Shopping in Manila

With the people's love for frequenting malls, the word “Malling” came to being and has become a serious sport.  They go to malls for most of their needs, from paperclips to groceries and hardware and services from haircut to car repair. It is therefore not surprising to find out that Metro Manila hosts a number of large malls. In fact, at least two of the world's largest are located within a few kilometers of each other. To mention a few, let's start with the 3rd largest mall in the world – The Mall of Asia that has staggering 4.2 million square feet of leasable space. Within a short driving distance are fellow giants Glorietta, Rustans, Greenbelt and the SM Makati.  Wandering a few kilometers from that cluster of malls place are popular destinations Rockwell Mall, Market-Market and Walter mart.

Driving towards the north, one will surely pass by EDSA Central, Shopwise, Shangri-La Mall, SM Megamall and Robinson's Galleria. Exploring the area, the shopper will find The Podium, the newly opened Automatic Center and Tiendesitas. Going back to EDSA and moving further north, the shopper will pass by the Araneta Malls in Cubao, SM West Avenue and the Ayala Trinoma. Going back to the south, one will surely pass by SM Bicutan and the Metropolis Starmall in Alabang. Heading towards the Las Pinas area, the Festival Mall, Alabang Town Center and SM LasPinas.

Visiting all the malls mentioned will most probably last more than a week. In fact, I am yet to cover the entire Mall of Asia in a single visit. But wait, I have barely recited half of the giant shopping complexes in the list. In the next articles, we intend to individually feature more shopping malls as well as specific stores that the regular consumer should visit. Stay tuned.