Depending on the age of your wife the BEST WAY TO ADOPT is to claim your wife delivered the Baby at home ( in a somewhat remote province is best attracting less attention )with the help of a mid-wife who signs the necessary papers so you can register the baby as your own with your embassy in Manila. In LivingInThePhilippines@y..., I thought you had to actually live with the child for 2 years. If Leila lived with a little girl for many years, then came here for 3 years, then applied, would her previous living with her count?

Jeepney drivers actually earn well, specially if they own the jeepney. They work in what we call a ""boundary"" system. It's like renting the jeepney for a day. The jeepney owner is called the ""operator"". And jeepney repairs fall under their hands. I dunno the going rate nowadays...must be between 600-800 pesos. The driver gets to keep whatever else he makes, which is usually around 500 pesos...or more, depending on how many hours they are on the road. So if you own your jeepney, you get to keep everything and don't have to pay boundary, hence you earn more. If you take longer routes (out of cebu) and get a conductor, the driver pays the conductor.

My personal experience is that the Philippine Government is not too happy about foreign adoptions. So many pedophiles prey on these children as in many other Pacific island nations. Her in the CNMI (Saipan) a local law was passed blocking adoptions from the Philippines unless the child has lived here for a minimum of one year prior to the adoption request. This practically stopped the large number of adoptions of Filipino children (mainly relatives of OCWs here, that was going on up to that date. I am working for the California state agency that administers the California adoption program, and we see the foreign adoptions which eventually involve California residents. Adoptions from the Philippines are among the lowest number of any Asian country, mainly because of the RP strict court requirements. Additionally, to get a relative visa to the US, one must have the court docs proving the adoption, etc. The US embassy site has a decent page on adoptions at: http://travel.state.gov/adoption_philippines.html Our experience (State govt) has been with US citizens (usually Filipino nationals) calling us for help. There are agents and attorneys in the Philippines who facilitate (very professionally) the adoptions process there, after which one has to deal with the US INS to get an adopted child into the US.

I visited one of the Jeepney manufacturers in Manila a few years ago. At the time they quoted P400,000 for a brand new stainless steel vehicle when the peso was about 22/dollar. One of the drivers on our route won a brand new jeepney in a San Miguel sweepstakes. He sold it about 5 years later for about US$7,500 and it went down hill rapidly after that. I still see some of it's parts and decorations on the other jeepneys occasionally. Anyway, you should be able to find one in fair condition for a decent price. The little multi-cabs are cheap and popular, but they are too small for my frame! Sorry I don't have any closer numbers than that. Try scanning the classifieds of a local paper.

Thanks for the info Bill, but too late for me, paid $825 RT on China Air as of last Thurs. I usually fly courier, but there was nothing available for 1/5, unless I wanted to go to HKG for $300 and then another $225+ RT to Mnl, plus 2 2 nights in HK ($110 a pop). Then I would have to explain that I was not visiting ""#12"" (from the beauty contest summer of 2000), ha ha. I started packing today, Kamaru's 2nd largest bag; after loading all of the gifts, I have only included 1 T-shirt and a pair of cargo pants for my own use so far. I still have plenty of room to add other stuff but my carry-on will not be a briefcase, something a little larger. I will stash more clothes in Davao and Luzon on this trip, so future trips will be easier. The only thing is, I can never remember what I stashed! It's not a big deal tho, cargo shorts are 3 - 500 pesoes and cargo pants are 6 - 800 pesoes, or less even. I stopped making plans today. The first 10 days will be Luzon, then Davao til 1/29, maybe longer. I'll see how it goes. If we are up for it, maybe 2 days in Cebu and a few in Boracay. I also have the option to extend, which I've done on 2 of my last 3 trips. I always overplan at first, then backoff. The National Road isn't I-95; I have also learned to talk in travel time (Mnl-Laoag is 12 hours + or -) rather than miles (278). I'm learning (slowly). I am getting excited about travelling now, but I had to get off the fence first about whether to travel in the first place. I hate flying, but I've been lucky; in 5 of the last 6 trips, either had 3 or 4 seats to myself and slept NY - Tokyo and vice versa. Last Christmas was a bear tho, Jupiter Air (courier co) did me a ""favor"" and put me ""upstairs"" in a middle seat, I wound up standing about half the trip, seats too small, too close for comfort (JAL). Hope my good luck holds out for this trip. Bill, Ligaya and I should still be in Mnl when Lorna arrives, hope to meet her. We have to hit St. Lukes, 2 consulates, the NBI and the place where you get the birth certificates and I know that's 2 days effort, if not more. Subject: Re: (Larry) Asiaweek Salaries-Ron or Joy Don't know the cost but there is a jeepney ""factory"" in Zamboanga. Michael Palin (""Full Circle"" series on PBS) visited it and test drove one. I bought the tape for this episode, he tours Manila, Banaue (got socked in by fog), Baguio, Pearl Farm and Zambo.

In answer to various questions regarding personal safety in Davao and the eastern part of Mindanao ... Davao police into drugs? I have not heard that one, although of course rumors do get around about all sorts of things. I have never come across any drugs, or drug related activities in Davao. That is not to say there are no drugs around, I am sure if you looked you could find, as you could in just about any place. The Mayor is very strict on drugs and crime, and as such it gets a lot of publicity. As I stated previously this is a very safe city both by day and night. Yesterday I was in the mountains at Mahronal with my family; this is about two hours inland from Davao. The mountain air was cool and the scenery breathtaking, next week we go again. If there were any danger we would not venture into such places. Last week I was in Mati, three hours out of Davao on the pacific coast, again no problem. I have friends who regularly travel down to GenSan and up to Surigao and Cagayan de Oro, again they have never seen any problems. Mindanao gets a bad press because of what's happening in the west of the island; this is many hours away from Davao by road. The only way to really check a place out is to visit it. If you come to Davao you will be impressed.

