Manila Situation Report, January 2014

EXPAT PLAYGROUNDS

Area 1: Ermita

-- MANILA BAY CAFE (CH Link), Del Pilar and Salas streets. Formerly, L.A. Cafe. Basically the same as before, except SMB (San Miguel pilsen beer) costs 85 pesos at happy hours (up to 8 pm). Best times for a large number of freelance girls are Thur - Sat, after 8 pm.

Policy of one lady drink for 350 pesos prior to escorting a girl does not seem to be strictly enforced; but this might depend on your waitress. To avoid this policy, exit separately and meet your girl outside the bar 50 feet away. Exiting separately will also help you to avoid predatory taxi drivers and overly-helpful Filipinos lurking outside the door.

Regular prices for a customer are 120 pesos for a beer and 220 pesos for a standard drink. Draft beer price is slightly less. San Miguel light beer costs more at most Manila bars.

-- G POINT (CH Link), Padre Faura between Mabini and Adriatico streets. Same as before, except for 4-5 craft beers on tap priced at 50 pesos during happy hours (up to 7 pm). Live band starts about 10 pm. Most freelance girls appear about 10 pm. Lunch buffet costs 299 pesos plus one beer or drink.

-- BAR AMAZONIA (CH Link), Del Pilar and Santa Monica streets. Same as before, except more freelancer girls. SMB beer costs 60 pesos during happy hours and additional beers at this price can be reserved for delivery and consumption later in the evening. A bucket of 6 San Miguel Light beer on ice cost over 200 pesos during happy hours, but can be consumed at leisure all night No more lunch buffet. Short-time rooms available on the 3rd floor with entries to the hotel via the stairs inside the bar or a sidewalk entrance on Santa Monica street.

-- new bars: BODONKADONK, between MBC and Amazonia, has dancing waitresses on a glass-floor catwalk about 15 feet overhead. HOT TIPS, Adriatico street, near G Point is a small new bar with one pool table..

-- closed bar: Bar 28, now occupied by a museum.

-- Malate: Better and younger freelance girls are at ZZYZX disco (CH Link) on Remedios Circle and EXKLUSIV disco (CH Link) on Adriatico street near Remedios street. Girls arrive after 11 pm. Crowd is nearly all young Filipino and Asian men. I was the only senior guy there on a Wed night.

-- Note that Ermita and Malate are full of ktv's (nearly all cater to Japanese or Korean customers, and are higher-priced), massage parlors (a few reportedly offer happy ending), bars with live bands, discos,and gay bars. But, no shows with dancing girls on stage. More Arabs are seen near Robinson mall. Ermita still has cathouses (i.e., oarhouses, not to be confused with one bar named Oarhouse on Bocobo st near Malvar st); hard to count, because one house has two storefronts and one house looks like a ktv. None have a room on-premise, except for a desperate client.

-- KTVs. Karaokes typically have girls in street dress and makeup. Exception is the family-type ktv that caters to adults with children. Entertainment is a monitor that plays songs and shows the lyrics on-screen. A built-in rating system will rate the singer at the end of the song. Cost varies greatly. Cost of your drink + your selection of a girl for one hour + the girl's drink + room rental + each song selected or sung to by you or your girl + show fee if there were performers + service charge + tax (VAT or entertainment tax). Of course, the mama-san, server, CR attendant, and door guy expect tips. Note that some ktv's do not allow their girls to exit with a customer.


Area 2: Edsa International Entertainment Center (short name, Edsa Center), Edsa road, near Harrison street, Pasay City

-- Same clubs as before: Casino (CH Link), Pitstop (CH Link), Space Girls (CH Link), Firehouse (CH Link), Bullets and Arrows (CH Link), Cotton Club (CH Link), and Samba (CH Link). Girls in skimpy bathing suits on stage rocking and sometimes dancing in-place to the music, rock videos on small overhead monitors. Sherazade, 2nd floor, has mostly Arab customers after midnight. VIP Lounge, 2nd floor, is closed, but is available for private parties.

-- Prices: 140 pesos for beer, 385 pesos for a lady's drink, 1,950 pesos for bar fine. Cotton Club has half-price beer during happy hours, 6 pm - 8 pm. A year ago, there was no happy hour price and clubs did not require the girls to start dancing before 8 pm. Nearly all of a dancer's salary goes to pay various fees for dance uniform rental, boots rental, make-up, hair styling, and snack. So, a dancer is under monetary pressure to have a customer take her out. Other females in a club may be a mama-san or a girl in street clothes who decided not to be a dancer, but is available for a barfine. The barfined girl generally gets 2,500 pesos for her short-time service (one orgasm) and 3,500 pesos for long-time service (to about 5 am minimum, if she has college class, has day job, or has to travel several hours to get home).

-- ENTERTAINMENT BAR, 2nd floor, next door to Edsa Center. Formerly, Happy Dolls, and earlier was named Baby Dolls. Big sign in front says, Sogo Hotel; misleading because Sogo Hotel is on the other side of Edsa road and on a side street, walking distance.

