|
Philippines: American defense treaty:
It appears current saber rattling about the Philippine/American Mutual Defense Treaty is only that. Saber rattling.
The current treaty is law in both nations as ratified according to constitutional requirement in both nations. It's unclear if a president has authority to terminate the treaty. But it is clear that one party has to issue 1 year notice of intention to terminate the treaty.
The USA has stated they will uphold the provisions of the treaty. Probably means America will defend Philippines 1 year even if Philippines issues notice of termination of the treaty. Looks like expats will have adequate warning to take measures necessary for avoiding being caught up in hostilities between China and Philippines in the future. China's belligerent statements and actions in The South China Sea are quite alarming for those not wishing to live under communist rule. I'm hoping cooler heads will prevail and nations will separate drug wars from military wars. I do agree with those that say America should clean up it's own problems before using their energies to mess with other nations problems. Especially when it comes to illegal narcotics problems. Maybe others have comments ?
Philippines: The Philippine President:
Smooth move on Duterty's part. American's, including 5th Special Forces, do not have a good record when going up against guerilla fighters. Only useful for tactical details such as air support or intelligence. The Mindanao Moros are not known for standing in the street at high noon and drawing pistols at the count of 3.
Philippines: house and lot in Rizal province:
trappedinhell, only;
Enjoyed your post on Antipolo. Sure made it seem interesting. Don't see much of that here in the forums. Mostly folks trying to make it on one to three thousand dollars per month. I can't imagine. One of my reasons for moving here was to enjoy so much in my final years. No desire to live below standards I have always worked to enjoy. I reside in Cebu. (2 years) But not for long. Found a sea side place resembling an American upscale neighborhood. Driving in Phils will remain the farthest thing from my mind. No trikes here in the big city. But these people are experts in utilizing any 3 inches available when wishing to chang lanes. I would go crazy. They never wreck, but I would have to use lots of Jack Daniels to deal with it. We don't go out much. Home bodies. Family first (I now have 1,800 rather close family members. The REAL Catholics) Cooking; second. And charity; third. We try not to have to eat out. Deathly fear of food poisoning. I did a stint as a electrical contractor in the states and seen inside American commercial kitchens. The list of places to frequent grew shorter with each passing week. 3rd world kitchens? I'll let you guess. Best entertainments here is the patio view from up high. School soccer, School military training, and the cops. I love the cops. They set up motorcycle roadblocks and cause problems for the bikers. I went down, once, and talked to them. They find every think on earth; wrong with the bikers. But never take money from their family food tables. Force the bikers to apologize and hold them up for long periods of time. I think it's cool. Seen your note on hospitals there. The ones here (I been in 5) are no place for a camera. But not expensive.
Charities make us stay young. First of school is the time for weight loss around here. School supplies in this home is like a Henry Ford Assembly line. Walk sideways in the home. All excited to live by the sea shore. I hope a person can hear it when it's quite outside. Here's hoping you get to enjoy it in Antipolo for many years.
Philippines: Children accompanying on a fiancee Visa:
To: jeleo1.......only.
Your's is the most tear jerking post I ever seen. I cry with you.
#1. Philippines don't have divorce; under any conditions on earth.
#2. Philippines has an annulment process under very limited conditions; only within one year of the date married.
#3. Anything else is entirely illegal.
#4. Bribes are a way of Philippine life.
#5. Her cousin's best friend is sister of a Philippine judge............maybe you will not be devastated as I suspect.
#6. A under aged minor.........if there is one...........shall have to be represented by a separate attorney with her father's rights being administered to in court.
Can I ask ? Did you sent lots and lots of money to the precious Philippine lady in question ?
Did you also send lots of your hard earned money that will supposedly go to some nice Philippine attorney ?
I take note you did not mention very expensive medical checkup prior to VISA issuance. Please don't hate me yet. Did you send the extremely expensive money for her interview At Manila ? And money for her travel and lodging for both trips ? Just courous. I went through all that until I snapped and realized the entire ordeal was all about America and Philippines stealing tons of money from an America that thought he wants to have Philippine mate for life. Back in our beer joints we call that prostitution. Get a woman. Pay some money. (and pay through the nose to Philippines and America)
Luck to you; buddy. You gonna sure need it. (and.........that's just the tip of the ice burg about how much money America and Philippines demand you spend to get the woman.)
Sorry.........we call that prostitution. Nations selling a woman.