I finally travelled to Davao last April after 5 years thinking about visiting and 2 prior trips to the Phils. My friend Mildie and her husband told me the city was very safe, but that I should not go to Mt. Apo. I stayed at the Apo View Hotel and could see the lights from what I thought was Jackridge, where I had hosted a couple of dinners. Mildie told me it was some other restaurant and when I suggested going there, she said it wasn't safe, something about NPA on the Diversionary Road at night (up near the junkyards), so I did not go. But I felt safe walking around at night and will return to Davao in a few weeks for a 2 to 3 week visit.

Peoplesupport is one of the major call center outfits here. But they don't employ ex-pats except maybe 1-2 at the top. For reference on jobs, Peoplesupport and other top call centers are very selective in hiring: initial screening criteria are (a) degree from one of the top three Manila universities (La Salle, Ateneo, UP); (b) fluent English with ""no recognizable accent""; (c) good phone manner and customer service orientation. Then they can pick and choose amongst the eager young, motivated Filipinos lined up for the jobs. Salaries? The monthly wage ranges from P8,000 ($160) to $18,000 ($360), which is somewhat higher than an entry level bank teller or similar position -- which is about all average college graduates (even from the top schools) can aspire to. The labor market is glutted. Same in the IT sector. In my web development company, we have a number of excellent computer folks -- SQL, Flash, Java, C++, etc. -- working for about P12,000/month, excellent workers, etc. That scope of wage differential (estimated 1/6 cost of US for call center; as little as 1/10 for IT sector) gives the RP an advantage for outsourcing contracts. However, it militates against any ex-pat coming in to work at a ""normal"" job. Not only is there the issue of whether you can live on it, there's the issue of working papers and getting hired -- there would be huge resistance to hiring an ex-pat at that level. As mentioned elsewhere hereabouts, the presumption is that you have money are available for exploitation purposes. Many on this group live in the provinces, and may have a different perspective, but here in Manila I wouldn't see any viable way to come in as a foreigner and land a regular salaried job that would pay you enough to live on. I was dumb enough to come here without savings, indeed setting up shop in Makati -- but was fortunate enough to have (some say) ""high level"" consulting skills and a few connections. It was a high risk move (and I have witnessed numerous other ex-pat ""consultants"" who have tried to make it for a while before heading back stateside with their tails between their legs). Having survived almost four years now and established a certain baseline of credibility, I hope to take off in a big way in 2002. But it has been tough at times, and I don't recommend coming here without significant backup. You may eventually find a way to make money here, but nothing ever happens fast and it would be a good thing to have the patience of Job, not to mention having a stubborn streak.

jobs in the computer industry in the RP. We have OCWs from the Philippines who are graduates in computer programming and technology form major colleges in the RP, clamoring to work here in Saipan for $3.25 an hour. That should tell you something regarding the paylevel of computer professionals in the RP employed by local companies. If you can land a job with an American company operating ther you may be better off. However, they also seem to prefer local employess due to the low wages. I have been computer teacher in a public school system for the past 7years. i have about 15 total years professional experience w/computers. how can i go about finding an american company here that would send me 2 the philippines if i choose 2 go this route as opposed 2 trying 2 find something once i am there. r technical jobs hard 2 find there? what would something as low as say, tech support or computer repair pay there?

Not necessarily...I have seen a few ladies who came on fiancee visas whose children were not mentioned on the original I-129F petitions, but who later petitioned and got their children in the US. They had, in effect, submitted incomplete I-129F petitions (by not reporting their children) but had not lied. One lady, who had been petitioned from Hong Kong, had been told by other Filipinas that her fiancee petition would be processed faster if children were not mentioned on the original petition.

Jeepney drivers actually earn well, specially if they own the jeepney. They work in what we call a ""boundary"" system. It's like renting the jeepney for a day. The jeepney owner is called the ""operator"". And jeepney repairs fall under their hands. I dunno the going rate nowadays...must be between 600-800 pesos. The driver gets to keep whatever else he makes, which is usually around 500 pesos...or more, depending on how many hours they are on the road. So if you own your jeepney, you get to keep everything and don't have to pay boundary, hence you earn more.

I'd like to provide the following information for the archives. Yesterday (Dec. 29, 2001), I visited the Marriott Hotel in Cebu to inquire about a mothly rate for a room. I met with Ms. Kristine Chan, an Account Executive at the hotel. Let me preface my discussion with the following observations. The Marriott Hotel in Cebu appears to be one of the nicer hotels in the entire city. I believe it is somewhat new. It doesn't look more than three years old. The hotel is in a good location.....very close to the Ayala Mall and several businesses. In fact, Ms. Chan's business card says the hotel is in the Cebu Business Park on Cardinal Rosales Avenue. The lobby and restaurant are elegantly appointed. I did not visit the rooms, but I imagine they're quite nice. I did tour the fitness center in the basement. The fitness center (gym) is very nice and well-equipped. To be honest, the gym is the main attraction for me. It is quite clean and when compared to Annie's Fitness Center in SM Mall, it is superior in almost every respect. For non-guests, you can become a member of the gym for P2,000/month. Additionally, the gym has a special rate of P1,200/mo. if you visit the facility between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., only. Still another plan allows for 20 visits, anytime, for a fee of P2,000. I originally visited the Marriott on Dec. 26 to get a monthly quotation. At that time, the staff in the business center was unavailable, so they asked me to provide a fax number where the information could be sent. I did as they asked, but after three days, I received no fax. Ms. Chan quoted me a monthly rate of P36,000 (approx. $720 USD). This quote was for a deluxe single room with no breakfast. The deluxe room, as she explained, had a king bed. Since I've inquired about the monthly rate at a few other nice hotels, and read the current archives in this forum, I politely explained to Ms. Chan that her monthly rate was rather high and somewhat uncompetitive. Ms. Chan countered my argument by saying that the Marriott was the premier hotel in Cebu, and current residents were paying an even higher rate. I then explained to Ms. Chan that tourism in Cebu was down, and current predictions are not favorable for a drastic improvement in tourism rates in the near future. She was unphased by this argument. I then asked if the quoted rate was for foreigners, only. She said the P36,000/mo. rate applied to anyone that walked through the door. Needless to say, I left the meeting with Ms. Chan rather dismayed and discouraged. I believe the monthly rate is way out-of-line and unjustified. As I was leaving the business office, I ran into a non- Filipino who happened to overhear the meeting I had with Ms. Chan. He admitted to me that ""they just don't care if their rates are competitive."" He also admitted to me that he stayed at the Marriott earlier this year for a period of six months, and paid P2,500/night! MY CONCLUSION: Perhaps someone else can visit the hotel and get a better rate. Perhaps, if I visited the senior management at the hotel, I could improve on the very expensive monthly rate. I'm open to suggestions. I'd really like to stay there, but P36,000/mo. is totally unfair and needlessly exorbidant.

