Everyone always thinks Internet cafe (computer shop) when they think about business in the Philippines it seems.  In our local mall there are two ‘real’ Internet cafes, franchisees of the Netopia chain.  (on the 2km drive to the mall I pass at least 10 other Internet cafe’s that I know of, the closest one is less than 100 meters from my house). They both do business but I have seen the hourly rate go from P60 per hour to P20 per hour in the slightly over two years we have lived here.  This doesn’t lead me to believe they are making any huge profits.  In walking around the mall I noticed that a huge mezzanine area on the second floor had been take over by yet a third Internet business … just tables and workstations out on the mall floor, specializing in high speed games access only … and at 10:30 in the morning there were already 5  or 6 “gamesters” with their noses glued to the screen and their fingers flying on controller buttons.  So it seems the bottom has not yet dropped out of the business.

I also had been meaning to get some business cards (calling cards) for PhilFAQS that I can hand out when I interview people.  There’s a little kiosk in the main mall hall. It’s been there for more than three years … exactly the kind of low-overhead business that would interest me.  Aside from the investment in glass showcases they have only a computer and a couple color printers and a scanner.  The big part of their business is making personalized party invitations, gift cards and even buttons to pin on your shirt with loved one’s pictures.  They do a lot of calling cards as well … not fancy print work like you get in a ‘real’ print shop but at P3 a card while you wait who is going to argue? GRAPHIC WORKS DESKTOP PUBLISHING is their name and I find they have stores in dozens of malls. If you go to the one in Marilao, just look for Charlene, tell her you’re a friend of the kalbo kano who asks all the questions and she’ll take good care of you.

But don’t look for them on the Internet.  Even their business license is online, and some employee’s have their own web sites, management  haven’t yet seen how much additional business they could do with even a simple website.

In that same mall is a very nice dental clinic, modern, clean, top quality dentists, bright, snappy signage and advertising, good prices and very convenient hours.  Know what that dentist ain’t got?  A simple web site … you can see a good example of one Philippine dentist who lives in this century here … not even the most simplistic little ‘brochure’ site that lists their ph=one numbers, hours of operation and such.  Their business license is on line, but their business isn’t! .

Personally, I smell opportunity.

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• Recording daily cash transactions and register tapes into company ledgers
• Verifying time and attaendance records and certifying hours for payroll purposes
• Recording daily commission sales and crediting them to the proper sales agents
• Balancing workers time sheets with client billings to make sure hours are accounted for
• Documenting absences and attendance days in school and submitting the government forms
• Accounting for fuel pumped into company or agency vehicles and ‘balancing’ the delivery records with fuel used to provide accounting data and find ‘leaks’ , malfunctioning vehicles or thefts.

The list could go on and on.  That fuel monitor one strikes me as having a huge scope.  There are 6,000 plus school districts in the US alone and kore than 90% of them operate or contract school bus service.  One who was my client in the past had 2 to 3 people full time who did nothing except reconcile fuel put into their buses with miles driven versus miles on the odometer when the buses went in for service.  Pretty mundane work that cost the school district a fortune in salaries for people not being used in their highest and best purpose at all.  With today’s VOIP phones, eFax services and near-universal Internet access you can set op ‘bean counters’ who would be very happy to be paid a market-rate wage which would still be way less than the ‘home country’ employer is paying now.

This ties in directly with the latest Philippine governement ‘busines sowner’ visa program … I wrote about it here, also see Bob’s long-term staying article here.  Find a tedious task that needs doing in your home country and set up an offcie (again, an old Internet cafe would work great) and hire folks here in the Philippines to do the task.  Once you have 10 employees you have a full-fledged visa, and an income.  Hard to beat.

Successful Photographer and Marketer, Philippines

But maybe all of these substantial business thoughts aren’t of interest to you.  Some of you may be like me, retired, or close to it, and not ready to get on the multi-employee business teadmill.  Her’s a perfect example of a foreigner earning his living in the Philippines while he lives here and enjoys life based mainly on hs artictic and creative talents.  This isn’t a sales picth, I don’t even know the guy, but I saw a web site for a Philippine business the other day that really caught my eye and I followed the link to the creator.  Notice he has an actual business office (on the Subic Bay Freeport, so minimal taxes and hassles) and if you are into photography, web design or buisness promotion there is no reason at all you can’t emulate this sort of success.

The majority of Philippine businesses do an abysmal job in marketing into the foreign market, even those attempting to attract tourists or foreign customers. This field is wide open for those who wnat to take the plunge.  You abslutely can earn aliivng in the Philippines, if you want to.

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But even tough I like the Freeport Zone … the old Navy base, there are many more nice, family-oriented hotels off the base in the city of Olongapo and Subic.  Here’s one that caught my eye the last time I passed.  It’s clearly a cut above and priced accordingly, but it would be near impossible to find a hotel, on the beach, in any other country with the combination of services and environment this one has.

