Note that someday an entire new terminal will open at the airport. NAIA III will be a cutting-edge replacement for most of the international services at ageing NAIA I. But when will it be done? Actually it was completed in 2003, and has since sat vast and empty. The tale of what went wrong here is a fable for the rest of the Philippines. There’s plenty of gossip and lawsuits but the real facts are lost in a swamp of cronyism and corruption. Should NAIA III open, it can be found on the airport’s east side, near the South Super Hwy.

A P550 departure tax is payable for international departures.

Many airlines have city ticket offices in addition to those at the airport. Also, several Asian discount carriers are now flying to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (CRK) at the Clark Special Economic Zone near Angeles, some two hours drive north.

Getting around
For many the worst part of Manila will simply be getting around. Like many Asian metropolises it has enormous traffic problems. Add in rush hour, rain or both and you’ve got a quagmire. Fortunately there’s one thing local transport isn’t: expensive. Even a cab will seldom cost more than P200 for even the longest journey. So when traffic grinds to a halt, you can sit back in the air-con and read a book or talk to the driver about favorite cover bands.

Even cheaper are the jeepneys, which go everywhere in a confusing muddle, but also find them stuck in the same traffic despite the best kamikaze-like efforts of the drivers. The LRT and MRT trains are an excellent way to soar over and past traffic. The only downsides are the lack of comprehensive coverage of the city and the mobs using the trains at rush hour.

Bus & tram

Bus
Local buses are only really useful to get to places on the main roads such as Taft Ave, España Blvd or Epifanio de los Santos Ave (EDSA), as they are prohibited from most streets in the centre of town. Depending on the journey, ordinary buses cost from P10 to P15; air-con buses cost from P10 to P25.

Like jeepneys, buses have their destinations written on signboards placed against the front windshield, for example ‘Ayala’ (for Ayala Center) and ‘Monumento’ (for Caloocan). Probably the most useful local bus is the air-con PVP Express bus from Quezon Blvd by Quiapo Church to Ayala Center in Makati.

Car & motorcycle
Your first experience of Manila traffic may put you off the idea of renting a car permanently, but if you don’t mind the traffic jams and unorthodox local driving habits, a rented car is probably the best way to visit the attractions around Metro Manila. Remember, though, that you are prohibited from driving your car in the capital on certain weekdays: number-plates ending in 1 and 2 are banned on Monday, 3 and 4 on Tuesday and so on, through to 9 and 0 on Friday.

International car-rental companies have offices at the airport terminals and some major hotels.

Local transport

Taxi
Manila taxis are cheap. A trip across town from Intramuros to Makati won’t go over P200 on the meter. The key is to get your driver to use the meter. Most automatically turn it on as you get in, but a few will try various ploys to pad their fare such as ‘forgetting’ or refusing to and then