I bought a tricycle for my wifes family a couple of years ago. They live in Butuan City, Mindanao. I believe the cost, for a used one, was about P45,000. The father and two brothers all make a living off of it now since they run it 24 hours a day between the three of them. The original idea was to try to save enough money over time to eventually buy a second trike, then a third. In reality there was barely enough saved, after living expenses, to cover repairs, so that idea fell by the wayside. The people in the province (and in the city for that matter) rarely live above the subsistance level, and when they have any extra money it usually gets spent There are always relatives that will help you do that. The idea of ""teaching them to fish"" is a valid one and my experience will attest to that. The only requests for money I get now are for emergencies, and those are rare. I wish they were able to manage the situation better and build on that asset, but that's probably too much to expect. Buying a jeepney would be more complicated and certainly more epensive. I wish I could give some advice, but I'm sure there are those here that have more experience in this matter. I would encourage you to proceed, though cautiously. The wages published in Asiaweek are accurate enough, but keep in mind that the survey was taken among those who are within the infrastructure, a minority of the population. There are minimum wages set by the government, I think about P180 per day in Cebu, but they don't apply to household help or sales clerks in public markets for instance and few employers pay any attention to them. Wages vary, but salesgirls in public markets are paid P800/mo plus 1% commission on sales and would be doing very well indeed if she could take home P1,200. They work 12 hour days, 7 days a week. Carpenters and masons are paid P150/day and work 8-12 hour days, 6 days weeks. Their unskilled helpers earn P120/day. A jeepney driver works on commission and is paid by his conductor, but a take home of P200/day is possible. A tricycle driver might earn P100, but P70 is more likely on good days.

Although I have never compared rates at the Cebu Marriott, what you say sounds about right. The Marriott doesn't really cater to vacationers or long term residents, but rather to business people. These rarely stay longer than one or two weeks, most for just a few days. Tourists would rather stay at one of the Mactan beach resorts than in the middle of Cebu City. >From their point of view, they can charge P2,500-P3,500 per night and only have the room occupied half the time. I doubt very much that you would get a reduction in the rate, even if you talk to upper management. I would suggest staying at one of the nicer ""pension houses"" close by, and using the gym facilities at the Marriott. Not as convenient, for sure, but a lot cheaper. If you like the Philippines, you will probably have a nicer experience in one of the smaller local hotels anyway. I am interested in knowing more about the gym facilities though. Will have to go by and take a look,as I am trying to find a good gym. Anyone have any suggestions? I'd like to provide the following information for the archives. Yesterday (Dec. 29, 2001), I visited the Marriott Hotel in Cebu to inquire about a mothly rate for a room. I met with Ms. Kristine Chan, an Account Executive at the hotel. Let me preface my discussion with the following observations. The Marriott Hotel in Cebu appears to be one of the nicer hotels in the entire city. I believe it is somewhat new. It doesn't look more than three years old. The hotel is in a good location.....very close to the Ayala Mall and several businesses. In fact, Ms. Chan's business card says the hotel is in the Cebu Business Park on Cardinal Rosales Avenue. The lobby and restaurant are elegantly appointed. I did not visit the rooms, but I imagine they're quite nice. I did tour the fitness center in the basement. The fitness center (gym) is very nice and well-equipped. To be honest, the gym is the main attraction for me. It is quite clean and when compared to Annie's Fitness Center in SM Mall, it is superior in almost every respect. For non-guests, you can become a member of the gym for P2,000/month. Additionally, the gym has a special rate of P1,200/mo. if you visit the facility between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., only. Still another plan allows for 20 visits, anytime, for a fee of P2,000. I originally visited the Marriott on Dec. 26 to get a monthly quotation. At that time, the staff in the business center was unavailable, so they asked me to provide a fax number where the information could be sent. I did as they asked, but after three days, I received no fax. Ms. Chan quoted me a monthly rate of P36,000 (approx. $720 USD). This quote was for a deluxe single room with no breakfast. The deluxe room, as she explained, had a king bed. Since I've inquired about the monthly rate at a few other nice hotels, and read the current archives in this forum, I politely explained to Ms. Chan that her monthly rate was rather high and somewhat uncompetitive. Ms. Chan countered my argument by saying that the Marriott was the premier hotel in Cebu, and current residents were paying an even higher rate. I then explained to Ms. Chan that tourism in Cebu was down, and current predictions are not favorable for a drastic improvement in tourism rates in the near future. She was unphased by this argument. I then asked if the quoted rate was for foreigners, only. She said the P36,000/mo. rate applied to anyone that walked through the door. Needless to say, I left the meeting with Ms. Chan rather dismayed and discouraged. I believe the monthly rate is way out-of-line and unjustified. As I was leaving the business office, I ran into a non-Filipino who happened to overhear the meeting I had with Ms. Chan. He admitted to me that ""they just don't care if their rates are competitive."" He also admitted to me that he stayed at the Marriott earlier this year for a period of six months, and paid P2,500/night! MY CONCLUSION: Perhaps someone else can visit the hotel and get a better rate. Perhaps, if I visited the senior management at the hotel, I could improve on the very expensive monthly rate. I'm open to suggestions. I'd really like to stay there, but P36,000/mo. is totally unfair and needlessly exorbidant.

