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Dave Starr

COVID in the Philippines is REAL. Take Note, Please

2021-05-10 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

From: <ACSManilaMascot@state.gov>
Date: 10 May 2021 at 2:56:15 PM GMT+8
Subject: Health Alert: Hotel-Based Quarantine Period Extended to Ten Days for Arriving Passengers
Reply-To: <ACSManilaMascot@state.gov>

United States Embassy Manila, Philippines
United States Consular Agency Cebu, Philippines 
May 10, 2021

Health Alert: Hotel-Based Quarantine Period Extended for Arriving Passengers

Effective until further notice, arriving passengers must spend the first 10 days of the mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a certified quarantine hotel. You must have a confirmed booking at one of these hotels in advance of your arrival in the Philippines.

Actions to Take:

For more information, see Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution No. 111 on the Philippine Official Gazette website.

Monitor the Philippine Department of Health website and the Embassy’s COVID-19 webpage for updated information about conditions in the Philippines.

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy in the Philippines: +63(2) 5301-2000 or ACSInfoManila@state.gov
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Philippines Country Information
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Filed Under: Uncategorized

COVID-19 Vaccine For US Veterans in the Philippines

2021-05-01 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

I haven’t been on for a while because I haven’t had a lot to talk about, Still trucking along, staying home as much as possible and I have been waiting for this announcement.

Good news, especially for veterans like me who have no disability and are not registered with the Manila VA Clinic.

Quote:

VA MANILA OUTPATIENT CLINIC
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

April 26, 2021

1. COVID-19 VACCINATIONS UPDATES:

VA Manila provided our first Veterans in the Philippines with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week. I am so thankful that VA Manila can offer the vaccine to our Veteran patients and was very moved by the comments and feedback my team and I received from our first cohort of vaccinated Veterans. Starting this week, the OPC will offer more COVID-19 vaccine appointments and will be conducting vaccine clinics on several upcoming Saturdays in May to increase the numbers of Veterans we can vaccinate. These extra hours will help us meet our goal of safely and quickly vaccinating as many Veterans as our initial supplies allow.

Currently, the Clinic is still prioritizing Veterans in group 1b for vaccination. We have had an opportunity to vaccinate some Veterans in group 1c and will continue to reach out to older Veterans in group 1c as our schedules and vaccine supplies allow. VA Manila needs to ensure that all of the Veterans in group 1b, our oldest Veterans who are 75 years of age and older and are at highest risk for COVID-19 complications, have been offered an opportunity to receive a vaccine before we expand to all Veterans in lower priority groups. I appreciate your understanding and patience as we strictly adhere to VA and CDC prioritization recommendations.

I have a few other announcements and updates to VA Manila’s COVID-19 vaccination plan to share this week – which is particularly important for Veterans who want to stay up to date on the latest COVID-19 information from VA Manila.

How to Let VA Manila Know You Want a Vaccine?
Starting today, VA Manila has put two new processes in place for Veterans to use to notify VA that they would like to receive a vaccine. These processes are different depending on your enrollment status with VA. Enrolled Veterans who have used VA Healthcare services in the past can register their intent to be vaccinated online by following the steps below in part A. Non-enrolled Veterans, Spouses, and Caregivers can register by sending an email as outlined below in part B.
A. Enrolled Veterans in VA Healthcare Services: You can register and let VA know you would like to get a vaccine from VA Manila online at VA’s COVID-19 Vaccination Website (https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/). On this website, you will click on the “Sign Up Now” and “Sign Up” buttons. It will direct you to a registration form with the first question:

If you are an enrolled Veteran who has accessed VA Healthcare in the past, answer yes. If not, please follow the non-enrolled Veteran sign up process listed further below in this message. For currently enrolled Veterans, on the second page of the form, a question about your US Zip Code will come up.