-- STARWOOD (or a similar name), the furthest of adjoining ktv's next to the Edsa Center. The door guy said the club has Russian and Filipino girls, beer cost 200 pesos, and a promo of 500 pesos for all-you-can-drink. I think he forgot to mention the entertainment tax of nearly 20 percent, maybe a time limit on all-you-can-drink, cost of a lady's drink, annd hourly charge to talk to a lady -- all costs typical of ktv's in Ermita and Malate..


Area 3: Burgos street, near Makati Ave and Kaalayaan Av, Makati City

-- Third and probably the best of the three expat areas for girls. I do not know this area as well as the other two areas. About 20 clubs in 4 short block area. Unlike a few years ago, the sidewalk has some viagra/cialis generic salesmen and a lot of girls offering massages in your hotel room. Much fewer beggars on the sidewalk, unlike Ermita.

-- Clubs with shows featuring well-rehearsed girls in dance routines. JOOLS (CH Link), 20-minute shows every hour starting 10 pm, in costumes and stage set. STARDUST (CH Link), 20-minute shows every hour starting 9:30 pm, and free serve-yourself bbq chicken wings on Wed. MIXED NUTS reportedly has a midnight show. Many clubs offer a Friday midnight show, which tend to be mostly amateurish dancing. GIRLY LOUNGE (CH Link) sometimes has a pole dancer.

-- Clubs with beer for 100 pesos or less: ROGUES (CH Link), STARDUST, BLUSH (CH Link), PLAN B (CH Link), KOJAX (new) (CH Link). Maybe STRING (formerly Pussycats) (CH Link). Some clubs have happy hours, which might end at 7 pm or at 8 pm depending on the club. Some clubs have half-priced beer/drink all night, like IVORY (CH Link) on Wednesdays and WOW WOW WOW (CH Link) on Sundays.

-- A lady drink can cost nearly 400 pesos, but can be as low as 200 pesos at certain times or on certain nights.

-- Bar fine. General rule is that the bar fine is 10 times the cost of a lady drink. Mama-san's told me that the customer is expected to make an additional payment to the girl. At Kojak, 2nd floor, side street, behind Bourbon St club, the bar fine costs 2,600 pesos.


HOTELS

1. Low-priced, maybe 3-star.

-- Executive Plaza Hotel (CH Link), about 2,000 pesos on internet travel agency, Mabini street, near Pedro Gil street, Ermita.

-- Copacabana Hotel (CH Link), Edsa road, next to Heritage Hotel, Pasay City.

-- Hotel Durban (CH Link), 1500 pesos, side street between Makati Ave and Burgos street, next to City Garden Hotel, Makati City.

2. High-priced, at least 4-star.

-- Pan Pacific Hotel (CH Link) on Adriatico and Malvar streets, Diamond Hotel on Malvar street between Del Pilar and Mabini streets, and Hyatt Hotel on Pedro Gil street, between Del Pilar and Mabini streets.

-- Heritage Hotel (CH Link) on Edsa road and Roxas Blvd, Pasay City.

-- City Garden Hotel (CH Link) on Makati Ave, between Kaalayan Ave and Burgos street, and St Giles Hotel on Makati Ave and Kaalayan Ave, Makati City.

Some hotels will indicate with + + that VAT of 12% and service charge of 10% are not included in the room rate and with only one + that only one of the extra charge has not been included in the room rate.


PESOS

Rate was nearly 41 pesos to a US dollar in 2013, but started climbing in late 2013 when the Federal Reserve indicated that it would decrease pumping US dollars into the financial system.

In January 2014, the rate hit a high of over 45 pesos and newspapers indicate the rate could go to 46 pesos and that the government is not worry about any effect on national growth. Overseas Filipino workers continue to send more billions of dollars to the Philippines.

A friend told me that ATM withdrawals from his US bank account at BPI (Banco de Philippine Islands) were limited to 10,000 pesos per withdrawal but recently was increased, and were charged about 200 pesos transaction fee. Others claimed HSBC allows up to 40,000 pesos withdrawal. It seems that maximum withdrawal and fee charged by the Philippine bank for withdrawal on a US bank account depends on the Philippine bank and maybe even the bank branch. Note that ATM's seem to run out of cash on weekends, especially holiday weekends.


EXCHANGING US CURRENCY

-- On January 23, I received 45.62 pesos per US dollar on Thursday about 3 pm. CNBC showed the rate of 45.4 pesos per US dollar.

-- Best exchange rate is at currency exchange stores on Mabini street, between Pedro Gil and Salas streets. On both sides of this one-block street, there are about nine stores that post their rate in writing on a sign that can be seen from the sidewalk.

-- Do not deal with any store that does NOT post its rate.

-- Stores with the best rate: Edzen and Worldwide, about 80% of the time; Sheena, about 10%, Nikko, about 10%.