A decent web site that works and 2 hours from the airport by expressway makes it hard to beat.

Wild Orchid Hotel Subic

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On the way we passed through the Subic Bay Freeport, both coming and going, and I was really amazed by the construction I’ve seen just in the past few months.  Things are booming.  Can’t do business in the Philippines, you know.  Right.  You not only can do business sin the Philippines, a great many people are.

One of my stops in the Freeport was the BLOOM gas station, one of about 5 on the base.  their diesel was about two pesos per liter cheaper than any other station I saw on the trip, so I figured I’d go ahead and fill up.  In addition tot the decent prices this business, and many others on the Zone offer the convenience of paying in US Dollars … in fact the pumps read out in dollars … $20.59 for my fill up, converted on the spot to PhP 1017.  Everyone always seems to want to know the latest gas prices here, so that’s an update on diesel (worked out right at $3.06 per gallon this day) , gasoline is always a couple pesos per liter higher.

I know that the BLOOM organization which operates this station is a women’s civic organization based in adjoining Olongapo City.  I went looking for information about the group and instead got sidetracked by this list.  here’s just a few of the people making money on Subic, the employers active and paying taxes to the Subic bay metropolitan Authority.

Subic Bay Freeport Employers

Quite an impressive list I thought.  The Philippines is a backward, third-world country.  Everyone has to leave to work overseas because there’s no opportunity in the Philippines, etc.  I’m sure you’ve all heard that.  Frankly I want to find the perpetrator who started that negative nonsense.  There’s plenty opportunity here in the Philippines, I check on many operations daily.  If you think you can’t make money in the Philippines, no doubt you are right, but if you want to, you certainly can.

Just passed through Subic, yet again.  Someday I have to stop at some of the places where people are earning an honest dollar providing things for visitors to do there.  Here’s just a few of the things I didn’t do Saturday:

APALIIN TRAIL
Hike through the trails of Apaliin and discover the wonders of the Subic Forest. Awe at the panoramic view from the tip of Apaliin Point, and enjoy the sight of Subic Bay on a banca ride back to the Central Business District.
BAT KINGDOM
Get mesmerized at Subic’s Bamboo Bats and Flying Foxes. Over 10,000 fruitbats, the biggest of its kind in the world roost in the protected forest reserve of Subic along with the Bamboo bats, which are the smallest in the Philippines.
BAT HIGHWAY
Marvel at the beauty of the bats in flight as they pass through this narrow strip at the setting of the sun.
BICENTENNIAL PARK
Enjoy outdoors with family and friends at these scenic picnic grounds. Native fishing gears are available for those who would like to try their hand at fishing in the man-made lagoon.
CAMACHILE PARK
A perfect near-the-bay stop shaded by numerous Camachile trees, best for picnics among tour groups.
GRANDE ISLAND
Live through the grandeur of Grande and enjoy the amenities of a beach resort in an island setting. Enjoy a scenic ride to the island on board a motorized banca.
HILL 394
Subic’s most popular peak takes you 394 meters above sea level and offers a spectacular view of the legendary Mount Natib and Subic Bay, in the northwest. Visit Hill 394 and let its beauty speak for itself.
JEST (Jungle Environmental Survival Training) Camp and Butterfly Garden
Familiarize yourself with jungle survival techniques from Aeta trained US Navy and US Marines. Visit the Mini Zoo and discover Subic’s diverse biological resources or see how the butterflies live and flourish at the Butterfly Kingdom.
MALAWAAN PIER
Spend the day shoreline or day fishing at the designated fishing areas, or take a peek at SBMA’s Seaport Operations.
MANGROVE GRAVEYARD
The sight of these giant driftwoods may surprise you, or simply leave you breathless. These dead dipterocarps are remnants of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. Unable to stand the high sulfur content spewed by the volcano, the mangrove graveyard bears witness to one of the worst calamities to hit the country.
MT. PINATUBO CRATER TREK
Sense a relaxing mood while kayaking at the crater lake of this mountain. Discover hotsprings, cool mountain pools, lahar fields and canyons as you take a trip or trek to see remains of towns destroyed by the mudflows.
PAMULAKLAKIN FOREST TRAILS/ PASTOLAN AETA VILLAGE
Take part in the Ecology Tour and trek inside the forests of Subic with the help of a native guide. Immerse yourself in the culture of the Aetas. Educate yourself in the various types of medicinal plants. Camp in the heart of the forest or simply have a unique picnic in the deep parts of the jungle.

