I like to tell the truth, as I see it.  I also hate to see people get ripped off and get themselves in trouble in another country/culture, so I feel I often sound negative about the Philippines.  This would be a false assumption about me, because if I didn’t like it here, I could go [...]

I’ve decided to start a new section here at PhilFAQS where I will host or post links to useful podcasts and videos pertaining to the Philippines and living in the Philippines.
Just navigate over to the page at the left “Podcasts and Videos” and select what you would like to see/hear.
First up is an audio podcast [...]

OK I imagine some of my readers may be getting tired of this subject … but I did need to get this info out.  This will be the last post on Philippine property for a while, I promise.  (and while I am at it, a big vote of thanks to the many people who have [...]

Can corporations own Philippine property, even if the corporate investors are foreigners?  That’s a question I have been asked here on PhilFAQS frequently.  And I have a definitive answer … ready?
Yes, No or Maybe.
A corporation, under the law is treated in some ways as a natural person and under the laws of the Philippines, corporations [...]

From time to time the question of buying property, with or without a home on it comes up in most of the Philippines-related blogs and discussion groups.  It often becomes contentious.  Many get quite emphatic about how much safer they feel ‘owning’ their own land, even when, in point of fact, they don’t own anything [...]

Just a quick note to let everyone know I’m alive … it’s been quite a week so far and it isn’t even halfway gone, is it?
Been very busy with family and a lot of other interesting things, some of which you’ll read about right here soon.
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone reading here [...]

It’s been a busy Saturday already and it lacks being 9 am yet.  That’s ok, because I like being busy much better than being bored.
There’s always quite a bit of interest in Philippine jobs here, both from regular readers and search engine traffic.  I’ve recommended a few sources in the past, such as Mindanao Bob’s [...]

I’ve mentioned PhilHealth here on the blog a few times lately … and I’ve seen quite a few comments about PhilHealth on other forums.  I thought I’d make a couple quick comments to highlight my own experiences.
Is PhilHealth worth paying for?
Absolutely.  In fact, many Filipinos are covered by PhilHealth for free … either because [...]

Even though I’ve been living full time in the Philippines for more than a year now. I’m still staying here on a Tourist Visa.
Yes, I am legal, by the way, under certain conditions you can do things like add Tourist privileges on the end of a one year Balik Bayan (BB) visa and stay [...]

17,000 birds sighted in Candaba swamp
So reads the headline of an interesting piece in today’s Inquirer.  I bet I have heard a thousand times from visitors and foreign residents that ‘there are so few birds in the Philippines’.
It’s no secret that the Philippines are not an ecological paradise … and years ago when [...]

A question that comes up often by people living in the Philippines, or planning to move here is ‘Can I still watch my US TV shows’?
For years, of course, the answer has been no … broadcast signals, cable TV systems and even direct satellite broadcast, like DirectTV doesn’t reach the Philippines.  We do have [...]

Someone should really start a blog that laid things out the way I think they ought to be laid out … regarding how you should go about getting out from under the yoke of regular, mind-numbing nine-to-five work, how you can find yourself through your own contributions in life … work is love made [...]

This is always one of my popular and searched for items … personally, if I had to have a J*O*B I’d rather have one in the US, but who am I to tell others what to do.
Jobs for foreigners in the Philippines have traditionally been hard to come by … at least decent ones [...]

OK. OK, I know I left you hanging long enough … time to find out more about my new friend Fred.
After I settled Fred down enough that we could talk for a while I found out that he was from a North American country, had been married to my neighbors sister for a little [...]

I better start this post by apologizing to "The Boss", fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen who started his recording career with a song that was pretty much a flop for him, with the chorus "Blinded by the light, cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night."  I couldn’t resist the somewhat strained [...]