-- Best time to exchange currency is about 11 am - 3 pm, Tue - Thur. Exception depends on whether the rate is trending up or down. When the rate suddenly pops up, the exchange places tend to lag raising its rate. When the rate suddenly pops down, the exchange places again tend to lag lowering its rate.

-- Good way to track rate: Turn your cable tv to CNBC and watch the scroll at the bottom. Usually, the exchange places will stay .05 peso under the CNBC rate. In January 2014, the exchange places have been trading at 0.2 peso higher than the CNBC rate; why is not known. I suspect holders of big amounts of pesos are trading in pesos for dollars, directly with exchange places or their owners instead of going to banks. Typically exchange places trade foreign currency with the banks and profit by using closer spread than the bank's spread for buy and sell.

-- Getting US currency. Open a US dollar checking account at a local bank with a minimum depost of $500 cash. But, you will need a residential address, so renting a room in a condo might be a good idea. Avoid bank accounts that will mail out monthly account statements. Deposit your personal check on a US bank at the local bank. Wait 30 calendar days for your personal check to clear. Give the bank one or two days notice of your withdrawal when you really need the currency, noting that Filipinos are paid on/about the first or end and middle of the month.


US NEWS

1. Television.
-- Solar News Network was a cable channel, but in December 2013 became a public channel. Its has both Filipino news (mostly in English) and USA news. The latter includes NBC Nightly News, Today show, Inside Edition, and various USA talk shows. I watch NBC news at 8:10 am on Sat and Sun, and 8:40 am on Mon-Fri.
-- Bits of USA news can be seen on Fox News between its right-wing opinion shows and country singers, CNN between international reports and ads, BBC between UK reports and ads, Al Jazzera between reports on Africa and Arab countries, RT (Russia Today) reports between left-wing opinion shows, CNBC during the day where USA news affect financial markets in Asia and Australia and during the night when USA stock markets are open, and other national channels like Japan, Korea, and China.

2. Newspaper.
-- NY Times 16-page supplement appears in the Saturday edition of the Manila Bulletin.

3. Podcasts for downloading and listening later.
-- "All Things Considered" at www.npr.org
-- "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" at www.npr.org


UTILITIES

-- Water has been in sufficient supply in Manila. In fact, the country has the opposite problem of too much rain resulting in flooding and too many storms.

-- Electricity has been in sufficient supply, that is, no scheduled brownouts or blackouts in Manila. But, there has been a few brownouts which seemed localized to a few blocks. However, the metro Manila electric company, namely Meralco, has announce a rate increase which will increase a monthly bill by about 50%, reportedly due to a sudden increase of what it paid electric suppliers. It is the subject of much government debate and a lot of finger-pointing of who is at fault. The electric cost for running a 1.5-horsepower air conditioner 24-7 is about $200 per month.

-- Gas. For cooking, some residents use gas tanks. Some condominium buildings prohibit gas tanks, but some residents have deliveries of gas tanks. About six months ago, there was supposedly a gas explosion in a condo unit in Makati which blew out a wall killing the resident and the wall debris killed several people in a vehicle passing by. Investigation report said that the gas line in the building (Ayala was the developer) had been tampered with. First time I heard of a condominum building that had a gas line. Owner of the condo unit said that the unit had been renovated recently but the kitchen and stove were not touched by the contractor. An expat acquaintance told me that one of his friends was an expert on fires and the like and that the photographs in the newspaper indicated a bomb explosion, and not a gas explosion. Cover-up?

-- Gasoline. Lowest price for a liter of gasoline is about 45 pesos. Some taxicabs have been using liquid natural gas for several years. In 2013, electric-powered motor scooters began sales to the public. Apparently, the government has allowed entry.


TRAFFIC

Every year, traffic in metro Manila seems to get worse. Many taxi drivers will refuse to go from Ermita to Makati because "very traffic" or after asking the address of my destination, many drivers will offer to take me there for double the meter fare. In December, those drivers will state triple instead of double the meter fare, probably due to holiday pressures. For example, employers are expected to pay employees a 13th month salary in December. Not charging the fare shown on the meter is supposedly against local regulations, but is a common practice. Even ordinary Filipinos have complained against this practice, but the regulatory government authority has done little.

In January 2014, the government has announced a need to consider traffic planning, because there will be 13 major road projects beginning in Feb 2014 for the next 32 months. One project involves an international airport expressway, which may be a part of an announcement for a major one-year renovation at the international airport terminal. The airport renovation to begin soon might be due to airport management not taking action after the airport has been repeatedly named as one of the ten worst international airports in the world. Personally, I have had no major inconvenience with the airport, but the renovation might cause such. But, traffic to the airport during a work day and during a heavy rain has been a major stress.

Another major road project involves extending the skyway over the junction of Osmena Highway and Quirino Avenue. It will supposedly be a 24/7 operation for two years. This will delay vehicular travel between Ermita and Makati City.

