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What I saw on X today

Does anyone know how I can find a Tagalog teacher online? Thank you. I'm planning to explore Luzon starting from Clark Airport in Manila.

What happens next

If the Iran war drags on and affects the Philippines' oil imports, leading to more power outages and rising prices, do Korean residents and other foreigners have a Plan B? Will you move to another Southeast Asian country, or leave the region altogether until oil supplies are running smoothly again? Are you in a position to return to your home country?

Someone who casually hops across rocky terrain without a second thought

I'd posted asking for help traveling overseas with my cat.
What I've found so far is that several airlines allow small pets in the cabin. I called around, compared, and found a great deal!
To bring a cat in, it needs the FVRCCP vaccine, also called the 4-in-1. In my part of the US they mostly use the FVRCP vaccine, also called the 3-in-1.
This vaccine needs a booster 14 days after the first shot, and then I have to wait another 14 days after the last shot before I can travel.
My guess is 95% of vet clinics only give the 3-in-1, the FVRCP vaccine, so check the requirements carefully before leaving the US.
Several vets issue health certificates; in my case it has to be 10 days before travel.
Hope this helps someone!

Philippines Child SNS Ban 🇵🇭

The House wants to ban use only for under-13s, while the Senate wants to restrict it up to age 18.

Will it pass? And what age will they settle on? (Could they end up compromising on some age in between?)
Will it actually be enforced, and how?

It'll be interesting to see how this turns out.

Hi everyone. I'm heading to Imus, Cavite next month, my very first trip to the Philippines. I heard I have to register at the local barangay when I arrive... my question is..., does that cost anything? And do I have to do it every time I move to a different province, even if it's only for a week or less?

If brutal bank fees upset your delicate stomach, skip this post, and please cover the eyes of small children, the frail, and the faint of heart.

A member posted that she opened a US Bank of America account because they have a branch in the Philippines. That branch (I visited it back when it was in Makati, it's since moved to Taguig) is for corporate and institutional clients only.

Cost-wise, using a Bank of America debit card at a Philippine ATM is brutal.
First, you pay the 250-peso fee, which many of us get refunded by using Schwab, Fidelity, or Betterment.
Second, you pay a 3% foreign fee.
Third, you pay $5 to Bank of America.

I saw one member comment, 'Oh, I only pay $5.' Buddy, read the fine print

You've been warned.

Basket Uncle

Such diligence and wit in trying to sell his own goods!

Is there a "Basket Uncle" in your neighborhood too? ...Or some other kind of traveling peddler?

I'm looking for a new bank before I head over. It's for my military direct deposit, and I'd like one that makes transfers to the Philippines easy. Any banks you'd recommend?

Thinking about buying your own health insurance: how is healthcare in the Philippines?

I'm a trust beneficiary (1 million dollars), and I'm considering splitting my time between the Philippines (where I was born) and the US (I'm a US citizen). One good thing about the US is that you don't have to worry about healthcare while you're working. You might even qualify for Medicaid if you're not working.

What I'm wondering is this: if I spend about 3 years in the Philippines (I won't be working during that time) and buy my own health insurance, could I get decent medical care? Could I also get the medications I need?

I don't have any complicated illnesses, just the usual stuff that heavyset middle-aged guys tend to have.

Thanks. I'd like to be able to relearn Tagalog.

Anyone around Tagum City — how much does it usually cost to get two split air cons cleaned? One is 1hp and the other is 2.5hp.

My brother stole everyone's power.

Best cordless tool brands for building in Palawan

Hi expats, cordless tools, drills, circular saws and so on... What's a good mid-priced brand, or let's say low end vs high end.. I'll be doing a lot of home building projects.. handyman stuff...

I'll mostly be buying in Palawan, PPC.

What do you use and like best😄

I was just trying to deliver a package.

Hey bro

"From the window, to the wall…"

When you fight with your spouse, do they switch back to Filipino or not? Hahaha! That's exactly where we are right now. In my case, no words. Just things flying. Hahahahaha! The first thing I learned in marriage was to be open about what makes me angry. It's a struggle. Every now and then I slip and just start punching or throwing things. A small thing turns huge! Hahaha! Communication is key. The funny thing is I'm the talkative one of us two, but I go totally quiet when I'm angry. He's the opposite. And now we're almost at 17 years. Hahaha!

P.S.

I didn't mean to stir things up. Our married life is fun and healthy. Don't worry. Haha! When I said punching, I didn't mean each other. Haha! And throwing things doesn't mean breaking things. Haha! Sorry for giving the wrong impression. I meant it lightly, and didn't think it could sound dark to some people. No, sorry, that's not my life. Hahaha! Really, so sorry.

My Experience

I just came back from the Philippines, and I want to share what happened to me. I think people there are genuinely kind once you get to know them, but I had a bad experience on the dating site PinaLove. I'm not saying all Filipino women are bad, just that you need to be careful.

