Moving to the Philippines

I haven’t had a lot of time for writing and updates.  But this news from the embassy today indicates things are going to retun to a state of “new-normal” soon.

All offices of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration have seen closed to the public since the start of the COVID 19 Quarantine.  Now those offices in the area under General Community Quarantine will be accepting clients b appointment to deal with the client’s Immigration needs.

[Read more…] about 3 June 2020 Immigration Update

20 May Update.

(Updated 20 May 2020)

I’m Still Locked Down

But the rules have been loosened a little.  Most of Central Luzon has been placed into a GCQ status.  General Community Quarantine.  This means following pretty much normal anti-disease rules … wearing masks in public, social distance spacing between people, etc.  Most cites are resuming public transportation a bit at a time, with much-reduced capacity loading.  Most malls and other businesses are now open or in the process of opening.

Much of The Metro And a Few Other Towns (Like Mine)  Are Under a MECQ

Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine is still pretty restrictive, checkpoints, barangay quarantine passes required, etc.  But yesterday on a “legal” trip to the grocery store (in our local mall, which has otherwise been closed … I saw that a number of food establishments are opening up (for take-out or delivery only) including Burger King.  I immediately fell in line (maintaining my social distancing (as marked on the floor)) and order way too many Whoppers and Xtra Long Chicken sandwiches to take home for lunch.

Life might return to normal someday, yet.

Air Transport Is Still Quite Limited

No Domestic (Inter-Island) Flights, Period.

All International Flights Only From and To NAIA (Manila).

Here’s Today’s Inbounds and Otbounds From NAIA

The US Embassy and Philippine Airlines Continue To Operate “Sweeper” Flights

These are a combination of chartered domestic flights from various cites to Manila, and then follow-on flights from Manila to several US cites.

Here’s the info for the latest round of “Sweepers”.  Information on how to find out more is in the quoted message.

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LAST DAY to Register Interest in Special Philippine Airlines Flights (Two Sweeper Flights Added):

U.S. Citizens in the Philippines: The deadline to register your interest in the special Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco and/or sweeper flights is today, Monday, May 18 at 11:59 p.m. (Manila time). Click here to register NOW.

NOTE: PAL has added sweeper flights on May 26 for Legaspi and Tacloban.

May 21 from Manila to Los Angeles with two domestic sweeper flights – one from Cebu and one from Davao.

May 26 from Manila to San Francisco with ten domestic sweeper flights from Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Siargao, Tagbilaran, Legaspi and Tacloban.

All flight arrangements will be made by PAL, not the Embassy. You must submit a working phone number and include all local or international area codes. PAL will contact you to arrange payment and ticketing after you have registered for the flights, so check your contact details carefully before submitting the survey and keep your phone on and handy. Do not call the Embassy for booking or ticketing.

For the PAL sweeper flights, you MUST have proof of an onward international flight. If that flight is NOT within 24 hours, you also MUST have proof of a confirmed hotel reservation in Manila until your international flight departs. You CANNOT take a sweeper flight without an onward international flight confirmation.

U.S. Embassy in the Philippines

1201 Roxas Boulevard

+63(2) 5301-2000, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday

After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +(63)(2) 5301-2000.

State Department–Consular Affairs 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444.
State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Advisories, Alerts, and the Philippines Country Specific Information.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

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There is no reason any US citizen (who can pay for his or her flight) should be “stuck” in the Philippines.

More as it happens.

20 May Update

Well, I’m feeling fine, PTL but I’m distinctly disappointed because I just found out that I am not going to get released from the strict lockdown rules we’re living under now in Marilo, Bulacan for a least another 15 days.

So it goes.

A lot of people have been passing all sorts of information about how hard it is to get outbound international flights, It’s not really that hard to get flights _OUT_ of Manila … here’s today’s list:

The problem is, for most people … getting to Manila

There is essentially NO public transport, domestic air, sea, or road (imagine the highways with no busses).  The US embassy has partnered with Philippine Airlines to offer what they are calling “sweeper” flights.  These go out to various provincial cites and fly US citizens back to Manila.

