Want a good deal? How about real-time traffic updates, or even detailed information on the progress of typhoons? Here are six online services that were built by Filipinos for the locals. Some debuted months ago, while others have been around for many years. Unlike Facebook, Amazon or LinkedIn, they were all created with the Philippines in mind — or at least for those based in Metro Manila.
Group-buying sites like CashCashPinoy, Beeconomic and Buyanihan are a popular destination for many Filipinos on the Internet. These websites offer steep discounts and new deals daily on a wide variety of products and services, by guaranteeing business for merchants and retailers.
Last March, my friend Rico (Sta. Cruz, not Mossesgeld) built Frugalpanda – the website that crawls local group-buying sites and aggregates the deals it finds, so that you can browse through them all in one place. Looking for a local deal on spa treatments? Go to frugalpanda.ph, type “spa” in the Search Box on top, and press Enter.
How many times have you been late for a meeting because you foolishly fought through EDSA traffic, only to find out your colleagues arrived early because they passed through C5? The Traffic Navigator, a partnership between the MMDA and TV5’s online arm Interaksyon.com, presents nine of Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares like a subway map.
The main roads — EDSA, Commonwealth, Quezon Avenue, the infamous España, C5, Ortigas, Marcos Highway, Roxas Boulevard, and SLEX — are split into sections. Each section is divided into a northbound and southbound half, with each half colored green (light), yellow (moderate) and red (heavy) depending on the amount of traffic in the area. Clicking on a section shows more detailed information, including any relevant accident warnings.
According to an interview with Roby Alampay, Editor-in-Chief of Interaksyon.com, the Traffic Navigator also works well on mobile devices like smartphones. There’s also a free iOS app available for download.
Veteran web users in the Philippines have long relied on typhoon2000.ph for detailed information on typhoons and tropical depressions threatening the country. iTyphoon is simply the mobile app version of that website, designed for the smaller screens of cell phones.
The app features three-day forecasts of the typhoon’s heading, a detailed narrative of its progress, and a map that shows a storm’s location relative to yours. Like Typhoon 2000, iTyphoon is also the brainchild of enterprising Bicolanos based in Naga City, Camarines Sur.
Wondering where the nearest Chinese restaurant is? Munchpunch is an online catalog of eating establishments in the Philippines. You can search restos by the kind of food it serves, how much each patron should expect to pay, and — most importantly — their locations. Many establishments are also reviewed and rated by the Munchpunch community, so that you can see what’s worth your time and money.
And when you’ve found the restaurant that suits your cravings, you can consult the detailed contact and address information so that you can call ahead to make a reservation, or figure out how to get there. According to an interview dated three years ago, Munchpunch was created “to encourage people to discover and re-discover businesses in the country by providing comprehensive relevant local information”.
Through Sureseats, you can reserve and even purchase movie tickets for cinemas in all major Ayala Malls. SM Cinema Online provides the same functionality for theaters owned by Henry Sy and Co. Both websites let you avoid the long lines and get the best seats, especially for high-demand movie screenings.
Ayala’s Sureseats was the first on the scene. SM Cinema Online supports payments through GCash, Smart Money, and credit card, Paying for tickets through your M-Pass Sureseats account is more complicated, however, becoming impossible during weekends.
The only requirement: Internet access
The only problem with all of the services detailed here? They all require access to the Internet. The good news is that they all work properly on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. So if your home Internet connection is glitchy (hasn’t happened to my Globe Tattoo@Home connection yet *cough cough*) you can always avail of these services through your 3G or 4G connection.