Going to Phillipines for the first time. Any suggestions on small gifts to bring?
Family of my partner so I am not really sure of their interests.
2 kids aged around 3 and 10.
Thanks in advance.
Gifts to Bring to Philippines - Help!
Silly-sausage88 on 04/10/2022 - 09:06
Last edited 04/10/2022 - 13:20 by 1 other user
Last edited 04/10/2022 - 13:20 by 1 other user
Comments
I have a Filipina wife, and the favourites for friends and family are Cadbury Chocolates, Toblerone, and Tim Tams. Of course, in fully Ozbargain spirit, you should wait until these are all half price at Colesworths before purchasing :)
Enjoy your trip and have a San Mig / Red Horse for me!Thank you! Will do! My local asian grocery store has red horse and san mig but kinda exxy like $20 a 4 pack 🙄
You’ll find that the local brew over there tastes different as it is actually brewed in the Philippines, whereas what we get here is generally brewed in Hong Kong. The local stuff is definitely worth trying, but get used to ice in your Red Horse when you are there :)
Don't have Filipino family but this is what we bring back to family in Korea:
- spam
- Australian honey
- vitamins
-tim tams
-Canbury favourites
- cash is also good
they dont got spam? id have thought everywhere did
They have spam but it's seen as a "fancy" thing in asia and is sold in gift packs
It's also cheaper here especially if you get it on half pricefancy spam.. now ive seen it all
Whenever my wife and I come back from the Philippines, we always bring back Holiday Corned Beef, as it is the best Philippine style corned beef on the market (typical breakfast food). They have heaps of corned beef and spam varieties in the Philippines, whole aisles of them in the supermarkets.
Spam is not something I would take to the philippines, but corned beef is definitely something I’d consider bringing back.
Wasn't aware of that but the corned need sounds amazing! Will have to remember that for if I ever go to the Philippines.
Awesomeness! Thank you! What kinda vitamins do you bring or just any? Will suss out half price ones at Chemist Warehouse.
No worries! We got propolis and a few others I can't remember but probably fish oil and glucosamine(i think!)
Enjoy your visit though!Yeah I second the vitamins. A good coverage Multi is hard to go wrong with to give to people in the Philippines. Usually get Sentry Multivitamins 300 pack from iHerb.
https://au.iherb.com/pr/21st-century-sentry-adults-multivita…
Ask George Christensen
and His Boy Elroy.
Ask Jordan Petersen
gross
?
ask benShapiro
Others have listed my suggestions but I'll also add corned beef - Filipinos LOVE corned beef and it's much cheaper to buy it here than in the Phillipines.
Do you mean home brand? As others have gone through the roof in price after inflation hit.
Most Filipinos prefer Purefoods or Argentina though (Filipino brand corned beef).
Hamper (I get this from Coles) isn't bad either, but it's not the cheapest, either.
Hope for a better future. A future where all children can live safely.
Family of my partner
I would totally check with the partner instead as they might know them better?
Asked him - not much help.
Ask your partner what her family's interests are if you are looking to buy something relating to their interests
George Christensen
OP said "small" gifts ;)
Tom Cruise?
Kevin hart?
He's not Australian, but Kylie is. :)
Make sure you can bring food into their country first. Be a shame if you had to dump it in the quarantine bin. Their probably not as anal as our border force.
LOL their customs couldn't care less about what you bring in other than drugs. And for the most part those in the baggage check lanes look bored and uninterested.
When we were in Philippines we noticed that the locally made stuff was much cheaper than equivalents of same items in Aus. Eg, food, local fruit and veg, locally made clothes.
The things that were imported though, were more expensive than in Aus.
Eg, non locally grown fruit, toys, name brand items.
I would recommend some cheap quality toys for the kids, (eg, hot wheels and matchbox cars were double what we would pay in Aus) and maybe some quality brand items for the older family members.Is that you, senator for Manilla?
Careful, wouldn't want to be sued for defamation…
🤣🤣🤣
life insurance policy
I was going to say either personal security, or ransom insurance.
Some aussie chocolate and 1000 pesos each kid.
best i can do 500
edit - oh it's only 2 kids, i agree
Whats 1000 pesos? google says $1 aud is 15k viet dong.
AUD$26.20
I don't think your viet dong will get you far in the Philippines
my bad I thought OP was going Vietnam
1000 pesos is almost 2 days minimum wage in Manila and close to 3 days minimum wage in the provinces.
It is a significant amount for a kid.that puts things into perspective!
Chocolates
Spam
Fresh fruits blueberry strawberry cherries
Grab delivery some Jollibee
Shoes - NBA related gear
Lamingtons go down well
Nutella- and for the love of god not Vegemite
Ipads for kids and $$$LBC box the heavy stuff 3 months before going. If you get one off now it might just reach Christmas
How about some cute Australiana water bottles? https://www.myer.com.au/p/maxwell-williams-marini-ferlazzo-a…
Half price too at Myer!I also like the Philip Bunting books, eg. Wombat, Koala eat gum leaves, etc. Very Australian and funny.
