This is the most important. I understand that you can only stay 59 days at a time on a visa extension. How can I get around that? I do not want to be a Philippine citizen. Is it possible to leave the country for a day or so every 59 days and then return and repeat the process? Based on my income and profile, do you think I could qualify for a longer extension? You don't need to leave the country after 59 days, just get an extension by going to immigration for two more months for about $40.. After a year you need to leave the country for a day. Most take a trip to Hong Kong or Thailand, a fun thing to do and cheap, maybe $300 per person and fun, hotel and a terrible breakfast included. Of course all of this is in the archives. People stay here for many years, retire here on a tourist visa.

All of my income is generated by computer work so bringing computers with me to the Philippines was required. First of all I managed to fit everything I own in 3 large suitcases. I went to Walmart and purchased 3 of their 30"" suitcases. I was charged $120 extra for having one extra bag. One of the computers I brought took up half of the suitcases. The other two I broke down to the basic components with out the case and put them in a small hard case (cary-on) size. I have to buy 2 new cases to put them back together. For the computer that fit in the suit case... I thought it would be easy to just flip the little red switch in the back to 230V. The computer worked for about 10 minutes and then the processor fried. Oops... For those of you who bring one in your suit case REPLACE THE POWER SUPPLY with one here.

If your sole criteria for choosing a serious girlfriend is her ability with the English language, you are eliminating a huge percentage of the female population on the planet. Communicating is always a joy with someone you truly admire, respect and love....despite the differences you two may have. Besides, wouldn't you rather talk WITH someone who UNDERSTANDS YOU and not just the way you speak and vice versa? You won't understand each other ALL the time, but that's boring anyway. I have such fun teaching my husband Tagalog. And I love listening to him making jokes with his different American accents (like Mabel the Exotic Dancer from Wyoming or Tony the mobster from New Jersey) We manage to have intellectual conversations despite my being Filipino. Go where your heart takes you and open yourself up to the possibilities of a new country and new friends. Just enjoy yourself.

When you visit the RP consider finding the location of the universities. You will find lots of English spoken there as well as a lot of young ladies interested in learning conversational English. Beauty of the mind can be found in the heart.

