General Info

[Mr Enternational]

A lot of restaurants that you go to will already have the service charge on the bills so there is no need to add to that.

Mothafucka. I just had to laugh at myself. After talking all that shit I went to a restaurant here in Pattaya. When I finished and asked for the bill, I also asked them how much it was without looking at it. I handed over that amount plus a tip (what can I say; I am American). As soon as I released the money I see this sign on the counter.

[Red Kilt]

Just a reminder to visitors who are accustomed to paying a credit charge in their home country that there is no credit card surcharge in the Philippines by law.

There is a specific Republic Act 7394, Article 81 called the "Price Tag Requirement," for the Dept of Trade and industry (DTI) that specifically rules against a CC surcharge.

I was reminded about this when a restaurant in Boracay tried to hit me with a surcharge. I challenged it, and the waitress went to get the owner (who turned out to be a belligerent German).

I quoted RA 7394 (stored in my cellphone) and told him that I wanted the surcharge to appear on my official receipt and that I would be reporting him to the DTI.

Almost immediately my bill was fixed WITHOUT a surcharge.

I have learned that a number of AC hotels add on a surcharge for CC payments and get away with it because guys are unaware that it is illegal.

They all know it's illegal, so if they try it on just remind them that you know about RA 7394.

They will back down. Be careful when you book online through Agoda etc because they often have a surcharge. See if there is an option to pay the hotel direct and avoid that price gouging practice.

[Mogwai]

Why would that be the customer's concern?

It's not your concern but you might want to take it into consideration. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big tipper but I cannot change the system and therefore I always help the staff a little bit to improve their low income.

[Mr Enternational]

The question is however if the service charge ends up in the owner's pockets or the staff's pockets.

Why would that be the customer's concern? The tip could just as well be going into the owner's pocket. Funny that even in buffet restaurants in the USA you are expected to leave a tip. Bich I just served my damn self!

[Mogwai]

A lot of restaurants that you go to will already have the service charge on the bills so there is no need to add to that.

The question is however if the service charge ends up in the owner's pockets or the staff's pockets.

[Mogwai]

I pray that this ISG member is not offended but rather feels praised.

Why didn't you just ask him if he would be offended or not, instead of praying. I think that's a bit odd.

Maybe you don't believe that it contains any privileged or confidential information but he might have a different opinion himself. And for regular readers of this forum his identity is pretty clear.

[Red Kilt]

RK? Flagfall? Please amend and update this as you see fit. Thank you Mr. West Coast.

I guess WC was asking me for an update Mr Pomp.

Sorry to say that you are incorrect.

The flagfall for Manila meter taxis is 40 php.

It was 30 php for a relatively short time only. I never got too excited about the 10 php differential anyway

http://www.manilatimes.net/ltfrb-app...e-hike/354504/

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money...-to-p40/story/

[Red Kilt]

RK? Flagfall? Please amend and update this as you see fit. Thank you Mr. West Coast.

I guess WC was asking me for an update Mr Pomp.

Sorry to say that you are incorrect.

The flagfall for Manila meter taxis is 40 php.

It was 30 php for a very short time only.

http://www.manilatimes.net/ltfrb-app...e-hike/354504/

[Member #4566]

Wasn't the flagfall changed back a few months ago? RK?

RK? Flagfall? Please amend and update this as you see fit. Thank you Mr. West Coast.

[WestCoast1]

Regarding taxis. I tend to pay the metered fare up to the nearest p10. For example, if the fair is p66, I give the driver p100 bill and ask for 30 in return, leaving him 70 total. That might seem a small tip, however they don't expect tips. Proof? If the fare is 66 and I tell him I only have 60, he will take it and not bat an eye. Reason: the flag-fall was changed by law in all of phils 2 years ago, from 40 to 30. Yet the meters in the taxis were never adjusted. When you step into the cab, the meter sets to 40. If the driver takes you exactly 5 meters and drops you off, you will hand him p40 (the metered amount, which hasn't had a chance to change yet), when in fact you owe him p30. He won't mention your change. He's getting an extra p10 for every fare (a 'tip' from every customer), and most folk don't know that.

Wasn't the flagfall changed back a few months ago? RK?

[Mr Enternational]

If these prices seem too low, or the tip seems too low, ask yourself this question: Why do they keep coming back? Why has none ever complained about the price? Why do they leave messages for me online looking forward to my next visit?

That was my same answer when people would say well they expect you to give them money, they are just too shy to ask. If they haven't overcome their shyness in all these years that they keep coming back, then they need their head examined.

A lot of restaurants that you go to will already have the service charge on the bills so there is no need to add to that.