Australian honey is also always good. This one is delicious but heavy to carry - https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/287/leathe…
MABUHAY
1 saltie croc for an exotic Lechon
and ur best mariah houston melisma
Coke
Rolex submariner for him and Gucci purse for her
True OzBargain addiction - When you create an OzBargain forum post seeking advice instead of asking partner about their own family.
I did ask him but cheers for your useless comment.
Maybe ask your partner?????
What form of logical reply is this, how dare you
He can't, she doesn't speak English.
I did 🙄
A copy of
*Working Class Man - Jimmy Barnes
*Radio Songs - Cold Chisel
*Listen Like Thieves - Inxs
*Any early ACDC by Bon Scott
*Noiseworks 1st albumAny NRL merchandise from popular teams like :-
*Panthers
*Rabbitohs (mention Russell Crowe)
*Eels (plenty of 2022 jerseys going cheap)
*St George Illawarra
*Knights
*Tigers
*Raiders
*Sharks
*Cowboys
*BulldogsAvoid
*Storm
*Manly
*Roosters
*Storm
*Manly
*Roosters
*Storm
*Manly
*Roosters
*Storm
*Manly
*Roosters
*Storm
*Manly
*Roosters
*Storm
*Manly
*Roosters
*Storm
*Manly
*Roosters
This is so they don't get ridiculed or beaten up.Filipinos are nuts for Basketball. Not sure if they could care less about NRL.
As somone who sends stuff to the Philippines all the time.. all they really want (without going into massively expensive items) are chocolates, nike, and cash..
You forgot Jolibee
I send a box back to Philippines every few months filled with
-Chocolates (they really love Whitakers)
-Spam and canned leg ham
-Dried pasta
-Cheap name brand clothes from costco and DFO (like Guess, CK, Tommy)
-Crocs and havaianas
-Coffee and Milo
-Jam, peanut butter, Nutella
-Shampoo, conditioner, soap, dishwashing liquidBut it's like 80% chocolate
Embroided tea towel with your capital city on it
Just my 2 cents regarding the spam - the last time I was in the Philippines, it was everywhere and frequently cheaper than here.
An Aussie wife?
- Chocolates/cheese/beef (not sure if beef is ok anymore. We used to freeze sausages, steaks & lamb to bring over in an esky for bbq the day we arrived)
- NBA gear
- Australia souviners
- Taking them out to dinner+kareoke or lunch+somewhere with a pool for the kids
I'd say for yourself, bring a heap of sunscreen from home (much cheaper), as it's almost impossible to find sunscreen, let alone cheap sunscreen.
Good quality travel insurance. Medical evacuation insurance. Depending on where you are going, kidnapping insurance. If you have any large debts or any dependents, a life insurance policy (or at least jack it up temporarily). Also check that your superannuation or standalone insurance is covering your butt.
Maybe Australian trinkets and keepsakes. Honestly just treat them while you're there, not the whole family and 4th cousins, just the parents and the children.
bring the politicians
International roast coffee is very popular there. Nescafe is like gold.
A PS5 or Switch or Xbox SeS or SeX ?
or
Bikies
Tim tams
Chocolates
Hot wheels cars
Toy clip on koalas, cheap at souvenir shops here or on ebay.As a Filipino myself, usually small gestures are appreciated more than big ones. What I mean by that are:
- Toys - hot wheels, lego etc
- Canned goods
- Clothes - even ones from Big W will do, you don't need to go all out.
Everything we take for granted here can sometimes make a world of difference over there. I was 11 when I left, and I haven't gone back but my relatives have visited quite a lot, and they usually get those things for our relatives.
Anything sweet
Moneykangaroo balls
is that the aussie lucky charm?
Filipinos are obsessed with weapons, so I would say Nerf guns will be a hit.
Might be a bit over kill but I reckon an Adelaide 36ers Kai Sotto NBL jersey would be an awesome gift for someone older/into sports.
For the kids, what about some Bluey merch?
As for chocolates, Tim Tams are popular especially with all the variety of flavours. You can get original Tim Tams there but when I last checked a few years ago they were like $10 a pack.
Medicare…
Not Filipino but we usually would bring chocolate (Ferrero Rocher), instant coffee, clothes for the kids. After the 11th kangaroo, people get a little numb.
The imported stuff like the rocher would be really expensive for them to buy and it seemed like only a few places sold them. Kinda jelly of the German / Austrian citizens who can buy it for cheap that bring it over as well.
Buy lots of mayo. You can use some on your hair to make it real shiny.
Toothbrush, toothpaste, big ed mug
The Branded perfumes are much cheaper from chemist warehouse vs their local dept stores
Anything branded is usually cheaper here, especially on sale (pandora, nike, adidas, even cotton on is considered brand name over there!)
Money. $100 bill each.
For kids - Kangaroo toy that can record people's voice and repeat the voice in cute tone.
Tam tims and ridiculously looking sheepo boots for those harsh winters there,
Bring punnets of strawberries. Every time I've gone over they've been included to give as gifts as they're extreemly expensive over there
what ur partner said??
US dollars
Money and food. That's it.
Money money money
Make your life simple and easy. Just bring TIM TAMS. Nothing more. And yeah, you can give them $$$ if you want. Filos are not shy about accepting gifts, so there's no awkwardness.