I guess I have been driving illegally in Cebu, since I recently only found out one can only drive on a Foreign licence for 90 days! Is that 90 days from when one arrives or 90 days from when one wants to start driving? Whatever - I decided that I really ought to try again at getting a Philippine Driving Licence on the strength of having held a Full British licence for 30 years and now have my 13A Visa and ACR allowing me to be resident in the Philippines. This time I decided to try the LTO at Mandaue to see if any different than Central, and because I was passing near it at the time. Mandaue LTO is certainly less crowded than Cebu City LTO office and much easier to find somewhere to park. First job was the Medical Examination. This was easy here since there was approved clinic right opposite the LTO. No queues - no fuss, all very simple and quick. Blood pressure reading, question enquiring if I needed glasses to see at all and asking me if I was fit; hand over Php50 and I was given a Certificate and the OR. I then went to get the Application Form and was then going to have a go at the Drug Testing. It was too close to lunchtime so we continued our planned journey to visit Sha-Sha's Sister over in Pacific Grand Villas, Mactan. We returned later that afternoon sure they would be back from lunch. Here is a tip - dont visit the CR for a few hours prior to attending Drug Testing Centre! Having filled out the Form and paid the Php300 I was then told to fill a sample bottle at the urinal by the open door (it has to stay open - SOP, to spot if you are switching samples or filling with water I guess?). I was in the embarrassing position of having an empty bladder and all I could manage was about 10% of what they wanted. ""Water - Free, Drink All you Want"" proclaimed a sign by the Reverse Osmosis filled bottle water Drinking Chiller. 5 glasses of water and 10-15 minute wait and I managed another 80%! They accepted this however (probably fed up of waiting or thought I might drink all the water if they insisted on the last 10%?). Having got the Medical and Drug Testing done and the Application Form completed it was time to submit the application - or not. We decided it would be better to try this first thing the next day since we had no idea what was involved orr how long it would take. The next day we found out. Having finally managed to shove our application submission in through the Cashiers Window (#3) at Mandaue LTO office, the nice lady official asked is to go around the back and come inside the LTO office. I was given a seat to sit down on inside the aircon office whilst they processed my application. Yet another photocopy of my UK Driving licence was required for some reason and the page of my Passport showing my last date of entry into the Philippines! I found they prefered speaking to my asawa Sha-Sha and let her tell me what to do. Next stage was out the back to the 'outdoor classroom' type area. They wanted me to do the 'Compulsory Written Test'. I did not know quite why since I had a UK Driving Licence and felt sure the Test there was much more involved and difficult than any the Philippines is likely to be (I based this on the almost complete lack of observance of UK Highway Code standards). Anyway I thought this would be fun. The system is some 40 questions on road safety and driving techniques and road signs and conditions were presented with 3 multiple-choice questions and one had to select the 'best or most appropriate/correct' answer. In summary the questions were mostly very easy provided one does know road signs etc and plain common sense. There were a few RP related questions I had some trouble with or second thoughts about like (E&OE):- ""At what age can one apply for a Non-Professional Driving Licence?"". 17/18/21 years of age? Answer is 17 (it is 18 for the Professional Licence). ""What Documents are required by law to be carried at all times ?"". Vehicle Registration and Receipt*/Motor Insurance/Insurance and Driving Licence? ""Which lane should a slow moving vehicle utilise on multiple lane road?"" Inner/Middle/Outer? Correct answer is Outer according to Examinar - I put 'Inner' (In the UK the fast cars use the overtaking lane or 'outer' lane which is actually the one closest to the central reservation, hence Inner. Also I found it confusing in Cebu when my asawa was learning to drive (slowly), the Instructor told her to use the lane closest the centre of the road - which I was always told was the 'fast lane'. Mind you knowing the frustrations of driving behind Jeepneys that stop and pull out without warning, I can understand the advice to use the other lane. I just explained to the Examinar my reasons for putting inside or inner lane and he seemed to accept that. In fact the Examinar seemed to be quite excited that I was doing so well. He was reading out the Question and then saying the correct answer. This would be very useful to the Filipinos still conducting the Written Driving Test whilst he did this provided they had 'latched on' to what was going on with me and the Examiner! The Examinar obviously had a sense of humour since we came to the question "" How does one indicate via hand signals how to turn left?"". I was acting out possible answers as observed whilst driving ""Wave left arm furiously up and down in flapping type motion"" or "" Hold left arm limply out of window whilst opening and closing fist (to simulate flashing indicator bulb!), or ""hold left arm straight out palms facing foreward"". I cant remember what was the wording of the actual alternatives? The correct hand signal is rarely seen practiced! The Question I had the most trouble with ""What is the safe distance to tavel behind a car per 16KPH"" (or something like that) and the answers was to be in the number of Car Lengths 1/2/3? For me the correct answer was ""The 3 second Rule"". (""Only a Fool Breaks the 3 Second Rule"" was the slogan of a graphic UK campaign Advert, I seem to recall fairly vividly). One should increase the gap the faster one drives but it is NOT proportional. If 1 car length is fine at 16KPH it is not necessarily double at 32KPH and 3 car lengths at 48KPH and 4 car lengths at 72KPH. At 72KPH the reaction time is 100' and braking distance is 90' making a total of 190'. The correct answer according to the Examiner (here in the Philippines) is 1 car length, I chose 2 car lengths to be safe, rather than sorry. (They must be very long cars used in the exam is all I can suggest?). Sorry Guys I cant remember all the questions and would not be ethical to list them even if I had a photographic memory. How long have they been running this Written Driving Test here in the RP?"". I am just amazed that many pass the minimum 35 correct answers out of the 40?

there are times when the Anonymous Bear has stumbled around mumbling ""what have I done?"" and times when I have never been so happy. Happiness is a choice and although I do my best, sometimes you just get plain homesick. A lot of my personal dilemma's stem from having to make a living here. If I had the benefit, dare I say luxury, of a steady retirement income or ex-pat salary package then I know, for me, things would be very different. However, you have to play the cards you dealt yourself and I remind myself of my reasons for making the big change in my life. I also try to really soak in every moment, every little detail and savour it. I think of those who told me I was mad, stupid, throwing it all away, whatever all is. They were merely voicing their own fears and trying not to admit they were too scared to live their dreams by putting mine down. In the really tough moments I have had here since July, I think back to times in my life when I really thought it was the end. When I was very, very scared and knew if I didn't act then I would be dead. It puts things into perspective and I give myself an emotional shake and get back into it. Like I said before, few things in life are actually fatal. I am living my own great adventure. Where will I be in three years time? How do I know? I didn't think I would be living in Bogo three years ago. I'm only 41, when I read of other list members who are 20 years or more my senior and still doing new things and taking new challenges, it gives me inspiration. Cheers, Perry. I would not describe the first year as a touristic delight but it does take some years to fully settle down. Funny that you state that one would try to change things. I doubt if that works in any way. It is you who has to change and adapt to a new environment. For sure it helps if you are already familiar with the culture. I also keep in mind that I can always return to the Netherlands or any other place. I treasure my passport and am making sure my kids have both their Dutch and Filipino passports at hand. Come to think of it I really enjoyed flying around and visiting places here during the second year. There is clear water, white beaches and coconut trees all around and contrary to my country man I pay only US$ 70 for a round trip. I hope Perry can give some more info as well? Is it what you expected it to be? For me the feeling are mixed between great and a complete nightmare the latter having nothing to do by the country itself.

