Updates feed

A post on rant and ravePh just now about evicting squatters: the OP's situation is beyond absurd. I tried reposting it here, but the bot auto-removed it over nasty words in the title.

POV: you're a seal trainer getting a very bouncy hello

A moment from the tournament

So smooth he helped search for himself

I'm arriving in Cebu in a few weeks and plan to stay in Lapu-Lapu for 3–4 nights. It's my first time in the Philippines before I head on to Mindanao, so I'm hoping to rest up, eat well, get some spa time and maybe do a little shopping.

I really love high-floor balconies with stunning views, and I don't mind paying a bit more for the right place. My budget is about $150 a night.

The Airbnbs I had my eye on at Tambuli are all taken, so now I'm looking for good alternatives. Ideally I'd like a one-bedroom place with a kitchen, but the overall experience, great views, nice amenities and location matter more to me than a kitchen.

I'd also love restaurant recommendations. Where should I absolutely eat in Lapu-Lapu or Cebu?

The only place I'm definitely going so far is Spiaggia. I'm torn between staying there and the Mövenpick Hotel, and I also really like some of the suites at Costabella Tropical Hotel.

Normally I'm very focused on healthy living and do a carnivore/keto diet, but I'm planning to cheat completely on this trip. So the food had better be worth it!

One very important thing: almost everywhere I travel I order New England clam chowder, mac & cheese, or both. I'm on a quest to find the best in the world.

So hit me with your recommendations:
Places to stay with amazing views around $150 a night
Best resorts, hotels or one-bedroom places
Must-visit restaurants
Best New England clam chowder
Best mac & cheese
Best spas
Anything else I shouldn't miss while I'm there

Thanks in advance! I'd really love to hear from people who know the area well or have recently stayed or eaten there.

Westerners Who Were Killed in the Philippines

I saw a thread about crimes against foreigners. It was a good one, but the problem is that most of the people in it weren't the kind of foreigners most of us care about — Indian moneylenders, Nigerian and Korean 'businessmen,' that sort of thing. So I put together a list of unfortunate victims of Filipino 'hospitality.'

Number 6 is the most disturbing, because his own wife did him in, working together with her actual boyfriend.

1. Mark Duell & Elisea Duell (American)

Date: September 2, 2026
Location: Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Incident: American retiree Mark Duell (72) and his wife Elisea (71) were shot and killed when robbers broke into their rented home late at night. The armed attackers held their household helper at gunpoint, demanded money, and fled with cash, jewelry, and electronics.

2. Kent Carpenter (American)

Date: July 12, 2026
Location: Sibulan, Negros Oriental
Incident: Kent Carpenter (73), a prominent American marine biologist and university professor who did extensive conservation research in the Philippines, was shot dead by masked intruders who entered his home during an armed robbery.

3. Elliot Eastman (American)

Date: October 17, 2024 (abducted; presumed dead December 2024)
Location: Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte
Incident: Elliot Eastman (26), an American vlogger living in Zamboanga del Norte with his Filipina wife, was shot in the leg while being abducted by four armed men, who dragged him onto a motorboat and disappeared into the Sulu Sea. After arrests and investigations in late 2024, Philippine authorities concluded he died from injuries sustained during the abduction.

4. David Fisk (Australian)

Date: July 10, 2024
Location: Tagaytay City, Cavite
Incident: David Fisk (57), a visitor from Sydney, Australia, was murdered along with his Australian-Filipina partner Lucita Cortez and her daughter-in-law in their hotel room in Tagaytay City. The victims were found bound and suffocated in a targeted robbery-homicide. A suspect, a former hotel employee, later surrendered to police.

5. Nicholas Peter 'Nick' Stacey (New Zealander)

Date: February 19, 2023
Location: Barangay Palanan, Makati City (near the BGC / Makati CBD border)
Incident: Nick Stacey (34), a New Zealander visiting the Philippines, was walking to a laundry shop with his girlfriend around midnight when two men on a motorcycle pulled up and robbed them at gunpoint. When the robber pointed a pistol at his girlfriend and Stacey tried to stop him, he was shot once in the chest and died on the spot.

6. Roxan / Roxanne's Husband – American / Japanese-American (American)

Date: December 2023
Location: Liloan, Northern Cebu
Incident: A 72-year-old American retiree was struck on the head with a bottle and beaten inside his home in a gated subdivision. An investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found that his 30-year-old local wife and her former live-in partner planned the attack over money disputes, and murder/parricide charges were filed.

What's the most memorable, sweetest thing your girlfriend or wife has done for you? (No sexual or rude comments, please)

Anyone care to list theirs? Or maybe something you wish she'd do more often, or do again.

Exit Clearance – Manila

So here's my question: for those who've stayed in the Philippines for 2 to 3 years, what did you pay in total, not counting the 2x2 photos and copies? And how was your experience?

I haven't actually done an exit clearance yet, so I have no firsthand experience. But my 3-year mark is coming up soon.

What they expect and require may differ from office to office. The paperwork in the photos is from the immigration office on the 5th floor of Ayala Circuit Mall. I did my last eligible 2-month extension before I have to do a visa run.

Overall it was a decent experience.

