https://www.exporthub.com/multichimicaspa/profile.html Mr. Guarniero had deep pockets. He shared ownership with his brother: https://m.facebook.com/daniele.guarniero https://www.multichimica.it/
Pros vs cons of the investment visa. Pro: you don't have to keep renewing a tourist visa. Con: You might get shot tangling with real estate. Real estate is one of a very few things which a typical local might own which is worth decent money. Cash poor, property rich. That could put people in desperate situations where they are easy prey seeking money. You then get predatory people in the space who are able to roll over the locals. Take a case to court, run through every trick in the book against a weak defense and win the case. Of course a foreigner is going to be an even easier target, right? They may have more money, but they aren't from the Philippines. But the foreigner ends up picking up a solid defense. All these tricks aren't so easy to pull off because the foreigner's legal representation picks up on them. Over the course of long and dragged out case, the corrupt local gets stuck in a web of so many lies it's difficult to keep them straight. As the foreigner starts piling up wins in court, then the local resorts to the last trick in the corruption handbook. Foreigner gets shot. I don't know if this is what happened in this case, but it has happened to at least a couple of friends here.
Someone on a tourist visa can still dabble in real estate, you don't need an investment visa. However your point is very valid, it is often best to walk away from disputes. Maybe in this case he had a spousal visa.
Just out of interest are foreigners a target in Dumaguete, does this happen on a.regular basis, robberies murders muggings, I was under the impression it was a peaceful friendly place for foreigners?
That's how it works here. The old saying is very true. No business as a foreigner in the Philippines is the best business. I remember a case in Davao. A Filipina started giving small credits with the money of her husband. The local credit sharks warned her a few times. She didn't stop. Well, they shot her. Lucky enough not the husband. Lesson: Don't interfere with locals having a business. The expats who have lived here a long time know that. No need to explain. Gesendet von meinem SM-N950F mit Tapatalk
An americano got killed Dec, 2015. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/756434/restaurant-where-ex-us-soldier-suffered-fatal-blows-closed A 61-year-old Austrian has been shot dead by by two unidentified assailants in Valencia town, Dumaguete. https://philippineslifestyle.com/hunt-female-austrian-tourist-shot-dumaguete/
Did you see guards at the old building on the left or new building on the right? I was there and no guards and drove by several times and no guards. Perhaps a VIP was visiting there.