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Travel & Resources: PHILIPPINES

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Despite its reputation as a fairly liberal haven for gays and lesbians, the Philippines has failed to guarantee legal protections of LGBTs in accordance with United Nations human rights conventions.

The Philippine Congress is again debating an Anti Discrimination Bill sumitted in 2010, filed as House Bill 1483 or An Act Defining Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Providing Penalties Therefor. The bill would outlaw both practices and policies that limit the basic rights and freedoms of LGBT in schools, offices, commercial establishments, health care institutions, the civil service, police and military.


Philippines Listings by City:

MANILA

Other cities and provinces are listed below...


General Information

    The Philippines has much to offer: beautiful nature and beach resorts at bargain prices, winsome smiles and a friendly mabuhay (hello) from nearly everyone. Because the Philippines is predominantly Catholic you might think that gay life is deeply hidden. But don't assume that the scene is minimal just because gay bars or other establishments seem to be few in number. In fact, Filipino gays are usually fully integrated into their extended families and live in a society that is generally tolerant and inclusive of GLBT. There are, of course, legal and political struggles and the Philippines has a long tradition of ardent queer activism in the public arena to quickly counter prejudice and misunderstanding. Asia's first ever gay pride march was held in Manila on Jun 26, 1994.

  • Being Gay in the Philippines a special audio report by BBC World Service
  • Lesbian listings
  • Men in the Philippines message forum
  • Philippines Gay & Lesbian News
  • Philippines Gay Scene Updates message forum
  • Travel in the Philippines message forum
  • Additional Links and Resources


Articles and Publications


Organizations

  • Ang Ladlad
      Golden Legacy Bld Unit 304, 98 Xavierville Ave Corner E. Abada St, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, 433-0674, 0921-784-3260, email. A national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Filipinos, founded on September 1, 2003. It supports legislation for non-discrimination against LGBTs and equal opportunities for them.
  • AIDS/HIV organizations and information
  • G-Chat Hotline
      1-908-888-2428 anytime anywhere in the Philippines, 10 Philippine pesos per minute for virtual or live chats and information on the local lifestyle and recreation scene for gay/bisexual/lesbian Filipinos and friends.
  • Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy Network (LAGABLAB)
      LAGABLAB is the largest network of LGBT groups in the Philippines and has actively campaigned against discrimination, along with Amnesty International Pilipinas, an international human rights NGO.
  • Lesbian organizations and venues
  • TLF SHARE Collective Inc.
      Mailing address: 2577 A. Bonifacio St., Bangkal, Makati City 1233 Philippines, email. A membership organization of educators committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights education and empowerment among vulnerable and marginalized groups, particularly among communities of bakla, gay, bisexual and other MSM (men who have sex with men).
  • Pinoy Pride
      A network of individuals and representatives of private companies, NGOs and participating government agencies including the Department of Tourism (DOT) that help facilitate publicity and participation of the local GLBT community in Pride events.
  • Pride International Film Festival 2003
      Suite 1005, Medical Plaza Ortigas Building, 10th Fl, 25 San Miguel Ave, Pasig City, Metropolitan Manila, (63-2) 412-8349, FAX 636-8823, email. November 5-9, 2003 at the Ayala Greenbelt Theater, Makati City. This festival has been organized to benefit HIV/AIDS education, awareness, prevention and care in the Philippines; and to enhance development of local filmmaking through exhibition of international films and videos.
  • Pro-Gay (Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines )
      35 Scout Delgado St, Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City, (632) 367-3109, FAX 371-2302, email. Gay rights and service organization providing public education, counseling, publicity for gay events, human rights advocacies, sports activities and health advice since 1993. Progay led the first Gay March in Asia on June 26, 1994. Sponsors the Pink Film Festival and other pride events.

    ProGay recognized at The 3rd Annual Utopia Awards.

  • Task Force Pride
      Email. A network of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations and LGBT-friendly groups committed to promoting respect for the diverse expressions of responsible sexuality, and the recognition of the right of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders to a dignified life without discrimination and prejudice. They organize the annual Philippine Pride festival.



BAGUIO (Cordillera)

General Information

    Baguio is quaint and engulfed in a beautiful, cool environment (and, according to Utopians, abounding with hot and spicy hunks).

    The population of Baguio is over 260,000 (that's over 10,000 Utopians).


Popular Spots

Accommodations

      Click here for Baguio hotels and accommodations.