Not being a doctor or even a permanent resident this may not have any value to you at all. However we dispense medications from the store and one of my good friends is a doctora. I had an occasion to spend 5 days in the Chung Hua 6 years ago and found them to be 60 years or more behind. Other listers have more recent experience and don't agree. Be as it may, most Filipinos don't go to doctors until they are next to death's door. When they do, they will go to a clinic or hospital and wait in line for treatment. If it will make you feel better to be seen by a doctor, by all means go to Chung Hua or Doctor's. They are professional and will take good care of you. From your description it sounds like you are suffering from one of the most common traveler's malady. You should know that lomotil doesn't cure anything. It only treats the symptom by inhibiting normal bowel action. A doctor will more than likely write a ""prescription"" for an antibiotic. I carry lomotil with me for such occasions, but more importantly I also carry a supply of Cipro. It will kill almost anything you might have swallowed except amoebas and if that is the case then you should get to a doctor as soon as possible. It doesn't sound that serious if you have been suffering over this period of time and I hope you are feeling better soon. Good luck and good health. I have a call in to him but he is not in at 5:40 pm. I am not sure self medication is the answer when you try it and still have symptoms. I t can be very dangerous. Antibiotics over the counter is probably the biggest health problem in the world today. Lomitol is available in the US by prescription only in the US for a good reason. I recently was talking to one of Ani's pharmacy teachers about it. Ron is right. It only cures symptoms, give relief, but can cause problems of its own. Better see a specialist for $4.00 and let him or her be sure you really need an antibiotic or something so extreme. Both Doctor's and Chong Hua are excellent hospitals with some first class doctors/as. There is a Dr. Gonzales in the office building next to Doctor's Hospital who many tell me is the best in town, a Gas-Tro-Intestine-O-Logist, is what he calls himself. Even with all the recommendations, he seems weird to me. There was nothing wrong with me, but my age, he said. He said at my age I needed a ""test."" First he took me to a small room with a TV, black and white, if you can believe that. Then shot me with a drug, good stuff, but he didn't take any. Then he stuck a very long tube with a camera in it up a place I usually don't show anybody. He looked around in there and even recorded it on TV.

A telephone in MANY areas of the Philippines is already a jeepney or banca ride away and getting the telephone number of an immigration officer who would entertain such a snitch report is NOT so easy. Of course the baby MUST be a Mestiza and fairly easy to find in most nightlife districts, especially in Manila and Angeles City.

And I didn't mention GenSan, but it seems that it really is on its own positive development curve, with its fishing, fruits and vegetable exports. It's port should also allow for furniture production. And its education systems could allow for call centers, and even programming centers, linked to North American and even European businesses. I discovered quite by accident that SBC (Southern Bell) has a programming unit for its Midwestern operations (Illinois and Michigan) located in Makati. Whatever happens in Malacanang his very limited impact on Mindanao, as long as they don't expand protectionism. It seems that GenSan and your region really are involved in international trade and investment. And within a year or so, when the Japanese economy picks up, you will fly like a butterfly! I still envision Davao as a air stopping/connecting point (if the Philippines ever gets past Lucio Tan/PALs narrow protectionism). I could see Northwest stopping and ideally picking up/discharging passengers, on its way to Singapore and Indonesia. And as a stopping point for North/South flights going to Australia/New Zealand. (And yes I now know about the ASEAN flights and stopped flights between the south and Manado, and Sandakan) Jeff Jenks, C.T.C. - Owner - TRAVEL IS FUN E-mail: travelisfun@mich.com Call: 800 941-0049 Fax: 248 398-7859 Website: http://www.mich.com/~travelisfun Low fares to the Philippines, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Central & South America. For reservations & a quote E-mail me travelers passport names, ages, dates of travel, city begin in, city going to, & a home phone number. Follow it up with a phone call. Call & visit our website for cruise & tour specials.

Explaining the phenomenon is more difficult. The usual hypothesis puts it down to the unique ethnic and historical cocktail that is Philippine culture-Malay roots (warm, sensual, mystical) mixed with the Catholicism and fiesta spirit of the former Spanish colonizers, to which is added a dash of western flavour from the islands' days as an American colony. Mr de Leon, after a decade of researching, has concluded that Filipino culture is the most inclusive and open of all those he has studied. It is the opposite of the individualistic culture of the West, with its emphasis on privacy and personal fulfillment. It is also the opposite of certain collectivistic cultures, as one finds them in Confucian societies, that value hierarchy and ""face"". By contrast, Filipino culture is based on the notion of kapwa, a Tagalog word that roughly translates into ""shared being"". In essence, it means that most Filipinos, deep down, do not believe that their own existence is separable from that of the people around them. Everything, from pain to a snack or a joke, is there to be shared. Guests in Filipino homes, for instance, are usually expected to stay in the hosts' own nuptial bed, while the displaced couple sleeps on the floor. Small-talk tends to get so intimate so quickly that many westerners recoil. ""The strongest social urge of the Filipino is to connect, to become one with people,"" says Mr de Leon. As a result, he believes, there is much less loneliness among them.