Now, set back and look at how many comments contradict everything me and my wife suffered through for 12 long years of denying Philippines and America the price of a woman.
Philippines: Foreign Currency Exchange Rate:
Foreign Expats should not meddle in Philippine politics here in the forum. Dandy chance for exportation. President Duterty's policies are Philippines alone. Violators will sure to be suspected to be offended by his anti drug decisions. The president stands alone against the world about drugs. This forum is great for other than those hoping for his anti-drug rulings to be dismissed. Long live The Philippines and long live anti-drugs President Duterty.
Philippines: Info about SV to PR- Visa questions.:
Obieone is almost right.
Take the trip to BI. You got no choice in the long run. Get a snootful of Jack Daniels and roll with the punches. My Philippines is somewhat imperfect. Those many Sea Lawyers know what they are talking about. Each one has a different story about what they had to go through with the BI. Every story is true. Think about your hometown Burger King hamburger cook taking a 80% cut in pay and you will have a good idea who you will be dealing with at BI. You don't get rocket scientists for sixty eight cents per hour. Best bet is to write "American" on a bubble gum wrapper and toss it into the garbage. You won't see nothing "American" in The Philippines. Not even the U S Embassy or The U S Department of Veteran Affairs. Those places are 100% Philippine too. Enjoy the rodeo. Makes for good stories. Don't get all bent out of shape about the overlapping fees. Look around the room. Inspect the construction, paint, and furnishings. Those people desperately need any additional bucks they can beat you out of. Hope you find ways to enjoy my Philippines.
Philippines: Malaria:
Risk of contacting malaria in Philippines is low.
Risk in urban areas is even much lower. Malaria is only a risk on Basilu, Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Palawan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi Islands.
6 month supply of Malaria pills at CVX Pharmacy in America in 2009 was $850
American Department of Veteran Affairs gave them away free to those qualified. VA said they pay about 50 cents for each pill. About one ninth of pharmacy price. We all took 2 different kinds in Vietnam in the '60s
Crazy VA proved I developed allergy to the pills after 2 years of taking them every day.
Note worthy is polio is present in Philippines. And much tuberculosis. A final rinse using purified water is well advised; on all food stuffs. Eating or drinking anything in the public positively produces many health risks. The list of risks is very long.
Using tap water for brushing teeth is ill advised.
2 tiny houseflies landing on a fresh skin scrape produced a life threatening bacteria. 2 hospitals, and 10 days later; 4 hours surgery saved my leg and my life. This is my home. But remaining vigilant at all times is a must for happy life in Philippines.
Much can be learned beginning at web sites for The U S State Department and surfing the many options.
Philippines: Most Dependable Bank:
BPO says Wells Fargo has a branch in Manila. I will be there next month and check it out. BPO also has some sort of relationship with Wells Fargo. But execs in the second largest city can not produce any results.
The big stickler is USA has 9 digit bank tracking codes. Transfers can not be made because Phils banks have 8 letter swift codes.
Something must have changed during my 2 years here
The U S Embassy, The U S Social Security Administration, and the U S Department of Veteran Affairs was here 2 days ago for a workshop assisting American Expats with all sorts of matters. I ran out of time working with the VA. But men on the side walk told me The U S Treasury now uses direct deposit to send funds to them in Phils. I'm sure gonna look into it further at the U S Embassy in Manila next month.
We have paid through the nose to access my money from phils ATMs and when using a American bank debit card to make purchases. 2 fees at ATMs, and one fee at stores.
Couple that with a Wells Fargo $300 daily ATM limit and a Phils P10,000 transaction limit. For $120,000.00
It's like getting your teeth pulled.
I'm gonna see a man Thursday that has a system that is supposed to be much better. If so, I'm baking him a cake.
I really don't want to get mixed up with the U S Consulate. Too many cooks will mess up the soup.
There has to be some workable systems or the men on the side walk would not be so happy with the system they use.
Philippines: Hello and...:
Dang it, Les !
You got ESP, or something ?