All new TV's I've seen here (just purchase one) are multivolt, 100-240 volt operation. As is my satellite receiver, and Globe wireless telephone. I run everything, including computer equipment, at 110 volt from an AVR.

Choosing the ""Digest"" version helps with mail management a lot too, but they still come to your e-mail client. They should only come twice a day. That change takes some time too. I you pay by the hour for your connection time, this may be better than the option, above. It also takes time to kick in. There are other options, but these are simple and will be all you need. **** Getting to the Information, quickly. There are many posts in the *searchable* archives of more than 24,000 post, open to you. Search for your answers in them to save repeats of posts and get information quickly. Repeats are of questions, already answered in the archives many time, are not very popular with members. Please, search the archives first, if you can. You may find some very interesting things, for which you were not looking. Read website at www.livinginthephilippines.com. It needs an edit, but many answers to your questions are there, most quick and easy to find. (If the song, ""Filipino Baby,"" drives you nuts, just lower or turn off your sound.) In the files section of our Yahoo Groups list, there is a compressed 2.5 megabyte file form ""Listbot"" with 1,300 or so messages on it. Download and read it for quick information. There are some valuable posts there, some of the best ever made, when the list was fresh and we were too. In the bookmarks (favorites) section and files at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LivingInThePhilippines1/ interesting information that may answer your questions. In the photo section you can post pictures. Other members have. You can view them. SOME RULES: To keep the order necessary to provide you with the information you need we need some rules and guidelines as below: *Stay ""on topic."" For example, if you want to talk about golf, that is for the a golf list. But if you want to talk about golf in the Philippines, this is the place. Off topics posts are a list killers. Do not post them.* [Some of the many topics we have covered, and continue to discuss are listed below the ""Rules""] *This is a non commercial, free list. This is not a place to promote yourself or your business, or that of your business associates. Advertisements can be purchased on the website, only.* *Jokes are not welcome, unless they are Philippine related. Humor is welcome. But this is not a joke list.* *Post like, ""Good post,"" ""Thanks,"" ""I Concur,"" or ""Okay,"" are not welcome. This list has a polite tone, good people so we are getting too many ""Thank you's"" Please don't post them in the interest of cutting down the mail load.* *This is not an introduction service, bride, husband or marriage service. We don't sell or give out or ask for any names of Filipinas or Filipinos nor can you.* *Flames and profanity are not allowed. If you disagree, attack the position, not the person, please! If you attack the person you will be removed, right whether your position is right or wrong.* *Request for donations, even for good causes, are banned.* *When one of the moderators or I say a topic is banned or off topic, that is the end.* *If you have a problem with these rules, mail me at don.herrington@skyinet.net, or a moderator. See their addresses, below. They are a great help. These gentlemen are volunteers, no pay and often under appreciated. Without them there would be no list.* ***Read the 13 Commandments of e-mail,*** that comes with this. And apply them to your posts on the list. For instance, *If you change the subject of a post, change it in the subject line too, and make it descriptive. This makes it easier for everyone. Please be aware our advice carries no guarantee. Others and my opinions are only opinions, not gospel or law. We all tend to generalize at times, in an effort to communicate. This is to be expected and proper. Sweeping generalizations should be characterized as such. You may get off list ""great deal,"" "" get rich quick"" offers we can't prevent. Neither ""Living in the Philippines"" nor I, endorse any business proposals you may get from anyone on or off the List. On List they are prohibited. We cannot stop the Yahoo ads or not until we change to private list server or message board, an option under consideration.

