Mabuhay! Welcome to GEI Philippines!
This Survival Handbook is specially made for the GEI interns. It provides information on how will you survive the challenges in the Philippines and maximize the experience in the country. We hope that you will enjoy your stay in the Philippines and that you will make the most of your internship experience. Learn and Enjoy!
Getting to know GEI Philippines Global Education Initiatives (GEI) Philippines is an internship program in the Philippines hosted by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. The program combines service, academic and practical experience to give students meaningful experience that will broaden their perspective on global issues. GEI program is centered on four themes: Development, Human Rights and Social Justice, Interfaith Relations, and Arts and Culture. GEI aims to present certain issues unique to the host country for the interns to gain deeper understanding on the country’s social realities. The program will offer Filipino language lesson,
socio-cultural trips and immersion in various areas and sectors of the Philippines to showcase the country’s unique arts and traditions to deepen participants’ knowledge and appreciation of other national cultures. Through this servicelearning internship, GEI Program aims to give students meaningful experiences that will prepare them to work in a diverse, global operations and multicultural environment and for them to gain greater cultural awareness and wide perspective on different social issues around the world. It hopes to produce students who are prepared to contribute positively in the world.
Placement Guidelines The interns shall observe and adhere to the codes of conduct on the day that GEI Program is scheduled to start, and stays in effect until the end of the day on which the program is scheduled to finish. ON CHEMICALS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Drinking of alcoholic beverages is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Using or selling of prohibited or illegal drugs is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Smoking is allowed in restricted areas only. Smoking in the campus and in respective workplaces is not allowed.
DRESS AND GROOMING Care must be taken to avoid dressing in such a way that could be seen as politically, culturally, ethnically or sexually provocative or inappropriate.
ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE INTERNSHIP The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and the partner organizations involved will not be responsible to the interns during their personal travels and activities and other activities outside the internship.
DATING/SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS
Interns are to refrain from having intimate relationship with their co-interns.
Accepting valuable gifts or money from clients is strictly prohibited.
The relationship between the intern and the client/ organization staff must remain professional until the end of the placement.
WORK ATTITUDE, ABSENCES AND DISMISSAL FROM THE PROGRAM
The deployment organization and the country coordinator must be notified if the intern will absent to work for the day.
A letter of resignation is required if one intends to discontinue serving your organization, which will undergo deliberation.
Respect the working hours set by the employer
Violations committed during the internship will be subject to deliberation that will affect the internship status.
Reminder: The insurance does not cover international travel time to and from your home country, or the ordinary travel to and from the airports or other points of disembarkation.
philippines 101 History and Culture The Philippines has a rich history having been colonized by the Spanish and the United States and has been shortly invaded by the Japanese. The Philippines has gained independence in 1945 and since then the country has thrived to establish its own identity of a nation having foreign cultures intertwined with the indigenous ones. The Spanish influence has been very evident in celebrations, customs and religion. The Philippines embraced
Catholicism way back the Spanish era making the country pre-dominantly Catholic but presence of other religions like Protestantism, Islam and other religions can also be seen. American influence on the other hand, is very noticeable in architecture, food and clothing particularly in the modern era. The American influence is also evident in the educational system as well as in the type of the government the country has.
Geography The Philippines is an archipelago in Southeast Asia located east of Vietnam and north of Malaysia with 7,641 islands (according to the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority based from the Philippine Islands Measurement Project). The country is broken down into three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Climate The climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime. It is characterized by relatively high temperature, high humidity and abundant rainfall. The coolest months fall in January while the warmest month occurs in May. Due to high temperature and the surrounding bodies of water, the Philippines has a high relative humidity.
Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the country can be divided into two major seasons: (1) the rainy season, from June to November; and (2) the dry season, from December to May. The dry season may be subdivided further into (a) the cool dry season, from December to February; and (b) the hot dry season, from March to May.
Source: http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/index.php/climate-of-the-philippines
WHERE TO GO IN THE PHILIPPINES? As foreigners always say, Metro Manila does not represent the whole Philippines. To learn more about the country you need to travel to various parts to experience the uniqueness of the culture each place could offer. The Philippines is
an archipelagic country; thus, the country boasts its good features particularly beaches. But beaches are not the only scenic features of the Philippines; the map will be your guide to see the tourist destinations in the country.
