Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Makati_at_sunset.jpg
Welcome to the 2017 Stetson Southeast Asian Regional Rounds (SEARR). The University of the Philippines College of Law and its Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (UP-IMLOS) are pleased to host this year’s qualifying competition once more. While the competition proper will be held only over a couple of days, we wish that you could take the time to explore Metro Manila and bring more than just happy memories of the Stetson SEARR back home.
Introduction to Metro Manila, Quezon City and UP
The Philippines’ sprawling metropolis has grown beyond its capital, Manila. Today, Metro Manila is composed of sixteen adjacent cities which are home to the national government’s offices, financial hubs, and the country’s largest universities. These cities are linked primarily by the national thoroughfare, Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), and three light rail transit lines (MRT, LRT 1 and LRT 2). Under normal traffic circumstances, Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City is an hour and a half’s drive away from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. Clark International Airport in the Province of Pampanga, on the other hand, is outside Metro Manila, but is also an hour away from the University of the Philippines (UP).
UP is the country’s national university. The UP System is comprised of seven constituent universities in fifteen campuses across the nation, the largest of which is the flagship unit, the University of the Philippines in Diliman, which is on a 493-hectare campus in Quezon City. The UP College of Law is housed in Malcolm Hall, which is among the buildings that line the University’s Academic Oval.
Accommodations
Quezon City has its fair share of modest accommodations that are less than thirty minutes away from the University of the Philippines. Booking accommodations more than a month or two in advance is highly recommended, as the month of January could get pretty busy in the Philippines.
UNIVERSITY HOTEL
Guerrero cor. Aglipay Sts., UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City
www.universityhotel.ph
Tel: (632) 926-1953/(632)435-1318
(On Campus)
MICROTEL INN & SUITES
UP-Ayala Technohub, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City
www.microtel-uptechnohub.com
Phone Number: +63 (02) 804 6888
Email:uptechnohub@microtel.ph
SULO RIVIERA HOTEL
Matalino St., Diliman, Quezon City
www.sulorivierahotel.com
Tel: (632) 924-5051
Email: info@suloriviera.com
Travel Time to UP: 10 minutes
LUXENT HOTEL
51 Timog Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City
www.luxenthotel.com
Tel:(632) 922-8888
Email: sales@luxenthotel.com
Travel Time to UP: 20 minutes
LEMON TREE INN
18 Scout Magbanua Street, Barangay Paligsahan
www.lemontreeinn.com.ph
Tel: (632) 376-6103, (632) 376 -4401 (632) 219-3133
Email: reservation@lemontreeinn.com.ph, frontdesk@lemontreeinn.com.ph
Travel Time to UP: 20 minutes
GREAT EASTERN HOTEL
1403 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines
www.greateasternhotel.com
Tel: (632) 3718282
Travel Time to UP: 20 minutes
FERSAL HOTEL
131 Malakas St., Diliman, Quezon City
www.fersal.com
Tel: (632) 426-7308
reservations@fersalhotelgroup.com
Travel Time to UP: 15 minutes
ICON HOTEL
967 EDSA corner West Avenue, Barangay Philam, Quezon City (Walking distance from TriNoMa Mall)
www.iconhotelph.com
Tel: (632) 373-2355/57
inquiriesnorthedsa@iconhotelph.com/
reservationsnorthedsa@iconhotelph.com
Travel Time to UP: 20 minutes
COCOON HOTEL
Travel Time to UP: 20 minutes
www.thecocoonhotel.com
Local Travel
Traffic in the Philippines could get unpredictable so it is best to leave for your intended destination in advance. The cheapest and most common modes of public transport in Metro Manila are the jeepney, “FX” vans, and buses. For shorter distances, one can also take the “tricycle”–a motorcycle with an attached sidecar.
For your convenience, it is best to take a taxi, which has a flag-down rate of P40.00. Downloading smartphone apps like GrabTaxi and Uber may be helpful in finding taxis.
