How To Correctly Write a Filipino Address So Your Packages Are Actually Delivered

I had trouble with Filipino addresses when I first got here. So, here’s a summary of what I’ve learned since then.

Formal post office assigned addresses are more prominent in the urban areas. In the rural areas, they are inconsistent, bordering on nonexistent.

The core rule is:

• Write the address for the rider, not for a bureaucrat.
• Couriers care about finding you, not about postal purity.

Things to remember:

1. Start With the Smallest Useful Unit

Always include:

House No. / Building Name / Lot & Block
Sitio / Purok (if applicable)
Barangay
Municipality or City
Province

Example:

House 12, Purok 3
Brgy. San Isidro
San Fernando City
La Union

If you skip the barangay, your package is already lost.

2. Street Names Are Optional (Landmarks Are Not)

Street names help only if they are real, signed, and known.

If not, add landmarks:

• Near barangay hall
• Beside basketball court
• Across sari-sari store
• Behind church
• Near water refilling station

Example:

House 12, Purok 3
Near Barangay Hall, beside sari-sari store
Brgy. San Isidro
San Fernando City, La Union

This is far more useful than a fake street name. — Which I admitted is what I’ve been doing for a few years now in the last blog post

3. Always Include a Phone Number (Non-Negotiable)

No phone number = no delivery.

Format:

Contact: 09XX-XXX-XXXX

Many deliveries succeed only because the rider calls you.

4. Add a Google Maps Pin (This Is the Cheat Code)

Best practice today:

• Drop a Google Maps pin
• Paste the link in the address field or delivery notes

Example:

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XXXX

This instantly upgrades your address from “guesswork” to “deliverable.”

5. Use Delivery Notes Aggressively

Most platforms (Shopee, Lazada, Grab, Lalamove) allow delivery instructions.

Use them.

Good notes:

• Gate color
• Landmark sequence
• Call before arrival
• “Ask barangay tanod if lost”

Bad notes:

• “Please find”
• “Near something”
• “Just ask around”

6. Match Local Language When Possible

In rural areas:

• English is fine
• Tagalog or local dialect is better

Example:

Kanan pagkatapos ng barangay hall, katabi ng tindahan

Riders are locals. Help them.

7. Know When to Use a Courier Hub Instead

If your place is extremely remote:

• Use LBC branch pickup
• Use barangay hall delivery
• Use known landmark pickup

Example:

Deliver to LBC San Fernando Branch – Call upon arrival

This avoids failed delivery loops.

8. Sample “Actually Works” Address

Useless (but technically correct)

123 Rizal Street
San Isidro
La Union

Effective (real Philippines)

House 12, Purok 3
Near Barangay Hall, beside sari-sari store
Brgy. San Isidro
San Fernando City, La Union
Contact: 0917-XXX-XXXX
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XXXX

Summary:

In the Philippines:

• Barangay + landmarks + phone number > street name
• Riders solve delivery, not addresses
• Google Maps is now the closest thing to a national addressing system
• Write your address like a human trying to find you, not like a clerk filling a form.

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Photo by Cyrus Crossan on Unsplash