South-Eastern Asia
Video Chat with People from the Philippines
English is an official language of the Philippines alongside Filipino, and it's widely used, so conversations can start right away and often drift into Taglish, the easy mix of Tagalog and English. Across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao you'll also hear Cebuano (Bisaya), Ilocano, Hiligaynon and more. The whole country keeps Philippine Time (UTC+8) all year, so 9 PM in Manila or Cebu is early afternoon in Europe and morning on the US East Coast.
Basketball is a reliable opener, whether it's the NBA or the local PBA, and so is food: adobo, sinigang, Cebu's lechon and halo-halo on a hot day. Other easy topics include island trips to Palawan, Siargao or Bohol, OPM (Original Pilipino Music), and the famously long holiday season that starts in September. You might meet someone in Quezon City, Davao, Iloilo or Baguio. Our Filipino phrase guide has a few greetings to try.
The Philippines at a glance
How to say hello
A friendly local greeting makes a great first impression.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filipino | Kumusta? | koo-MOOS-tah | How are you? / Hi! |
| Filipino | Magandang gabi po! | mah-gahn-DAHNG gah-BEE poh | Good evening! ('po' adds respect) |
| Cebuano | Maayong gabii! | mah-AH-yong gah-BEE-ee | Good evening! (Cebuano/Bisaya) |
| Filipino | Ingat! | EE-ngaht | Take care! (a warm goodbye) |
Tips for chatting with people from the Philippines
- Add 'po' to show respect, as in 'Salamat po' (thank you). It's especially appreciated with someone older than you.
- Expect Taglish: switching between Tagalog and English mid-sentence is normal, so feel free to answer in English.
- Ask which island or province they're from. Manila, Cebu and Davao each have their own language, food and pace.
- Asking for someone's go-to karaoke song is a fun, low-pressure opener.
Only meet people from the Philippines
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from the Philippines, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Philippines and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from the Philippines, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from the Philippines are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Nearby countries
Other countries in South-Eastern Asia: