MANILA, Philippines?Dapitan Arcade is a treasure trove for those who love wicker furniture and everything proudly Philippine-made. Dapitan Arcade sits at the corner of Dapitan, Mayon and Kanlaon Streets, the border between Manila and Quezon City.

If you want to recreate the vibe of Oscar de la Renta?s Dominican Republic hacienda mansion or Ralph Lauren?s Jamaica tropical house, then Dapitan is definitely a must-visit place, for it offers items that have taken nautical inspirations, whether seashells as accents or as the main design theme.

Wicker is actually the furniture of choice for an outdoor lanai set for most homes, for its worry-free maintenance since it has been treated with varnish. It could be exposed to the harsh rays of the sun or the usual downpour since it dries up easily.

The materials used for some present-day wicker furniture have become diverse: dried water hyacinth stalks (the lowly water lily has been reinvented); and reeds taken from numerous swamps in the country, thanks to the Pinoy?s creative ingenuity.

The marketplace of Dapitan extends up to the sidewalks, so it has a very weekend-market, flea-market feel. Be prepared to bring your umbrella, just in case you don?t want to be subjected to the heat or the sudden downpour.

Dapitan Arcade on weekends is not that jampacked, but it pays to be early, for the buena mano (first customer of the day) syndrome could sometimes be your ticket for generous discounts.

Since Christmas is just around the corner, Dapitan offers various Christmas decor that will surely spruce up one?s home with the holiday spirit.

Most of these Christmas items are made from Philippine-sourced materials and are usually export overruns, so rest assured that these are world-class.

Fans of Dapitan shopping such as broadcast personality Daphne Oseña-Paez, who is also a big fan of Bangkal thrift shopping, swears by the good finds one can discover in these quaint shopping destinations.

Other than the good prices, the choices are endless and diverse, a surefire combination that means you won?t go home empty-handed.