Best Posts

I understand the stay at home order for seniors. Personally, I believe the risk is very low to contact the c-virus. I also know the risk is very high that with my issues I would die if I did get it. So I don’t mind another 2-4 weeks to test the outcomes. I have a family to shop for me and because of them I don’t want to die. I support those that want to go out now and hopefully no danger.

 

Was Martin the new owner of Gie-Gies ?

I was there recently and met the German owner (didn't get his name) but he seemed like a very charming, friendly guy who was serious about building a good business for the long term. We spoke for only about half an hour but my impression was that he was the quiet and conscientious type as he talked about the improvements he was making and had planned for the bar. He said he had a restaurant in the food court at Robinsons and was looking to improve the food offering at Gie-Gies.

I am very sorry to hear of yet another casualty to violence in the City of Gentle People.

 

Why do they drive like that? How many times have you been asked or asked yourself? I recently came upon a secret manual that answers this question. Please pay attention.

Basic rules of driving in the Philippines.

1. Drive as if you’re the only person on the road (because you are).

2. Drive as if you own the road (which you do).

3. Drive however fast or slow you want any time, anywhere.

4. Park wherever you feel like parking, preferably as close to the middle of the road as possible. You may use your emergency flashing lights to show others that you’re blocking traffic, but don’t worry if you don’t have them or don’t want to use them.

5. Don’t use lights when driving at night. They waste electricity.

6. Pass anyone any time you wish. If you’re barreling down the road in the opposite lane, you may wish to flash your headlights to warn others to get out of your way.

7. If you have mirrors, especially on bikes, remove them before someone steals them. They’re worthless anyway. Who wants to see what’s coming up behind or beside you?

8. Driving is a good time to get caught up on text messages or facebook.

9. Don’t bother licensing yourself or your vehicle. Make a simple u-turn if you see a check point.

10. Don’t waste money servicing your vehicle. It will service itself.

 

It's nice I find cooler heads here in the comment section of DI from expats. The comments here are funnier and level-headed. Back in FB and Hukad some expats are crying foul and me being racist for fux sake. (admittedly there are filipino dimwits whose comments are also out of line). It's funny that I was just enjoying my morning coffee and saw this, if it were two filipinos fighting I'd film it too cuz I rarely go to boxing matches and this one is free :D. I always have my morning coffee at Valencia, looks like i'll just have to keep it that way...if only the coffee was better.

 

Was in the theater in Tagbilaran, Bohol last week watching a movie. Young pinoy with a super-bright smartphone seated several rows and seats away---took a call, was yammering away and the usher came up and took him outside---then brought his packages to him and told him to leave. Good on the theater for making a movie there a pleasant experience for all.

 

I'm in Manila as of yesterday. The process to get here is simple when they first tell you it is only two steps, then it becomes almost intolerably more complex in execution.

Step 1) Get a medical certificate.
Step 2) Obtain "Authority to Travel"

That's it! So simple, right? Now, the real process is below. Words of Philippine origin may be misspelled because I didn't go to school here. My apologies in advance.

1a) Obtain Barangay clearance. This certifies that you correctly participated in a 14 day quarantine, self or otherwise. They'll consult their records, ask some basic medical questions, maybe take your temperature and blood pressure, then give you their clearance. The place I was sent to in Bayawan seemed like a government clinic.
1b) Take said "Barangay Clearance" to the "City Health Office" in your municipality. They will do everything stated in step 1a, but each task will be split between multiple desks, which may or may not have a person manning it at any given time. "Sir, kindly wait." Shortly before your patience runs out, they will ask you if you've paid.
1c) Proceed to some obscure place, that they'll give you some landmarks to find, and pay 50 pesos for the medical certificate fee. I have no idea what this place was called, but we found it and paid. My wife seems to recall it may be the "City Health Treasury Office."
1d) Return to the "City Health Office" and try to find someone and tell them you've got your receipt. After providing the receipt, you will be asked to kindly wait. For us, there was a step 1e at this point, basically explaining the circumstances of our quarantine, despite having received a "Barangay Clearance", to another person, prior to him telling someone to go type it. We were then presented with a "Medical Certificate" that states they weren't aware of us having the disease and that we didn't appear at the time to have symptoms.