Please use Zip Code 96517 when completing this form. This will direct your online submission to VA Manila, where we will use it to contact enrolled Veterans when it is your turn to receive your vaccine appointment. Please complete the form as you normally would otherwise, ensuring your email and telephone numbers are accurate. We will use these as the two primary ways VA Manila will reach you when it’s your turn to be vaccinated.
B. Non-Enrolled Veterans, and Spouses / Caregivers: Once VA Manila has had an opportunity to offer a COVID-19 vaccine to all enrolled Veterans at VA Manila, if we have enough vaccine available, we intend to offer vaccines to all US Veterans in the Philippines. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 US Veterans live in the Philippines, so this is a large cohort of Veterans. It is unlikely that VA Manila will be able to start vaccinating individuals in these groups for several months, if not longer. But while you wait, please follow the process below and let VA know you would like to receive a vaccine. We can use this information to help us with planning and to know you’d like a vaccine.
You can let VA Manila know that you’d like a COVID-19 Vaccine if you are a non-Enrolled Veteran, a Spouse or Caregiver of a Veteran, and would like a vaccine. To do this, please send an email to: ManilaCOVIDVaccine@va.gov. Please use the following subject line in your email: “Non-Enrolled Veteran / Spouse / Caregiver Vaccine Intent”
In the body of your email, include the following information:
Name, Date of Birth, Last 4 of Social Security Number
(if a spouse/caregiver of a Veteran): Veteran’s Name, Date of Birth, Last 4 of Social Security Number (if applicable)
Local Address (full street, barangay, city, province, postal code).
Local Phone Number and Email Address
Include a statement that you want to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, and are you willing to travel to VA Manila in Pasay City to receive the vaccine.
When you send a message to this email address, a member of the VA Manila staff will compile your information into a secured database and maintain the information on file. When VA Manila receives enough vaccines to offer a vaccine to all enrolled Veterans, we will begin to contact non-enrolled Veterans and spouses/caregivers in priority order based on age. VA Manila will maintain this information and contact Veterans with additional information about when a COVID-19 vaccine may be available for them from the Outpatient Clinic. After non-enrolled Veterans, if any supplies are remaining, VA Manila will offer remaining vaccines next to spouses and caregivers.
You can also email ManilaCOVIDVaccine@va.gov if you have any questions or need additional information about VA Manila’s vaccination efforts. This email box will be reviewed by several individuals and our goal is to respond to all questions within 3 business days. Veterans who are active patients should use Secure Messenger within MyHealthEVet to communicate with their care team.

Please continue to stay healthy and well.

Your VA Manila Team

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
VA Manila Outpatient Clinic
US Embassy to the Philippines, Seafront Compound
1501 Roxas Boulevard, 1302 Pasay City, Metro Manila
+63 (02) 8550-3888 – Direct Dial
#MyVA (#6982) – Toll Free

End Quote

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Filipino and Foreigner Philippine Entry Update

2021-02-01 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

I’ll just let my fellow blogger/vlogger “Blogger Grandpa” break the news.  H’s got access to better Philippine sources than I ever will.

Thanks again to Blogger Grandpa” for this further update.

Be well, People

Filed Under: Moving to the Philippines

Here’s One Of The Reasons I Tell You To Think Bigger — You Are So Much More

2020-11-13 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

You Are So Much More.

(Updated 14 November 2020)

So many people visit here.

Many read, a few ask questions and there are times I feel so inadequate.

I have only traveled down one path in my life (as has everyone else, actually).

I only learned and observed just so much, and the majority of people who pass by here are younger, better educated and many are even way better off financially than I am.

Yet they often ask questions about how they can get to the Philippines and eke out a tiny living just to be able to live where they want.

The real answer is:

You Don’t Need To Earn Where You Live!

[Read more…] about Here’s One Of The Reasons I Tell You To Think Bigger — You Are So Much More

Filed Under: Earning Money to Live in the Philippines

Home Country Things You Better Keep

2020-11-03 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Home Country Things You Better Hold On To.

(Updated 4 November 2020)

Just recentlntlyI was telling a reader that writing about moving to the Philippines seemed very boring to me.

I had gotten very old and stale in my writing and in my living overseas thoughts.

But then I just had a conversation with a fellow US military retiree here in the Philippines and I realized there’s a whole raft of things out there I should be writing about.

One thing people always ask about over the years I have been writing about is:

“What to Bring from the US and What to Leave Behind”

Well, I think rather than a blog article someone could write a whole book on that subject.  Sorry, that won’t be me.

But one thing that did come up with my retiree friend recently is something many westerners who move to the Philippines don’t think about a lot when packing their moving boxes.
[Read more…] about Home Country Things You Better Keep

Filed Under: Moving to the Philippines

Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

2020-11-02 by Dave Starr 67 Comments

US Visitor Visa concerns.  Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

(Updated 3 November 2020)

Originally published sometime back.  Significantly updated and corrected for my current reader’s information.  Thanks for being a reader, by the way.

Remember one thing:  I am not a lawyer and ecerything you read here is merely personal opinion ased on my understnding of how I “think” things work.  No one except a consulat officer of the Untited Staes can issue a visa. 

