How to Drive and Survive in Philippine Streets

If you have plans of staying in the Philippines for more than three months and you plan to go around the country driving a vehicle, you will have to get a driver’s license issued by the the Land Transportation Office (LTO) which is the government agency tasked to issue licenses to all drivers. Foreign driver's license can be used by those who stay in the country for shorter periods. There are LTO's located throughout the country.

If you are from the US, log on to the Embassy of the United States in Manila website for more information.

Someone who comes from Northfield, MN certainly knew how it is to drive and survive the streets of Manila. He had been here and saw for himself the traffic woes endured by Metro Manila residents. He says:

I have viewed the on-the-road struggles from the backseat of my taxi countless times on the way to the office. Taxi's cut off one another, slowly edging into the next lane if necessary, forcing their way in. Bigger vehicles don't edge, they simply move over - anything in their way will be crushed.

No one can blame him if he wouldn't want to come back here but it should be fun for first timers.

If you are a biker and have biked around the world, there is one place in the Philippines where you can enjoy biking in the city streets and be relatively safe. Marikina is a biker's haven - the city streets have bike lanes and there are public parks with designated bike lanes as well. Marikina City's residents are proud of their leadership and how their city has progressed throughout the years.

A word of warning: if you come from a country where drivers are disciplined and abide by traffic laws, you will be in for a surprise. An article on PhilNews complains about the lack of discipline of Filipino drivers. On the road, they seem to be twice as undisciplined as any drivers you can find anywhere in Asia or in the world. But they can also be your best friend. If your car happens to bog down in the middle of the street, most of them will be willing to assist you and even bring you to your destination if your car cannot make it.