REDONDO BEACHES
Behold the beauty of this undeveloped beach and explore the riches of a newfound land on the shores of the Redondo Peninsula.
SHIPWRECKS
Delve the magnificent underwater world of Subic Bay and come face-to-face with its rare marine inhabitants. Explore relics of history that date back to the Spanish and American eras. (Oryoko Maru. Seian Maru, USS New York, USS Rochester, LCV Landing Craft and LST).
SUBIC BAY OCEAN ADVENTURE
The first and most astounding nautical sanctuary in the country that showcases some of the world’s most amazing sea mammals like dolphins, false killer whales and sea lions in their inherent habitat. Dive with them. Frolic with the whales!
SUBIC BEACHES
The sun. The sand. The sky. And a vast stretch of marvelous sea waiting to be explored - Dungaree, Officers’, All Hands, Miracle, Nabasan, Hidden, Grande Island.
TRIBOA BAY MANGROVE PARK
Drive through Subic’s low-lying forest through the mangroves, via boardwalk to the Triboa Bay Marine Park. This bay is home to a nursery and breeding site for clams, crustaceans and fish.
WATERFRONT BOARDWALK
Watch the majestic rising and setting of the sun, as it unfolds all its beauty over the Subic Bay. Complementing the grandeur of the mountains of the Redondo Peninsula, it is truly a sight to behold.
ZOOBIC SAFARI
Zoobic Safari is one attraction you will find at Subic Bay Freeport’s Forest Adventure Park. Embracing a 25 hectare land - local and foreign guests can expect an astonishing sight of diverse exotic animals roaming and frolicking in their natural habitat. It features a wide range of habitats present in the forest due to the terrain, presence of streams and fringing grasslands. These represent the major habitats for varied exotic animals featured in Zoobic Safari Forest Adventure Park.
SUBIC BAY’S FLYING FOXES
This camp of over 10,000 fruit bats, readily seen at the Subic Bay Freeport, is one of the last large bat colonies of its kind. Found only in the Philippines, the Golden Crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) and the Philippine Giant Fruit Bat (Pteropus vampyrus lanensis) are the largest bats in the world, with wingspans up to 2 meters. Bats such as these eat only plants and are critically important to the health of tropical forests in the Philippines.
By dispersing the seeds of forest fruits and spreading pollen between the forest flowers they visit, fruit bats maintain and restore forests by aiding in the reproduction of forest plants. Many fruit crops important to people, such as durian, wild banana, and kapok, also rely on fruit bats for their reproduction. Their cute, puppy-like faces add to their appeal. Despite this, fruit bats are heavily hunted, and the loss of their forest homes has made many of these bats endangered with extinction.
SUBIC BAY’S BAMBOO BATS
The bamboo bat, Tylonycteris sp., is the smallest bat found in the Philippines. With a total wingspan smaller than a child’s hand length and weighing only about 2 grams, it is just slightly larger than the world’s smallest bat. Both of the world’s two species of bamboo bats are found in the Philippines, and Subic Bay with its large bamboo forests is an important host to these bats.

There’s more but that should hold people’s interest for a few minutes at least.

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Here’s an interesting news item that was released from Malacañang Palace, (the President’s Residence) this morning:

MANILA, Philippines: Foreigners who employ at least 10 Filipinos can stay in the country indefinitely, the Philippine government said Monday in an attempt to woo more investors.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the new rules in hopes of providing more jobs for Filipinos as the country braces for a global economic slowdown, said Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan. … more on long term foreign business owner visas here.

This is very similar in some ways to what has been done over the past year or so with the SRRV (Special Resident Retirement Visa) program.  Like the SRRV there has always been a provision for a permanent visa if a sizeable cash investment was made in the country, but just like the newer provisions where a person of modest means who has a source of income, like a government pension can have a permanent visa for a much more modest investment. people who want to start a relatively small business can now come here and stay here as long as they stay in business.

There is not a lot of detail released except to say the jobs must be “in viable and sustainable commercial enterprises, trade or industry,” … but that terminology itself covers a lot of ground … so this is a move in the right direction for the Philippines, to my point of view.

The way new laws always seem to work here, is the law gives one thing and then the IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations”, written later by bureaucrats seem to take away. so we’ll have to see, but Immigration Commisisoner Libanan has been behind many recent liberalization rules, such as changing Tourist Visas from one to two years, so it seems this will be a good for Living in the Philippines overall.

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Global GPS Services

Anyway, the idea of outsourcing blogging works two ways.  Either a person in the US or other Western country wants to find authors and research assistants, or a person here in the Philippines wants to put Filipinos to work writing blogs for pay … or a combination of the two.

Hint:  A couple of the large blog networks never tell anyone, but they hire much of their blogging work out herein the Philippines.  It kind of disgusts me how little some of these people pay, even in a few cases when they are run by Filipinos who have ‘escaped’ to another country.  Nothing like taking advantage of your fellow Filipino, and old tradition here …. hold down the lower classes once you have a foot on the next rung).

Anyway, all that personal opinion aside, I though I would point out that there are literally thousands of other business processes … basically tasks that buisness4es need people (and thus labor and overhead) to get accomplished day in/day out.