Anyone  who tells you that she or he can get a visa issued, “for sure” is either mistaken or trying to scam you.

I have received a lot of queries over the years about the US Visitor Visa (known as a B2 Visa to the US State Department) for Filipinos.

Mainly these questions revolve around the subject of getting a Filipino friend a temporary visitor’s visa allowing them to enter the USA for a short visit.

People want to know, mainly:

  1. How do they (the visas) work,
  2. How much do they cost,
  3. Can my girlfriend get one, etc.
  4. I’ve heard they are very hard to get, and why?

It occurred to me today that I hadn’t written about these issues in some time when I opened an email from a reader here with some specific questions:

Here’s a video with some good information.

[Read more…] about Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

Filed Under: Visas

Why Can’t My Filipina Wife Get a Tourist Visa To The USA?

2020-11-02 by Dave Starr 7 Comments

Why Can’t My Filipina Wife Get a Tourist Visa To The USA?

(Updated 2 November 2020)

Updated and corrected to bring it up to date

This question comes up frequently.  Often there is a lot of anger attached as a US citizen husband finds out that his lawfully married foreign spouse can’t get a US B2 Visitor (Tourist) Visa, despite having all paperwork and immigration status documents in order.

The Anger Is Fully Justified, In My View

But it doesn’t matter if you are angry, or even if I am angry in support of your position.

In many cases. the Tourist visa just ain’t going to happen.  Why?

The US Visa System Just Doesn’t “Fit” the Way Most Expat Families Live

And it’s not likely to change any time soon.

Everything about the US Immigration system is geared to handle two things:

1. Tourists (Temporary Visitors) Who Have No Attachment To The USA

or

2. Spouses Of US Citizens Who Want To Come To the USA to Establish Legal Residence (Get a Green Card)

There’s Little Room in the Mind f the State Department For Any Other Category

[Read more…] about Why Can’t My Filipina Wife Get a Tourist Visa To The USA?

Filed Under: Visas

How Hard Is It To Get a Tourist Visa to the USA From the Philippines?

2020-11-01 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

How Hard Is It To Get a Tourist Visa to the USA From the Philippines?

(Updated 2 November 2020)

Here’s a typical comment that gets posted here at PhilFAQS, where you can learn how to move to and profit in the Philippines.  Over the past 15 years, I have heard and seen so many stories like this that it makes me sad.

There’s nothing I can do except to try to clarify the way the US laws are written and how they seem to be applied to Filipinos applying for visitor visas (tourist visas) to the USA.

Disclaimer:  Remember that I am not a lawyer and I have no connection with the US Embassy or any other agency or company involved in granting or denying US tourist visas.   These are my own personal opinions and are not legal advice.  If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney.

Here’s a Video That May Help.  The Outlook Isn’t Rosey

A Typical Reader Story

[Read more…] about How Hard Is It To Get a Tourist Visa to the USA From the Philippines?

Filed Under: Visas

How To Visit the USA From the Philippines

2020-10-30 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

How To Visit the USA From the Philippines.

(Updated 30 October 2020)

Recently I published several articles about the difficulty of Filipinos getting approval for a US Visitors (Tourist) Visa, also known as a B1/B2 Visa.

Here are just a few:

I’m A US Citizen — Why Can’t My Filipina Wife Get a Tourist Visa To The USA?
Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?
How Hard Is It To Get a Tourist Visa to the USA From the Philippines?

These will give you the idea of the problem, in case you weren’t already familiar.

What’s the common thread that runs through all tourist visa discussions?

[Read more…] about How To Visit the USA From the Philippines

Filed Under: Visas

Will We Ever Meet? Pandemic Blues

2020-07-12 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Will We Ever Meet?

(Updated 18 August 2020)

One of my most popular posts here on PhilFqs is this one: How To Get My Filipino Girlfriend To The USA

I plan to do some extensive re-writing there and add some ideas I have about overcoming the difficulties single Filipinos face in getting tourist visas to visit the USA.

Many Americans tell me, “Hey I don’t want to know about getting visas like the US Fiancee visa (K-1 or K-2)

I Just Want To Meet My Freind in Person

In the past, I have always had a “pat” answer that many readers didn’t like, but it was always a course of action that worked, and it didn’t require anyone’s permission.

Just get a passport. get on a plane, and come here and spend some time with your friend.

But Now COVID 19 Has Gotten In The Way

[Read more…] about Will We Ever Meet? Pandemic Blues

Filed Under: Moving to the Philippines

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