I could have honestly written your article except the last 4 lines. Your shortage list is easily found in many locations in the second biggest city in the nation. Pollution here is a tad different. I schedule my fans and air conditioner for cleaning twice month. Quite a dirty affair. And my mid city 50 year old, mid/low range little 11th floor condo stays closed up. This city will wipe out every memory one can have that lived in America. Really fancy, new hi rise condos all over the place. Toss a rock out the window and it will hit ghettos like America wishes it did not have. State of the art business and offices fit for picture taking. 50 yards away from slums that will make you vomit. Millions (MILLIONS) of tiny residential dwellings less than 600 square feet. Square miles of seemingly carpet of rusted tin roofs. 4 and 5 year old trained beggars at 4 AM. Millions of tiny businesses and shops touching the side walks. Or on the side walks. Sometimes touching the streets. People conduction business while standing on side walks. Raw sewage every where. Residential dwellings using common outer walls. Missing window glass or doors. Air conditioning, even fans never visible. Hot water is not even in the dictionary. Don't worry about all the stray dogs messing with the little bags of trash for the garbage men during late night. The impoverished humans will have already gone through the little bags and the garbage men will clean it all up.
Hiding out in a halfway pretty condo is one answer. There are some terribly expensive resorts way down the coasts. The malls are colorful and somewhat entertaining. But I only had to visit with one expat that stayed in the hospital with food poisoning from McDonalds. I eat exclusively at home. Like Les said. This is the land of family values. It's also the land of high morals and good manners. But those things are not found in the cities. A good Philippine family is enough for a fabulous life full of love.
Once upon a time there were three ways to do anything. Right way, wrong way, and the army way. Here we got 4. The Philippine way. Backwards from anything you expect and slower than Christmas. But what can you expect from 45 cents per hour labor ? All those comments about housing ? A large home on a bass lake in East Texas costs 10 dollars per month less than a cracker box 2 story new Philippine home touching 2 more homes. My house girl just now told me they only have running water in her town on Mondays and Thursdays.
I don't know that it possible to study enough to be mentally prepared for the Philippines. I'm staying. For family. And it costs me 5 times as much as some of the commenters say it costs them. My main concern is keeping my great wife from becoming Americanized. I know I passed up 80,000,000 American females on the way to get my wife in Philippines for good reason.
Philippines: Living in Manila with my family:
To Nycvac; only
There is no way on earth an American can prepare financially or mentally for moving to The Philippines.
The word "third world country" is not taught in American institutions of learning. Pictures in books can not describe life in Kabul Afghanistan or Lagos Nigeria. Just get ready to land on the moon and you will have a good start. Cost of living ? For an American used to living in America ? Impossible to answer that. Wishing for things you are accustomed to having will be more expensive than in America; if you can locate those things, at all. Education here is a multiple part answer. The outside of education facilities will make you vomit. Ditto for government or hospital facilities. And the huge lion's share of residences.
But inside............disipline, regimented life structure, competition for top honors, and family values, far exceed any nation I have been to or studied. In today's world, a sheepskin is value. No matter where it came from. Peoples abilities no longer count anywhere. The sheepskin proves to all; that a person is trainable at a higher level than high school. Nothing else. Look to the American medical industry. Flooded with India, Pakistan, and Philippine workers at every level. They work for less and the bottom line is always money.
On the plus side; the kids will not be trained with all the bad things the whole world sees about America; in the daily news.
Just curious; why Manila ? The population of greater Houston is 4 million. The population of greater Manila is 14 million. And the transportation problems alone would be lights and bells going off. (both cities are about the same size.)
Maybe try reading this expat forum for a while. Might be enlightening to see about other locations. Life here is much slower. And I'm retired, specializing in lazy, and I like slower. And I do wonder about people like you and me. The news reports 340,000 Filipinos have migrated to America. No way that many Americans have migrated to the Philippines. More than 50% come for the young beauties that will marry an older man. We are innocent. My wife is 52 years old.
After 2 years, I've decided I'm here to keep my wife from becoming American and trashing her family values. I want to keep her 100% Philippine. She is not perfect but she does not have a divorce lawyer's phone number tattoo on the back of her hand. Mean as a rattle snake but when they turn the lights
out.....................................heaven on earth 365 days a year. Her family values would fill libraries with volumns. And her penny pinching would get on your nerves.
Good luck. Hope you get a pretty place. Make some friends quickly. Learn fast. I have a 1,800 member family keeping me out of the poor house and the hospital. Heed those words. They place a target on your back in Philippine customs and it don't wash off easily. Just remember; if it sounds like a duck, looks like a duck, and has webbed feet...........you are probably dealing with a duck. These extremely poor people have not much choice when it comes to taking advantage of a foreigner. Hunger is a real word. Multiply that by 17 and you will know all about the Philippine government in every office here. Be careful and good luck.
| 
Login to Contact Goodlooking
About Goodlooking
