Best Posts

As a chef I have learn a simple thing. I am not cooking to please myself but my customers

 

Visa category 9A, valid for 59 days, and Conditions of stay: "PARENT OF MINOR FILIPINO NATIONAL, EXEMPTED UNDER FSC 36-2020"

I brought with me an original birth certificate to present in the PH embassy.

 

I play no part in that. My Wife and my Filipino Family here (including several neighbours) are the ones who arrange the rubbish, placing it into recyclable and non recyclable, place it into the correct bags, and dispose of it as they have been told to do by the Barangay Captain who lives nearby, by placing it alongside the Highway, exactly the same as the Barangay Captain does, beside his rubbish for collection. I have been here almost 5 years now and have not yet made an enemy (of local people) but do steer clear of several bitter self absorbed narcissistic Expats I have met, mainly due to attitudes similar to yours. I prefer the positive attitudes of the locals, and my Family here whom I live with in a small Nipa Hut, unlike quiet a few others who try to change the Philippines to suit them and Westernise it. It is what it is, please try to stay positive and not choke on your own bile. Once you learn to adapt to how life actually is here and just go with the flow, you will have a much more positive outlook on life here... Have a Good Day Sir...

 

Is "Pissed off Jim" causing a problem for the rest of us foreigners?

In this case "the doctor will not see foreigners anymore".

These people who go around overreacting or acting badly cause the local population to have a negative view of us all.

 

My wife and I arrived in Dubai on the 15th of July and were herded into an area to be tested again. Most countries around the world are not required to have a test prior to boarding, but the Philippines is one of the lucky few. To me, it seems like nothing more than a financial barrier to prevent Filipinos from travelling to Dubai, as you've got to get tested at 6600 pesos each, then stay in a hotel to await results. You're boarding a plane with a bunch of negative test result passengers, flying direct to Dubai, then you've got to get tested upon landing. I think they way they do it when you land is the only real way to help stop the spread.

I can't imagine the number of people who've missed flights or had to re-book at their expense for improperly estimating the amount of time needed to get the results of their test to try and save money on a hotel stay, but it has to be a lot. It took almost 2 days to get the test results to us, and the results have to be provided within 96 hours of flight. I spent more money on our hotel because I thought you needed to take the TEST within 96 hours, not get the results. You "could" get tested in Dumaguete, wait the 2 or 3 days to get the results, then make a mad scramble to fulfill all of the other requirements. It is a tight window, but possible. I guess you'd have to be prepared to spend more on your short notice flight though...

 

You're being sarcastic I'm sure.
But they actually are some of the smarter people I know. Much smarter than many Westerners. In fact, here in the States, Filipinos are all wealthy people with really good jobs.
The Filipinos that are in PI are not stupid people at all. They are ignorant, but that doesn't mean they are stupid. There is a difference.

 

My Attorney who deals in Land matters has insisted that once we (my Wife) gain the Title in hand, she will draw up a Will between my Wife and I to protect both our interests in the event we either separate or one of us passes away.

As explained to me; if my Wife passes away before myself, then I will inherit the Land, but only until such time as I either transfer it into our Daughter's name, or sell it to recover my outlay. I will not own the Land even via Inheritance, it only buys me a set amount of time to transfer or dispose of the land to another Filipino as I am a Foreigner and cannot legally own the Land.

If our Daughter passes also and I am the only surviving person, then I will Inherit the Property, but I must dispose of the land to another Filipino and have a certain period of time to do so otherwise I will lose it. That is how I interpreted what was relayed to myself and my Wife via our Attorney.

 

My wife and I have been purchasing property for about four years now. We also looked at property for several years off and on before buying our first lot, an overlooking lot in Valencia. We have also made four separate purchases in Siquijor of raw land.
We have attempted to purchase at least 6 other properties that there was a scam to cheat us. The first was an 80 yo lady with a lot in Valencia which we paid 10k pesos to survey. We then went to the lawyers office, an older gentleman and his wife only to find out she had already sold the land to an Aussie and received payment in full. She somehow forgot to tell her siblings, which were in the attorney's office, that she collected the money but failed to pay them their share. Later I found out in another case that when this happens one of the siblings will bring a case against the purchaser and the whole transaction is thrown out with the rightful heirs getting the property and the purchaser getting the shaft. Some of the others have been this sort of scam.
Another property we tried to buy was a good deal except the 80 yo lady, yes another one, was not the only signer but she said she was the only signer. She had sold other land in Dumaguete near Valencia that she was only part owner but said she was the only signer. Property was sub divided and houses built by the unsuspecting persons. I don't know what happened in that deal.
There are two ways to hold a property in Philippines, Tax declaration and title. Once a land is titled it must remain titled, no more tax dec. There are many cases, one we encountered, where a third party would get a title to land with a tax dec and then get a title. After five years no legal suit can be brought against the person holding the title, it belongs to them period.
We were trying to buy a lot and it turned out to be on the other side of the road from the land we were shown and only turned up when the surveyor showed up and pointed out the discrepancy. We have 30k in that deal and trying to get at least some of it back.
There are so many ways to get screwed trying to purchase property here. I'm not trying to discourage you but beeee careful. If you do find something you want to buy I would suggest you go to Attorney Dee across from Palwa Hotel and have them check it out for you, even that is no guarantee the title will be good as this is not the US where you have a way to check for leins on a property.
I do not consider myself an expert but I do have some experience in property in Philippines.