OUT and ABOUT: DINING
UP and Quezon City are known culinary hubs. Just across the College of Law and within the Asian Center complex, the Via Mare restaurant serves a delectable array of Filipino culinary staples. Elsewhere on campus, the UP Bahay ng Alumni, which is a short walk from the College of Law, also has the famous Chocolate Kiss Cafe, Art Circle Gallery Cafe and Restaurant-of-Choice (ROC).
A mere 5-minute jeepney ride from the UP Campus will transport you to Katipunan Avenue and a number of establishments–from the ubiquitous McDonald’s and Starbucks outlets to a wide range of global cuisines. The newly built UP Town Center has fine dining choices (Greek, Japanese, Italian, etc.) perfect for celebratory dinners, as well as quaint cafes and dessert places.
Restaurants in Maginhawa Street in UP Village, a 10-minute taxi ride away from the UP Campus, is also frequented by university students for its hip restaurants and milk tea shops.
OUT and ABOUT: SHOPPING
Filipinos spend a lot of time for recreation in shopping malls, hence its many shopping meccas across the metro. In Quezon City, TriNoMa mall, SM City North EDSA, Eastwood Mall, and Gateway Cubao, all around 20-30 minutes from the UP Campus, attract shoppers from nearby cities and provinces.
The SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City is the 10th largest mall in the world and is twenty minutes away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. On the other hand, the upscale shopping complexes Glorietta and Greenbelt, are in Makati City, the country’s financial center. The shopping, dining and clubbing scene in nearby Bonifacio Global City is also ritzy and draws much of Metro Manila’s younger populations during weekends.
Convenience stores and “sari-sari” stores carrying sundries can be found all over Metro Manila. The UP Consumers’ Cooperative within the UP Campus is also open from 8:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M. The closest grocery stores to the UP Campus are Shoppersville and Rustan’s Supermarket in Katipunan Avenue.
The UP Town Center, the newest shopping and dining complex in the Quezon City area, is also just a stone’s throw away from the UP Campus, and is a popular hangout for students and families alike.
OUT and ABOUT: CULTURE and HISTORY
The Christmas season in the Philippines runs from September to as late as February, so there will be plenty of festivities and other things to do around Metro Manila during these months. To get a taste of Philippine history and culture, visit the City of Manila and take an afternoon stroll in the National Museum, or around Intramuros, Manila’s Walled City and seat of government during the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines. It will also be worthwhile to catch theatrical performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila, which are both in Pasay City. Check out www.ticketworld.com.ph or www.ticketnet.com.ph for event information.
TRAVEL OUTSIDE METRO MANILA and Other Information
Should you have time to spare for a longer holiday in the Philippines, consider visiting some of its famous beaches, or embarking on culinary tours of nearby provinces. Visit www.itsmorefuninthephilipp
Climate
The Philippine weather is very cool and quite pleasant from December to January. Typhoons are rare during these months.
Currency
Philippine currency consists of the Peso (PhP) and the Centavo. (1 PhP = 100 Centavos)
Coins are available in the following denominations: PhP 1, 5, and 10, and 25 Centavos. Bills come in PhP 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 denominations.
Some hotels offer foreign exchange. It is more common to exchange money in department stores, banks or authorized money changing outlets. Most commercial establishments accept credit cards, but it is best to carry cash around.
Tipping is not mandatory in the Philippines, but it is customary to give an additional 5-10% of the total bill when riding a taxi or dining at restaurants.
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STETSON SEARR Secretariat/Other Important Contact Details
For more information and in-country emergency contact, please get in touch with:
University of the Philippines – (632) 981-8500
UP College of Law – (632) 920-5514
Police – 117 or 168
Fire Department – 757 or 116
Ambulance – 143
Tourist Hotline – (02) 524-1728 or 524-1660
Ninoy Aquino International Airport – (02) 877-0000 or 877-1109
NAIA Domestic Terminal – (02) 832-8566