Ok, I just went back and read the whole string. Normal AsiaTravel rate for the Marriott was $56USD, which was P2,800 summer of 2000. They would apply discounts to room bills at certain intervals (i.e. P100,000, etc.) but this varied customer to customer and was not published. So I have no idea what rate my friend finally got. I believe that he is their #1 customer or at least in the top 5. I wouldn't mind paying P1,200/night for a 30 night stay. They do hit you for P360++ for breakfast buffet, which ain't cheap. I always enjoyed it cause it was ""free"", included in my room price. From a $$ perspective, The Century Peak Suite was a better deal than the Marriott, also another place had a suite (on the way to Redemptorist) for under P20K per month. But the Century was out of the way for me and it was not the Marriott. The facilities at the Marriott (grounds, rooms) and service are superior to most other hotels that I've stayed at in the Phils, Including Ft Ilocondia, Pan Pacific, Traders, etc. Even tho the Marriott is probably only 4 years old, it is starting to show it's age. I've stayed in the same room (1008) over the last 18 months and it does show it's wear. Also, the in the restaurant, the steps leading down to the lower area are cracked and a few other things. I was at the Apo View in April and thought the general areas were close to the Marriott but the rooms looked a little worn; when I showed up at the Marriott, I was surprised to see that 1008 wasn't as pristine as I remembered it. Service at the Marriott was exceptional in the past but there were a few glitches on my last trip. I've found the food to be great and the best buffet I've ever been to was Christmas Eve, 2000. When I stay there, I usually check out the buffet each afternoon, to see if I will be there for dinner. If they have 3 entrees that appeal to me, I usually eat there. But on Christmas Eve, everything appealed to me, so we ate there. Their Fried Calamari is the best I've had and I don't order it here in the US anymore. But it ain't cheap at P400++ for lunch and dinner, not including beverage. In Davao, I would eat breakfast at the Apo (free) and have lunch and dinner out, lots of great restaurants or at a friend's house. Harrara's stands out in my memory as does Jack Ridge (locals call it Jack's Ridge). To compare it to the Apo View, th food and service at the Marriott are far superior, the facilities are slightly superior. But the Apo View, at Summit Club rate of P999, gets my vote and I will spend most of my time in Davao this trip. The hotel is not the only reason, my fiance has a slight aversion to Cebu and most of my friends that I meet in Cebu will be out of town during the week that I had hoped to be there. Plus I want Ligaya to meet some friends of mine in Davao. And this is a budget trip, so I am looking to limit my hotel expense to around P1,000/night and will not get to negotiate any long term stays, cause I'll be moving around. Back to your original issue, the gym facilities; never saw them in all my nights there and my body is proof of that. ""Doc"", a chiropractor friend, used it daily as did the hotel Dr, a 30ish tall good looking lady, who I got to see every visit cause of allergies then sinusitus. I'm getting a head start on next Saturday's departure, have sinusitus and my RX will wear out on my date of arrival. No messing around this time, will pick up new RX over the counter in Manila. For some reason Cebu always messes with my sinuses but Davao and Laoag have not, so far.

I have a question about addresses there.....i have been recieveing e-mails from someone that i don't know.......from add#.....prk pob,maragusan......comval,phillipines 8808......i have no idea where this is.....any help....and addition to that it has something to do with.....doleasia.com.........is this company or government..address..just curious...i have reply to ask what's up.but no replies just more e-mails hhaha

I purchased a new jeepney in Cagayan de Oro last March for around $8500 US dollars. (At that time, I think the peso was around 47/dollar) The brand name of it was ""Desa"" and was manufactured in Manila. My father in law did the research with other jeepney drivers which jeepney was the best built. On their advice, it was the Desa we chose. On a handshake, my father in law agreed to pay me back in five years at 12%. So far, he has made all his payments. I think his average daily take after the loan payment and his fuel is around 500 - 800 pesos. There was really no other option other than to buy the thing right out. Investigated putting a partial down for the jeepney. We found that half was due upon signing and the other half to be paid in two years at 70% interest rate. Any failure to pay on time would have meant possible repo of the jeepney at anytime. There would have been no way for the guy to make the payments. I think his real money is made on the weekends and holidays when he hires himself out to families or groups that want to go somewhere. He drops them off, goes back to work then returns later to get the group. He also makes a run to a local factory early in the morning to take employees there before he does his daily run. In the evening he picks them up and takes them home. An idea that I have when my wife and I move to the Philippines in a few years is to purchase numerous pedicabs and and tricycles and lease them out on a daily basis. I believe the income to investment ratio is better than a larger capitol expense for one vehicle. I will not know if this theory is true though until we move there and do some real research on this idea.

Hope you appreciate that I took the time to delete all of the references so you don't have to scan for 10 minutes to find a reply to a comment made yesterday or last week (hint, hint). We will make a permanent move to PI in about 2 years. If the cost of living estimates I have seen hold true, we will be reasonably well off. (I particularly liked Bill L's, since I know him and and have met some of his employees). However, for me, ""retirement"" is not my goal. My wife and I think of advancing to another phase of life, and that includes work. In anticipation, I have interviewed for several professional jobs. I am a Ph.D. psychologist, and have experience in management, hospitals, private practice, and teaching. My wife is a computer engineer. I have interviewed for hospital administrator, practioner, college instructor, and Bantay Bata (an organization that addresses child abuse and domestic violence). In addition, I and a partner in the US have attempted a couple of small businesses... (export to US), one is kaput and one is on hold. We discuss variations on the ones we have tried and new ideas. From my interviews, I conclude that in the PI, and in my industry, foreigners are not really looked upon as a new source for the provision of services. We are competing with nationals who need the pesos far more than we do, and they have far more influence with family members and friends in positions of influence in the organizations. They seemed to be impressed by my credentials and were very willing to enlarge their libraries by my contribution of collected books (from university classes), since their libraries are sparsely stocked and ancient. They would accept my services if they were virtually voluntary, but, they wanted me to work full time. I write all of this to make the point that ""transitioning"" to a new way of life in the Philippines that includes work, requires some pretty intensive planning and efforts. And to my way of thinking, moving somewhere without future, productive goals (emphacis on productive) is short sighted if not short lived.

