Sending a Letter of Invitation when there are no mailboxes

[robbie_d]

Hi,

So, how can i send a PH woman a Letter of Invitation inviting her to visit Canada when she says there are no mailboxes on most regular Filipino homes in Provincial villages? How does that work?

And what should a Letter of Invitation say?

Do i write her mobile number on the envelope under her address so they can phone her from the post office to tell her to come to pick up her mail at the post office?

If i send any letter to a Provincial village by Registered Mail, how would the post office handle it?...would they send the notice to her address?

Thanks.

[JoeLP]

We have no mailbox.  in all 6 years I've been here...we've never had one...nor has anyone else in this capitol municipality have/had one.  But the mail finds us.  Usually hand delivered to our  house.  Sometime if no one is home they leave a card telling us we have mail at the post office.  Shove it in the frame of the door.  Never had issue not getting mail.

[Peter]

Like Joe, there are not any mailboxes (N. American type/style or any other type LOL!) in our area. I've never seen any anywhere either, but that's not to say there aren't any. Some folks have home made letter boxes on their front entry gate, but not many, certainly not us.

In all the time I've sent mail from overseas to here, over the last 15/20 years or so; or others have sent to us since we retired 10 years ago, the local post office have delivered to the house.
When we're not in, if it's regular mail it will be left with the sis-in-law next door. If registered then, again like Joe, they'll leave a card if there is no one in to sign. The postman has a PhilPost issued m/c and delivers to our Purok, as and when required. He's become a friend over the years and also has our mobile numbers!

When sending, ensure the full address is on the letter/card etc. etc.
viz.:House Number, Purok Number, Street Name (if applicable) Barangay, Municipality, Province and Post Code, Country.

If sending a small package/parcel, it will be helpful to write the recipient's phone number on the package, as they will probably have to go to the Post Office to collect it anyway. Otherwise, it may be waiting in the P.O. for some time, until a delivery to your area is scheduled.
It could help to write the recipient's phone number on regular mail, but you would have to ask her if she is happy with her number being in the "public domain".

When sending registered or EMS mail from here (similar to the Royal Mail in GB) a recipient's phone number is asked for on the PhilPost form. The requirement may, or may not, be on other countries' forms.

Footnote. It's called a "Post Code", not "Zip Code", so make sure you use the correct terminology.


Peter

[robbie_d]

Thanks, guys.

Interesting!

Mary tells me that everyone thinks mailboxes are old fashioned.
I was talking to her one day and i suggested she get a P.O. box at the post office. So, i asked her to go check how much it would cost.

She begged not to make her do that because...wait for it...the neighbors would all laugh at them when someone would come from the post office to stick a pole in the ground with a P.O. box on it, in front of mom's house. lol (you can't make this stuff up!)

I said, "Nooo, it's a little box inside the post office. You have to go there to check your P.O. box."

I took my camcorder for a walk the other day and sent her a video of my area and showed her all the interesting types of mailboxes - and she was amazed.
She said, "You're weren't joking! Every door really has it's own post-office box."
She gasped when i showed her a row of mailboxes in an apartment building.

I took a photo of the mailbox at the corner where in which people drop their letters and i explained how it all worked.
Total amazement.

I showed her some twenty-year-old photocopies of cards that i had sent to my daughter by Registered Mail. She started to cry because what of what i wrote to my young daughter - touching, heartfelt letters.
She's, now, totally amazed by the whole idea of sending and receiving letters by post.
She wants to mail me a letter, now. Isn't that nice?

I suggested that she sprays the letter with her perfume and wrap it in a plastic, sandwich bag or some type of plastic so the scent doesn't wear off on the way here.
I know i'll be scratching and climbing the walls like a caged animal when i get it and put my nose to the paper.

I sent her a photo showing her how to address an envelope and to show where to place the stamp and told her to be sure the stamp is affixed properly, not upside down or sideways.

Where would she buy envelopes? What type of store sells envelopes?
Is there anything like a Bureau En Gros, over there? An office supply store.
Do post offices sell envelopes for letters?

She asked me to search for how much it would cost to post a letter to Montreal.   
All i could find was this (see attached image, please).

Oh, and i found out about Letters Of Invitation on Google.

JoeLP, did you see my response to your response about the women's shelter in Baguio that i had posted in my other thread?

I asked Mary to translate lyrics of my song i am recording at present, into Tagalog. She sings so well. But that's hard work, though, eh?...translating lyrics from one language into another language while trying to keep the emotional impact of the original lyrics. Tough job. I'm going to get her to sign up with FILSCAP as an author (lyric writer). I offered her 35% of any royalties should it become a hit on PH radio. With her singing it, with her image, it could very well be a hit.


If i sent a letter to her, how long could we expect for it to arrive in The PH?

As always,
GREAT advice.
THANKS.

[piozam13]

And what should a Letter of Invitation say?

I do not know what the letter should say.  But if this invitation is for purposes of her getting a visa, certain aspects need to be covered, e.g. who will provide accommodation, airfare. etc. etc. etc. Please seek advice from your embassy.  It isn't easy for a Filipina to get a visa if she's travelling abroad for the first time.