Best Posts in Forum: Dumaguete City

One time I was on my way to McDonalds with a package to mail later to Canada. After I was in McDonalds for a few minutes I realized I had left my package in the trike. I had lots of sun glasses and and other goodies in that package. When I returned I found the package on the front step of my house!

He didn't try to chase me down at McDoos for a tip. He just left that package on the step of my house.

So, they are not all bad. I have had some good experiences and bad experiences. I also tip them. Especially if they have their child riding with them!

 

The following is the steps I took to get a visa
1. Had my GF send me the birthing center copy of the birth certificate
2. Made an appointment with the Philippines Consulate in Chicago to sign an affidavit of admission of paternity. Cost 25 dollars and pre-paid return envelope (they only take UPS or USPS. Plus travel costs to Chicago from Kansas city.
3. They sent the affidavit to me a couple of days later.
4. Sent the affidavit and the birthing center birth certificate back to Dumaguete
5. GF took to the LCR in Dumaguete and they rejected because the consulate failed to sign the back of the birth certificate
6. Sent paperwork back to USA then to the consulate in Chicago
7. Received signed paperwork and sent back to GF in Dumaguete
8. LCR wanted to reject again because they didn't like the way the consulate did the paperwork but my GF talked them out of that. Requested endorsement to PSA.
9. A couple of weeks later the endorsement to PSA was ready, GF then went to PSA and got a copy of the birth certificate
10. GF sent the PSA birth certificate to me in USA. The consulate said they would take the endorsement to PSA or an PSA copy of the birth certificate for my visa. I would recommend the PSA birth certificate because that is what immigration and airlines wanted to see. With the endorse to PSA letter you could get a visa but I don't know if you could get immigration to take it.
11. Sent my visa package to the Philippines Consulate in Chicago consisting of the following:
... Visa application form 2-A (with passport size photo)
... my passport with copies of my data pages
... Travel itinerary
... Proof of financial capacity ( latest bank statement)
... Copy of PSA birth certificate
... copy of GF id
... notarized letter of support from my GF stating purpose of travel and that she guarantees my moral obligations while I'm in the Philippines
... money order of 40 dollars to the consulate. This is for 3 day service but its 30 for 7 day service. The visa is for single entry and must be used in 90 days
.... pre-paid return envelope via UPS
A week after I sent my visa package I received my visa. I arrived in Manila last night and they stamped the visa good for 60 days.
That's what I needed to do in a nutshell

 

If you want the things to be here like they are at home wherever that may be then you should stay at home, learn to adjust and adapt. Don,t waste your energy on things you have no control over.

 

I'm not for communism, but did want to talk about your second point.

I think it's a little shortsighted to think that everyone wants to sit on their butts all day and let the rich pay for everything. I'd say a big part of the issue is there just isn't enough opportunity to support everyone working at decent pay. The Philippines is a perfect example of that. Way more people than the economy can support.

I have a good friend who owns some section 8 housing and his tenants are primarily single woman with a couple of kids. They are on public assistance and also getting disability payments for he kids who have ADD. People can make more money doing nothing, so why not kick back. The system is broken.

I'll thought I would add a little color to the numbers you threw out.

45% of Americans pay no federal income tax

With respect to the 45% paying no taxes. Everyone pays taxes, not everyone pays income taxes, but everyone pays taxes on almost everything they buy or consume. Those taxes go to the government. In addition, taxes are baked in to product costs in the form of tariffs, so there is another instance where they pay. The other misleading part of throwing that number out is that a significant number of those are retirees. They have to stop working at some time, don't they?



With respect to the "rich" paying for everything. They certainly pay more $$, but what I found interesting is that they don't necessarily pay a higher percent. It it harder for me to come up with 25% for them to come up with 25%. Who should we feel more sorry for? I know you don't feel sorry for anyone, and I'm not asking your for you feel sorry for me either, just asking you to think.


The images are from:
Who doesn’t pay taxes, in eight charts

I just find it curious that it's easier to sympathize with people that have more money than they know what to do with it, than people who barely survive from one day to the next. Do you really believe people chose to struggle from day to day?

 

Do a little vote counting and you see how it works in Dumaguete. There are 2,500 trikes. The trike driver makes a living, so he get family votes to support his trike provided income. So maybe there is 12,500 possible votes coming from the 2,500 trike drvers (driver, mother, father, mistress and wife.) Since most of the time the trike drives rent the trikes, there are also 2,500 trike owners but many trikes are owned by a few, so less say 650 separate trike owners. Assuming the trike owners have family members support them (owner, mother, father, wife, mistress and GF*) then there is another possible 3,800 votes, So that means support form the trike industry could possibly provide 16,300 votes. There is a trike drivers association here in Dumaguete, so there is some unification of corps here.
In the Mayor's race Felipe Antonio “Ipe” Remollo emerged as the winner with 29,518 votes, so a possible block of 16,300 votes would receive some good pandering for votes.

So yes, the trike drivers association does have a large political influence in this town.

*please note that children of voting age, legitimate or otherwise were not included in this count.

 

This is one of those impossible to answer questions.

Typically you ask this because you are worried about a constrained budget. If you had a relatively strong budget you wouldn't need to worry about it. So the closest I could come up with is for the low end.

If you have the monthly income that will continue to come in and which allows you to live on your own in the U.S. then you'll likely be able to live a bit cheaper here. If you can't survive in the U.S. on your income (even at a hand to mouth level or by moving to a cheaper area in the U.S.) then you probably shouldn't come to the Philippines.

That's it. You don't really need numbers. You would just be over-thinking and over-planning. Any plan you come up with will just unravel once you get here. You're bored and day-dreaming of life on the islands. Stop it. Go read a book instead.

NOTE: If you aren't from the U.S. then the same applies to other Western nations.

 

I have to agree with Aces. Its the only place around to get specialty laser care setup. They have a doctor come in from Cebu to check you out but the laser surgery is done in Cebu. I went through Doctor Tan at Aces a few years back to have Lasik done on both my eyes. I was a borderline person that 10-15 years ago would have been impossible. I have never had an issue and Doctor Tan did an amazing job. 50kp for both eyes at that time while in the US I was quoted at $3-4k for both my eyes.

 

Curious if your wife is getting a private ride just her and your child or if 6 other people are being squeezed in also? I had one driver who wanted to charge me 70 peso to take me 3 km after dark and I had two small shopping bags. I just told him good luck with your business model and took off walking. I had one of the shills at Robinsons mall want 60 php to take me and a friend to hotel Palwa. I said no thanks and walked out to the highway and about 20 meters down the road before a trike stopped and took us there. I gave him 20 peso and he wanted to make change! I gave him another 5 peso and told him keep the change with my thanks. Not all trike drivers are dicks, just like not all foreigners are dicks, at least I am not...not all the time anyway.

 

Totally Agree but when we see Mothers or Fathers tossing Used Diapers any where and the Kids in tow see this then that, is their Learning curve. This is where the Barangay Captain fails at his First hurdle, Clean your Barangay up and people might start to Respect the City!
If Not
Hurt them where it hurts, In the Pocket.

JP