A major cause of traffic is the big freight trucks. The metro manila authority bans trucks from the metro streets from 6 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 10 pm. The city of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has announced beginning Feb 24 a truck ban from the city roads from 5 am to 9 pm, except Sundays and holidays. No reason has been reported on why the difference.

Another major cause of traffic is taxicabs. A driver told me that his normal workday was 24 hours every other day. Recent regulation states that even-numbered license plate of taxicabs can only be on the streets certain days of the week and the same for odd-numbered plates on other days of the week, but both can be on the streets after 7 pm on weekend nights. The driver complained that the regulation made a mess of his driving schedule. Meanwhile, I wondered how a driver can tolerate driving for 24 continuous hours?


TAXICABS

Rush hours are around 8 am for office workers and later for those going to the malls that open at 10 am - late morning, and around 4 pm - 8 pm to as late as 9 pm when malls close, Monday - Friday and Saturday mornings. Many offices work 5.5 days per week.

Many taxicab drivers refuse to drive from Ermita to Makati during rush hours. They ask your destination? Frequently, I reply, Makati. They ask, where, meaning street address? I reply Makati Av and Kalaayan Av when I am going to Burgos, or Roxas Blvd and Edsa when I am going to Edsa Center. Sometimes, a savvy driver will ask, Burgos or Edsa Center? I say, no. Sometimes, a savvy driver will ask if I want to meet a beautiful girl? I say, no I am meeting for a friend. Be wary of this type of driver, because he wants money by a commission from a oarhouse or a Roxas Blvd-type ktv when he takes you there.

After rush hours, many drivers will pause, roll their eyes up, and after a few moments quote a price that is double the usual meter fare. I try to shortcut this process, before getting into the taxi by first questioning meter? When a driver says or nods ok, then I sit inside the vehicle and we leave. Occasionally, as the vehicle moves down the street, a driver might quote a price double the usual meter price. Then I yell, stop the car. I get out of the car. On some rides, the driver will question, big tip? I reply, small tip. No problem. I usually tip about 15 percent, rounding up to whatever small bill or coin I have.

In late November, many drivers will quote triple the usual meter fare. I avoid taxicabs in late November and December, except for Saturday and Sunday mornings. During this time period, even Sat and Sun afternoons, evenings, and late night are mostly jammed with traffic. A taxicab ride between Ermita and Burgos will have a meter cost of about 140 pesos. The meter counts both distance and waiting time in 3.5-peso increments, starting from a base of 40 pesos. Occasionally, a driver will stop at a gasoline station to add a couple of liters of gasoline or take a piss, while the meter continues to run. In those instances, I deduct the extra pesos from the tip. By the way, most Filipino passengers do not tip.

As a general rule, I avoid taxicabs with a fat, middle-aged driver. From prior experiences with fat, middle-aged drivers who ask a lot of questions and want to take me to a oarhouse or special club with shows, his fat is due to greed from ripping off passengers.


SIN TAX

In 2013, a series of tax increases over several years on alcohol and tobacco began. Reasons cited were need for government revenue and need to reduce people's drinking and smoking.

Newspapers have recently reported that six tax revenue has not increased as much as expected and people have not reduced their consumption. One reason is that consumers are buying cheaper cigarettes, such that a Philipine cigarette maker is earning more revenue and foreign cigarette companies want to offer lower-priced cigarettes. Congressional officials are reportedly dismayed that the increased revenue is not as great as expected and many consumers have not stopped or cut back on smoking or drinking. They supposedly did not expect that consumers would simply buy cheaper cigarettes and booze.

Meanwhile, some bars/clubs, like Manila Bay Cafe, seem to use sin tax increases as an excuse to raise its price.

Personally, I buy Colt 45 bottled beer (330 ml) for about 15 pesos, instead of San Miguel bottled beer for about 25 pesos at the supermarket.


CULTURAL EVENTS

A lot of guys who have passed through Manila do not like Manila based on initial impression. Metro Manila is a big city of at least 10 million people, depending on who is counting. A big city is not for everybody or even for most people. Many times, I wish I was not in Manila.

One major reason why I like Manila is the cultural events.

To find them, check: www.clickthecity.com , Friday and Sunday magazine section of the daily newspaper Manila Bulletin, www.ticketworld.com.ph , www.smtickets.com .

Professional artists usually advertise and have tickets sold for their performances.

Amateur performances can be found every weekend outdoors at Rizal Park and Paco Park in Ermita, and indoors in the larger malls mostly on weekends.

In addition to orchestras, Broadway-type musicals, operas, ballets, jazz festivals, and visiting troupes like Circus Soleil, there are visiting big-name rock bands, pop stars, film festivals, sports events, etc. The available sports venues for the common person include pool tables in many bars, in-door badmington courts, bowling lanes in the larger malls, skating rink in the largest malls, ping pong tables in a few malls, shooting ranges in some small malls, gymnasium (weights, treadmills, aerobic classes) in the larger malls, boxing gyms, martial arts classes (Filipino arts, kung-fu, Korean, aikido, krav maga, etc) in studios and gymnasiums, yoga, ballroom dance, etc.

