Profile of Angeles City

TIME ZONE

GMT+8 Hours

ENTRY FORMALITIES

Except for stateless persons and those from countries with which the Philippines has no diplomatic relations, all visitors with valid passport may enter the country without visas and may stay for 21 days provided they have tickets for onward journey. Holders of Hong Kong and Taiwan passports must have special permits. Visas and special permits may be obtained from Philippine embassies and consulates.

HEALTH REGULATIONS

Visitors coming from infected areas need yellow fever vaccination. Children under one year of age are subject to isolation when necessary.

DRUG ABUSE

Possession or use of prohibited drugs carries a minimum of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum penalty of death for drug pushers

AIRPORT

Angeles is served by the Clark International Airport, approximately 12 kms. From the city center. It has adequate travel facilities; a duty free shopping center and souvenir shops; and a tourist information center, hotel and travel agency representatives, and car rental services

CUSTOMERS REGULATIONS

To facilitate customs examination, visitors are devised to fill in the Baggage and Currency Declaration Form before disembarking. Visitors are allowed to bring in the following articles duty-free: reasonable quantity of clothes; jewelry and toiletries; 400 sticks of cigarettes or two tins of tobacco; and two bottles of wine or spirits of not more than one liter each.

CURRENCY REGULATIONS

Visitors can bring in and take out any amount of foreign currency.

ARTS

Early exposure to the outside world, even before the Spanish colonial period, has contributed to the rich culture of Kapangpangan people. In Angeles itself, one can find a large concentration of carpenters, woodcarvers, metal craftsmen, tinsmiths and other artisans. In the visual arts one can see the degree of sophistication of the Kapampangan craftsmen working in jewelry, painting and scripture. A visitor can enjoy a night of Kapangpangan poetry or Teatrong Kapangpangan plays at Culture shack, a local hangouts for poets, writers and artists

CULTURE

One of these is the Baguis Fiestang Kuliat, which includes the Tigatigan at Terakan King Dalan . Added to these activities are the Feast of the Guardian Angels, the Celebration of the Foundation Day commemorating 1829, time when Angeles was inaugurated as a new town, the Malealdo (Holy Week), the Santacruzan and the Sinukwan Festival

TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Almost three percent of Angeles City is roads. In fact its network is longest compared to other cities in the region, like Olongapo, Tarlac and Cabanatuan. There are 53,814 registered vehicles in the city, which contributes to the emerging traffic problems. Angeles City has a number of buses, mini-buses, jeepneys, tricycles and horse-driven carriages called “calesas” plying the busy streets. Inside the city limit, jeepneys are colored coded according to their routes and they could accommodate 10-16 passengers. Mini-buses and jeepneys are also used to ferry passengers from the city to nearby towns and municipalities. Buses are available going to and from Manila. To address the needs of its people, the City Government is now under negotiations with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and other agencies regarding road networks. Part of the project that will lessen traffic problems is the construction of the East Circumferential Road and the Friendship Bridge.

WATER UTILITIES

Water in the city is supplied by eleven (11) waterwork systems. Seven (7) of these are privately owned and operating in residential subdivisions. Three (3) of the original five (5) barangay waterworks are still operational . The Angeles City Water District has taken over the areas and being served by two (2) barangay waterworks which has stopped operations. The eleventh is the Angeles Water District (ACWD) , a quasi-government corporation, which has the big coverage and the most subscriber .In 1999 alone, it was able to expand its services to four (4) more baragay. Of the thirty three (33) barangays, thirty one (31) barangays are reached by the various systems. 49.79% of the total population if these thirety one (31) barangay is served by ACWD, 51.65 % is served by private water systems and 8.82% by Barangay Waterworks. The barangay and households ,which has not yet been reached by these water systems rely either on their own jetmatics ,deep and open wells

ELECTRICITY

Electric power System in Angeles City is owned and operated by a private firm, the Angeles Electric Corporation (AEC). Its power system is one of the efficient electric corporations in the country. It has an operating capacity of 71.9 million volt amperes, thus able to supply even the maximum demand of the city which is 59.00 megawatts and the average demand of 57.00 megawatts. Power supply is enjoyed by ninety five percent (95%) of the populace. Household that have no electrical connections used kerosene lamps ,candles /gas for their lightning .Suc is their situation because they could not afford the electrical service although the power rates of AEC is already considered the cheapest compared to the electric companies and cooperatives in neighboring municipalities in Pampanga .As for cooking , residents resort to the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) , charcoal or kerosene.

TELECOMMUNICATION

Facilities – Several communication facilities have been established in Angeles City, one of which is telephone systems. The city now has two privately-owned landline telephone companies – DATELCOM and DIGITEL, Inc. – which serve 59.66% of combined 88,124 households and business firms. This percentage continues to rise as Smart Communications Inc. extends its services to a limited number of landline subscribers. In addition to the latter, cellular phone firms like Globe, Islacom, Piltel, Extelcom, Mobiline and Nextel also serve the city. The Philippine Graphic, identify Angeles City as one of the cities where there is an average of 178 available lines per 1,000 population. This will help for the growth of electronic commerce division.