We just came leaving Dec 3. Total trip time end to end was 32 hours (a new record!). Part of the extra time was due to a passenger dying (!) on the SFO->Honolulu segment, requiring about 2.5 hours on the ground in Honolulu for the coroner's office to check things out. There was another long delay in Manila due to faulty equipment (two 747's) for the leg to Cebu. The flight scheduled for 7:30 finally left at 11:30 (our original flight, scheduled for 9:30 was still on the ground when we left on that flight - hopefully they finally got to Cebu as well). BTW - there were 17 wheelchairs during loading in SFO (a new record near as I can tell). I suspect the departed was an occupant of one of these, simply having had his/her time come, rather than the first thought, the PAL in-flight food..... Regarding getting through NAIA (the Manila airport) specifically, it was not too bad. We had been told we'd have to get our luggage in Manila and clear customs there, which we had to do last time. Of course, the luggage went straight to Cebu, where we cleared customs. Seems you have to know when customs is operating in Cebu to know whether or not to clear your stuff in Manila! We finally realized our luggage was never going to show up in Manila and asked a PAL employee in the baggage claim area, who told us the truth. You come in at an International gate, clear immigration, then walk a short distance (15 min?) to the domestic departure area (out front door, up a long stairway, then over to the adjoining building). Assuming the PAL planes are functioning, it all goes quite smoothly. This procedure beats the heck out of the old 2 hour taxi ride from the International terminal to the domestic one (made even worse by knowing that the two terminals were really back to back - just really, really, really bad traffic and roads between them!) Overall, the new NAIA is well designed, clean, and quite simple to get through. No worries mate.

Welcome to the rural Philippines. The stark differences in lifestyle and distribution of wealth are a rude shock to anyone on the first trip over. If you are looking for something else, you may want to consider Mexico or Portugal.

If you ask me you do not need any picture, at least not in Manila as all the equipment is digital. They make the picture there and only had some problems adjusting the height of the camera Officially you can use your foreign or international license up to 90 days after *last* arrival in the Philippines but they never bothered to check my passport. I was given the drivers license while still holding only a Balikbayan stamp in my passport. The license was Dutch and only for normal cars as I can not drive a truck, bus or something big like that. A Fords Expedition is considered to be a small car The only test I took was the drugs test and I passed without any problems.

If you ask me you do not need any picture, at least not in Manila as all the equipment is digital. They make the picture there and only had some problems adjusting the height of the camera Officially you can use your foreign or international license up to 90 days after *last* arrival in the Philippines but they never bothered to check my passport. I was given the drivers license while still holding only a Balikbayan stamp in my passport. The license was Dutch and only for normal cars as I can not drive a truck, bus or something big like that. A Fords Expedition is considered to be a small car The only test I took was the drugs test and I passed without any problems.

Mmm, to start with the last one I think it does matter and despite other reactions I think the lying is to protect herself and not you. You have to know that most Filipino's do not like second hand wives so it could very well be that she is afraid to loose you. If you think all sexy Filipina's work in bars then I have to disappoint you there are not that many bars in the Philippines. I tried to hire a secretary and ended up getting married. My wife could very well have been working in the mall, nothing strange with that but I am working here in the Philippines. If the guy was here that long then what was he doing here? For the rest this does sound like a typical Filipina to me. I would suggest that you visit the Philippines and visit her family and friends. That way you have a change to find out for yourself.

In my experience R&E uses the meter and also the company who doesn't tolerate their drivers to refuse you. Inform them if you can. Dollar taxi also would come to you but on a contract. We paid P300 pesos for a ride home to Manila that normally costs P85 metered. That's around 2am here and no taxi in sight. luckily there are four of us weary souls who paid! Avis also has this kind of service (02) 532 5758 or 844 4884 note these four are in my list of most trustworthy and I'm in no way connected in any of them.

After my last brush with officialdom where I had to produce 14 2x2 photo's of myself I felt like Narcissus! I had originally obtained passport size only to be told they needed 2x2. They pointed to the examples on a board and I reminded them that the only difference was there was more space on the 2x2, the head was the same size! Apparently they needed more nothing! I thought I would check first as carrying that many photo's of yourself could prove embarrassing if in an accident! Perry Paul Reinking If you ask me you do not need any picture, at least not in Manila as all the equipment is digital. They make the picture there and only had some problems adjusting the height of the camera ;-) Officially you can use your foreign or international license up to 90 days after *last* arrival in the Philippines but they never bothered to check my passport. I was given the drivers license while still holding only a Balikbayan stamp in my passport. The license was Dutch and only for normal cars as I can not drive a truck, bus or something big like that. A Fords Expedition is considered to be a small car The only test I took was the drugs test and I passed without any problems.