PAL then flies US citizen-only flights to LAX or SFO.

If you’re not a US citizen you’ll have to contact your own country’s embassy to find out if they have any similar programs.

Domestic Air Travel (Island to Island) Should Start To Ease on the 16th

But how fast domestic travel will open up isn’t something I have been informed on very well … so, wait and see.

Buses and other land transport will start to open too, but it will still be very difficult to get into Manila.

Edited … I Forgot

Every year before the end of May, usually, the tropical storms start.  This one spent several days as a TS (Tropical Storm) and has now been upgraded to a “Tropical Cyclone” otherwise known as a Typhoon,  It’s currently moving up the east (Pacific coast of the country and ought to be having its full effect on the Manila area tonight or tomorrow.  Flying in or out not recommended while this is happening.

 

That’s About It For Today

More as it happens.

There’s No Entry For Foreigners — Until Further Notice.

(Updated 12 May 2020)

I keep hearing a lot of conflicting rumors and questions fly about travel into the Philippines.

The situation is fluid and may change at any time, but this is the way things are today, 12 May 2020 (Philippines Standard Time) (e don’t serve that idiotic Daylight Time nonsense here in the Philippines)

First, let me give you the latest status quote from the NAIA Airport official Facebook page

….
Allow us to clarify to everyone that only repatriating Filipinos and their immediate family members will be allowed entry in the country.  (My emphasis)

Kindly note that last week, international inbound flights for OFWs and other overseas Filipinos were ordered to be temporarily suspended by the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 to ramp up the readiness of our country’s international gateway in handling arriving repatriates in so far as COVID-19 testing capability and quarantine facilities’ availability and readiness are concerned.

Let it be clear that the ban on foreign tourists and non-residents, except diplomats and heads/members of international missions, will continue to be enforced in the country, until further notice from the IATF.
Thank you. https://www.facebook.com/DOTrPH/

Foreign Nationals except for diplomats are not going to be allowed entry to the Philippines until further notice.

[Read more…] about You Can’t Come To The Philippines Now

Is PhilHealth Worth It?

(Updated 5 March 2020)

I have probably had this question, “Is PhilHealth Worth It?” repeatedly asked more than a hundred times since I moved to the Philippines, full-time, in 2006.

My answer is almost always a resounding yes, but a great many ex-pats will tend to disagree with me. This opinion generally seems from the attitude of most North Americans (at least those who actually even bother to HAVE health insurance) that to be worth anything. health insurance has to cover all expenses.  PhilHealth does NOT cover all costs involved with every sickness or surgery, but it is one hell of a lot better than having no health insurance at all … and when you get sick (not IF, but WHEN) you’ll be damn glad to have it.

[Read more…] about Is PhilHealth Worth It?

Will your disability be payable in the Philippines? 

(Updated 27 February 2020)

The answer to this frequent question is a definite yes, no or maybe.  I hate to sound flippant but this is one of those questions that can only be answered with another question.

What do you mean by Social Security Disability?

I get a lot of questions on this subject because while Social Security Disability payments are quite common, and they are supposed to cover the expenses of folks who are permanently disabled, they are very, very hard to live on in the USA.

The average disability monthly payment will support most people who live in the Philippines.  But there are some major factors to consider:

Will your disability be payable in the Philippines?

There are typically two categories of disability payments from the SSA (Social Security Administration)  — Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

SSDI _IS_ payable in the Philippines.

SSI is _NOT_ payable in the Philippines.

So before you make your plans to move to the Philippines and live off your disability payments, you better check very closely to make sure your payments will continue should you move here.

Be very careful about this because there are many folks on SSDI who also receive a monthly SSI supplement.  If you leave the USA for more than 30 days, your SSI supplementary payments will stop, and they can’t ever be restarted until you have been back in the USA for 30 days or more.

So your SSDI payments can continue if you move to the Philippines, but if you also have an SSI component to your payment, it’s going to stop 30 days after you leave the USA.