Gambling is found in bingo halls in malls, lotteries (tickets sold mostly in mall outlets), horse racing, jai alai on television outside of Manila, cock (rooster) fighting on television and small stadiums like on Pasay Road between Osmena Highway and Taft Ave, and many casinos in Manila and throughout the country. Casino also have live band, singers, jazz dancers, and folk dancers as nightly entertainment.


CONDOMINIUM

Do not buy a condominium unit in the Philippines.

Do not buy a condominium unit in the Philippines, unless you do a lot of research before purchase and can walk away from it as a complete loss.

Do not buy a condominium unit in the Philippines, unless you have an experienced lawyer to review the purchase agreements before signing and you have an experienced architect to inspect the unit. Do not be surprised if you cannot find a lawyer or architect willing to represent you against a Filipino developer. Note the contradiction between the two prior statements. See for one list of lawyers ( http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwha004.html ).

Do not buy a unit in a small condominium building, because the monthly condo fees and special assessements may rise too much for a small group of owners. For example, in 2013 the Philippine government added 12% VAT on owners' payments to their own condominium corporation, of which every owner is by statute a member.

Do not buy a condo less than 50 sqm (square meter = about 100 square feet). This space is probably the minimum needed for one person to live comfortably. In Manila, Philippines, developers sold a 35-sqm condo unit in 2007 as a studio and in 2012 as a 2-bedroom.

Do not buy a condo, without living in your selected neighborhood (barangay) for six months or more. Try renting a condo unit in the building, where you want to buy a condo unit.

There are so many pitfalls, too many to list all or most of them. And there are probably more pitfalls than I know.

-- City's real estate tax. The city of Manila, one of about 20 cities (local government units) in metro Manila, in 2013 has doubled the annual real estate tax, include condominium units, paid by owners at City Hall due by the end of January. This was done by raising the city's value assessment of real property. A few months after Mayor Estrada took office in summer 2013, he announced that the city owed more for its electricity bill than it collected in annual revenues.

-- Developer. At one extreme, construction of the building is never completed and the building shell is left to rust in the salty air. At other extreme, the developer controls the condominium corporation's through its board of directors and the accounting for each unit, such that owners pay for non-needed building improvements, or may be over-charged and never given adequate explanation.

-- Owners cannot act as owners. At annual meetings of owners who form the corporation, not enough owners or proxy votes were in attendance to form a quorum (50%) to vote on anything. Developer and Board of Directors will not provide a listing of all owners to an owner, which prevents an owner from obtaining enough proxy votes to meet the minimum of 50% of owners.

-- Construction and/or unit fittings are poor-quality. Similarly furnishings, since most condo units are now being sold with furnishings at an extra cost. For example, the developer Ayala corporation hired DCMI to construct condo buildings, recently DCMI decided to become a developer, and supposedly the last two condo buildings constructed by DCMI for Ayala have serious structural flaws. Similar blood-letting occurred in the political arean between family clans.

-- Square meter purchased includes part of the walls and balcony space.

-- No mention had been made that another condominium building will be constructed across the street in front of your window.

-- Architectural design of the building impedes the flow of pedestrian traffic outside the building. For example, the sidewalk in front of the building is not wide enough for pedestrian, because there are trees and street lamp posts that block the sidewalk. This causes pedestrians to walk on the building's outside walkway to block entry into and out of the building. Another example is no provision for street drainage, when an hour of heavy rain will flow the street and sidewalk.

-- Parts of the ground floor is rented out to other businesses, such as a bank branch, a restaurant, etc. Worst is the convenience store, which has people throwing their drinks and food on the pavement staining the walkway in front of the building, and the beggars who hassle the store's customers for money. Potential problem is a restaurant using a gas tank for cooking, which has the risk of explosion.


STREET CRIMES

As can be expected in a metropolitan city of nearly 20 million, there are a lot of street crimes. On the other hand, a foreigner living in a province with a young, pretty Filipino girl is a target for a short life.

Poor people do flock to big city, sleep on cardboard on sidewalks, and beg for money. But, if you give money, then every time you see that same recipient, you are expected to give again, and again, and again as though the receipient now has a right to your money. Also, if you give money, do not be surprised when suddenly you have a crowd of others around you wanting money too. They intimidate you that you gave to one, so now you have to give to the others.

I have seen beggar women in rice-sack dress received money from a tourist, grabbed the tourist's arm and walked several blocks with the tourist, begged for more money, received more money, and continued grabbing-walking-begging until the tourist finally showed his wallet with no more money in it.

By the way, nearly all Filipinos will walk without looking. That is, they cross your path forcing you to stop or slow down to avoid a collision. Also, they will enter/exit a building stopping in the doorway, blocking anyone else from entering. Similarly, some will get off an escalator and stop, forcing you to nudge them out of the way.

