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Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door.
Regular readers will recall I just published an article recently detailing some of my thoughts on staying here in the Philippines or going back to the USA.
You can read it here, and I feel you ought to if you are anywhere near as conflicted as I am over the “move back/Don’t move back” question. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you here….
[Read more…] about Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door
How long can you stay in the Philippines if you are a US citizen?
I’m a US citizen and I want to know how long I can stay in the Philippines if I decide to retire there?
Now, how long is a “long time”? Well in contrast to the USA, where visitors (if they can even GET a tourist visa) are normally limited to a 90-day stay, with no extensions, the Philippines is a dream country for international nomads for overseas retirees.
Let’s start with a US citizen (or a citizen of any of the many visa waiver countries listed here). The simple news is, you need only two things:
That’s all? Yep, that’s all you need to get in the door. From that point onward I’ll show you how to stay here in the Philippines legally for up to 36 months. There are other visas you can get which let you stay even longer (up to the end of your life), but this is the KISS section, so let’s just stay with the initially free to anyone tourist visa.
[Read more…] about How long can you stay in the Philippines if you are a US citizen?
Three years ago I wrote about some current costs in Colorado and why the Cost of living Philippines is often 1/12 the cost of the USA. It’s summarized below.
Why bring up something three years old today?
Well, my wife and I are currently in Florida, getting ready to return to our home in the Philippines in just a few days.
Many of our experiences on this trip are about the same as our trip three years ago.
A primary purpose of this trip (October 2018) was to “sniff the air” if you well, to see if we both might decide it was time to move back to the USA.
I was recently diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Not very happy news. But I’m taking steps to minimize the issues (like getting off those damn cigarettes (yet again)), losing weight and other health-promoting things.
One of the reasons I started thinking strongly about going back to the USA is …
Many of my readers, of course, know this, but every month I get contacted by people who want to know the answer to things like “What hospitals in the Philippines “accept” Medicare”? and similar queries.
The answer is short and simple (although harsh to some). None.
US Medicare does not pay at all for any procedures or care received outside the USA.
[Read more…] about Still Keeping Me Rudely Awake 2018
First of all, let me throw in a little disclaimer here. This post isn’t really all that much about religion, but I do throw in some Bible teaching and no matter what your personal feelings about religion, you can’t learn much about the Philippines without recognizing the fact that it is one of the most religious countries on earth.
I am a private individual and I pretty much keep my own religious views private … but I also have the freedom of the press and if I want to speak of things with a religious tone, I will.
You folks who feel that people who mention God or Jesus Christ in public are doing something forbidden, can go ahead and start preparing your “He spoke about God” case against me … or just click on to read something else. Fair warning.
Some time back I think I lost a Filipino reader and a budding friend because he wrote me and told me how wonderful it was that Filipinos are “meek”, and he didn’t understand why I didn’t seem to see that as a great strength of the Philippine nation and people.
I responded to him that perhaps he and I weren’t seeing things exactly the same when it came to the true definition of “meek” … and the conversation died right there, aborning.
[Read more…] about Blessed Are the Meek — Or Are They?
Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines.
Recently I read an interesting article about a USA couple who retired to Mexico. Part of the title had the phrase “what no one tells you about starting a new life abroad.”
A lot of this article offered some good advice, much of which I have been advising people about for years. (If you have questions or need help about moving overseas, email me, I’ll be glad to help.)
But sad to say a lot of this article presents a surprising degree of naivety and a lack of research, or basic understanding of how things work, both in the USA and in overseas locations.
[Read more…] about Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines
How To Retire in the Philippines with $200,000 of Savings?
Interesting title, eh? If I had $200,000 USD in savings would I even be retired in the Philippines? Would you?
Well, let’s explore so issues and possibilities.
A while back I posted this article about retiring here in the Philippines with NO money. You might want to read that if you haven’t already. Just click on the link, go ahead, I’ll wait for you here:
As that article says, you absolutely have to have some money to retire in the Philippines, but the actual monthly needs may be very small. [Read more…] about How To Retire in the Philippines with $200,000 of Savings
Here’s a very common question I get here at PhilFAQS … how can a US and a Filipin0 (Phil-Am) couple get together in marriage as quickly and cheaply as possible?
I’ll keep this short and simple and answer this reader’s questions as directly as I can.
If any of you have similar questions which I don’t cover here, feel free to write and ask.
I value all your comments and I appreciate them greatly.
Here are the reader’s questions and my answers, as best I know.
(Please remember, I am not a lawyer, this is NOT legal advice and is my personal opinion only).
[Read more…] about Is Getting Married a Quick Way to the USA?
If A Filipino Marriage Isn’t Recorded, Does It Exist?
I’ve written many times before on this subject, and no doubt I’ll write more, it’s a very common question.
Here’s a recent readers question from the comments section, let’s take it apart and perhaps a lively discussion will get started.
That being said, let’s hear from my reader:
I have a question and i hope you can help me.. I was married and divorced in Dubai but never registered it here in the Philippines and upon checking all my documents here says that I’m still single.
[Read more…] about If A Filipino Marriage Isn’t Recorded, Does It Exist?
Art Schools in the Philippines.
This was originally published many years ago, but it still gets traffic. Obviously some of you are still searching for answers in this subject. I’m trying to “clean house”. There are well over 1000 articles here on PhilFAQS and I want to “clear out the deadwood”. Should I keep this, update it or send it to the trash?
A lot of people search for and ask me direct questions on Art Schools in the Philippines. Most art school candidates in the US never think of the Philippines when it comes to school but there can be some real advantages to attending school here. The Philippines is a world center of artistic talent, especially in the performing arts area.
In particular, costs will be lower … a lot lower in many cases and, if you’re a US Military Veteran with educational benefits you can go to school at a VA approved Philippine school and come out way ahead cost of living-wise.
To find out about VA-Approved schools visit the site of the only overseas VA Office (located in the US Embassy, Manila)
The top 10 art schools in the Philippines shake out something like this:
There may be others who would argue for a different ranking among these schools or that a few different ones should be on the list, but these are top-notch schools and you can not go wrong investigating them for yourself, your spouse or your children.
Good luck in finding a quality education with an international flair and a very affordable (by US standards) tuition bill.
Don’t forget, if you are currently living outside the Philippines and want to get a visa to stay here as longs you remain in school you can apply for a 9(F) Student Visa to avoid paying tourist visa fees and continually renewing your tourist visa.
Let me know your thoughts on Top 10 Art Schools in the Philippines.
Don’t Ask For What You Don’t Want.
(Last updated 06 October 2018)
I came across 
something a day or so back from a faithful reader, JJ, which I certainly should have made into an article here a long time ago.
This was originally a comment to my article expressing one of my embarrassing moments at trying to be funny at the expense of a Filipino … never a very good idea. So, here it is.
Actually there are a lot of funny Filipino words and even funnier ways that Filipinos use them.
Sometimes Filipinos repeat the first syllable to make the word in future form.
So the word “baba” which means “down” will become “ba-baba” or “will go down”.
“Kain” or eat becomes “ka-kain” (will eat).
“Talon” or jump becomes “ta-talon” (will jump). And so on.
Another word we use like the word “lang” (In English, “lang” typically means “only”) is “ba”.
We use this after asking a question.
So for example if you are going to ask if a person will eat, it goes like this “ka-kain ba?”, of if going to jump “ta-talon ba?”
buh buh buh buh – buh buh buh buh”. Hehe
[Read more…] about Ba Baba Ba — Going Down in the Philippines