Bars and Clubs

    • Cloud 7
        B/F Naguilan Inn, 444 Naguilan Rd, Baguio City. Dancers perform from 9:30-3am. Some strip all the way. Admission is P$150 (US$3.50), but this is applied to your drink bill. So you can get two free beers, or apply the P$150 to your cocktail tab.
    • Thunderbird Bar & Disco
        KM3 Naguillan Rd, Baguio City, email. Busiest Fri/Sat. Dancers perform from 9:30-3am. They all strip at midnight.


Bars and Clubs

    • Friday's
        Unit 4,5,6 Nevada Square, 1 Loakan Rd (near the entrance gate of Camp John Hay). 092-8401-2868. Very nice and cozy bar. Most popular dance club for the young crowd.


Meeting Places

    • Burnham Park
        Not a straight-out meeting place for gays, but the best time to hang out and meet gay people there start from 11pm-4am. Just know the type of crowd. Late night most are hustlers. The ones walking around are cruisers, the shy ones hide under a hat, and most of the loud ones are just for show. Most cool gay people hang out in the well-lit areas. Street smarts are needed.
    • Mines View Park
    • Sessions Road
    • Centennial Park (in front of City Hall)



BORACAY ISLAND (Visaya)

General Information

    Boracay Island is a delightful get-away from Manila's crowded, traffic-snarled streets. Popular during high season (Nov-Apr). Even during low season the weather can be quite nice and you can avoid the tourist throngs. Hotel rates, meal prices and other services are also discounted heavily from May-Oct. Boracay is accessible from Manila and other cities by various combos of air, bus and boat.

  • Lesbian listings
  • Men in Boracay message forum


Popular Spots


Accommodations

      Click here for Boracay hotels and accommodations.


Bars and Clubs

    • Cafe Duo (mixed)
        Manggayad, Malay Aklan (near Lorenzo Resort), White Beach, 634-2639. The owner will direct you to the bars and nightclubs where gay people go.
    • Coco Loco
        Malay Aklan (near Boracay Beach), 288-3028.
    • Summer Place (mixed)
        White Beach. A nice place to go with someone to chat, drink and cuddle. The staff are very friendly, as is the manager. Prices are reasonable.


Discos

    • Beachcomber Disco (mixed)
        White Beach.
    • Sulu Star (mixed)
        Southern end of White Beach, across from Boat Station #3 and above the Sulu Thai restaurant. Karaoke competitions. Popular with gays. Nightly sing-along contests, with disco dancing after midnight.


Meeting Places

    • South section of White Beach, near the rocks, daytime.
    • Take a late-night stroll down the beach for potential interesting encounters.



Cagayan de Oro (Mindanao)

General Information

    The gateway to Mindanao, also known as the City of Golden Friendship, is the fastest growing city in the Philippines. There is much to see and do, from prehistoric caves and white water rafting, to the beautiful country scenery and the nearby mountainous province of Bukidnon. People from neighboring cities around Mindanao come here every weekend to enjoy the nightlife. Gay life is abundunt. The city is young but has preserved its greenery.

    The population of Cagayan de Oro is over 600,000 (that's about 25,000 Utopians).

  • Men Cagayan de Oro message forum


Popular Spots

Bars and Clubs

      Comments from Utopians:

      "There is a new bar, Hallo, which is located at Vacation Hotel (to the right of the Vacation Hotel entrance). Beers are P$70, entrance is a small charge. If you were familiar with Bachelors Club (closed) many of the same dancers now work at Hallo." -- pblake , Feb 4, 2011


Meeting Places

    • Divisoria Downtown
    • Gaisano Mall
    • Limketkai Mall
    • McArthur Park
        Popular around this area. Not difficult to meet those who want to get acquainted with foreign guys. Some of them are young and well educated.
    • Opol Beach
    • Ororama Megacenter
    • Pelaez Sports Center
    • The Site
        Limketkai Rosario Arcade. Most gays hang around here on weekends.
    • SM Mall



Restaurants and Cafes

    • The Park Café
        Downtown Divisoria. A favourite hangout for gays.


Shops and Salons

    • Gay-friendly Internet cafés are Neverland Café and Cyvilnet Café



Camiguin Island

General Information

    Camiguin is the 2nd smallest province of Philippines. Camiguin Island is in the Bohol Sea. It becomes a gay haven during Holy Week, with many gays from Northern Mindanao, especially Cagayan de Oro.