Between the street crimes and ordinary Filipinos walking without looking, you should learn to be alert and not day dream.

Over the past six months, examples of street crimes in Ermita are the following:

Gangs of pre-adolescent boys. They surround a person and grab whatever you have. Philippine law basically does nothing to prevent or punish minors who commit crimes. Some acquaintances have complained of their being robbed of a cell phone hanging off their belt. Streets in Ermita are bad for this street crime, both day and night.

One time, I was nearly surrounded by about 10-12 boys aged 11-13, but I rolled up the magazine in my right hand, swung it in an horizontal arc in front of me, moved quickly to my front-left into the street of moving vehicles before the circle of boys closed in on me, and escaped.

A single lady, as told by an acquaintance, was walking on a sidewalk coming towards him early one evening along relatively quiet side streets of Ermita and just before passing him, she started to passed out. He caught her and steadied her. She thanked him and walked away. He felt his wallet connected by a chain to his belt loop hanging out of his pocket bumping against his leg. He opened his wallet and found his peso currency gone. The lady had stolen his money, while he steadied her from falling to the sidewalk.

A Filipino male pedicab driver had pedaled an acquaintance to his destination, but was on his cell phone looking away as my acquaintance tried to get his attention to take the fare money agreed upon in advance. After a short delay, the driver took the money and pedaled away. Suddenly, two Filipino males on a motorcycle drove up and the rear male tried to snatch the gold chain necklace my acquaintance was wearing.

A Filipino couple offered free magazines to a visitor wearing a backpack. According to the newspaper article, the visitor said that he later discovered items missing from his back pack.

Many sidewalk peddlers are just trying to make a honest living. But, some are not. Some peddlers offer counterfeit coins and watches, and non-viagra/cialis tablets/capsules. Some peddlers make offers that are very expensive and/or short-change the buyer.

Etc.


VISAS

-- Entry as a Tourist. In 2013, a tourist from USA was, before given 21 days in PI, given an entry visa for 30 days. For a fee, this can be extended to 59 days, at the airport when you ask the Immigration Officer or after entry by going to an Immigration office. Supposedly, a visitor can no longer go to a travel agency and ask its agents for a fee to obtain the extension for you. Extensions can be made up to 16 months, before having to exit PI. Bureau of Immigration's web site seems to indicate an extension can go beyond 16 months.

See: www.silent-gardens. com/visa.php#Extension and

www.immigration. gov.ph/index.php/visa-requirements/non-immigrant-visa/temporary-visitor-visa/long-stay-visitor-visa-extension-lsvve

-- Entry as a spouse of a Filipino holding a USA passport. I guess the proof is the Filipino's ability to speak native dialect.

-- Retirement (SRRV) visa. The easiest way is to enter a tourist.

---- Go to one of the banks listed at www.pra.gov.ph web site, open a bank account (probably US dollar savings account) and deposit $10,000 or $20,000 for a PRA certificate of deposit. See web site ( www.pra.gov.ph ) for financial requirements.

---- Go to the Philippines Retirement Authority office, in the office building (not bank building) of Citibank, a side street next to Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Take a photo id card to exchange with the front desk to enter the elevators and upper floors. I use an old cancelled driver's license.

At the PRA office, fill out an application for the SRRV visa, go back outside to get photos taken, present a photocopy of your bank's proof of a PRA certificate of deposit, pay over $1,000 application fee and other fees to other agencies for a short health examination (chest x-ray and blood test probably for AIDS) and NBI police clearance, and wait about two weeks for processing.

PRA will process your passport with the Bureau of Immigration changing your tourist visa to a SRRV visa and charge $10 per year for a PRA id card that shows the expiration date of your SRRV visa. Pay $30 and get a 3-year PRA id card.

-- Other visas. I do not know the in's and out's of these other visas. But, they involve obtaining an ACR card from the Bureau of Immigration and filing an annual report in January with BI. An SSRV visaholder are exempt from these and other requirements, including ECC-B exit clearance.


EXIT FROM PI

-- SELF. Bureau of Immigration has warned that in 2014 certain foreigners will need its exit clearance document before leaving PI. Supposedly this rule has been in existence, but has not been enforced until this year.

See: www.immigration.gov.ph/index.php/information/announcements/advisory-to-all-foreigners-ecc

www.silent-gardens.com/visa.php#Balikbayan

One category of visitors subject to this rule is those entered PI with a tourist visa and stayed at least six months. PRA said SRRV visaholders are not subject to this exit clearance document.

-- PARTNER. For over a year, another Bureau of Immigration's rule is applied to a foreigner and his/her Filipino partner, unless the partner is a permanent resident of another country.

The partner needs (a) a Guidance Counseling Certificate and (b) Commission of Foreign Overseas sticker in the partner's passport. A partner can be a spouse, fiance(e), or other.

