first and foremost, i'd make sure your band is tight. good sound, good interplay, and everybody knows the songs - you can only imagine how rare this is because 95% of bands suck, especially if they play original music.
anyway, when i am sure we sound good, i will look for a gig with the biggest possible audience. after which i'd make sure to get contacts from people who would book us more gigs.
in short: if you are good, go saguijo. if you suck or just wanna have fun, play in whatever bar. ultimately you will realize that playing in whatever bar and "popular original music" bars are the same; same bad/mediocre equipment, and same audience (family members, friends, other bands, and the regular bar tambays).