These can also be worked from “either end” or from both sides of the pond at the same time.

Sample GPS Tracking Map

Here’s one that is virtually untapped.  there are thousands of companies and local government agencies in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia who have invested in GPS tracking technology for their business fleets.  Typically this involves putting a little GPS transponder on each vehicle and recording the data about the vehicle’s use and routes to a computer database and map.  It’s one of my specialties, you can read a lot more about the GPS Tracking business itself on my www.satvis.com site.

The complications and technicalities of the business isn’t that important.  There’s already a well developed industry out there with the specialists who know all the details.  But here’s the tough spot, the need, that isn’t being met and can be met with anyone who wants to attend to details and can do business tasks a little less complicated than, say, balancing a checkbook.

Once a business invests in a system like this, in order to get all the benefits they paid for, someone has to keep an eye on all the vehicles.  They also need to seek out abnormal behavior and bring that to management’s attention.  The company CERO doesn’t need to know about the last 1,000 trips successfully completed.  S/He does need to know about the trips that broke his rules, failed to serve the customers, spent the night at a bar while on duty, drove 80 miles per hour in a school zone (all behaviors I have actually observed on GPS tracking systems) and otherwise figuratively stole money from the company.

Since all modern systems are Internet based, there’s my business outline.  Put that unprofitable Internet cafe to use by hiring workers to watch, make note of anomalies and run reports for companies who can therefore save a fortune over using their own employees to ‘watch’.  Literally no equipment would be needed beyond a run-of-the-mill PC workstation, free spreadsheets and reports program … think Open Office or even Google Docs and Spreadsheets, already on line, set up for controlled sharing and a web site/marketing campaign to seek out and secure clients.

Many GPS companies themselves would be interested in promoting such a service, because the personnel costs to monitor GPS systems are a major stumbling block to sales.

Here’s one company (not a business partner of mine, just a link for info purposes only) that will even help set you up in any aspect of the GPS tracking business.  Worth a look, and certainly a high profit way to put an Internet cafe to work in the Philippines without trying to convince talented writers to produce bog posts for %0.50 cents a piece.

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It’s no secret that I don’t think much of the standard “Internet cafe” model in today’s business world.  (by the way you often get a blank look when you talk about Internet cafes here, many Filipinos refer to them as ‘Computer shops” even if the sign on the door says ‘Internet cafe”.

The reason I don’t think much of the ’standard Internet cafe’ model … where clients at random come in and pay for the use of a workstation and connection by the hour is that I feel the margins are way too small.  You absolutley can set up a shop today and barring any major mistake you’ll make money, but the money is such a pittance you’d be better off to leave it in time deposits at rates that don’t even equal inflation.  Why work hard, spend tons of hours on something and end up with less money overall than you started with?

But I do think you can make money with the ‘computers on line’ model here in the Philippines.  In some cases I think you can make a lot of money.  One idea I talked about reently is being a “latchkey Kid” monitor for cleints back in the US. Another would be providing almost any kind of monitoring service for a business function … I’ll write more on this idea soon.

But here’s an interesting outsourcing Philippines article I came across a couple, days ago that is at least a good topic for discussion … outsourcing blogging to the Philippines:

… A lot things you do for your blog is (sic) nothing but a waste of your time. Some of these things, while necessary, certainly does not generate more income for you. The solution: outsource!

While you can outsource to just about anyone, the trend today is to outsource to the Philippines. Why the Philippines and not India or some other country?

According to Replace Yourself, an outsourcing guide by John Jonas, here’s why:

1. Philippinos speak and write good English, are are easy to instruct
2. It’s relatively cheaper to outsource to Philippines compared to most other English-speaking countries
3. They value foreign employers and are happy to work for a Caucasian boss

I think the selling point is that it’s easy to tell them what you want and with a little training, get them up to speed with your working style and work rate. Plus, communication is key and generally speaking it’s easier to understand Philippinos than a lot of other people….

Personally I have a couple issues with the statements … especially on getting Filipinos to take instruction … it’s not that people won’t take instruction here, it’s that the concept of what you want contrasts so strongly with what they think you want that life may prove quite frustrationg, but that’s all a matter of degree.

The article is written from the standpoint of an American or other Westerner developing the concept of outsourcing and throwing out feelers to find a source overseas, saving money and even more importantly, time.

Seems to me to be an intresting concept from a different viewpoint .. what if you, the person who wants to make money in the Philipines … prepared yourself to ‘catch’ those feelers.  Something like an ‘Articles on Demand’ operation, using a non-profitable “computer shop” as your base of operations?  Worth a thought I think.