So you may well wind up with a greatly reduced payment.

Can you then actually receive that payment?

The Social Security Administration contracts with several commercial banks to send overseas payments to overseas recipients.

But don’t think you are going to receive a check in your mailbox.

Americans receiving government pensions may have those pensions direct deposited to their Philippine bank accounts.  Participating banks include the following followed by the fees each charges per direct deposit to a U.S. dollar account in the Philippines.

Allied Banking Corporation – $3.00
Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) – $3.00
Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) – $5.00
Land Bank of the Philippines – $5.00
Maybank – $3.00
Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) – $3.00
China Bank – $3.00
RCBC – $3.00 to $5.00
Bank of Commerce (BOC) – $5.00 to $7.00
Manila Bank – $1.00
Security Bank – $5.00
United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) – $4.00 to $6.00
Metrobank – $3.00
Philippine National Bank – $7.00

The banks with variable fees charge more for larger direct deposits.

How Do You Start Direct Deposit of your Benefits?

If you’d like to sign up for direct deposit in the Philippines go to the bank you have chosen, open a US Dollar account and ask for the direct deposit enrollment form.

The bank will help you fill it out and the bank will submit the form to Social Security representatives in Manila.

The account into which the funds are paid must be an individual account.  For example, you can not deposit into a joint account with your wife or a child or caregiver.

A Social Security concern is that benefits may continue to be paid and spent long after the pensioner has expired.

So you CAN receive your benefits by direct deposit in the Philippines, but it is not necessarily easy.

For an authoritative Reading On Receiving benefits overseas, you may find this

Payments Outside the United States tool useful

 

So Now You Know More About Will your disability be payable in the Philippines? 

How long does my round-trip ticket have to be to go to the Philippines?

(Updated 25 February 2020)

The answer to this question can be very simple.  You get 30 days of stay in the Philippines, free, upon arrival at an airport in the Philippines.

But who said you need a round trip ticket?  That’s the complicated part.

The Law of the Philippines and the Rule Airlines Follow Is:

You must have onward travel out of the Philippines within 30 days of your arrival.  If you don’t have this onward travel, the airlines normally will not let you board your flight from the US to the Philippines.  But nowhere does any law say you must have a round trip ticket back to the USA.  That’s the first issue that complicates the answer to the question.

But I WANT A Round Trip Ticket

OK, then, that’s fine.  Many people do.  Perhaps you only have so many days off from work, or you have other reasons you have to be back in the USA by a certain date.

No problem then, a round trip ticket from any USA cu=ity is normally quite a bit cheaper than two one-way tickets.  Here’s a real-world example with prices quoted today, 25 February 2020.

Kansas City to Manila and return: Depart 9ak March 12th,

and the return on April 12th:

Not bad connections and not bad arrival and departure times.

But Is a One-Way Just Half Of That Price

And the answer is no, it’s almost always way more than one half.  Let me try to see what a one way, same date and time would cost.

And a return on the 12th of April?

 

So we can see here, same dates, basically, the same airlines (cheapest) have a round trip cost of $1377.22

And the equivalent two single tickets (one-way) tickets add up to $1747.46   More than $370 “surcharge” for buying the same travel in two parts.

Or you could also say that buying the round trip airfare saves you more than $370 to spend on hotels. food.local travel and such.

Thanks, A Lot, I know I Want A Round Trip … But How Many Days Is What I Asked?

Yes, you did.  And the answer, which I already gave in the first paragraphs is 30 days.  But this may pose another question.  How do you determine what 30 days means to the BIR (Bureau of Immigration) in the Philippines?

Here are the rules that apply.

1,  The day your flight arrives is the first day of your stay in the Philippines.  Because of the day the BIR “counts”, you may want to think twice about your planned arrival time in the Philippines.  For example, if your flight arrives here leat at night, as many do, then most of your “first day in the Philippines” may be consumed in your final cramped hours in an airline seat.

On the other hand if you pick a fight that arrives here very early in the morning, you essentially get a “free day” in the Philippines.

