Electronics shopping in the Philippines
Laptops are getting very common in the Philippines
Filipinos love their gadgets, and so it’s little wonder that electronics shopping in the Philippines is a huge business. There is nothing unusual for Filipinos to have more than one mobile phone, and iPods are extremely popular in a country where everyone seems to have a song on their lips most of the time.
Laptops are fast becoming must-have gadgets for Filipinos, as the long distances and journey times for moving around this nation of 7,000 islands makes electronic forms of communication all the more important. Internet cafés are common sightings in even the most rustic reaches of the country, and many people use Facebook and Skype to stay in touch with friends and family both in the Philippines and all over the globe.
Computer games here are also big business, and many internet cafés double up as gaming stations in the early evening when kids leave school. The noise of these youngsters repetitively tapping their keyboard or joystick may be enough to drive you to distraction, especially if trying to compose an important email or document, but gamers will find even the latest titles on sale in large shopping malls all over the country.
The Filipino love of music used to mean that a variety of pirate CDs, DVDs and computer games would be available all over the country, but a recent crackdown by the government means that these illicit copies are no longer available on the street. But electronics shoppers in the Philippines will find genuine alternatives all over the country inside the large malls such as SM Megamall which are present in virtually every large town.
Photography is also popular in the Philippines and anyone on a night out or touring tourist attractions will find lots of Filipinos taking countless pictures of themselves and their friends. The area around Divisoria Market, by Quiapo Church in Manila, is known for having some very cheap photography shops, but beware carrying expensive objects around here, especially after dark, as muggings and robberies are not uncommon.
Some of the best places to go shopping for electronics in the Philippines include CyberZone (SM Megamall, Mandaluyong, Tel: +63 (0)2 441 1389) and also Digital Exchange (third floor of Glorietta 3 at Ayala, Makati, Tel: +63 (0)2 752 9019) which both have a large variety of all the latest gadgets and gizmos to come out of Japan.
DigiKing (second floor Robinsons Forum, Mandaluyong Tel: +63 (0)2 747-8784, open Monday to Sunday, 10:00 – 21:00) is another top choice for those in the Metro area, while Abenson is a nationwide chain of electronics stores which stocks everything from fridge-freezers to digital cameras.
