What are the Requirements for Chinese Visa (for Philippine Passport Holders) ?

Before buying that down jacket you’re crazy about and booking that 5-star hotel in Nanjing you’ve been dreaming of, be sure to get first a Chinese visa.

Most Filipinos get intimated easily in getting visas because of the fear of being disapproved. Sayang nga naman ang processing fee if ma-disapprove lang. But the reality is, that fear and or anxiety is coming from the lack of information.

Photo Credit : Leriza Catiis - Castro

Lamang ang may alam, as they say is actually true!

Let me guide you on the steps to be taken and the requirements to be submitted for a tourist visa for China (for Philippine passport holders).

For Philippine Passport Holder – First Time Applicant

1. Application form

2. 2 pieces photo (please see photo specification below)

3. Original valid passport

4. If valid passport was issued 2014 onwards, need to submit most recent old passport.

5. IF EMPLOYED, Original Certificate of Employment plus photocopy of latest ITR or BIR FORM 2316 & photocopy of company ID

6. If with BUSINESS, photocopy of Business Name Reg./DTI/SEC plus latest company ITR

7. Original Bank Certification of with official receipt/debit memo/certification of waived fee. The type of account which is acceptable are savings and current account from commercial or rural banks only and the account should be opened at least 6 months prior to applying for visa. The account should have an average daily balance and to-date/current balance of at least Php 100,000.00 per applicant.

The Bank Cert. should indicate the following:

·         Account Opening Date

·         Type of Account

·         Average Daily Balance and to Date / Current Balance

·         With Check Write

·         In addition to Bank Certificate, submit the original Bank Statement or Passbook of the said account detailing transaction for the last 6 months

8.  Airline confirmation

9.  Hotel confirmation

10. For those working in Non-Government Organizations (NGO), Religious organizations, Media, Entertainment Industry (Talents & Production Crew), Seafarer/Vessel Crew, submit guarantee letters from the applicant and form his company/employer. Both letters must state that the applicant will not conduct any task related to his profession/job, that the trip is for tourism purposes only and that he will fully abide the laws of the Chinese government.

  

For Philippine Passport Holder – With previous Visa (previous visa is used and issued within the last 10 years)

1.    Application form

2.    2 pieces photo (please see photo specification below)

3.    Original valid passport

4.    If valid passport was issued 2014 onwards, need to submit most recent old passport.

5.    Original passport with previous China Visa if current passport has none

6.    Airline confirmation

7.     Hotel confirmation

After you have the requirements ready, head to the embassy which is located at

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China

2^nd floor, The World Center

330 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City

Visa Application Hours :  9 am to 11 am, from Monday to Friday

or you can call your travel agency to assist you in the application which comes with a minimal fee of course.

Basic Fees and visa processing

The usual processing time is 4 days. The fees are:

• Single Entry: P1,400
• Double Entry: P2,100
• Six Months Multiple Entry: P2,800
• More than Six Months Multiple Entry: P4,200

I didn’t have any problems with my visa application, the process is simple for as long as you have to present all the requirements and avoid the usual “pwede nayan”.

 Photo Specification

Celebrate 2017 National Music Week with the NAMCYA

The National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) National Finals Week coincides with the National Music Week celebrations on the last week of November.

To be held on November 21-26, 2017, the Cultural Center of the Philippines shall welcome young artists, musicians, trainors, and teachers who have reached the finals level in a nationwide competition that started early this year. Six ensembles presenting their region’s local traditions will also be presented in the Traditional Music Concert.

With generous support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the week-long events will include competitions, outreach performances, and culminating and awarding concerts for solo instrument winners and group winners. Newly-Commissioned Works by Filipino composers will also be premiered during the Final Competitions.

The NAMCYA 2017 Finals Week Schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

2:00 PM Opening Ceremonies, CCP Little Theater

5:00 PM Senior Woodwinds, CCP Little Theater

5:00 PM Senior Piano, CCP Main Theater

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

5:00 PM Senior Voice, CCP Little Theater

5:00 PM Senior Strings, CCP Main Theater

Thursday, November 23, 2017

2:00 PM Children's Solo Rondalla Instrument, CCP Little Theater

5:00 PM Youth Rondalla Ensemble, CCP Main Theater

Friday, November 24, 2017

5:00 PM Children's Choir and Adult Choir, CCP Main Theater

6:00 PM Weeknights@6: Outreach Performance, Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium

Saturday, November 25, 2017

10:00 AM Traditional Music Concert, CCP Little Theater

5:00 PM Concert of Solo Instrument Winners, CCP Little Theater

Sunday, November 26, 2017

5:00 PM Concert of Group Winners and Closing Ceremonies, CCP Main Theater

Admission is free for all events. For inquiries, please call the NAMCYA Secretariat at (02) 836-4928 / 836-4929 or visit www.namcya.com and our Social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  #galingNAMCYA #NAMCYA2017

Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant : Lamian Nga Imo Gyud Balikan

A trip to Davao would not be complete without sampling their seafood, particularly their tuna. Thank you to our gracious host Mr. Boy Angeles for inviting our team for dinner at Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant.

Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant is strategically located at Quimpo Boulevard, Matina, Davao City. You can find great selections of seafood here cooked in different Filipino style dishes. 

The Place

Just 2 minutes walk from Viajeros Inn, you can already have a taste of Davao on a plate. You will be welcomed with a  karendirya /cafeteria-style dining, take more steps and you can see their separate air-conditioned dining area for customers who preferred that restaurant feel.

The restaurant also features a photo gallery of "Old Davao" which adds to that "mala-museum appeal". Yellow Fin is indeed a pride of Davao.

The Food

For starters, we had imbao soup - a clear clam soup with ginger and lemongrass. It's light and refreshing and a perfect starter for a seafood main dish. A clam soup for the soul.