I bought a Taxi in June of this year and later got philippine driving license, I didn't want to drive the taxi anyway as we rent it daily to driver, but they told me at LTO that I had to have my Philippine Drivers License 3 years before they could issue a Professional License. Jim ""Paul Petrea "" wrote:Thanks Brett. I suppose, if my figerin' is right, that would be less than a 10,000 pound vehicle. So, maybe the size of a delivery truck there in the PI? It doesn't seem as though we (foreigners) can legally drive a very large vehicle there. Anyway, I have hauled loads well over 46000kg here, legally. Does anyone know if there is any legal way to get approved for more weight? I just don't have a lot of building skills. But, I am very willing to help in my field of work.

I have been hearing good things about Bantayan Island. I plan to retire in RP next year. Can anybody say something about the place. Welcome to the rural Philippines. The stark differences in lifestyle and distribution of wealth are a rude shock to anyone on the first trip over. If you are looking for something else, you may want to consider Mexico or Portugal.

Hi A long time ago, maybe even before this list was migrated over to Yahoo, there was a discussion where at least one person was claiming something along the lines - Do not paint the GI roof. An unpainted GI roof will last much longer than a painted one. To the best of my memory the rational for this was never really well explained. However I am not willing to dismiss this claim out of hand. Painting a new GI roof a pain in the butt, with the various acid treatments or preparations needed to get rid of the galvanization so the paint can appear properly. I can tell you that my sister in laws house's GI roof was painted a couple of years ago, apparently the required treatment to the GI wasn't done properly and it didn't take long at all for the paint to start peeling off. It doesn't look good at all. As to way an unpainted GI roof might last longer I have wondered if the small cracks and bubbles in paint over time allow water to stay in contact with the roof much longer, thus significantly increases rust, and damage to the roof.

I live between Iloilo City and San Miguel, in an Iloilo City suburb of Mandurriao, I like it much better here than, Tacloben, on Leyte, where my wife was raised, (in villiage about 30K, Aubuyog) I go to Guimarais every chance I get and really like it there because it is very remote, but since we have two children in elementary school, I cannot get her interested in Guimarais, we have already built house here in Mandurriao, have been here 10 months, the longer I stay the better I like it, Oton is very nice , again they are fairly remote but I like Leon and San Miguel also.

I have visited Roxas City in Panay Islands. I like the place. However, a friend told me that the Bantayan Island is a very nice place to live and retire. I am very much interested to know more about the place. I remember I read some posting about the Bantayan Island before from this group. Can anybody describe the place for me? I plan to visit the place next January and I want to know what to expect.

I live between Iloilo City and San Miguel, in an Iloilo City suburb of Mandurriao, I like it much better here than, Tacloben, on Leyte, where my wife was raised, (in villiage about 30K, Aubuyog) I go to Guimarais every chance I get and really like it there because it is very remote, but since we have two children in elementary school, I cannot get her interested in Guimarais, we have already built house here in Mandurriao, have been here 10 months, the longer I stay the better I like it, Oton is very nice , again they are fairly remote but I like Leon and San Miguel also.

It isn't so much the cost of the labor - carpenters and painters labor is very cheap here. But rather the cost of the materials such as the acid preparations to remove the galvanization, and various bases and paints which drive up the cost. I have had numerous carpentry projects done here in the Philippines where the cost of the materials far exceeds the labor cost. I do like your idea of using Rubber based paints - frankly I didn't even know such a thing existed. But while I mention my lack of knowledge if you should also know that your carpenter/painter may not know how to properly prepare the GI roof for painting. I think the painters used a diluted lemon juice solution to try to strip the galvanization on my sister-in-laws roof. There appear to be many possibilities of messing up the paint job - as evidenced by my sister-in-laws unsatisfactory paint job on their GI roof. I find myself wondering occasionally as I glance at their eye sore of a roof - what was it that really messed the painting up, and realize I don't know. As I glance out the front door at the neighbors unpainted GI roof, which has been there a long time - I have to say, unpainted looks pretty good to me. I wonder if the painting really does more harm than good. While it may be a little late in your case Don - a nice slop on the roof lets the water roll right off, and not stay on the roof. But any cracks or bubbles in the paint will have the opposite effect.

