PhilFAQS

“And there I was …”

For those of you with a military background, or even just in my age group, you likely have heard a story (or three) that started off like this … often what came next was something like “flat on my back at 30,000 feet, diving out of the sun to take on the whole Japanese Imperial [...]

Health Insurance Quotes — Philippines

This article was originally written a few months ago.  It has been significantly corrected, updated and expanded with new, hands-on information.  In addition I have added a note about one of my advertisers at the end, a provider who not only offers health insurance in the Philippines, but provides what appears to be very good [...]

Just Joking, Lang

I was telling someone a funny story that happened to me recently, and I figured why not share it … I’m too damn serious about a lot of these things anyway, or so people tell me.
First of all, “lang” is a Filipino word that literally translates to the English word “only”.  That’s one reason you [...]

Philippine Christmas is Nearly Here — Don’t Get Caught Short

Merry Christmas and Happy new Year to all my readers.  This post is just a short note to remind everyone that the Christmas Season here in the Philippines is a “big deal”  A very big deal.
I’m writing this on the 7th of December.  The holidays will be here in a rush … like that Jeepney [...]

Martial Law Update One

I’ve received several queries of concern about the present situation here in the Philippines.  There’s nothing that is affecting me currently here in Central Luzon.  I don’t anticipate anything happening here, either … the current furor is being caused by some armed groups on the island of Mindanao, about a thousand miles from me, give [...]

Why I Left The Philippines

Note:  this post has been corrected, significantly expanded and re-published.  Part of our on-going effort to make PhilFAQS.com your best source for answers to the frequently Asked Questions about Traveling to the Philippines, Retiring in the Philippines, or just plain living here in my second home, the Philippines.

Yes, that’s right, after living in continuously in [...]

Reacquire Philippines Citizenship in the US or in the Philippines?

(Was formerly Philippines Questions — Round 11)
This is an update or amplification of a post first made back in 2008.  I’m going through the blog and updating, correcting, and amplifying some of the posts to make them more useful to my readers.  I’m also redoing some non-descriptive titles so that Google Search will find you [...]

When is a Philippine Visa not a Philippine Visa?

In years or reading and participating in a lot of Philippine interest groups I think I’ve seen more misinformation about entry visas than I have seen regarding anything. This really doesn’t seem so complicated, but it certainly does seem to stump a lot of people.  I certainly won’t be able to dispel all the myths [...]

Do You Want Fries With That Burger

I came across this web page job ad just a moment ago while I was researching another subject  I kind of thought it fit in very well with my last post where I spoke briefly of focusing on your specific job skills rather than asking for the typical “lame” request of, “a job, any job.”
Well, [...]

Basics of Working in the Philippines for Foreigners

Ok, ok, no matter how many times I tell you, and give concrete examples of how little you will make at a job in the Philippines, you still keep coming back for more.
Fair enough.  Essentially, I write these articles for you, the reader.  In fact just yesterday I had a somewhat nasty comment from a [...]

Customer Service — ABN

ABN, what’s this, Dave, another day of acronyms?  Well, sorry for those who hate an alphabet soup, but this country is more full of acronyms than an alphabet warehouse, and sometimes, using an acronym, even one that you made up. helps you remember things important to living here in the Philippines.
ABN is something I made [...]

WYAFIWYG — Make Sure You Know What You Want

Many of my faithful readers here are not techno-geeks … which is fine, I don’t want to delve very deeply into “geekiness”
(by the way, if you are not a regular reader here, than do a favor for me and become one, just select one of the options from the subscription box in the side bar, [...]

Why Choose the Philippines — Intro

One of the questions I have heard many times over the years is “why live in the Philippines”?  This is usually in the context of, why not “country X” or “country Y” instead?  So far as foreign expatriates are concerned there are probably as many answers to that question as there are expats themselves, but [...]

Start an Internet Cafe in the Philippines?

This is a very common query that leads folks here to PhilFAQS, the site where you find the answers to frequently asked questions about living in the Philippines.  From time to time I have published answers, including this series by a real “computer shop” owner here in Bulacan, Philippines on how to start and run [...]