My personal recommendation is that, don't get the absolute-beginner-entry-level DSLR. IMO, they're probably great gift items but If you're heading up a path to do slightly more serious photography, get something that can offer you a bit more legroom.

I personally use Canon so I can only relate to this brand, I would recommend at least a 650D over the 1000D/1100D. If you can cough up a bit more dough, a 60D would be even better.

Apart from the image sensor, the lens is probably one of the most important component that will have a dramatic effect on picture quality. Get a DSLR body that you're comfortable with (both in features and budget) and stick to it. You can do wonders even with just the kit lens. If that's no longer enough, invest on a good quality lens. Suffice to say, quality lenses can cost tens of thousands of pesos. Canon "L" lenses costs hundreds of thousands. To talk about lenses is like opening a can of worms. I think I'll let you and Google sort this out.

And much later, if you outgrow the body, you can probably look into upgrading to full-frame sensors, such as the 6D.

So, depending on your affinity towards photography, this can be a very expensive and viscous cycle.