Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines

18/10/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines.

(Updated 18 October 2018)

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.”

What PhilFAQS Will Tell 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.

So Here’s Your Homework Assignment Do it Now, Please.

How To Retire in the Philippines with $200,000 of Savings

17/10/2018 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

How To Retire in the Philippines with $200,000 of Savings?

(Updated 17 October 2018)

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:

How To Retire in the Philippines With No Money

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

Is Getting Married a Quick Way to the USA?

16/10/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Is Getting Married a Quick Way to the USA?

(Updated 16 October 2018)

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).

If A Filipino Marriage Isn’t Recorded, Does It Exist?

15/10/2018 by admin Leave a Comment

If A Filipino Marriage Isn’t Recorded, Does It Exist?

(updated 13 October 2018)

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.

Let me first make two disclaimers:

I am not a lawyer and nothing I write here should be considered legal advice, it’s my personal opinion and personal interpretations ONLY.
I would never, knowingly, advocate EVER, under any circumstances falsifying documents being submitted to the US government.

That being said, let’s hear from my reader:

My Reader’s Question

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.

What do you think, is she really married?

Top 10 Art Schools – 2018

09/10/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Top 10 Art Schools – 2017

Art Schools in the Philippines.

(Last updated 8 October 2018)

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.

Ba Baba Ba — Going Down in the Philippines

06/10/2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Don’t Ask For What You Don’t Want.

(Last updated 06 October 2018)

Why Don’t People Ask For What They Want?

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.

Funny Filipino Words

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

Ha ha JJ, ha ha (or should I say, ha hahaha ha?

Making It Hard On Yourself In The Philippines

03/10/2018 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Making It Hard On Yourself In The Philippines.

(updated 30 Jul 2018)

Why would people want to make it hard on themselves?

Especially when breaking the law and prison time is involved?

Frankly, when the consequences of breaking a law include possible prison time, I personally become very law abiding … you can be sure of that.

But what about a law that seems ancient and virtually obsolete to many Westerners?

Adultery.

You Have To Make Decisions Before You Die

24/09/2018 by Dave Starr 4 Comments

Making decisions before you die.

(Updated 24 September 2018)

Most People Who Die Don’t Want To Die and Most Are Not Ready For It.

I think that is a pretty well-accepted statement above. We all know we are going to die, but except for the sad case f suicide, virtually none of us wants to die. And we sure are not ready right now. Most of us know there are many things we would like to straighten out and make right before that last morning wakeup.

You Can’t Make Things Perfect, But You Can Try

Especially if you move to the Philippines, you usual;y have more loose ends than you bargained for. For the sake of your loved ones, and especially children you may have left behind, please give things some thought BEFORE that moment when all your earthly thinking will stop.

I Get Messages Like This All The Time, And They Make Me Sad.

Do It Yourself or Ask For Help in the Philippines

23/09/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Do It Yourself or Ask For Help in the Philippines.

(Updated 22 Sep 2018)

I had fun writing about my waiting for the chicken article centered around getting my car fixed. I’m glad some other folks enjoyed it also.

I actually had fun that day living out the experience too … why? I feel, mainly (except for the un-invited summoning of Philip), I was on my own.

Not knowing the language “to speak of” and often being a bit ignorant of local customs, it can sometimes seem a bit daunting to go off on your own to get things done. But always having to have an interpreter/helper/shepherd guiding you can be very wearing at times as well.

Many Foreigners Refuse To Have Fun in the Philippines

Just Fall In Line Behind The Chicken

22/09/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Just Fall In Line Behind The Chicken.

(Last Updated 21 Seo 2018)

Hauling Out and Dusting Off An Old Favorite

I first published this post nearly 10 years ago. It’s always been a favorite of mine because it tells a lot about what it’s really like to live in the Philippines, day by day.

It has had its share of readership but it is now buried so far back in the archives hardly anyone is ever going to find it, so I decided to dust it off, polish it up and make a few edits to bring it up to the present.

How Did The Chicken Get In Here?

A while back I took my car to the dealer for its routine 40,000-kilometer service (that’s about 25,000 miles for the Metrically challenged out there).

Yep, four years now of living in the Philippines and car ownership in the Philippines and I have accumulated 25,000 miles already?

Already? Heck, I would have run up that many miles back in Colorado in only a year … one of the many reasons that living here is much cheaper than living in the US, even if you insist on the luxury of your own car.

It’s now 12 years living here and I have just over 100,000 km (60,000 miles.)