LOCAL AREA

Southern Leyte

Southern Leyte is a province in the Philippines situated in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Maasin. The major sources of income in the province are fishing and farming.

Southern Leyte is known for diving and snorkeling. It is a great place to learn how to dive with many diving resorts in the area. Typhoon Odette destroyed a lot of the coral and many beaches. Despite the coral in the shallow water areas being destroyed it's still beautiful below and many of the fish are there, you can only imagine what it looked like before. 

Unfortunately, you can easily find a lot of plastic in the water so please be mindful of disposing of your trash properly. If there isn't a place to dispose of trash at the beach, bring the items back to the base.

Language

Filipino/Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines. Bisaya/Visayan is the official language used in the local communities of Southern Leyte Province. English is also widely spoken.

Currency

The official currency in the Philippines is the Philippines Peso (PHP).  There are ATMs  15-minute drive from the base in St Bernard, so you will need to bring cash. There are many ATMs available in Tacloban and St Bernard, and larger stores in both cities will sometimes take cards. We recommend you contact your local banking institution to let them know you are traveling abroad to minimize any issues with using your bank card overseas.

Gcash

There is a mobile app called gCash that acts like Venmo for the US. You register yourself and can connect your credit card to transfer cash to it. Many places don’t accept cards but will accept gCash. You can send money via phone number to other Filipino numbers. 

Gcash doesn't accept transfers from all international banks. You can find a list of the gcash partner banks here. You can also use these services or paypal to transfer money into gcash. If your bank isn't accepted by gCash, and you can’t use any of the mentioned above methods,  you can go to a Palawan Pawnshop and Cebuana LHuillier store and deposit cash into it. Make sure to wait to see if it's loaded into your account before leaving. You must have a Filipino SIM card to use this app.

In the town and between the Barangays you can move around using tricycles/ habal habal, which serve as local taxis. Make sure to check the signs with the directions to make sure you’re taking the right one. You can also ask the driver if it passes by the destination that you’re heading toward. In between the cities (eg. Tacloban ), you can ride buses or vans. There are no designated bus stops unless you’re in a larger city (even there you’ll find a few), so you will have to ask the driver to stop (shout “parra!”) or knock on the car body to indicate that you want them to stop. Some locals might make a kiss sound to indicate the driver to stop - don’t be surprised! To grab a bus/multicab/tricycle simply wave your hand at the driver and they will stop if there’s space. You pay directly to the driver, or if you are far from him then you can pass the money through people (just follow what locals do). If you’re on the bus, then you pay the conductor. Drivers will always try to squeeze as many people as they can so it might get very cosy. The fare varies depending on the length of the journey but generally, they are very low, the journey might cost as little as 8-10 pesos for a short distance. Make sure to always have some small coins and bills, because the driver might refuse to take a large bill if they don’t have change. 

The Philippines is a hot and humid country with tropical weather all year long. It has two major seasons: the rainy (Typhoon) season which lasts roughly between October and February. You can read more about the climate in the Philippines here. 

The warmest time of year is generally mid-March through June when highs are regularly around 31.5°C (88.7°F) with temperatures rarely dropping below 18.8°C (65.9°F) at night. It is hot during the day with temperatures close to 40°C and 100°F, often with high humidity. Temperatures fall in the evenings, between 18-20° C (64-67° F). Please remember to bring a lot of sunscreens and electrolytes to stay hydrated!

Prepare clothes for hot weather. You might occasionally need a jumper, and a raincoat could be handy between June and October/November, but there is no need for very warm clothes. We provide short-sleeved work shirts, but you should bring durable and comfy long shorts (knee-length or longer), comfortable light pants, or leggings for work. 

Please be aware that if you join the program during the Typhoon season you could experience some extreme weather conditions. We have contingency plans in place in case we have to evacuate to a safe place or stay in lockdown while the typhoon passes, but we need everyone to cooperate and follow the instructions to ensure everyone's safety. Please reach out to our team at philippinesrecovery@allhandsandhearts.org if you have any concerns about this. 

In St. Bernard, you will be able to find everything you need for your everyday life. We have a 7/11 that is equipped with an ATM to get out cash, Mr. DIY sells all the important household items (including plastic boxes for your food storage) and at Castel, you will be able to purchase bedding such as mattresses, pillows, or sheets. Additionally, there are many local shops and Filipino bakeries. However, in case you need work boots we recommend buying them in a bigger city like Tacloban or Cebu as they are not available in St. Bernard. Tacloban has two big Robinson's Shopping Malls where you will be able to find local and international brands.

On the islands of Samar and Leyte, there are several activities and attractions you can explore:

• Visit nearby attractions: Leyte and Samar are filled with both beautiful destinations and historical places like Kalanggaman Island, San Juanico Bridge, Limasawa Island, Leyte Landing Memorial, Lake Danao National Park and Sto. Nino Shrine Heritage Museum.

• Close-by area of St. Bernard , San Juan and Hinunangan (from where you can reach the islands of San Pedro and San Pablo) which are popular destinations for Saturday and Sunday - St. Bernard has a night market every Saturday where you can find a lot of clothes but also local food and entertainment, from San Juan you can do a day hike to the summit of Mt. Cabalian which has a crater lake that is called Lake Danao & Hinunangan, San Pedro and San Pablo are a perfect destination for you if you want to relax on the beach.

• Learn about Philippine history in Cebu which a lot of nations have either visited or occupied since the 16th Century. It is also a destination for diving and snorkeling. You may travel there via plane from Tacloban or via ferry from Ormoc.

• Go surfing in Siargao which is a popular destination if you have a couple of days off since it is possible to reach the island by ferry.

Remember to check local travel advisories and guidelines, and respect the local customs and traditions during your visit.

You can also learn more about traveling around the Philippines from the following websites: 

Philippines.travel, Southern Leyte, Tacloban guide to best attractions

Backpackingwithabook.com - updated 2022 guide to travelling in the Philippines by a local

U.S. Embassy in the Philippines & UK Embassy in The Philippines - safety information, COVID-19 restrictions and more

Fun fact, Limasawa island located off the coast of Southern Leyte used to be a beloved go-to place for monthly breaks for AHAH staff and volunteers when we ran a project in Tacloban in the past. If you mention the name All Hands Volunteers (that’s what we used to be called in the past), some people might still recognize us :)