philippines and I plan to keep it that way.  If we're just going somewhere in town, we grab a trike.  If we're traveling, we hire a driver.  Either way, I just sit back and relax.