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EXPLORE AND RELAX 1. Tagaytay City 2. Batanes 3. Baguio City 4. Davao City
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SURF 5. La Union, Ilocos Sur 6. Baler, Aurora 7. Siargao, Surigao del Norte
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SWIM 8. Boracay 9. Cebu (Malapascua, Bantayan, Oslob, Mactan) 10. Calaguas Group of Islands, Camarines Sur
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DIVE 11. Batangas 12. Apo Reef, Dumaguete 13. Palawan
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HIKE 14. Banaue Rice Terraces 15. Mt Maculot (Batangas) 16. Tanay, Rizal
METRO MANILA Metropolitan Manila commonly known as Metro Manila, the National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines, is the seat of government and the most populous region of the country. NCR covers 16 cities and 1 municipality including Manila, the country’s capital.
GOING AROUND THE METRO Metro Manila is a large area and going around places would be a challenge if you are not familiar with the language; with the routes; and with the landmarks. So to help you wander to various places, here are the means of public transportation you will experience riding in the metro.
Jeepney
The most iconic public transportation that you have to experience riding in the Philippines is the Jeepney. The jeepney is a product of Filipino creativity and innovativeness for it was originally made from US military jeeps
left over from war. As American troops began to leave the Philippines at the end of World War II, hundreds of surplus jeeps were sold or given to local Filipinos. Locals stripped down the jeeps to accommodate several passengers, added metal roofs for shade, and decorated the vehicles with vibrant colors and bright chrome hood ornaments. (Source: Philippine Tourism website) The jeepney can accommodate 1620 persons. It offers the
cheapest fares among the public transportation vehicles available not just in Metro Manila but also in the provinces. The destinations are written on signboards stuck in the window frame and on the sides of its main body.
Tricycle
A motorcycle with a sidecar attached to it which can accommodate three people inside and two passengers behind the driver. If you’re willing to share your tricycle with others, the fare is lower. That’s the “ordinary” trip but if you want to go solo, you’ll pay a much higher fare and have a “special” trip.
UV Express UV Express or others call them “FX” are white aircon Toyota UV Express vans that follow similar routes to the jeepneys. The UV express picks up and sets down passengers en route. The fare varies depending on your destination but is usually more costly than jeepney fares because UV express are all airconditioned.
Bus
Buses mainly pass by the main thoroughfares in the Metro such as EDSA (Epifanio Delos
Santos Avenue), Esapaña Blvd., Taft Avenue, and Commonwealth Avenue among others. Buses are also the public transportation used by the Filipinos when going to provinces up north and going south of Luzon. Depending on your destination, bus terminals are situated mostly in the areas of Cubao, Buendia and Pasay. There are two types of bus going around the metro and in the provinces; the “ordinary” or the non-airconditioned buses and the “special” which are air-conditioned buses.
Train
There are three main rail transits that go around Metro Manila: the LRT (Light Rail Transit) has two elevated lines.
The LRT-1 runs from Monumento in the north to Baclaran in the south, interchanging with the MRT at the corner of EDSA and Taft Ave near Pasay Rotunda. The LRT2 runs from Recto in the west to Santolan in the east, interchanging with the MRT in Cubao. The MRT (Metro Rail Transit) travels a south– north route along EDSA starting from North Ave station and ending in Taft station.
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COMMONLY USED PHRASES MABUHAY! Welcom e
KAMUSTA? How are you ?
MABUTI NAMAN. I am fine.
Ang tagal nating hindi nagkita Lon g tim e no s ee.
Ang tagal nating hindi nagkita Lon g tim e no s ee.
ANG PANGALAN KO AY... My name is . . .
TAGA-SAAN KA? Where are you from?
Kinagagalak kong makilala ka P leased to m eet you .
MAGANDANG UMAGA Good m or ning
MAGANDANG TANGHALI Good after noon
MAGANDANG GABI Good evening
PAALAM Good bye
hindi ko alam I d on’t know
naiintindihan ko i un d er st a nd .
hindi ko maintindihan I d on ’ t un d er st a nd .
maaari mo bang bagalan ang iyong pagsasalita? P lease sp eak m ore s lowly.
maaari mong ulitin ang iyong sinabi? P lease say t h at a g a in.
MAAARI MO BANG ISULAT? Please wri te it d own.
MARUNONG KA BA MAGTAGALOG? Do you sp ea k Ta g a log?
KAUNTI LAMANG. A b it only. R e ply to “ Do you s p ea k Ta ga log?”
MAKIKIRAAN Excus e m e
MAGKANO ITO? How m uch is t h is?
PAUMANHIN Sor r y
SALAMAT Than k you
INGAT Take c a re
tulong He lp
TIGIL Sto p
TUMAWAG KA NG PULIS Call the p olice
MAGPAGALING KA Get well s oon
QUESTION WHO
SINO
WHEN
KAILAN
WHERE
SAAN
WHY
BAKIT
HOW
HOW
DIRECTION LEFT
KANAN
RIGHT
KALIWA
STRAIGHT
DIRETSO
ACCROSS
KANILA