If you haven't read this, please do. It is an inspiring look at the culture we're so involved with, and a great reminder of why! This is a great article that contains the key to the whole mystery. Kapwa has never been explainded so well so briefly as De Leon does in this piece. Thank you for the important post. I hope all read it. It will let you understand at least intellectually if not emotionally who you are to Filipinos and who they they are to themselves. There is much more to be said than in his article, but what he says is on target. He knows what makes Filipinos unique. I am leaving in the part Tom posted. (Excuse me, Ron. I certainly agree with you about cutting the repeats, but this one is an exception.) If you read it, it is worth reading again, friends.

KM,On your question if FILIPINA lie a lot? definitely not it depends to a person we are not talking only to PILIPINOS but of all races. Lie is a lie no matter your motivations are good or bad when i was a kid my mother told me that liar will go to hell and i keep that in mind. Every individual has their dark past ( if someone not he is lucky ) being a woman who was raise by poor family and lacking many things in life the only thing we have is the dignity and and principles to live with. I myself was a victim of difficult circumstances in life no higher education and poor. But i am proud of being me because i never cheated anyone to make a living for me honesty is the best policy. My biggest fear is to look at the mirror and see my reflection as a different person. I am married to my husband but before decided to continue to correspond with him i struggle myself to tell him everything that he has to know because i wanted him to accept me as who i am. Telling him my childhood everything. And now we are living together happily. This issue couldn't base in historical perspective but it is base to a person's individuality. The more you lie the more you become a different person. You created a ghost that haunted you and only truth could set a person free that is based on the bible and that's true. Every one could play their own game but in the end they will be the loser. It's up to you if you could live with her lies, for me it is better to tell the truth and lose him rather than to lie and to keep him for i was just deceive myself. Ask yourself if you could still trust her and love her in spite of her traits. Somebody could have a multiple personality just to be somebody who she wants to be. Only yourself could find an answer to your question. A good relationship is being true to each other sharing with each other fears,weaknesses and support.

I may be missing something, but I can't see any reason why an airline, Filipino or foreign, would want to use Davao as a ""stopping/connecting point"" or for ""picking up or discharging passengers"". There isn't enough local business to justify it and the planes don't need to stop to refuel any more. There will have to be a ""critical mass"" of activity there before any airline would consider doing something like that. You know, the old ""chicken and egg"" dilemna? I just don't see it happening in our lifetime.

I'm currently a member at Annie's Fitness Center in SM Mall. Currently, their monthly rate is P1,400 (for use of exercise equipment and shower, only). They have good equipment, and the staff is nice. The facility is currently ""For Sale."" I mention this because there are a lot of little improvements that need to be made to make it a first-class gym. The major deficiency at Annie's is the very small dressing room and shower for the men. The gym at the Marriott is a lot classier than Annie's, and not that much more expensive. As previously stated, you can join the gym for P1,200/mo. if you limit your visits to the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The also have a 20-visit plan (anytime), with no expiration, for P2,000. I visited one other gym (associated with a university) near Colon St., but it was free weights, only. If you like machines and stationary cycles and/or treadmills, it's not the place for you.

I've followed the Cebu Marriott discussion and the lack of a substantial discount? Hotels are a problem in the Philippines component of tourism. They have been a problem ever since I've been going to the Philippines, which is since at least 1962. I've written about this frequently. Its a private sector practices problem. The tourism people in the Philippines have advised the private sector of this, but they don't budge. Most hotels in the Philippines are owned privately, like in the rest of the world. Then the owners go to a hotel management company - Marriott, Melia, Sheraton etc. to run their hotels. It seems that the hotel management companies take their commission for management off of gross revenues. So even if a hotel doesn't make money the management company does (and there may be some tax advantages to losing money for the owners, on some of these hotels, offsetting their other revenues). The hotel practices in the Philippines ignore reasonable marketing practices in pricing and advertising. Most hotels don't seem to work towards capacity-based and -building pricing. They maintain fairly high prices, or a two-tiered pricing system (foreign/local) year round. They don't usually lower their prices too much, during low usage seasons, to stimulate high occupancy year round. They don't think out too far, about monthly rates. They don't publish lower rates, although you can frequently ""bargain"" in the Philippines. Foreign visitors don't want to waste a day, bargaining and shopping hotels. The same pricing structure is used by PAL for its international flights, from the Philippines. I believe the high season is about 8 - 10 months, and PAL sets pricing monthly rather then by the season, with pricing seemingly only going up. Here in North America there is a lot of pricing that is lowered to generate high occupancy. There are very distinct seasons - Christmas high, Spring low in most cities except Florida when its high, prices drop usually after Easter. This is even more noticeable now since September 11, but it has always been there. Published, republished, advertised, on the internet. In the Philippines look for the changes - where? In Thailand, with hotel pricing connected to local currency, when their bhat collapsed a few years ago, international tourism saw that hotel prices were an even bigger bargain, and foreign tourists flocked there. The hotels were kept filled, as were airplane seats. The visitors shopped and helped the economy where they bought foods, silks, reasonably priced tours (an oxymoron in the Philippines), and enjoyed themselves - while contributing to many parts of the local economy and generating loads of jobs. But for the Philippines - linked to artificially high dollar prices, real tourism skips the country because it isn't tourism hotel or tour information friendly. For an outsider you can't go to a city website, and then from there to the hotels and see their current REAL or LOWEST pricing, and their promotions. You can't pick up the Sunday paper and look for the hotel specials. Most hotels are not listed with the major hotel wholesalers, such as UTELL, and when they are they don't show promotions. Pricing is normally overinflated and in dollars. A major guidebook produced by the Far Eastern Economic Review for all of Asia, talking about the Philippines says ""discounts from 20-50% are available at many hotels, particularly in Manila, which often has more rooms then tourists. It is always worth asking when making a booking."" And for hotels outside of Manila it says ""Prices are lower, but not always as low as they might be given the standard of facilities."" In the Official Hotel Guide, used extensively in North America, the total pages for Philippine hotels is 1 1/2 pages, you pay to be listed. In the Spring 2002 book Thailand has 4 1/2 pages of listings, nearly all in local currency, and nearly all represented by an international wholesaler. The Philippines listing doesn't include many wholesaler contacts, and artificially high pricing, usually in dollars, so one can't take advantage of the weakened local currency. As an example, for the province of Cebu there are only 6 hotels listed and the dollar prices are ridiculous: CEBU: Midtown singles from $95-105; Cebu Plaza from $120 - 200; Golden Tulip Philippine Dream Hotel from $80 to $150; and the Marriott Cebu City Hotel from $130. On Mactan there are 2 properties listed: Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort from $130 and the Waterfront Mactan Island Hotel and Casino from $180. (The Shangri-La is not listed, but does have rational pricing.)You and I both know that no one pays the above prices. And most people would ignore the city if they saw these prices. (All prices shown are for a room for one person - usually a couple pays a little more.) As an alternative Iloilo lists pricing in pesos, as does Legaspi City, In Davao The Marco Polo lists from $55 and the Mercure Grand from $58. The Marco Polo does have very good hotel practices, is a 5* and is price competitive, and internationally accessible via the internet. A few of the Manila chains also are very price competitive. Davao City hotels in general do have good hotel practices.