Hi I miss my waterbed. I'd suggest bring at least the mattress, liner, and accessories if you can. You can get a frame built here, if you yourself know how, and can give instructions to a carpenter. Waterbeds are difficult to find in Cebu, although there is one place that I'm aware of that has a limited number of them for sale. This was at a Travel Agency a little off Mango Avenue. The cost for the mattress and accessories were high IMO, probably due to a lack of demand, and all of the items were imported. They did have a frame (locally made), but it wasn't even for sale, although I didn't try to negotiate it with them. I had a water bed mattress, liner, and some accessories sent to me several months ago from the USA. While I received them, I bought a plan to build the frame - and had that mailed directly to my Philippine address. The plan for the frame was apparently was lost in the mail. I haven't gotten my waterbed in use yet. If someone knows of an internet site which describes how to build a waterbed frame I would appreciate it. When we first moved here to the Philippines - I was sleeping on a used conventional mattress, with more than enough lumps to give it real character. Unfortunately I soon developed back pains. We replaced that bed and mattress. But unfortunately the new conventional mattress has developed significant sag - probably due to my children jumping up and down on it while I wasn't present. As for ""warm and inviting"" - I wondering and hoping that my waterbed will be comfortably cool. Heat not the cold is a problem for me in the tropical Philippines. I use a very light blanket trying to keep cool as I can at night. You should consider trying to bring your waterbed mattress, liner and various accessories. If you are going to be near Manila they may be more available, but in Cebu I have found them hard to find.

Let me see you would like to break to law in order to keep everybody happy? If you do not have the papers then get them. Legal capacity will come from your embassy. Use FedEx and it will take no more than a week or do you have another problem?

Only if you want to violate the laws of two countries and commit immigration fraud. But you can get her to fill out a G-325A, give you two right-frontal visa pics, write a 3-paragraph ""Statement of Intent,"" and petition her as a fiancee.

Where did you learn that theory? Wasn't around during those times but my Father told me it was hard, those Japanese were mean, raped their women and killed lots of men they suspected were American sympathizers. If you had lived during those times, I'm sure you'll lie too and probably will tell those Jap you aint American! If they lied, it's for their survival. People always lie, regardless of their ethnicity. When Filipina didn't mention about marrying a 60 year old man, it doesn't mean it's in their genes or she just used the man to get to America. Maybe she thought she was inlove with the old man, etc. I know a Vietnamese girl, raised here and very beautiful. She acts like so proper, shy toward guys, etc. But she wears very revealing clothes to get guys attention. Or when a guy asks her name she acts like she is so shy but you can read on her face that she is enjoying the attention. Filipina, Viet or whatever, everyone are different. Some woman needs or enjoy attention, some probably won't admit it, but when they don't, that's when it gets annoying. Women, married or not wants to be told they're always beautiful, (even NOT). It's why some try hard by resorting to dressing up so sexy, etc. but it doesn't mean we will cheat to our husbands. All these negative stuff, such as, ""I didn't know she was married before, she probably just used me to get to America,etc."" are the speakers fault. Why did you let that person lie to you or put you in the circumstances you are in now, whos fault is that? Anyway, regardless, generalization or steriotyping is always unfair but it's always used as a reasoning for ignorants.

There are casinos in some parts of the RP, but the lines for employment are pretty long and the pay is not what you would expect. Rather than me making suggestions which may not pan out, you need to get over there on a dry run and see how the wind blows. Lingayen is a good destination, but not much is going on there. The beaches are about to be developed by RP and Chinese interests and the sin employees from out of the area will probably be booted out. Dagupan is the business hub of the province, but it is further from the ocean. You can go further north on the coast and see lots of good locations to settle in, but you aren't going to generate a decent income from local folks. If I was planning to retire over there in the near future, I would choose the part of the RP we are talking about, right on the China Sea, maybe up towards Hundred Islands. The best local products around Lingayen is hand-crafted furniture.

