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I have lived in a few places in the Philippines and visited many others, for a couple of years I lived in Mactan Cebu, but we decided to move from there 6 years ago, the reasons being congested traffic giving rise to lots of pollution, there was lots of standing water all around and in many places it would lie so long it would turn green and smelly, this was a higher risk area for Dengue.

Having returned from Scotland to visit my family in Valencia I was to spend a couple of days in Mactan to visit old friends and talk about all the Auld Bar Stewards that had died. My Wee Boy and his Mum come over to meet me at the airport, they had driven over the day before, the first thing my Son said when they arrived was why does it smell funny here, I was to notice this myself there is always a faint whiff of sewage there. An added problem to me there was the price of a Beer in the Bars being P85 and even 90 in some.

So I am now back in Valencia which I think is as good as any other place I have visited in PH and better than any other place I have lived in, apart from the odd killing now and again? generally it has quite a low crime rate and for a Drunken master like myself I can get a Beer at the Red Table for p50, what more could a man want? I must admit the RT is a shitty little place but in an ideal location looking over the Public Park, in the evenings there is lots of young girls roaming around, on weekdays late afternoons is also a good time when all the young Mums pick up their children from the local School there, after a few Beers they all look pretty good to me.

There is so much going on in this Park, there they have a couple of Tennis courts (my Son and his Mum are there playing most nights) there is also a children's playground and a basketball court, at the other end of the park there is quite a number of BBQ stalls this is very cheap eating out for the locals and well supported by them, at this time of year we have the Christmas tree and usually this is quite spectacular being very good this year.

GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE | VALENCIA, NEGROS ORIENTAL 2023 - YouTube

 

I'm not a fan of credit cards but they are a necessary evil to book airline tickets or make some purchases online.

Yesterday my email had my most recent statement of account (bill). It showed a late fee of 850 pesos. It stuck me as odd because Master Card automatically deducts the full amount from my savings account every month. The account is never empty.

To make a long story short. It was a banking holiday the day payment was due. The credit card company couldn't get their money so I was "late". Master cards initial position was my bill didn't get paid on time, they received their money late and it was my fault. After a short discussion they agreed to refund the charge on the next statement. The discussion was fairly short because they knew about the problem. If I hadn't called they probably would have been happy to take my money.

You might want to look closely at your bill.

 

Why is it that the innocent always suffer the most?
If some of the leaders of this world put as much effort into eradicating poverty as they do to eradicating people, what a wonderful world it would be.
Suffer little children come to me.....Matthew ch19- v14
Peace be with you.....JB

 

Not sure if right area, if not Admin move it.

Had a detached retina operation very recently. Was going to go to Cebu but found an excellent surgeon in Bacolod. She's trained in Canada, I'm very happy with the results. Not something to take lightly so I did my research and think I was lucky to have found her.

Started here diagnose wise but no one had the ability to work skill for the procedure.

 

Big family birthday lunch at Bert's in Bacong. Just as good as it was when he had his weekly menu back at Gigi's. My favorites (in order) tempura shrimp, seared tuna, salmon sushi, shrimp sushi, mixed sushi, teriyaki chicken. A small sesame salad appetizer is tasty.

 

Don't know whether it has been already posted.

BOC - Bureau of Customs, implented a new electronic declaration system for travellers arriving at NAIA Terminal 1.

Now you can 48 hours prior to your arrival declare your goods and / or money online. Once done you will get a QR Code by mail which you have to present after your arrival to customs.

Very similar to the OHP.
Basically it replaces the customs declaration card you usually get from your airline.


BOC implements Electronic Customs Baggage and Currency Declaration System

The Bureau of Customs on April 2022 issued Customs Memorandum Order No. 11-2022 with the subject “Implementation of the Electronic Customs Baggage and Currency Declaration (eCBCD) System” to provide guidelines on the customs clearance process for all TRAVELERS and CREW MEMBERS using the said system, in relation to Customs Administrative Order No. 1-2017 or the Customs Clearance of Accompanied and Unaccompanied Baggage of Travelers and Crew.

This order covers the operational procedure for the use of the eCBCD System for all Travelers and Crew Members arriving at or departing from all ports of entry and exit.

Based on the CMO, all arriving Travelers and Crew Members shall now accomplish the Electronic Customs Baggage Declaration Form (eCBDF), including the Electronic Currency Declaration Form (eCDF), if applicable, in the eCBCD System before or upon arrival in all ports of entry, which can be accessed by logging-in at https://ideclare.customs.gov.ph or at the designated eCBCD Kiosk at the Customs Arrival and Departure Area.