On the old flights from the U.S. to Indonesia they couldn't make the entire routing without a refueling stop. I think it was in Amboy. Nothing there, just a refueling stop. There are problems in Indonesia, which has resulted in the loss of their national carrier, but Bali and Jakarta are still important destinations. They need a stable refueling stop. Now the routing is very long and wastes time. Airlines work with the ideas of hubs and spokes. They look for less used but international length runways for connections. Price, and competition are important. Manila is now controlled by PAL and is a difficult airport for hotels, transfers etc. Japan is now the major east-west hub going into Asia, from North America BUT many planes can now fly further and could use an alternative airport for transfers. Davao, when the new runway and control towers are open, will offer an international size and scaled airport for flights to Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and even Australia. It would require the Philippines to change to 4th and 5th Fly Rights - but they may be willing to do this, using Davao, since it would have limited impact on PAL. Cebu could also do this. Davao has the advantage of reasonably priced hotel rooms, in the case of flight delays or an emergency. And there is some limited tourism opportunities over a 2 - 3 day stayover that could be developed (monkey ea! ting eagle station, orchid farm, talomo beach, trekking to Mt. Apo, the potential for the casino, and the Pearl Farm for honeymooners etc.) There are no easy and economical north-south routes in Asia. You can fly cheaply U.S. to Asia, and U.S. to Australia but not cheaply on a circle Asia flight combining both routings. Northern Australia is interesting but you normally have to go in through the south of Australia, via Sydney. Flights from the Philippines connecting through Davao could go to quickly to northern Australia and to the Great Barrier Reef. There are lots of options and logic to using Davao, just for many of the reasons that you think it wouldn't be of any value.

some more (subjective) notes on this topic based on my own idiosyncratic experience building my consulting business in Manila. May be relevant for those who want to relocate here but are not independently wealthy. 1. Dr. Mike is doing it correctly as far as scoping out his options, clarifying his own goals, doing exploratory work, networking, etc. (BTW, Bantay Bata does really good work, I do know (casually) Gina Lopez, the Lopez family member whose heart is in the right place and who handles the philantrophic part of the Lopez fortune -- their business interests have been bleeding throughout 2001 and it is to their credit that they are still doing charity stuff, including the La Mesa Watershed project -- where they are soliciting corporate money to reforest the main watershed that gives Manila much of its water, it is in bad shape -- as well as the battered kids porject and other good works).... Mike's assessment is correct: they will welcome his expertise and books, and listen deferentially to what he has to say. But expecting reasonable remuneration for professional services here is problematic, and interviewing for jobs isn't going to be the answer for most. 2. Would suggest Mike begin to think in terms of consulting work and use the web to build networks; I had three months ""notice"" in LA when we decided to come here, and I beat the Internet to death throughout that period, and also ran up a hell of a phone bill. But I had a rudimentary network when I arrived, had appointments solidly scheduled by week #2, and had (some) local consulting work within a month. (not that it was a piece of cake, it wasn't, but the preparatory networking was essential; in Mike's case, he has a lot more lead time so should be able to do a more thorough job of it. 3. Re: getting a job abroad with a multinational and getting transferred here is almost impossible, at least if your motivation is to get a posting to RP. MNCs give plum ex-pat assignments to execs who have shown their mettle and who are on fast-track career paths -- it is not cheap to send someone here, what with house lease in ex-pat village (always one year prepaid), car, tuition at international school for kids, other perks. (those are things I have done without, sigh...) And now many MNCs are cutting back ex-pat staff and, in many cases, when their contracts expire they are not renewing, hiring locally instead. All you have to do is walk around the streets here in San Lo (that's San Lorenzo Village, in Makati) and look at all the ""for rent"" signs. It is now a renters' market and rumor has it that landlords are now leasing nice houses in the Makati villages at terms they would never have imagined in the past (i.e., two months deposit + two months rent); traditionally it has been two months depost + 12 months rent). Only big companies will give the latter anymore, and they ain't bringing any new ex-pats in unless they absolutely have to. 4. In a previous post I commented on the salaries earned by call center reps and IT jocks -- salaries that are unacceptably low for I would guess 99% of Americans/Europeans. However, professional scales are equally below intl. standards. Even full, tenured professors at AIM (where I teach as part time faculty) earn only about P100K a month ($2000), which is the highest pay of any academic institution in the country. (Although practically all of 'em make multiple times that in consulting fees). At the mid-professional level, Vice Presidents or Directors in some of the companies I am familiar with may make around P50-75,000 -- approaching $1500 a month -- and that is considered a very high salary here. 5. Returning to Mike's post -- sounds like you are in a similar position to my own when I came here, so feel free to contact me directly if I can be of assistance, could possibly give you leads. Many of my stateside clients (during my 15 years in LA) were shrinks, and I still do work for a few such professionals around the globe (editing, research, etc.) -- if you have certain skills you can also make money here using the web (as I believe some members of this group do). The web makes geography irrelevant, etc. 6. Even with on-the-ground consulting, there are ways to survive here. In my case, I have worked hard to build credibility in the local business community, and appear to have succeeded. i.e., I am know a little bit, people like me and don't see me as a carpetbagger, people know I am never a pushy ugly American, etc. The problem is that, by having bent over to be culturally sympatico, I weakened my own economic value -- i.e., they think of you as a local, they want to treat you as a local. And I made the mistake of allowing that to happen and found myself either getting undercut on price by local consultants or having to work for near-local consulting rates (which are higher than the salaries cited in pt #4 above but still nowhere near what a well-qualified management consultant should be earning). 7. For the last year I have been working to reposition myself as an international consultant -- I have good Filipino friends who have persistently encouraged me to do so (excuse any slight, but verbatim comments run to: ""take advantage of your white face"" and ""let me manage your Kano image"") -- (another anecdote: the e-services manager for a major intl. consulting firm told me their definition of a ""consultant"" is an American flown in for business assistance -- they try to use local (filipino) talent as much as they can, but clients balk at that -- they attribute credibility to the foreigner, a reverse cultural inferiority complex of some kind that I still haven't figured out, especially given the excellent skills that many Filipino consultants have. Neveretheless, my own positioning now is much higher level -- I refuse to compete on rates, emphasize the high quality of my work, and tell 'em they get what they pay for.