To obtain the certificate and sticker, the partner needs to contact CFO at www.cfo.gov.ph or 02-5522-4700, register for the guidance counseling session, pay a fee of 400 pesos, and attend. Note that the partner may be denied a certificate if under age 18, or has attended an earlier counseling session for travel outside of PI with a different foreigner. (If the latter happens, it is a little too late to ask if she was really a virgin when you met her.)


FILIPINA GIRLS

-- Be careful of falling into a Filipina girl's hands, when falling into her arms.

-- If you give a Filipina girl, your cell phone number, you will get 2 or more texts per day from her. In one instance, I am still getting a weekly text after two years of no reply from me.

-- She may start by asking you for load. You can transfer a load of 5 to 200 units.

-- Eventually, she will have an emergency and need money. There are many ways to give her money and almost all will cost a fee. Free way is to have her open a BPI atm peso account and you go to BPI and deposit pesos into her account. Minimum to open an account and to avoid a monthly bank fee is 3,000 pesos.

-- If she knows your hotel or where you live, she will arrive unannounced at inconvenient times to see you. I utilitze a short-time hotel, like Eurotel or Sogo, for trysts. Cost starts about 400 pesos for 3 hours. Other hotels have lower costs and shorter time limits for so-called taxi room or econo room.

-- She will ask you, what are you getting her for her birthday?

-- She might tell you that she is pregnant and you are the father. Philippine law states that the father (no mention of marriage) is responsible financially for the child, but the mother has automatic custody up to age six (or seven).

-- She may tell you that her dream is to own a house. House and land can be bought by a Filipino (a foreigner can only buy a condo unit, up to 40 percent of a building) starting about US$10,000.

-- I suggest that before you copulate, deal with her on (a) her age, at least 18 years, (b) her price, and (c) her services. The first is to avoid the under-age problem. The second is to pay her desired price and avoid her going to the police and making false claims. The third is clarify what, how many times, and hour of departure.


CELL PHONE AND SERVICES

-- Major cell phone service providers are Smart (preferred by the girls) and Globe. An upcoming third company is Sun. They all also offer wireless internet service, as well as several cable tv companies whose internet service may not be wireless. Sun's internet service is broadband 3G, but not 4G.

-- Cheapest quality cell phones are made by Nokia and Samsung (odd-sized battery) costing under 800 to 900 pesos. A cheap model might have FM radio and/or flashlight and has no microSD memory card capability, no camera, no 2nd SIM card capability, etc.

-- SIM cards and pre-paid load cards are sold in convenience stores like 7-Eleven, MiniStop, etc, cell phone stalls/shops, and in malls. A few cell phone shops in malls may give a small discount, like 10 peso on a 500-unit pre-paid card or 40 pesos for a SIM card priced at 50-peso.

-- SIM card cost about 50 pesos. If the SIM card cost more, then it should come with a "load" (that is, number of units allowing for text (SMS) and voice calls).

-- Load is purchased as pre-paid card in denominations of 100, 300, and 500 units, which are priced in the same number of pesos. A 100-unit card is valid for 30 days. A 500-unit card is valid for 120 days. Load can also be purchased direct from a person and that person has to dial his cell phone to transfer the load to your cell phone.

-- Load can be transferred from your cell to another cell, when both SIMs are on the same network. GLOBE: dial *143# A text will appear on the next steps. Then repeat the following sequence: press ok, press the number for your selected step, press ok. SMART: prepare a text with: 10-digit cell number to receive your load, space, the amount of load to transfer. Only certain amounts can be transferred, which are 5, 10, ... 60, 100, and 200. The lesser amounts are valid for a day or a week. Amount of 60 is valid for 30 days. The cost of the transfer is one unit.

-- SIM card will go dead if it has no load for 30-45 days. An acquaintance told me that the service provider can be contacted via the internet to have the SIM card classed with no expiration.

-- A text from your cell to another cell on the same network cost 1-unit. But, on 2 different networks cost 2-unit. A voice call cost more. The highest rate is from your cell phone to a landline phone. In Manila, on your cell phone dial 0 2 plus 7-digit landline phone number.

-- To make a voice call from PI to USA, buy a 100-unit pre-paid Globe IDD card. The rate is 2.5-peso per minute. The 100-unit is valid for 30 days. The pre-paid IDD card can be used on the same SIM used for in-country pre-paid card. Vendors told me that the Smart IDD card is more complicated to use than Globe.

-- If you have two cell phones with two different SIM cards (thus, two different cell numbers) on the same network or one cell phone with two different SIM cards on the same network, here is a way to minimize load cost. Buy a 100-unit pre-paid load card. Load it on one SIM card. Back of the card has instructions on how to add load to your SIM. The 100-unit load is valid for 30 days, while a 500-unit load is valid for 120 days. Then transfer 60 units to your second SIM card, which would be valid for 30 days. I put a piece of masking tape on the back of my cell phone and write the expiration date. Or, you can text the network for your load balance. Note that if your load has expired, the network will not accept your text. By the way, there may be a way to transfer 60 units several days prior to expiration and have the 60 units valid another 30 days on the receiving SIM.

