Ah! If you have a nose for a good bargain, and you know what you want in a sewing machine, Aduana is the place for you. You'll find it on the Pier area in Manila itself. the sewing machines there come from Japan, America, and the world over. Some models may surprise you, and you might even find a vintage beauty! (recommend the first shop you encounter on the right.)

the price range for sewing machines there go from a decent P3000 to P5000, and the people who man the shop (the one I mentioned above) really know sewing machines. When choosing one, I recommend you ask them to demo it for you so you know the different things it can do, and so you can gauge how easy or difficult it is to manipulate it. sometimes, they may even give you very helpful freebies (like brand new needles, bobbins, a dusting brush, and a screwdriver) on your purchase!

Oh, and always ask them for the voltage of the sewing machine. You will probably need a voltage regulator/ transformer to get them going.

Just in case (and knock on wood this ever happens) something goes awry with the machine, just keep the receipt. You can always bring the sewing machine back to them for repairs. I've seem them take a sad machine apart and put it back together, and make it hum with life. (It's quite fascinating seeing a sewing machine's inner machinery at work.)

Good luck on your purchase! Let me know how things go.

PS: if you want the name and phone number of the shop I go to, just drop me a note, alright? :)