We all know that foreigners cannot own more than 40 percent of a buissness in the philippines. I guess marriage to a filipina is one answer. Well how do companies from Japan open up factories thier then? Thier must be a loop hole were foreign companies that are a corporation can own factories thier or invest more easily. Does anyone here know how they do it? Also the biggest diffrence between a g 7 nation and a third world nation is investment capital, and capital in general. Here in Canada we love when the American or Japanese open up a factory or buissness here, coz it means more jobs and capital. If the Philippine goverment allowed more outside investments and buissnessesn would that not create capital and jobs thier? Seems that most people from philippines would love to have a job of some sort and slowly they could progress from thier.Here in Canada we loved people coming from Hong Kong coz they had money and created jobs. One requirment we had is that they invest at least $300,000 before we would let them in to be invested toward a buissness of some sort. Many area's of Canada bommed coz of it. This seems the exact opposite to the logic the philippine goverment is taking. How will the philippines ever become an industriled nation with no capital or foreighn investments? Don't you think this law is hindering the develpoment of Philippines economically? I can see not owning large parcels of land for good reason, but owning a buissness or a few lots is maybe one reason the philippnes might have a hard time to find jobs for all it's citizens or develope more in the future. I for one would open up a buissness and spend $ thier if I could, and it would create jobs and help thier economy. Some jobs are better than none at all right? What do you all think?

The flood in Ormoc was november 5, 1991. It was exactly at 12 o'clock eating time. There were more than 5000 dead. The house of my in-laws was directly hit since the river is just 20 meters from the back of the house but fortunately nobody was killed. They were lucky they had a 2 story house so they were able to run to the first floor. Their house didn't collapse but their kitchen was washed away and everything at the ground floor was lost. I mean everything.

folks I heard this via email from my wifes aunt who has nothing to do with our dealings but she just was relaying a message so it could be a little twisted up anyway due to some limited work here on my end on the job and such I had to miss 2 payments on our house now I had missed before whenthe house was still in constuction phase it is done now 12 01 finish date at least as far as the biulder/agent is concered his agree part is finished now he is demanding the other half of the total due by Dec 23 witch is impossible for me to meet I can make up the missed 2 months payments and will keep makeing the required payments when they are due I have 2 years to go and we are over half way paid off at this time ahead of schedual anyone have any ideas on dealing with this issue because it was stated if the final half payment is not made on 12/23 all is forfitted

I'm here! I've been up since before 5 a.m., but strangely enough, there was nothing of substance on the list. (-: What's happening anyway? I have a little news for the group if they are the least bit interested. We haven't been able to get adequate re-financing on our home yet, so until we do, we will postpone our move to the RP, but it could happen at any time in the near future. No predictions. I may take a trip soon to look around for housing from Angeles City, Olongapo/Subic as far north as San Fernando, La Union, including Dagupan, San Fabian, etc.

I travelled over seas today, from Malapascua to Maya and it was fine. Not scared at all. If I had the money I would travel the world, never have security measures been tougher. I flew to the Philippines right after 9/11 last year and felt very safe. On my next trip in january all the poor sods flying to the states had to walk past the guards carrying their shoes! What a joke! There wasn't a male, 18-45 of Middle Eastern appearence amongst them, but two old WW2 veterans and a rather shifty looking Filipina Nun got extra attention! Like I said before, front line? you are standing in it. Get used to that and move on. Today's MSNBC.com question: Are you afraid to travel overseas? The current vote is a 50-50 dead heat. Meanwhile, here in Cebu, it's another peaceful day. The 'anti-American's demonstration (are you kidding me) in the city yesterday was just another Bayan Muna rally on Bonifacio's birthday. I came across one in Colon a while back, walked around it, no one gave this kano more than a glance. The weather is warm, the sea is calm, people are as friendly as ever, and no one I know is fleeing the country.