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I saw an intersting piece a few weeks back on Australian TV.  A British newscaster … that’s a fellow from the United Kingdom you understand … was on the street in and about Washington, DC, USA.  He was asking people on the street to name any country that started with a “U”.  Aside from the typical morons who andswered Utah (no that wasn’t Sarah Palin) or Yugoslavia, he didn’t get a single interviewee to name the United States of America or his own country, the United Kingdom, which his accent stromngly suggested.  Not too surprising I guess, given the 16th place or so standing of the US school system.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.  The lady who wrote this little realisttic tale of woe is a Canadaian, not an American, but the obstacles she had to overcome and the absolutley anti-custom attitudeof the phone companies seem very little different.

This was going to be an entire post about buying a cellphone, but comments on the previous post show that you can all predict how that goes. There’s the phone itself, with the possibility of cameras, video games, holographi projectors and laser death rays, when what I am really looking for is good predictive text messaging software and buttons that won’t wear out quickly. There’s the option of pay as you go, versus contract (and you can’t swap between these, because they involve different telephones. Pay as you go is ludicrously expensive (how about 55 cents a minute for nationwide long distance?) The contract probably isn’t much better when I consider that I have to pay for it in months when I’m not using that telephone. And the contracts are complex with plans and add-ons that I kind of need but aren’t really appropriate to the way I use the phone. And of course there is the difficulty of getting a phone number that won’t be long distance when I’m at home. I grumble, then suck it up, acknowledging apologetically to the young women working at the store that overpriced Canadian cell service is not their fault. I buy the phone, sign the contract, memorize my new number, and go back to the hotel. That’s enough about that. I’ll give you too much information about something else…. Read more here about the sad, sad state of the cell phone buisness in North America and the rest of Aviatrix’s adventures.

So why write about this?  Simple.  When you make the move to the Philippines you give up all that nonesense as well as substantial monthly bills.

You buy a phone for the outlet of your choice.  The phone you want not the one some carrier insists they want to ell you.  (The iPhone is a notable exception, if you are addicted to hippy toy junk, you are stuck with an exclusive Philippines carrier … hope that cancer doesn’t spread).

You then buy a SIM (Subscriber Information Module), really you phone number chip, from anyone you choose.  Want several numbers from several different carriers?  That’s easy, as well as phone that hold several chips and thus have multiple numbers.  A SIM costs as little a $3 dollars or so, one time, so you can add or change anytime, cheap.

You can then just ‘load’ the SIM card with as much calling time as you want … buy buying a simnple scratch-off ‘load card’ … or stopping by any one of thousands and thousands of stores and stall fronts.  You cna even by laod as you go ‘on line’.

“Load na, Dito” (Load Here!) is one of the most common signs you will see in the Phlippines.  Misison accomplished.

No nonese of being ’stuck’ with a carrier you don’t like.

No nonesense of being in a loacation that one carrier reaches and another doesn’t … just slip in a SIM from a carrier who does do the job.

No nonesense about ‘local excahnges’ for your cell phones (how stupid is a ‘local exchange’ for a mobile device anyway?)

And no monthly bills, ever.  (you can, ifyou want, find companies that will sell you US-style plans where you do have a monthly bill … but why be a glutton for punishment).

That’s how it works here in the Philippines.  Every time I pick up my cell phone I laugh at those pitiful characters at AT&T back in the US who used to rook me for more than $90 a month for the very bottom-iine service for two simple phones … they are now missing nearly $2400 they never got from me since I moved … and the beat goes on/

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Yes, it is an offer for an eBook or a “Primer” course.

The program is run by a husbnad and wife team who are California natives but have now lived all over the world by using thier techniques to make their lifestyle, especially their income, “portable”.

The actual call-in for this event was on Wednesday and I unfortuabnetely had to be on the road at the time.  A few folks here also were clearly not pleased at the call-in “tele-seminar” format.

Well your wishes always get answered here at PhilFAQS the place to get you Philippine questions answered … here is alink for the recording of most of the data.  Just follow the instructions and you can listen to a slightlyshortened version of the call or downlaod the file to your computer to listen to later:

PLANTING THE SEEDS TO YOUR PORTABLE LIFESTYLE Teleseminar Recording Information

Here is how to access an MP3 version of the teleseminar:
http://getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62a&lc=IGEi&mc=f&s=i4lIg&y=G&

You will find four MP3 files and one ZIP file.  Listen immediately through your browser by clicking on the MP3 files or download the ZIP so you can add the audio to iTunes, burn it to CD or listen at your leisure.

This is distributed strictly as an info item.  I don’t (as yet) have a business relationship with these folks, but I invested the hour or so it takes to listen and I think they have a good thing going.  Even if their particular philosophy and their digital product Primer that they are trying to sell is not your style, I doubt there are many who won’t listen and learn somehting.

This is not only about earning a living in the Philippines or so you can pay your bills and then move to the Philippines.  In today’s current world of one piece of bad news after another, this could be a real move forward especially if you are among the folks who are losing their jobs.  Make leomaide out of those lemons, there has never been a better time.