CEBU / Mandaue / Lapu-Lapu (Visaya) -- area code (63-32)

General Information

    Mandaue is part of the city of Cebu - all the north-south streets in Cebu continue on into Mandaue without interruption. Also Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island is part of the same metropolitan area. You get off the plane at the Cebu City airport and drive for the first ten minutes through Lapu-Lapu, cross a bridge, drive ten minutes through Mandaue and then into Cebu.

    The population of Cebu is over 750,000 (that's over 30,000 Utopians).

  • Men in Cebu message forum

Popular Spots

    • DOCE Bar
        Mango Square, Mango Ave. Located in uptown Cebu near Fuente Osmena. A cozy place where you can hang out and meet good guys.
    • Milkman
        Del Roario Ave, Guizo, Mandaue. The smallest and friendliest of Cebu's bars. They show slightly more than other bars.
    • Naughty Ka Restobar
        Mandaue.
    • Navigator
        A bar that attracts many Korean women as well as gays. It is located at Cabahug Rd, Mandaue, a 5-minute walk north of Jollybee (very well known by taxis in Cebu).
    • Vudu
        The premiere nightclub in the city. It gets cruisy sometimes.

      Comments from Utopians:

      "The Host 78 no longer exists. Naughty Ka has moved to a back street in Mandaue, but I did not get the address and most taxi drivers do not know where it is yet. Numero Doce is active late at night and a good place to meet guys if you go inside. Outside seats are mixed." -- remolquedor, Aug 18, 2011

      "I and a group of friends were in Cebu in late Jan. We visited Poseidon, Navigator, Cheetah and Naughty Ka. We were the only group of people in Poseidon and they were very accomodating to put up a show for us although another customer did walk in later. A few of the guys were not bad and the show was by far the best in terms of pace and they revealed the most. Navigator has some good guys but the show was very slow and draggy and the performers didn't reveal much. Cheetah was the worst of the lot. No cute guys and the show was bad. Naughty Ka has quite a few cute guys and their show was OK, though they didn't strip fully." -- Nightwing71, Mar 1, 2011

      "Club Juliana is quickly becoming a good place to meet and have fun with people due to the increasing number of openly gay guests. Everyone seems to be quite friendly and people really know how to have a good time. It is located in Mango Ave." -- FunEnough, Dec 22, 2010


Meeting Places

    • Arcade at Pelaez & Colon intersection
    • Ayala complex, across from Harrison Plaza and Robinson Mall
    • Cebu Coliseum Roller Skating
    • Eden Theater
        Colon St, Cebu City. Mature men and obvious gays.
    • Fuente Osmena skating rink at night
    • Maroco Beach, Dumlob Talisay
    • New Cinema
    • South Expressway Bus Terminal
    • Ultravista Theater
        Legaspi St, Cebu City
    • University of Visayas, Colon St



DAVAO (Southern Mindanao)-- area code (63-82)

General Information

    The population of Davao is close to 1 million (that's about 40,000 Utopians).

  • Men in Davao message forum

Popular Spots

Bars and Clubs

    • Boyztown
        Adrazo Compound, Ponciano Reyes St, Madraso.


Meeting Places

    • Boulevard Strip
    • Gaisano Mall
    • Ilustre Avenue
    • Lawaan Theater
    • Rizal Promenade, Mi Piace. Especially weekends.
    • Victoria Plaza



Hinunangan (Southern Leyte)

General Information

    The population of Hinunangan is over 30,000 (that's over 1,200 Utopians).


Popular Spots

Accommodations

      Click here for Hinunangan hotels and accommodations.




MANILA (Luzon) -- area code (63-2)



PUERTO GALERA, MINDORO (Luzon)

General Information

    Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro is, like Boracay, a beach destination popular with locals. It is accessible by regular boats and motorized bancas (local boats with rigs) from the port of Batangas. The port is quite modern and has long term parking in case you bring your car. There are also ferries if you want to drive your own car. The port is accessible by bus from Manila and it takes less than two hours to get there. Hotels can often arrange bus and round trip boat packages to and from Puerto Galera.

    There are many beaches on Puerto Galera, but the most popular for the local gay scene is White Beach. The place usually goes wild on long weekends or holidays, especially during Holy Week. There are rocky areas on the left and right side of White Beach which are inviting for cruising. There are also waterfalls near the beach, and another one accessible by boat.


Popular Spots

Meeting Places

    • East end of White Beach, walking towards Minolo Bay, in the bushes.
    • The rocks on the other end of White Beach, towards Aninuan Beach, afternoons.



Subic Bay Freeport (Luzon, Zambales)

Popular Spots

Accommodations

      Click here for Subic Bay Freeport hotels and accommodations.



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