Not a huge consideration, buy-t never-the-less something to think about.

2.  The day your outbound airplane departs is _NOT_ a Day Of Stay in the Philippines.  So technically, if the last day of your 30-day stay is on a Wednesday, and your outbound flight leaves the following day, Thursday, you should be “golden” according to the BIR rules.

Let’s look at the example flights I priced up at the beginning of the article here.

Depart MCI (Kansas City) on 12 March ay 9:15 am.  You arrive in Manila, after less than 24 hours of total travel time, at 9:45 on the night of (not the 12th but the 13th … you have to cross the International Date Line, so you are always going to lose a day going to the Philippines.)

So if your plane arrives on schedule, your “30 days of stay” clock starts with the 13th of March,  So on 31 March, the last day of the month, you will have used up 19 of your 30 days.  11 days to go.  From 1 April to 11 April is (count them up, surprise, 11 days) so with our outbound flight scheduled on Sunday, the 12th, isn’t there a problem?  The 12th is the 31st day, after all.

Nope, no problem at all.  Remember the second rule I explained above?  The day your flight leaves is _NOT_ a “Day of Stay”, so the immigration officer will be all smiles as you get your passport stamped for departure prior to boarding your flight home. 30 days of stay allowed, 30 days of stay used up … maximum bang for your buck.

(remember that id your stay extends of[ver the end of a 30 day, or a 28 or 29 day month, to count properly … if you are staying over a 3o day month, you can arrive on the 12 and schedule your departure on the 13th of the following month.)

(Also, note … that day you “lost” coming here?  Well, you get it back on your trip home … you leave the Philippines and you’ll be back in the USA on the same day you left here, almost no matter how many hours your flight consumes.

OK, I Understand Now, But What If I Don’t Know When I want To Go Back?

Well, there is an easy work-around for that.  It’s normally called a “show” ticket or a “throwaway ticket”.

Simply purchase a one-way ticket from your home to the Philippines,

Then also purchase a ticket outbound from the Philippines at any time within your initial 30 days, bound for anywhere.  The date and time nor destination don’t matter much, just make sure it’s cheap because you are never going to actually use that ticket.

It is just for “show” to satisfy the airlines’s requirements (and possibly the BIR officer’s requirement) when you arrive in the Philippines.  Once you are “in”, you’re in.

If you want to stay longer than the original 30 days, you can extend your stay, 30 or 60 days at a time, at any of the Bureau of Immigration offices located all over the Philippines.  They never ask for any onward travel and you can extend, 1 or 2 months at a time for up to three years in the Philipines … then leave once, come back and start the clock all over again.

That original “show” ticket?  Well, you just throw it away (or if it is an e-ticket, just hit delete.

Where To Get a Throwaway Ticket?

Simple.  Just type Philippine Throw Away Ticket into Google … there will be dozens of places shown.  Or you can do what I would do.  Go to  Cebu Pacific Airlines and check flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from Manila.  Right now you can buy a ticket to Kota Kinabalu on the 29th of March for 2055 Philippine Pesos, or about $41 USD.  Buy it (ir will come as an e-ticket and hang on to it (showing it as needed) until you are safely through immigration in Manila, then delet it … it has served you well.

Two Questions For The Price Of One Answered Here

1.   How can I fly to the Philippines on a one-way ticket and how How long does my round-trip ticket have to be to go to the Philippines?

What else would you like to know?  You ask, I answer,

In case you are not aware, the Manila U.S. Embassy’s phone number changed recently.

It is now: 02-5-301-2000.

The sneaky 5 was added.

The Social Security office can also be reached at that number.

When the recording starts, press 9. Social Security only takes calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am to 11am.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to the folks at RAO Subic Bay.

Also, and a further tip of the hat to reader Lewis:

Anyway, I called the U.S. Embassy (today, Dec. 9, 2019), to get the numbers for the Visa Call Center, and the numbers given in the recording are not complete/correct. I called the embassy mainline, got the operator and got the correct numbers. Please take note:

02-8548-8223
02-7792-8988