Since we're on the subject, I once almost ran into a Tijuana, Mexico truck in the middle of the highway outside of Bakersfield, California, with a broken axle. The truck was full of pears and the truck wasn't going anywhere. I helped unload the pears at the side of road, under the supervision (and with some physical help) of California Highway Patrol officers. I asked them how they were going to cite the truck and driver and they told me there was no point, they had no control over it. Apparently a limited number of trucks were allowed to make runs like that from Baja, California to Northern California before the current opening of borders to Mexican trucks. This was about 1985. On the other hand, I've seen very professionally-maintained trucks of the largest size on Mexican highways. One of them kept me from passing on a mountain road, deliberately because of oncoming traffic that I could not see. I slowed down after that. To drive in Mexico as a professional truck driver requires real skill, so tough are the road conditions. But so long as regulation is lax and businesses there and in the Philippines look for ways to cut expenses, there'll be broken axles.

Although Hong Kong does not require a document issued from the embassy it does require you to hand over your birth certificate and a proof of civil status. If divorced you need a copy of the court degree as well. Aside from that you make a sworn statement to have the legal capacity to contract marriage. The intention to get married has to be posted for 15 days but you do not have to stay in the country for that time nor do you have to be a resident. Still you need papers from the NSO to show that Filipina is single and her birth certificate. As for the marriage in the Philippines the same papers are required at our Dutch embassy to obtain a legal capacity. This is not like the procedure at the US embassy where you make a sworn statement to have the legal capacity to contract marriage. If the intend is to safe time then I still recommend to get the papers by FedEx or DHL. If the legal papers can not be obtained for any reason and the idea is to break the law then by all means go ahead. If ever this woman cares about you then she would *not* risk putting you in jail.

Hi I'm now a USA citizen 46 years old, my Filipina wife is 31 years old, and we have two children ages 5 and 7. We moved from the USA to Cebu roughly 3 years 9 months ago. Financially I'm guessing we are roughly in the same boat, with you perhaps having a little more money. I don't work in the Philippines, but rather live off our investments. But frankly the money could run out, and I could potentially be forced back to work. We are living with my wife's family in Minglanilla, Cebu - a little ways South of Cebu City. My wife had been living with me in El Paso, Texas for almost 5 years before we made the decision to move to Cebu. While I suppose I could go into some big list of my personal view of the pros and cons of living here, frankly that hasn't yet been established as the key question and the heart of the matter. Have you been to the Philippines? I'm going to assume you have been to Cebu (where you indicate you are like to live). But if you haven't you really need to come for a visit first, and find out first hand a little of what living in the Philippines is like. What I really expect someone to be saying who wants to Immigrate and make their new home in the Philippines to be saying is - I really, really want to do this. I am prepared to put up with most of the cons I already know about in order to get these very significant anticipated benefits. This is important to me, if I can do it - I am going to do it. More over your wife needs to be in agreement with you. If she deep down in her heart doesn't want to return and *live* in Cebu - you need to know. You have to be asking yourself were will my family and I be better off and happier. I understand this is not an easy decision. You may want to think long and hard before coming to Cebu. How do you feel about her family. Are they out just to take advantage of you and your wife, because they really need lots and lots of help? Some additional information about yourself, wife, and family would be helpful. I would suggest you keep reading the messages. Read some of the old messages if you can. Keep studying this situation up. I'm sure some of the members can give you some really good advice, and information - but the most significant issues of living in the Philippines can only be resolved by you and your family. Only you and your family can answer: ""Is moving to the Philippines a good move fro me?"" I am very happy with our decision to move and live in the Philippines. I feel it has been good for me and my family, especially the children. Maybe a little tougher on my wife.

While I am living in Manila I am not worried about the security here. I would rather live in the province to avoid the pollution here in Manila. Nobody can convince me that this has not a bad affect on year health on the long term. Now how you raise you kids while living here in the Philippines is something that you do have to consider. Some families here have a yaya for every child and the spoiled brats are even to lazy to tie their own shoe laces. You're still the one who has most influence on your kids and I do like the schools here in the Philippines. Without any doubt better equipped than those in the Netherlands with teachers that actually care about their students. By far they the students are more disciplined then in the Netherlands and there is much emphasis on how they should interact with the people around them. You do have to pay for them yourself but for me it is worth the money at all times.

I have noticed electrical equipment, not only DVD's, cheaper here than Hong Kong (which I thought was cheap). The ones that seem to be a good price are those that are assembled here, which include Sony, Panasonic, Samsung etc. plus a number of chinese makes. Anybody buying one make sure it has Karaoke, always popular when having a party. What I cannot find is a good DVD rental shop. It may be due to the fact that I went to my local DVD shop and asked them how much were the DVD's, they said P100 each! Cheaper than renting.