-- Pre-paid phone card for in-country use can be set for "roaming", that is, to use outside of PI. However, I tried twice to dial up the roaming option and was unsuccessful. Also, I do not know how to add to my available load if I am outside PI.

-- Two years ago, a fellow airline passenger told me that someone in the Philippines can text on Smart network to someone in the USA with a cell phone also with a Smart SIM set for roaming for the cost of one unit. I may have half-remembered this and the network he mentioned was Globe.

-- Post-paid service is sold by the cell phone service providers. To get post-paid service, you have to sign up, subscribe for a minimum period (like 6-month, 1-year, etc), and pay the monthly bills. There may be a termination fee. Advance payments are accepted.


FILIPINO ENGLISH

Filipino English refers to English spoken by Filipino, which has its own accent and its own usage of English words.

For example, Filipino-Chinese refers to a person of Chinese descent (or ancestry) who is a Filipino citizen. This is opposite to American English, which says African-American to refer to a person of African descent who is an American citizen.

Another odd example is the Philippines' capital gains tax. In USA, it is a tax on real estate transaction, namely, the profit of a sale, that is, the difference of price minus cost. In PI, this tax is 6% of the total sales price.

At a store when requesting an item, a clerk will go to the rear into a storeroom and return to say, not in stock. Then you attempt to clarify, whether the clerk means the item was never sold by the store, or temporarily out-of-stock, or was sold by the store but will not be re-order, or the manufacturer has stopped the item and other similar models. I was looking for a DVR (digital video recorder) recording on its own hard drive for cable tv programs.


FAST FOOD DELIVERY

-- Gerry's Grill . . . . . . . . 3 3 2 1 1 1 1
-- Jollibee . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 7 0 0 0
-- McDonald's . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6 2 3 6
-- Pizza Hut . . . . . . . . . 9 1 1 1 1 1 1
-- Shakey's pizza . . . . . . . . 7 7 7 7 7
-- Wendy's . . . . . . . . . . 5 3 3 3 3 3 3
-- Yellow Cab pizza . . . . .7 8 9 9 9 9 9

Some locations are open 24-hour and may deliver within a limited range.

Most fooderies do not deliver or deliver only during their operation hours within their neighborhood. But, nearly all will prepare your order for take-out when you order and pay in advance.

Some establishments may charge an extra 5 pesos for using styrofoam for take-out food, and nothing extra if each dish is placed in its own plastic bag.


ADIOS:

Initially, I intended to write a brief update report.

But, I added information to answer oft-asked questions and need-to-be-repeated warnings. Result was a long report. Sorry, if I repeated much of what you know already. For others, I hope I wrote something that will keep you out of a problem.

Keep on mowing.

Hey smart ass,

One square meter = 10.76 sq. feet, NOT 100

Dr. J.

Awesome info , thnks !

Very nice GG!

Hopefully we can meet on this upcoming trip, are you there at the end of this month?

I wish I had the energy to write reports like this, lots of new info here and much appreciated!

Any comments regarding the girls looks in the different bars? I pretty much limit myself to MBC but I guess I should peek at the others you mention.

Also...ZZYZX was a lot of fun last time I was there with some good lookers...is that the best disco for FLs in your opinion? When I was there maybe a couple of whites, one afro america and a few arabs...the rest all pinoy guys. Good music and fun environment...will go there again.

Thanks for the awesome info...I especially like the cultural info....personally I cannot monger 24/7 and like doing other stuff from time to time.

Cheers and hope to make your acquientance sometime soon!

CC

Jaggerbowski: "Hey smart ass, One square meter = 10.76 sq. feet, NOT 100 Dr. J."

Oops. You are right.

No wonder, the girls smiled when I paid them. I gave them a hundred instead of ten.

Joking aside. I guess I am losing brain cells from constantly dividing pesos by 40 to get the approximate dollar amount and bahts by 30, then adding a zero to the square meters to get the square footage, and wishing my wand was double or triple its tiny size. Too much math.

Thanks for pointing out the error. I probably made other errors.

GG;
excellent info for those coming and going to the Philippines.
I have to say that the one point i see very disturbing and unnerving is the one reffering to the person wanting to retired there. so, you have to deposit US$ 10,000 ; and have to pay all those initials fees and later all those yearly taxes and fees for everything that has to do with this!! (maintenance fees, taxes, what not!!!)
I don't mind going there, but after reading the facts on the government website, it amounts to me as institutionalized robbery!!!
Respect all opinions but i truly know now that i wouldn't even consider retiring there. to hell with those fucks!!!! i'd rather try to go to thailand instead.
I know this is not a perfect world but no way i would go along with this B..S.. from these flips!!!! would just go there as a tourist and done with it!!