The direct answer
Are There AA Meetings in the Philippines?
Yes.
There are in-person and online meetings across the Philippines, including Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Current meeting information is available for Metro Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Dumaguete, and many other cities and provinces.
If you’re in Dumaguete City, Valencia, Dauin, Bacong, Sibulan, or nearby Negros Oriental, you don’t need to search the whole country first. Start with the current local meeting information.
Start here in Negros Oriental
Looking for a Meeting in Dumaguete?
Find current meeting days, times, maps, venue descriptions, and practical arrival information for meetings in and around Dumaguete.
Across the Philippines
Where Can I Find Meetings in Other Parts of the Philippines?
Start with the searchable Philippines meeting list.
It includes both in-person and online meetings. Current listings include places such as:
- Aklan and Boracay
- Bataan and Subic Bay
- Benguet and Baguio
- Cavite and Tagaytay
- Metro Manila, Makati, BGC, Quezon City, Alabang, and Imus
- Pampanga and Angeles City
- Cebu City, Talisay, Bantayan, and Toledo
- Iloilo
- Leyte and Ormoc
- Bacolod and Negros Occidental
- Dumaguete, Valencia, Dauin, and Negros Oriental
- Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Ozamiz, Oroquieta, Tangub, and Gingoog
- Davao City and Digos
- Bukidnon
- Palawan
- Puerto Galera
- Siargao
Meeting details change. Check the current listing before you travel.
Meeting websites
Where Can I Find Meeting Websites for the Philippines?
These links cover meetings across the Philippines, Cebu and nearby areas, and Dumaguete.
What the websites may not tell you
Why Can Philippines Meeting Listings Sometimes Be Messy?
Meeting information in the Philippines is not always neat, complete, or the same from one website to another.
A meeting may move. A time may change. A contact number may stop working. A group may keep meeting even though its website has not been updated. An active meeting may not appear on every list.
The information is usually updated by people doing it in their spare time. People move. Phone numbers change. Website updates get missed.
The meetings are often better organized than the meeting listings.
An old page may still lead to someone who knows the current location. An outdated number may still reach a person who can point you in the right direction. A venue may have changed while the meeting continued every week.
A confusing listing does not mean there is no meeting nearby.
A listing can still be a clue
What Should I Do if the Information Looks Old?
Use it as a starting point, not always as the final answer.
If one number doesn’t work, try another meeting or regional source. If one website looks abandoned, check the national meeting list. Search the meeting name, venue, city, and province separately.
If you’re traveling, try to confirm the meeting before leaving your hotel or crossing into another city or province.
If the group meets in a church, hotel, restaurant, mall, clubhouse, or other public venue, the venue may also be able to confirm whether the meeting still uses the location.
Do not let one dead link or unanswered number end the search.
A short national history
How Far Back Does AA History Go in the Philippines?
The history published on the Philippines meeting website goes back to the early 1980s.
- 1981: Groups in Manila set up a shared group to help serve meetings in the area.
- April 23, 1983: Members met in Olongapo City to discuss the work being done across the country.
- December 14, 1984: A financial report was sent to representatives from participating groups.
- March 1, 1985: An office opened in Bauang, La Union, after representatives from Fil-Am, Manila, Bauang, and Olongapo agreed to establish it.
The same history says this work later became inactive, probably sometime after the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
At the 40th Philippines convention in Cebu on February 3, 2024, members agreed to begin rebuilding a national office.
On September 15, 2024, representatives from groups around the Philippines agreed to establish an independent office for the country, separate from New York and Oceania.
The Dumaguete convention record
What Does the 2016 Philippines AA National Convention Show?
The records from the 2016 convention in Dumaguete provide a clear picture of people traveling from across the Philippines and from other countries to attend.
The 34th annual convention was held in Dumaguete City from February 5 through February 7, 2016.
Recovered attendance records show 214 weekend attendees and another 90 people who attended on Saturday only.
The recovered agenda identifies participation connected with:
- Dumaguete
- Manila
- Angeles
- Baguio
- Bacolod
- Boracay
- Cagayan de Oro
- Cebu
- Davao
- Ozamis
- Subic
- North Luzon area groups
The same agenda also identifies participation connected with Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, and the United States.
Recovered correspondence shows that information about the convention was shared through Philippines meeting websites, the AA Grapevine event calendar, online meeting listings, the Box 4-5-9 calendar used for convention notices, and the AA office in New York.
This is not a current meeting list. It is a record of people communicating, making travel plans, and coming to Dumaguete from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and other countries.
Going for the first time
What if I’m New to AA Meetings in the Philippines?
You don’t need to understand how meetings work before you go.
You don’t need to know the Twelve Steps. You don’t need a prepared explanation. You don’t need to know anyone there.
You don’t have to speak at your first meeting. You can find a seat and listen.
There are no dues or fees. A basket may be passed for voluntary contributions, but you don’t have to put anything in it.
You don’t need to register or ask permission before attending a regular local meeting. You can check the current time and location and go when you’re ready.
Questions that may still matter
Questions You May Still Have About AA Meetings in the Philippines
Are there AA meetings in the Philippines?
Yes. There are in-person and online meetings across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Where can I find the current Philippines meeting list?
The current Philippines meeting list includes meetings held in person and online.
Are there AA meetings in Dumaguete?
Yes. The current Dumaguete meeting page includes days, times, locations, maps, and venue details.
Are online meetings available in the Philippines?
Yes. The Philippines meeting list includes online meetings as well as meetings held in person.
Why do different websites show different meeting information?
The information is updated by different people at different times. One website may show a new time or location before another one does.
What if a contact number doesn’t work?
Try another listing or a meeting in a nearby area. You can also search for the meeting name and venue separately. An old listing may still lead to someone who knows where the meeting is now.
Do I need to register before attending?
No. You don’t need to register before attending a regular local meeting.
Do I have to speak at my first meeting?
No. You can find a seat and listen.
What if I’m traveling to a meeting in another city?
Check the current day, time, and location before you leave. It also helps to know how you’ll get there and how you’ll get back, especially outside a city center or when traveling between islands, provinces, or municipalities.
The one thing you can do today
Find the Current Meeting
You don’t need a perfect meeting list.
You don’t need every question answered first.
Find the current meeting list for the place where you are.
Check the day.
Check the time.
Check the location.
Find the meeting.
Find an open seat.
Sit down.
Listen.
That is enough for a first meeting.