My son just got a one year multiple-entry visa in the U.K. he can come as many times as he likes but is still restricted to a 59 days at a time, unless goes to to BofI for extension. This is a quote from the web site: LENGTH OF STAY IN THE PHILIPPINES The Philippine Immigration Officer at the port of entry determines the length of stay of a foreign visitor in the country. Normally, a visitor with a visa is given a 59-day stay in the Philippines. This is stated in the visa issued. Should a visitor desire to remain longer than their authorized initial stay of 59 days, he/she may request extension of stay from the Bureau of Immigration Office and pay the necessary extension fees. The traveller will also have to pay the Emigration Clearance Certificate (ECC) and the corresponding Legal Research Fee (LRF) in the total amount of Philippine Pesos Seven Hundred Ten (P710.00) upon his/her departure. VALIDITY OF TEMPORARY VISITOR'S VISA A temporary visitor's visa may be valid for single or multiple entries. A single entry visa is valid for three (3) months from the date of issuance. A multiple entry visa is valid either for six (6) months or one (1) year depending on the fee paid. (Please refer to Schedule of Visa Fees). A validity of an entry visa should be differentiated from the length of stay in the Philippines. A three-month validity means a person may enter the Philippines within three (3) months from the date of issuance of visa. If a traveller is in possession of a six- month multiple visa, this means that he/she may enter the Philippines any number of times provided it is within the six-month period specified in the visa.

Allas that link is not complete but here are section 13 and 14. As for the interpretation of section 14, I would say that when holding dual citizenship you would be regarded a Filipino citizen when you are in the Philippines and not when you are in the US. So now what if you apply for a spousal visa in the US or can we say that we apply at the embassy so we are at Philippine territory? As for the difference between 13a and 13g once obtained I would say that this does not exist but as said I am open for other interpretations. Sec. 13. Under the conditions set forth in this Act, there may be admitted into the Philippines immigrants, termed ""quota immigrants"" not in excess of fifty (50) of any one nationality or without nationality for any one calendar year, except that the following immigrants, termed ""non-quota immigrants,"" may be admitted without regard to such numerical limitations. The corresponding Philippine Consular representative abroad shall investigate and certify the eligibility of a quota immigrant previous to his admission into the Philippines. Qualified and desirable aliens who are in the Philippines under temporary stay may be admitted within the quota, subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 9 of this Act. (a) The wife or the husband or the unmarried child under twenty-one. years of age of a Philippine citizen, if accompanying or following to join such citizen; (b) A child of alien parents born during the temporary visit abroad of the mother, the mother having been previously lawfully admitted into the Philippines for permanent residence, if the child is accompanying or coming to join a parent and applies for admission within five years from the date of its birth; (c) A child born subsequent to the issuance of the immigration visa of the accompanying parent, the visa not having expired; (d) A woman who was a citizen of the Philippines and who lost her citizenship because of her marriage to an alien or by reason of the loss of Philippine citizenship by her husband, and her unmarried child under twenty- one years of age, if accompanying or following to join her; (e) A person previously lawfully admitted into the Philippines for permanent residence, who is returning from a temporary visit abroad to an unrelinquished residence in the Philippines; (g) A natural-born citizen of the Philippines, who has been naturalized in a foreign country, and is returning to the Philippines for permanent residence, including his spouse and minor unmarried children, shall be considered a non-quota immigrant for purposes of entering the Philippines. Sec. 14. Persons with dual nationality - The nationality of an immigrant whose admission is subject to the numerical limitations imposed by Section Thirteen of this Act shall be that of the country of which the immigrant is a citizen or subject, self-governing dominions being treated as separate countries. The nationality of an immigrant possessing dual nationality may be that of either of the two countries regarding him as a citizen or subject if he applies for a visa in a third country, but if he applies for such visa within one of the two countries regarding him as a national, his nationality shall be that of the country in which he shall file his application.

Good point, if it helps I do not need any visa for my daughter holding both Dutch and Filipino passports. See section 14 of the immigration act in other mail. I must say that I did not care about cost in the Philippines but more in the Netherlands (about US$ 5000). On the downside technically you can not get a Balikbayan status when your wife is using here Filipino passport. So when on holiday you do need to pay for a visa or leave the Filipino passport in your pocket and travel on the US passport.