If you love seafood, then the seafood platter is perfect for you. The plate is filled with an assortment of seafood, such as Tuna Belly, Pusit, Shell fish and the famous "Bagaybay" (a local term for fish sperm....wahhh!) smothered in garlicky buttery goodness that melts in your mouth.

The sizzling meat platter is also to die for. Filled with beef, pork, chicken bathed in that special gravy sauce. Sauce palang ulam na!

Another best-seller is their Tuna Buntot. The locals loves that "litid" part of the tuna buntot. Pero hinay hinay din sa pagkain, it's more on the fatty side and like eating that crispy pata litid.

They also offer a variety of fresh fruits shakes too. We had durian, pomelo, apple, cucumber and mango shakes.

Daghang Salamat Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant. Lamian Nga Imo Gyud Balikan!

ABOUT YELLOW FIN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant is a family-owned business based in Davao City, Philippines.

Serving a wide variety of fresh seafood and Filipino dishes and is now noted by many as the pride of Davao City.

Yellow Fin, Deliciously Davao!

www.yellowfinseafoodrestaurant.com 

Yellow Fin - Ecoland branch

Address: Sandawa Plaza, Quimpo Blvd., Ecoland, Davao City
Telephone: (+6382) 297-8777, (+6382) 298-0299
Operating Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-2pm; 5pm-9:30pm; Sunday-Closed

Yellow Fin - Torres branch
Address: F. Torres St., Prime Square II, Davao City
Telephone: (+6382) 222-0338
Operating Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-2pm; 5pm-9:30pm

Yellow Fin - Jetti Lanang branch
Address: JP Laurel Ave., Davao City (Fronting SM Lanang Premier)
Telephone: (+6382) 234-4255
Operating Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-2pm; 5pm-9:30pm

Yellow Fin - Phoenix Lanang branch (near Grand Regal Hotel)

The Breath-Taking Highlands of Bukidnon

If you are traveling from Cagayan de Oro to Davao or vice versa via Bukidnon-Davao route, you couldn’t ignore this area along the highway.

Located at Davao - Buda National Highway, Quezon, Bukidnon, the Overview Nature and Culture Park is worth your time to stop over, take a rest after long hours of driving and enjoy the breath-taking view of the mountain ranges of Bukidnon.

Walk a few more steps and you can see statues of indigenous people which show their way of life.

The main attraction of this park is the view of the mountain ranges, beautiful rolling hills, and plains of Bukidnon. How can you not be mesmerized by its grandeur?

Go down further in order to see the long and winding road. Seeing the 360 degrees view of the horizon while feeling that gentle and fresh Bukidnon breeze is indeed another validation that the Philippines is truly blessed. I am in awe. "Nakakawala ng pagod!"

About The Overview Nature and Culture Park

The Overview Nature and Culture Park is a public park maintained by the Department of Works and Highways (DPWH). No entrance fee, free cottages. What else can you ask for?

How to Get There (via Public transport)

From Cagayan de Oro, take a bus bound for Davao City. The park is along the highway so you can see it right away as you're approaching from either point. Or simply tell the driver or conductor to drop you off at Overview Park in Quezon, Bukidnon.

More Photos from our trip

All-Filipino cast performs on the RWM stage for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Press Release

Resorts World Manila in cooperation with Ultimate Shows Inc., opened its latest theater production Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the first time in the country, at the award-winning Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT).

Thirty-four years after its movie version was released in 1968, the English musical was the first staged at the London Palladium in 2002 and became its longest running show ever with a three and a half year run. A UK tour also run from 2005 until 2008.

Prior to the Manila production, the musical was also staged on Broadway, New York; the Capitol Theater Sydney; the State Theater, Munich; and Singapore's Esplanade, among others.

Known to deliver world-class productions that champion Filipino talent, RWM showcases another all-Filipino cast led by stage actor Gian Magdangal who comes back to the country after three years of performing theater roles in Hong Kong Disney's the Gold Mickey and Minnie and the Wondrous Book, and as one of the main performers for Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan.

Gian takes on the role of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, while young yet seasoned actress Yannah Laurel plays his love interest Truly Scrumptious.

"I was very excited when I got the part. I'm really a fan of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and it was a big part of my childhood," shared Laurel. "It will appeal to Filipino audiences because it's a spectacle of a show, the music is beautiful, and for those who are unfamiliar, it's going to be an exciting treat for them because every single number is a producton number," added the two-time Aliw Awards Best Actress in a Musical nominee.

For the roles of the Potts children, 12-year old Noel Comia, a two-time Aliw Awardee for Best Child Performer alternates with 11-year old Albert Silos who has also been cast in several stage productions in the past including RWM's the King and the Cinderella.

Isabeli Araneta-Elizalde also returns to the NPAT stage as Jemina Potts, after her breakthrough performance in RWMs Annie which won her the Discovery of the Year award in last year's Aliw Awards. Alternating with Isabeli is Zoey Alvarade who herself has performed in numerous stage productions including It's a Giant World, Jewel of Antilles:Two Worlds, One Island; Seussical Jr; Wizzard of Oz, and Greased Lightning.

Also cast in the production are Mako Alonso as Boris; Reb Atadero as Goran; James Paollei as Grandpa Potts; Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as the Baroness; Raymund Concepcion as Baron Bomburst; Michael Williams as the Toymaker; and Lorenz Martinez as the Childcatcher.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is directed by Jaime Del Mundo, with assistant direction by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, artistic direction by Michael Williams, and the musical score provided by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Rodel Colmenar.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang runs until November 12, 2017 at the NPAT in RWM. Visit www.rwmanila.com or call (632)908-8833 for more upcoming news on RWM's 8th musical production.