I also thought often as I listened to the recording about the (I’ve lost count) number of people who write to tell me how the hate their jobs.  My thought on that is, you need money to live, but life is too, too short to trade your health ands well-being for a few dollars.  There are many ways to earn a living aside from that job you hate, so stop hating and start living.

Theer are three main oints covered in the call:

1. Decide what you actually want.  If you are happy in your work, how can you make it portable.  If you aren’t happy, how can you switch to making it more fulfilling.
2. How to find travel bargains and live anywaher, US or overseas for les than you think.  It is not a travel agency nor are they trying to sell travel ‘deals’, just ways you can find them.
3. How to put together a plan from dreams to reality, including how to make ‘trial runs’ to prove your concept and give you confidence without juping out of the plane all at once.

Yes this is a lead in to an offer for an eBook or “Primer” course in making your life portable.  I haven’t yet seem or evalauated that material.  But the free call data itself is well worth a listen, unless you really secretly love that job yu say you hate.

The recordings point up again what I have said many times and am doing for real … there is a way to earn aliving here in the Philippines or anywhere else you would care to, as long as you,. yurself, want to make a plan and take the steps to make it happen.

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Yesterday: Got up at 0500 (about my usual time) made the coffee, started a load of wash, dealt with emails.  Although I have been diligently trying to cut down on this you will find that once you get even a tiny reputation on an item of interest or two, you will get email.  And don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for it (except for the occasional one that asks me to give the answers to about ten questions at once and the questions all correspond to my last ten blog posts or so … reading is certainly a lost art, but I digress.

0600: Email is done for a while and reminders in my desk top are flashing for this post and several others due on other blogs of mine.  Won’t get to them right now, I have some financial issues to deal with.  My US bank decided to put a new bill pay system in places of their existing one and it sent payment after payment to one of my credit card accounts until the account the bill pay was hooked to ran dry.

(Hint I’ve mentioned this before, do not have a bill pay service or a debit card connected to your primary checking account … this sort of thing has happened to me before in the US and it’s no fun … people think it’s a hassle to keep two accounts and transfer funds to one as needed but to not do this is Russian Roulette, no matter where you live).

Thank goodness to Skype … about an hour an hour total online with my bank and some more time on the credit card company’s 800 number and it’s pretty much straightened out … and since they were both toll free numbers I don’t even have to pay Skype’s minimal 2 cents per minute charge to call the States.

0800: depart on a preplanned trip to the Ate’s (eldest sister) house in Quezon City.  With regular weekday traffic plus construction along EDSA in Manila for the much needed Extension of the MRT rail system to connect to the LRT) the trip takes 45 or 50 minutes.

1000: Arrive at the Ayala TriNoMa mall in Q.C. Fabulous place.  I hate it but it’s the top choice among most of the women I hang  photo credit: Jun Acullador out with.  We went here primarily because it’s Christmas Season and Mita needs some kitchenware and some supplies for baking and such we can’t find anywhere else.  We do lunch also at a restaurant Mita wants to review on her Unofficial Cook blog, when you have a blog or blogs nearly everything is “business” these days.

We shop some more, the Ate leaves on her own to return home and Mita and I finally finish shopping.  In the checkout at the last store I try something and find it easy … our lone Philippine-issued credit card has a credit balance and this normally means it will take weeks and weeks to get them to send us the money, so I charge the exact amount that’s on the card, bringing the amount to zero and then pay cash for the rest … the cashier has no trouble getting things straight.  Elevator direct from the supermarket checkout area to our parking area on the third parking level.  Already there are no slots available as the Christmas rush heats up.  20 peso tip to the bag boy and 30 pesos for covered parking all day, fair enough use of a buck to me, the Peso to Dollar rate is over 49 now, wonder when it will lhit 50?

1500: Arrive home.  45 minute trip took nearly 90 minutes due to the aforementioned construction traffic slowdown.

(Hint: keep a coin purse in the car always with 20 Peso notes and 5 and 10 Peso coins.  Will save immense hassles at tollbooths and such to be able to make exact change.  Also, never leave for the road without visiting the restroom first ;-))

1530: Take a nap.  I usually take one from about 2 to 3 pm but the shopping and EDSA have put me off schedule.

1630: deal with more email, install some ads people have bought, figure out how I will deal tomorrow with orders that have come in for some of my specialty maps that should have been dealt with today … this retirement life is very taxing at times, you people who have a job with defined hours of business don’t know how lucky you are ;-)(

1800: Take the short walk to Mita’s folk’s house to see “my boys” (my 3 and 4 year old nephews) visit with momma and daddy for a few minutes and then walk home.  I go back to the computer to finish some things up and check tonight’s TV schedule while Mita prepares dinner.