[Member #4566]

About a year ago I asked one of our esteemed and most prolific ISG contributors for his advice on tipping. He sent me a PM on the matter and I am republishing here. I don't believe that it contains any privileged or confidential information that cannot be shared with our general audience. I pray that this ISG member is not offended but rather feels praised. It is a great piece of analysis and writing and I completely agree with the views he has expressed. In fact it probably should be placed in the Reports of Distinction. So here it is . . . .

"I have been traveling phils for well over a decade, and locals tend not too tip. Its a western culture thing, a holdover to the days when service personell (taxi drivers, waitresses, bellhops, etc) didn't get paid any hourly wage (or alternately very little, which still exists in about half a dozen US states, where the minimum wage for waiting tables is $2-3/ hour while for all other jobs its $7-10/ hour).

Tipping is required in a small handful of places in phils. For example, the Burgos / EDSA gogo bars require both an up-front barfine paid directly to the bar (she will get half of that on her payday) before departing with the girl, and also you negotiate a tip direcly with the girl (typically 1000-3000) to be given in the morning (she will not leave the bar until she has negotiated her morning tip and departure time).

Outside of those places, tipping is neither required nor expected. I can spend a month in phils, moving from Manila to AC to Cebu to Butuan, and never tip once (assuming that I don't barfine in Burgos / EDSA). Nobody will bat an eye or think bad of me. My normal tip for AC or Cebu gogo bar girls, freelance girls, regular girls, province girls, etcetera is p50 (jeep / tryke money). That also includes restaurants, taxi / tryke drivers, the guy who carries my luggage up the stairs at a cheap hotel with no elevator, and anyone else.

Many of us, due to our upbringing (sometimes myself also) cannot stop the urge to tip. We watched our parents do it, and we have been doing it for decades. However I'm appalled by the amounts mentioned both on this board, and in talking to gents in phils at places like Kokomo's in AC. Sometimes they tip even more than the barfine. "She did great with me last night so I sent her off with an extra 2000 this morning". Really. How much was the barfine? "1800". Really! They give odd reasons for the 'need' for tips also: "If you don't tip her, the next time you walk into her bar she will turn her nose up at you. I want her to go with me again if she was good in the sack". News flash fella: She will go with you again just to be able to get another barfine; no tip is required. Proof: I rarely tip more than p50, yet the girls keep returning (not only bargirls, but regular girls -- and I tend to give them about half what other gents pay).

As an example, several of the recent Photogallery girls are from Mindanao (all 22 and under). They are (and have been for years) very happy with p500 overnight, + p14 tip for tryke fare (p7 each way to / from the hotel). Two of the PG regulars of mine are Cebu girls. They know of each other's existence. One comes to me Monday / Wednesday / Friday nights, the other Tues / Thurs / Saturday. Each goes home in the morning with p1000 + p50 for to / from jeep fare. Going on 5 and 7 years with them, mid-20's girls with flat tummies and great asses. Two more in the PG are Manila regulars, going on 4 years with one (age 25 or 26 now) and 12 years with another (age 32). Another pair of lovely figures. They also rotate nights. Morning departure is p1500 + p100 for to / from jeep fare.

If these prices seem too low, or the tip seems too low, ask yourself this question: Why do they keep coming back? Why has none ever complained about the price? Why do they leave messages for me online looking forward to my next visit?

Regarding taxis. I tend to pay the metered fare up to the nearest p10. For example, if the fair is p66, I give the driver p100 bill and ask for 30 in return, leaving him 70 total. That might seem a small tip, however they don't expect tips. Proof? If the fare is 66 and I tell him I only have 60, he will take it and not bat an eye. Reason: the flag-fall was changed by law in all of phils 2 years ago, from 40 to 30. Yet the meters in the taxis were never adjusted. When you step into the cab, the meter sets to 40. If the driver takes you exactly 5 meters and drops you off, you will hand him p40 (the metered amount, which hasn't had a chance to change yet), when in fact you owe him p30. He won't mention your change. He's getting an extra p10 for every fare (a 'tip' from every customer), and most folk don't know that.

Hope this helps. "

[AussieGaigin]

Yep, I had the same problem. Just go to nypost.com and type the article title into the search field: "man-gets-life-for-buying-filipino-children-to-use-for-sex-and-porn".

Or put that title into Google and it comes up in a number of newspapers.

[Soapy Smith]

I think the problem is the period at the end of Revere's url. I cut and pasted the address into another browser, deleted the period, and it worked fine.

[Bushes]

This type of stuff has been reported in several news outlets and in some documentaries. Pretty sad but they are trying to stop it. As for the URL, you might need to add "https: in front, though maybe not necessary and remove the blank spaces in front of "man" and after "porn".

Afraid I couldn't follow the link. An error message pops up: Page not found.