2a) Obtain Mayor's signature for "Availability of Travel." I don't know why the mayor of Bayawan knows, but he does. This step took 3 days the first time, 2 hours the second time. Be generous with explaining why you need it quickly and they seem to step up to the plate to get it done.
2b) Ask to hand carry the papers to the PNP for the next step. If you have a copier in your vehicle, you may be able to avoid needing to run off somewhere to get a copy for their records. Not hand carrying the papers resulted in the initial 3 days period. It was Friday, people had other things to do, and they got it to the PNP on Monday.
2c) Obtain the signature of the "Chief of Police" for the municipality. This shouldn't be a step, because getting the signature means you are done, but you'll most likely have to leave a phone number which won't be called, and then have to go back later, twice in my case, to catch him/her when present.
2d) Pick up your signed "Authority to Travel" "COVID SHIELD" document, with a control number on it.
2e) You now have the document that needs to be presented to medical personal at the airport to obtain the "Medical Certificate" they will give you for presentation to the airline, which will allow you to travel. They will take your temperature again and ask questions to see if you still remember how to answer them, prior to giving you the certificate.

We were told more than once, the papers were only good for a day, 2 days, 3 days, or the month of July, so I'm not really sure how long they are supposed to be good for. My papers were dated 2 July and my wife's were dated 9 July and we both boarded a plane on the 10th of July.

A PCR test was not required to fly from Dumaguete to Manila. My airline, Emirates, states a PCR has to be done no more than 96 hours prior to travel, so you if you combine that information with what I stated above for the clearance, you'll probably decide as I did, to get clearance and fly to Manila for the test. My wife and I waited for 4 hours in the St. Luke's BGC emergency room on the 10th, paid 6600 pesos each, and expect to get our results tomorrow. I'm happy to answer any questions.

 

Water distribution is an infrastruction problem when every customer had a single story house or nipa hut along major roads regardless of whether you live In Dumaguete, Bacong or Sibulan. Water main sizes some but not all were based on future anticipated growth and as present farmland is converted to subdivisions the mains turn from a stream of water into a dribble even for one story houses.
The source of your water depends on where you live.
If you live in Valencia or Bacong your water comes off the moutain which is suceptable to mudslides and is gravity fed. Bacong has created a concrete holding tank at about 300 feet in Buntod, Bacong to improve water presure. My farm is along that road. During El Ninos past, Bacong used firetrucks to ferry water from Dumaguete then went along main roads filling jerrycans and buckets left along the roads for farmers and residents to have drinking water for washing and livestock.
Dumaguete wells and pumping stations require Norieco. If there is an extended brownout and the water system collapses a vacuum is created in the water mains which allows contaminated water from unrepaired water leaks to be drawn into the water districts system. Since there is no chlorination, when the power is restored the contaminated is mixed with the clean water. Stand pipes and elevated water tanks financed either by the water district or subdivision developers will allow customers in two story homes have a nice upstairs shower.
Sibulan's water comes from the Twin Lakes and is pumped downhill which requires Norieco, into an undersized infrastructure compounded by lax zoning that allow water consuming businesses to operate in residential areas. Sibulan like Dumaguete suffers from water system collapse in extended brownouts or calamities. Unlike well water, lake water has mosquito larvae that is sucked along with the lake water into the mains. In a bucket of city water these larvae clump together and form a mosquito which may have Denge that will float to the top and fly off. Proper chlorination would kill this larvae.
A new subdivision of hundreds of units, close to my house along the Bay Bay road has included a standpipe and water tank 50 feet in the air to store a abundant amount of water at 40 to 50 psi for their 2 story units. I wish the Sibulan Water District would do the same.
shakey aka John

 

I agree 100% with your complaints, pollution is really bad here but do you ask what you can do to change it in the right direction? I see a change in attitudes, special among young Filipinos, here in Bacong where I live a group of young guys has made some actions to clean the area, special the beach and put signs up, clean after yourself. They go to the barangay hall and get support to their ideas and now there are a fine 1000 pesos if you throw your waste on the beach. it's funny to see peoples reaction when the read the sign, they look around, anyone watches me, any cameras, it works. Progress is slow but I'm happy to see the change in attitude among these young guys