1900: Shut down the Internet and eat in front of the TV.  Thursday nights are always good, I used to be a devoted fan of American Chopper but the continual family fights there now bore me, so we watch Boomtown. Amazing race Asia and mega Moves

2300-ish: Took a shower and went to bed.  The weather is certainly changing, we’ll be able to do without the aircon soon.  Tomorrow?  New adventure.

For the record that is one somewhat typical day living here in the Philippines.

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Readership here at www.philfaqs.com. the site where we try to answer all the FAQS (Frequently Asked Questons) about living in the Philippines is up 1,371.05% percent over this time last year.  Wow!  Thank you, each and everry one of you.

A big special vote of thanks to my freind Bob and the staff at the excellent Living in the Philippines Web Magazine.  Bob was cracious enough to inbvuite me to write a column there aned beleive me, that’s when my readership here really took off.  If you aren’t familiar with Bob’s site, it’s highly recommended.

Here’s hoping we can together continue these kind of gains as I move into my fourth year of publishing this blog and my third year of living in the Philippines full time.

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Back just before the last US presidential election a news show visited Wasilla, Alaska, home of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and interviewed some local folks for “color” regarding the candidate and her campaign.

In some ways I felt they got a little more “color” than they bargained for, because I was quite shocked at some of the race-related comments a few “men on the street” chose to share with the world over TV.  Now before anyone gets all PO’d and starts working on a “nasty gram” kind of content, I want to be sure to point out that candidates on both side did an excellent job of avoiding possible racial issues in the campaign.  Whatever Governor Palin did or didn’t do, she certainly was very sure not to try to bring up the fact that Senator Obama was a black man.  (Actually, he isn’t, by his own definition he is a “mutt” and likely the first candidate ever who could spell Indonesia let alone having lived there … hooray for us expats, only a few hundred miles difference and he might have gone to school in the Philippines, wouldn’t that have been something?).  But back to race and the race.

Several Wasilla residents quite bluntly said, “Come election night there will be a “whiteout” at the polls”, leaving no doubt in most people’s minds (there white men making the comments) that they expected “the white folk” would come out in drove son Election Day to save our country from the “mongrels”.

Now I know that the majority of my readers don’t share thus radical racial views, but it’s pretty safe to say that there are still a non-trivial number of US citizens who still labor under the “White Supremacy” belief.  As a man whose passed more+ summers than many I am happy to report this ugliness in my country’s makeup has become more and more rare over the years, but obviously a long way from disappearing.

Well if you come there to the Philippines, better be prepared for another kind of white supremacy.  A little less “ugly”, perhaps, but cut from the same bolt of cloth.

Filipinos, whose actual skin tone mostly varies between a “dusky” and very dark brown are almost 100% enamored with white skin and often with being white themselves.  My little nephews whose mother is a relatively light skinned Filipina and whose dad is a very dark brown Sudanese are known everywhere as the boys with the “negro” father.  They boys are no darker than many Filipinos you might meet on the street but it means a lot to the average person here to “properly classify” their parentage.

It is impossible to watch half an hour of Filipino TV without at least one commercial for some soap … there are many brands … that promise “whiter skin” and usually to see commercials for family-oriented products where the actors are non-Filipino Caucasians obviously hired because of their skin

And I guess the crowning touch is a skin care spa I pass several times a week at the entrance to our local mall … their featured service for the discriminating woman seeking greater beauty?  Singit Whitening.  A necessary and worthy service indeed.

What is it, you ask?  Well a “singit” is medically known as the inguinal crease.  (Google is your friend) All of us with two legs have a couple of singits.  Have you checked yours lately to see if they are white enough?  Actually, mine aren’t white, they are sort of a washed out pinkish color, I wonder if I should stop in that shop next time I pass for a treatment.  I would certainly hate to offend.  Terrible to be caught with singits that are too dark, don’t you think?

Dr. King, your dream is now partly realized but we … the whole world, it would seem … still have a long way to go in even being happy with our own skin color, let alone judging others by their character and not their skin tone.  Not only here in the Philippines,

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Bill and Lorna Collings are two of those folks on my “meet up soon” list,  Americans (and other expats/ expat wannabees) ask the same question so often it must rank as 10 or even 100 times more common than any other single question about living here in the Philippines.  “How can I get a job there?”

I can’t help a lot on the job issue … haven’t had one myself in some years now and don’t want one … but I can asure you there are many, many ways you can earn a living here in the Philippines.  I make money myself from several online profit streams from outside the Philippines and in many ways I feel this is the way to go, but there are many readers I am sure who don’t want to hear about online businesses for one reason or another.

Boracay Island, Philippines

Bill and Lorna have been making a living right here on the ground in the Philippines for some years now and their service is one of the oldest professions … no, not that profession .. and yet still every bit as viable and every bit as needed as it was thousands of years ago … they are innkeepers.  Hoteliers.  Maganates of the Hospitality Industry.