I arrived in the Philippines in December 2023 and have to leave before the end of December, my 3-year mark.

I'd rather just show up early before my flight and do it at the 24-hour Manila airport immigration office, but I hear that's only available to foreigners who've been here 6 months to a year.

I did 2-month extensions my whole time here. Most were just receipt printouts, and some were receipt printouts plus stickers inside the passport. Four stickers fill one passport page. I went through 3 tourist visa ACR cards, each issued after the 6-month point every year and valid for a year.

I always pay the express fee for convenience. I don't want to make several trips to the immigration office to pick my passport back up.

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip to Manila and Talisay. Is there any kind of platform where I can rent a car or a motorcycle in Manila or Talisay?

Hi everyone, I arrived in Manila last week, thinking about retiring in the Philippines. I spent my first 5 months of retirement in Thailand, heard lots of good things about the Philippines, so I packed up and moved to Manila last week. I'm planning to base myself around BGC when I get back from a 10-day break in Boracay. I'm British, ex-military and ex-police, and it would be great to meet up with people for a coffee or a beer. Best wishes to everyone.
Richard.

A man in trouble

Korean Community Association Central Luzon — Notice on Mobile Consular Services for October 19–20

▶Date & Time : October 19 (Mon) 2:00 PM ~ 4:30 PM
October 20 (Tue) 9:30 AM ~ 12:00 PM
▶Venue : Korean Community Association Central Luzon
※Please bring your passport (or resident registration card, or Korean driver's license if you do not have a passport).
▶Available Services◀
Passport / Notarization / Overseas Korean Registration / Joint Certificate/
Driver's License Related :
*Class 1 cannot be renewed, but reissuance is available in case of loss.
Class 2 can be renewed if it is the renewal period, and reissuance is also available in case of loss.
*Required Documents: 3.5cm x 4.5cm photo, passport, driver's license (for renewal)
▶Visa, family relations registration (birth, marriage, divorce, etc.), and nationality services are not available as they require individual consultations and a significant amount of time.◀
*For detailed information such as required documents and issuance fees, please check the Embassy website.
https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ph-ko/index.do
#중부루손한인회

Source: Korean Community Association Central Luzon Band · Posted on 2026-10-08
https://band.us/band/68401773/post/4420

Hi everyone!
I arrived in Dumaguete a week ago, and at least for a foreigner, it's hard to find events or ways to socialize here. People are nice, but it's not easy to connect.
I'm not the type who can just walk into a bar alone and make friends on the spot.
Is there anyone around 25 to 45 (roughly my age) who has lived here as an expat and can share their experience? :D
Thanks so much for your help

How AI will affect the BPO industry and condo market in the Philippines

I'm curious what you all think about how artificial intelligence will affect the BPO (business process outsourcing), back office, call center, and virtual assistant industries in the Philippines.

More specifically, if AI replaces all of those jobs and the newly emerging middle class collapses, what happens to the condo market and retirement prospects for foreigners?

At the extremes, I think it could range from condo prices getting cut in half and the dollar getting even stronger, all the way to total chaos where foreigners live under constant threat of robbery or kidnapping.

What do you think?

I'm in Cebu right now - what's the best way to get from Cebu to Dumaguete?

VPN help, please..
I just installed NordVPN and now I'm stuck on how to use it. Back home (USA), I watch a lot of different news (FOX, NewsNation, CNN, etc., all on YouTubeTV). But in the Philippines I can't get it. In "simple" terms, I want to open YouTubeTV on my iPhone and watch my shows. I've set my location (Denver), so do I just open the YouTubeTV app on my phone now, or what? Old dog here trying to learn a new trick.

At what age did you get rich?

I mean rich by US standards, not rich by Filipino standards

Is it more common in your 50s?

Submarine Cable Fault Causes Internet Outage in Parts of the Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — On Friday evening, October 2, multiple Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the Philippines experienced network issues and internet connectivity disruptions.
According to the University of the Philippines Diliman Network Helpdesk, one of the submarine cable segments connecting the Philippines and Singapore was reportedly severed.
As a result, because most major ISPs route their connections through this primary information pipeline, some platforms experienced disconnections or slowed internet speeds.
In an advisory, the helpdesk stated, "Since most major ISPs connect through this primary information pipeline, you may experience increased latency and degraded performance, especially when accessing sites hosted abroad."
Downdetector.com, an internet outage tracking website, also reported an increase in outage complaints due to internet connectivity issues across multiple ISPs.
Meanwhile, internet service provider Padecoinc stated that the connection between the Philippines and Hong Kong was also disrupted, which "affects overall capacity and global internet connectivity."
Globe Telecom also announced that it is working to restore normal internet services due to a technical issue.
Globe Telecom stated, "Due to a technical issue, Globe customers may experience slower internet speeds across both mobile and broadband services."
Broadband Service Coverage also announced that it is working with the technical support team to restore internet access.

So the unstable internet and KakaoTalk photos not sending since yesterday were because of the damaged submarine cable
#News
#Philippines_News_Updates

Source: Korean Community Association Central Luzon Band · Posted on 2026-10-03
https://band.us/band/68401773/post/4419

The little one stepped up to protect, but mom knows better

She gave it a try