The pattern was always the same. I avoided women who asked for money first. From the start, I told them I'm not a sugar daddy, but if we got serious and lived together, I could give them a monthly allowance for living expenses. The women I talked to seemed fine with that.

Everyone wanted to meet quickly, and in case things didn't work out, I was talking to several people at once. I figure these women are probably talking to dozens of men at the same time too, so I don't think I was any different. Realistically speaking.

But money requests started as soon as I arrived. Some amounts were relatively small. One asked for 300 pesos for the trip to the airport, which was almost funny. For someone who has a phone and data, that doesn't make sense.

Another woman who lived a few hours outside Manila said she needed money for a taxi. I offered to pay the driver directly, and she refused.

In the end, every woman I was talking to was like this, and once I stopped paying for what she called "relationship cooldown" costs, all of them stopped responding.

I also looked at the social structure while traveling around the cities. The educated, attractive Filipino women were mostly dating local men. I understand why. To date people like that, you'd need a lot of time and connections.

Most of the foreign men I saw seemed to be dating women from lower social classes, sometimes women from the provinces with less education or economic opportunity, who weren't as attractive.

I'm not judging or blaming anyone. I'm just describing what I went through. If I had more time, I'd go back. I think my chances would be better meeting women naturally at yoga studios, or approaching women directly at shopping malls.

I'm sharing my personal experience with the SRRV visa process, using Jennifer Terri Visa Consultancy - SRRV as my agent (marketer). I didn't go with Thailand because I'm not old enough for a retirement visa, and the DTV visa isn't what it used to be now that some people are being refused re-entry. I wanted a permanent visa that would let me leave and come back as often as I like without dealing with immigration much. The SRRV is exactly that, and you can get it at 40-49, before 50. Before this I lived in Thailand for a year on an education visa, and about 6-9 months in I wanted more information, so I booked a consultation with Jennifer. She answered all my questions and confirmed I qualified for the courtesy SRRV because I'm a U.S. military veteran. About a month before my lease in Thailand ended, I decided to go with the SRRV and booked another appointment with Jennifer. She asked for various documents, and I think I sent them within an hour or so. For me it was the DD-214, passport, and financial requirement documents. She told me the Thai police clearance would be faster than an FBI background check, which apparently isn't the case anymore, or I just got 'lucky', which I'll explain and warn against later (my recommendation is to go with the FBI or a state police report accepted in the USA). She got back to me that day or the next. She also got the apostilles done. She asked me to make the $3k deposit to the PRA or whichever bank, and I did. She scheduled my photos and, right after, my 30-day tourist visa extension in Makati/Manila, all on one day. All of this was scheduled for the day after I landed in the Philippines. Jennifer is really fast and thorough at what she does. She has an associate named Rona who works on the ground, works very hard, and guides you and goes with you to your appointments.

My only hiccup was the Thai embassy in Manila, and it delayed my SRRV by 3-4 weeks. Apparently they used to just 'okay' and stamp Thai police reports. Now they want an extra step, and they were no help at all. It was like a comedy movie. The staff member said I had to make an appointment and handed me some paperwork. I tried speaking Thai with her, the security guard and others, and they didn't answer in Thai, which is weird, and I'll say more about that later. Then she just walked away. I looked at the paperwork and all the appointments were in Thailand. So, to get it done without going to Thailand and save some money, I called the Bangkok law firm I'd worked with and had them handle it. Three weeks later I got it back and went to the Thai embassy in Makati again. I handed the clearance to the staff member, and she told me there needed to be hard copies, and I swear there was a copier right behind her. Then a man came up and told me there was a DHL 2-3 blocks away. I rushed over, made copies and came back… and 10 minutes later they were on lunch. I waited outside the embassy, went in, and gave the man the certificate and copies. He told me to come back next week 😆. I went back the next week and they finally stamped it.

Then off I went to the PRA with Rona. I did my interview, which wasn't that hard. Then I submitted the rest of my application, paid, and so on. There was some decent flooding around then, which closed the office the following week.

Jennifer and Rona kept in touch with me the whole time. Jennifer let me know when immigration approved the application and it was just waiting for the final okay. All in all, I think it took 4-5 weeks after the interview and application. Then I went to my oath-taking ceremony about 2 weeks later.

Jennifer scheduled everything as fast as possible. I literally had appointments the day after I landed in the Philippines. It's obvious Jennifer wants her clients to get their visa as quickly as possible.

Back to the Thai embassy in Manila: apparently others have complained about them too. One person complained that the staff grilled her in Thai and didn't want to help her because her Thai wasn't good enough. I found that funny, because when I spoke Thai to them they went very quiet and didn't answer in Thai. The staff member I mainly dealt with was no help at all. I knew arguing and yelling wouldn't help, but her lack of customer service skills is insane.

I highly recommend Jennifer Terri. The whole process took 3 months, including the 3-week Thai embassy delay and a week lost to flooding. Without the delays it would have taken about 2 months. I went to the PRA office in Makati, not a satellite office.

Sorry this is long, but I wanted to share my whole experience as fully as I could.