It has always surprised me how many foreigners come here every year and how few fellow foreigners (ideally foreigner/Filino teams, as Bill and Lorna are) who bother to tap into this market.  It is certainly an opportunity that is by no means saturated. There are many viable businesses that can be started here that aren’t hand to mouth bottom feeders like sari-sari stores or Internet cafes.

Bill and Lorna run a small guesthouse/hostel/mini-hotel operation right at the gates of Manila’s NAIA airport.  You almost can’t get any closer to the terminal than their location … which is also just a short distance down the road from the US Embassay and convenient to Makati where most other countries have their embassies.

Their prices are cheap, their service is ‘down home’ and their amenities are certainly adequate, especially for a place to ‘land’ on the first night, get your feet under you and finalize your coming days and weeks internal travel and activities.

They also have a bargain-priced property of their own on Boracay, one of the absolutely prime beach and diving areas in the Philippines.  Quite a nice package.  And quite a nice couple proving, yet again, my contention that you can earn a liivng in the Philippines, if you want to.

Now realize something, please.  This is a free-will writeup.  I am not in business with Bill and Lorna and I don’t profit in any way from people staying with them.  (I would appreciate if you do stay there, you’ll tell them how you found out about them … www.philfaqs.com … and that you’ll also let me know how you felt about the visit).

As of yet I have not stayed at either of their properties.  Also, do not expect that for $7 or $10 or $15 USD per night you are going to be staying at the Manila Hotel or the Shangri La.  But I know their track record and I can recognize a bargain when I see one, so thanks Bill and Lorna for the work and the hospitality to so many over the years.  Just a visit to their website is well worth the trip, even if you aren’t in the rooms market right now, there’s a ton of information about Tourism and Living in the Philippines there.

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Jon Tompkins and Kathryn Alice are currentlyliving on Bali, Indonesia, not that far from the Philippines.  They are folks like any other, except instead of adopting that old belief thta financial security depends upon being tied to a job … how secure does that look right now for say, General Motors folks or AIG investment gurus, eh? … they decided to make their lifestyle portable.

This is not an affiliate or commissioned sales offer.  I have no connection with these folks except I am definitely going to attend their free webinar the 11th of November.  I recommend you do too.  I’ll write again here and tell you my impression of their conference, good or bad, but I highly recommend that those of you who are in the “I wish I could” crowd should attend it also …you never know, it might change your lifestyle … and you were only gong to watch YV re-runs during the hour they will be on, anyway.

The Portable Lifestyle

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As a little philosophical side note, consider what I just said there for a minute.  Many people have told me over the years, “You really know a lot about the Philippines, or you were so smart to know the answer to this or that”.  Gee, thanks.  But I got news for you all (some already know this ;-)), I ain’t that smart.  I put on a good show, though, because whenever someone asks me a question … and often when I see someone asking someone else a question, I research it.

Research used to be boring and difficult.  Now, it’s darn close to dirt simple.  Go to www.google.com and type in a query … “keywords” for what you want to see work best.  You won’t always find the best answer in one go, but it’s really surprising how many times you will.  The big “G” is smart, I just follow along and take credit.  let’s use today’s question as an example.  A number of readers have asked questions about:

The first thing I thought of when looking at that question was, “Hmm, where do I get my prescriptions filled?  At the drug store, of course”.  So I typed in “drug stores”.  If you just do that and hit return, you’ll get a huge pot load of information, way too much for most people to ever want to wade through.  So, since you’re looking for information about the Philippines, just add the keyword, “Philippines” to tell Google how to focus better.  Bingo:

Philippine Drug Stores

Here’s the top two “most relevant” pages Google finds for that query, and for many, this is all you need.  RxPinoy has a comprehensive list of pharmacies and doctors all over the Philippines, and Mercury Drug is by far the largest and most progressive chin of pharmacies in the country.

Google also features the World Wide Web Virtual Pharmacy.  This is a huge portal site that opens to a virtual encyclopedia of drug information, including the addresses of all the major drug companies.

You really need to know these addresses in some cases, because it’s not uncommon to find that a particular drug you are using is not available.  Sometimes this means what it seems to mean… it just isn’t available.  But often the drug is available in the Philippines but under a different name.  For reasons known only to them, major drug companies often sell their particular specialty drugs under as many as three different names around the world.  It’s just the way the pharmaceutical business works.

When dealing with drug stores here in the Philippines, keep one last thing in mind.  very often email doesn’t get answered.  It’s a fact of life and there’s no sense denying it.  If you can’t find the information about  a particular product, or you need an up-to-date cost … Pick up the Phone and Call … it’s the way business gets done, and if you follow many of the suggested methods I’ve posted here or peruse my advertisers/supporters, it just doesn’t cost that much.

OK, there’s some more tips on living successfully in the Philippines.  Be sure to let me know what’s on your mind.

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