The following procedure shall be observed by the Arriving Traveler and Crew Member in the used of eCBCD System – 1) Click “e-CBD” or “e-CDF” button in the website provided in the foregoing and fill-out the requested information; 2) Upload the required permits, licenses, or clearances from regulatory agencies, if applicable; 3) Tick the box for the Terms and Conditions and Data Privacy Consent; 4) Click the “Submit” button to upload the filled-out eCBDF; 5) The eCBCD System shall then automatically send notification to Travelers’ and Crew Members’ registered e-mail address for the successful registration in the form of QR Code to be presented to the Customs Officer.

An eCBCD System Help Desk shall be made available in the Customs Client Portal System accessible at https://client.customs.gov.ph to provide assistance for Travelers and Crew Members intending to use the eCBCD System.

The copy of CMO No. 11-2022 is uploaded at the BOC website under “Issuances” tab for the reference and information of stakeholders. The copy may also be accessed by clicking the following link: https://customs.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CMO-11-2022-Implementation-of-eCBCD-System.pdf

 

Some of you may recall my earlier posts regarding the registration of our marriage / 3 year tourist limit/ 13a problems.
I am happy to report that we just returned from a 5 week trip to Europe, and that I got a 1 year balikbayan stamp in my passport upon our return, thanks to the marriage registration report stamped and sealed by the Philippine embassy in The Hague.
That same registration form has also been reported back to the DFA in Manila and by them to the PSA.
My asawa has an appointment for next week at PSA, which will result in a Philippine marriage certificate at last (after 4 years of marriage).
That means we can finally start our application for a 13a visa, and have almost a year to get that done, so no need for express lane sh*t.

 

Posts elsewhere on the Forum have described the typhoon-damaged roads leading north to Cebu City on the route via Argao (online, including YouTube, it is difficult to find this information but at least two posters have described their personal experience).

I searched the alternatives for those who don't want to travel by car or bus and this seems to be the situation as at 2nd April 2022 (with the proviso that things change and information can be unreliable):

FLY: Cheapest found (BUT depends on day of travel and those who need fixed dates may pay much more) Duma > Cebu Php 1464. Cebu to Duma > Php 1769. Flight 55 mins. Flights shown daily.
FERRY: 1) Oceanjet Ferry via Tagbilaran 2 hours + 2 hours (plus waiting time of ???) but cannot find anything online via the site I used originally (https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Dumaguete/Cebu-City) and their own website appears desolate. Does anyone know if they still exist?
2) Direct, 6/7 hours: Shows departure Dumaguete 11.59 pm with 6/7 a.m. arrival but many hotels will take in luggage even if no access to room at that time. Ferries to Cebu are on Tuesdays and Fridays. Cebu departure is 8 pm with arrival at Dumaguete 2/3 a.m. (not such a problem this direction of travel as most who read this live in Negros Or.). Ferries to Dumaguete are Mondays and Thursdays. Fares each way start from Php400 Economy. Not sure if stated times of dep/arr can be relied upon (based on knowing those traveling Dumaguete to Dapitan have had travel times double the stated time!). Travel days (and other information) taken from website https://www.cokaliongshipping.com/#sched (which appears a very good one and up-to-date. Some other online sources are not up-to-date and show schedules for three days per week).

As an off-topic to my own topic (!) - during my search I came across details about the new Metro Cebu Expressway and provide a map below:

Obviously topography and existing buildings make this rather a circuitous route (remind me of those games where you have to run a loop over a wire without touching) - my hope is that enough major traffic avoids Cebu City and makes sticking to the Southern Highway easier (I am basing this on still being around when they finish it! Although to be fair, YouTube videos show a lot of progress). I can see an advantage for those travelling from Toledo but cannot see any reason to divert from the Southern Highway at Naga City to use the new road to travel to Minglanilla or Talisay City. Definitely no sense to use it to enter Cebu City IF the only distributor road in to the city is the one shown in blue - I assume most travellers from Negros Or. would be mostly interested in the southern part of Cebu City and I am guessing the northern parts might become more congested anyway.

Also, there is a new 9km bridge connecting Cebu City to the town of Cordova on Mactan Island. I think I would wait a while before testing it out!