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  1. Always a Poppy

    Always a Poppy DI Senior Member Restricted Account

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    We tried to enrol our son into a public school when first arriving in Phils. Would not accept him as we could not provide school achievement records for each and every year from his schooling in UK. There were a couple of gaps. Top and bottom of it was that DepEd needed to be able to put a tick in every box, i.e. one for graduation each year. Anyone who knows about schooling in other countries will know that unlike the Philippines which adopts the US version of graduating or not at the end of each school year, the pupils progress to the next year regardless of their grasp of the previous year's teachings (that's not a right or wrong thing). So, private schooling was the only choice for us from the off, although we most likely would have switched to private anyway on moving to permanent location.

    I agree with the view that teachers are getting 'money for old rope' this year. There job is now basically a few short video conferences with the kids, which sound very jolly from what I overhear, and then copying modules and marking. On my last visit to exchange modules at school, I overheard a parent complaining that he was spending far more time assisting his child with the school work than the teachers, so what was he paying for?

    If there's one thing out of this for other potential movers to the Philippines to bear in mind, if you have school age kids, make sure you have complete school records, because there is a box to be ticked.
     
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    Always a Poppy, Sep 15, 2020
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  2. Rye83

    Rye83 with pastrami Admin Secured Account Highly Rated Poster SC Connoisseur Veteran Army

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    Your fiancé's story is not an unusual one. Lazy siblings/parents demanding handouts from the family member willing to work for their money is very common. Since you are not providing the salary you really don't have much say in it.

    My x-gf had a similar situation when we first started dating (we were together for almost 4 years). When she was working she gave almost all of her money to her parents/siblings. She then quit her job to come live with me (and to finish up her schooling and go to college, which was part of the deal with quitting her job). That gave me the final say on who in the family got paid and when. I made it clear from the start that 2k pesos a month would be all I would be "handing out" (and only to her parents) and any extra money would need to be earned by her siblings (and her parents would be informed of any extra salary given to the siblings....because I liked to stir the pot by letting the family know who the greedy ones were that weren't sharing with the parents :wink:). I made a deal stating that if someone wanted to move in I would give them a small salary, pay for them to complete their schooling and then go on to college. Almost every sibling immediately flung their nose up at that idea. (The lazy/unmotivated ones quickly identified.) One of her brothers was excited about the offer and jumped on it. The other siblings would b*tch now and again about needing money....until I mentioned that my bikes needed to be washed or how I needed the mold/slippery stuff scrubbed off the driveway. Strange how the mention of work magically makes the "need" for money disappear for most of them. :rolleyes: They gave up on the idea that I was the gravy train pretty quickly.
     
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    Rye83, Mar 23, 2017
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  3. Pompolino

    Pompolino DI Member Showcase Reviewer

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    Hi Pat,

    Completed our certification yesterday and can say we had the very best experience I can imagine. They were absolutely wonderful. Our instructor was Joseph Vicoy and he was exceptional in his language, patience and teaching ability. The owner of the business was a constant and incredibly supportive. The whole experience whilst exhausting was incredibly positive.

    I am 64 and they pampered me, compared to my kids with help from carrying weights and tanks to pulling off fins. If any one of you older members have wanted to do the course but felt you were passed it, I can highly recommend Apo Scuba and in particular Joseph Vicoy as the instructor and as the add says, Just Do It!

    Thanks Pat, great advice and help once again
     
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    Pompolino, Jan 17, 2024
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  4. Rye83

    Rye83 with pastrami Admin Secured Account Highly Rated Poster SC Connoisseur Veteran Army

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    This is why, now more than ever, it is important to make sure all documents are in perfect order. Getting clean documents transferred is headache enough given the current pandemic, any deviance from perfection will only turn the normal headache into a debilitating and soul crushing migraine.

    As for new vehicles; for some reason cars seem to be treated differently than motorcycles. When I bought a new motorcycle, around March 2020, no temporary plates were given (only a "for registration" plate...which fell off around 2 months ago) and I was given a short letter saying when it was purchased and that registration was pending, nothing saying I was allowed to drive it. No idea if this would do any good at a checkpoint...I just assume it doesn't really matter since I'm driving around with absolutely no plate on the rear and nobody has said anything or even asked for the documents at a checkpoint. Whereas the new car, purchased around a month ago, has orange LTO inspection stickers on the front and back windows, plates with numbers on it and a much more official sounding letter saying I'm authorized to drive until permanent plates and the registration are issued. Does this actually give me the right to drive it? No idea...but it gives me a warm fuzzy.

    If I was ever asked about plates or registration at a checkpoint I would just say, "sorry sir, out of stock". It always worked and got a laugh from the person asking for the sticker requirements before, I assume it may work now. If one of my vehicles ever got impounded I would likely hire a lawyer and file a case against the LTO/police and plead my case to a judge and hope for the best. I just consider this nonsense as par for the course in the Philippines and go with the flow, complaining will do nothing.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 21, 2020
    Rye83, Jul 21, 2020
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  5. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    We often give opinions on the most preferred eating places so how about doing the same for healthcare? Without being libellous, if members wish to state anyone they liked being treated by and perhaps those they prefer not to use again (here on this forum or by pm if preferred), I would collate it into a list and publish it here. It could include those working in Dumaguete, Bacolod, Cebu and Manila and cover all medical and dental disciplines. Sometimes people need to make decisions urgently and a list at hand of recommended healthcare professionals would be useful.
     
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    Notmyrealname, Dec 18, 2018
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  6. denpet

    denpet DI Senior Member Highly Rated Poster Blood Donor Veteran Air Force

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    One good thing is to get a PhilHealth card. It covered 50% of hospitalisation costs. Doesn't cost much. But the good thing is they can't salt your bill, as PhilHealth will complain if there is anything abnormal about the charges.
     
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    denpet, Oct 16, 2014
    #5
  7. EandN

    EandN DI Member

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    If Lee Plaza has a long queue for the baggage drop just walk across the road to Robinsons Supermarket and hand it in there instead. Never a queue to either drop off or collect, back into Lee Plaza and straight in within two minutes, lol.
     
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    EandN, Nov 28, 2022
    #3
  8. Rye83

    Rye83 with pastrami Admin Secured Account Highly Rated Poster SC Connoisseur Veteran Army

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    I think they guy has his own pigs and butchers them himself. You could probably request any cut you like.

    [​IMG]

    http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/pork_cuts.html
     
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    Rye83, Oct 23, 2014
    #3
  9. Show Pony

    Show Pony DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    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.
     
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    Show Pony, Nov 13, 2023
    #1
  10. danbandanna

    danbandanna DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer Veteran Marines

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    tried to book a flight from Duma to Cebu through trip.com who then shifted me to edreams.ph to finalize the ticket... the booking was incomplete and I received an email telling me not to worry that no money was deducted from my debit card and any pre authorization would be canceled asap... went ahead and booked through Cebgo (which I should have done in the first place) checked my bank account and lo and behold the amount was deducted so I went to the bank to confirm that this was not just a pre authorization that would be credited back. Bank says money is gone... filed a MasterCard challenge and have been told by edreams that it is not their fault and they have no interest pursuing the matter. It is only 5700 pesos but it chaps my %^&$% that they did this... Just a heads up for any of you that come across this booking site :smile:
     
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    danbandanna, Oct 12, 2019
    #1
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