indeed, thanks for summing up our observations that we had so much trouble putting into words hehe, i think that alone explains this whole mentality with many OFWs and migrant filipinos.. :)

:lol::lol: hindi ka naman mukhang 39, francis.. 38 lang. j/k :D:D hehe!
well at least, you have done all those (travelling to far places) without having to work abroad or migrate. that in itself is already an achievement, you should be proud of yourself :cheers::cheers:
and thats what i was telling this forumer, not everything is hopeless in PI and people can make it here, if they at least try. :)



:lol: Juan, actually 38 talaga ang sinabi, implicitly. matagal na yun. inaassume ko lang, 39 na siguro ngayon ang mukha ko. pero magagamit minsan ang katandaan as a leverage. buti ka nga mukhang bata pa rin. hehehe...
(well, are you in Manila?)

Travelling has become very common especially if you work with BPO, KPOs and Shared Services offices. if you work with american company with clients in the US, chances are, you will be a frequent traveller to the US. I know a company who sent the whole team to the US. Sometimes it's the staff who refuses the travel.

Members of one team of our company travels to Geneva every so often.
Some team gets sent to our client countries like Kenya, Haiti, Ecuador, Venezuela, Nigeria, Cameroon, Bangladesh. etc.
Another team working for NGO and the likes of WorldBank have clients in Japan, Sri Lanka, etc.
Mostly, exotic places. :D :nuts:

In my case, i don't have much choice. I have to make myself available anytime for any possible location. Early this year, I planned a weekend holiday trip to Cebu and Bohol for the whole family. Gift for my twin siblings who were graduating from elem. Bought the tickets and arranged for accom. Suddenly my boss asked me to go with him to China. Sayang naman ang nabayaran ko na, kaya tumuloy na lang din sila without me. :nuts: Simula nun, hindi na ako nagplano ng ganung bakasyon. Ang mga airline promos pa naman, months ahead kung lumalabas. Hehehe...

At least I get to see exotic places like Mali (closest I can get to Timbuktu!!!). lols...I have no idea yet what's next. :D

Yeah, this is true, even other asians are the same way with caucasians when they see one. To add more with filipinos or filipinas mostly, they would say "para maganda ang anak" funny thing is that, it seems the filipino blood is stronger so the children ended up looking like the mother mostly so, I don't mean to look down on them but heck, they end up being "butt ugly" LMAO There are those few who has good features even if they are not that attractive, this is where you see nice looking offspring when mixed to a caucasian, but then again, those whose kids turn ugly, if you look at both sides of the coin, usually the caucasian guy is also someone who most american white women would pick out of the crowd, the only difference is, if you're not living with majority of caucasians, when one wandered around your neighborhood /country, the local asians thinks the caucasian men or women are hot until they live with the majority of them, then you would realize, OMG, i married a reject!! LOL I'm partly just joking on that last part, somehow it is still true.

You're a medical professional. I'm sure you know what I'm alluding to when I say Thomas Morgan's work on Drosophila and Gregor Mendel's work on pea plants. Here's a simplistic explanation:

(1st generation): pangit (ooops, exotic) x good looking
(2nd generation): equals 2 offspring, half-half = meaning, still good looking
and then these 2 offspring will marry and bear children
(3rd generation) of which there is a 1 in 4 chance of the offspring being good looking, a 2 in 4 chance of the offspring being half-half, and a 1 in 4 chance the offspring will be "exotic". Too bad if you are the "Exotic" grandchild:nuts::lol:

I can relate to these because I was being teased as indian(bumbay) growing up until HS and considering I use to have a close friend from India in school( I had two, a boy I can only remember now as Doughlatt Chandirimani and a Danish friend named Chris Hansen), its either they are extremely nice to us or mean (mostly him not me), you know how kids are sometimes. And then some parents would ask their children don't get too close or befriend Indian because they smell like a rotten coconut oil or since back then the Indian people was a source of "scare" when I believe they were the ones who has some sort of poison on their hands that when it touches anybody, would cause either convulsion or death... I can't remember too well because I was little back then. But I know, even our grand parents would caution us being around "bumbay" because apparently they kidnap little children and use their blood as an offer to prayers and spray the blood in any structures being constructed to make it stronger, ofcourse these are just one of those "kuwentong kuchero" and I realized those as I was growing up. I think its a bit funny but it is also mean.


wait, are you saying this prejudice against bumbays is not unique to filipinos and that it exists even in mainstream US? cos i know you grew up in midwest unless your classmates who were teasing you are all flips too.. anyway, youre not alone on this, i know exactly what its like to be called bumbay haha, but as NT said, good thing it's not really that bad if you're in the city.. thanks to BPOs there are more and more people like us these days :lol::lol: j/k!:D

Wow, the kuwentong kuchero is really mean! It's like "avoid Bumbay looking folk" like the plague! That's actually bordering on racism already...reminds me of the recent developments of "The Hobbit" movie (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10691068)...

And being kids once, we were so impressionable! :lol:

Nowadays, I find it interesting to get the points of view of other nationalities. Of course, just like Pinoys, each nationality has its own good and bad apples. Just make sure you deal with the good apples most of the time!:lol:

I am enjoying this thread very much now.. Kakaiba pag nakakausap ang mga kababayan natin all over the world. :):cheers:

Nice to read about that. Yes, this thread has become far more interesting after .fengrun was banned a third time.

indeed, thanks for summing up our observations that we had so much trouble putting into words hehe, i think that alone explains this whole mentality with many OFWs and migrant filipinos.. :)

You're welcome, but thanks a lot more for sharing your experiences in this thread.

:lol: Juan, actually 38 talaga ang sinabi, implicitly. matagal na yun. inaassume ko lang, 39 na siguro ngayon ang mukha ko. pero magagamit minsan ang katandaan as a leverage. buti ka nga mukhang bata pa rin. hehehe...
(well, are you in Manila?)

:lol::lol: sira! haha you must be one of the pioneers in the BPO industry having gone to so many places already, astig!! and yes, i know all about those perks, my bro who chose to stay in Manila and work in this US company had been telling me to come home and work there haha! now he flies more to the US and europe than me, :( he heads the country operations of one of them so he flies like every other week "to meet clients"--dun really know what he means by that but, amazing innit.

but anyway, im home now after im done with my studies but i dunno, i feel like im leaving again soon, cos its different when you've gone so used already to the ways abroad? you know, those independence issues and convenience but my bro doesnt mind cos like you, he's doin well here already :cheers::cheers:

and don't forget the to plant the flag in Timbuktu heehee, take pix, lots of them :D

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:lol::lol: sira! haha you must be one of the pioneers in the BPO industry having gone to so many places already, astig!! and yes, i know all about those perks, my bro who chose to stay in Manila and work in this US company had been telling me to come home and work there haha! now he flies more to the US and europe than me, :( he heads the country operations of one of them so he flies like every other week "to meet clients"--dun really know what he means by that but, amazing innit.

but anyway, im home now after im done with my studies but i dunno, i feel like im leaving again soon, cos its different when you've gone so used already to the ways abroad? you know, those independence issues and convenience but my bro doesnt mind cos like you, he's doin well here already :cheers::cheers:

and don't forget the to plant the flag in Timbuktu heehee, take pix, lots of them :D

Oo, wagi yun! Imagine, kahit asa Timbuktu, may Pilipino! :D

wait, are you saying this prejudice against bumbays is not unique to filipinos and that it exists even in mainstream US? cos i know you grew up in midwest unless your classmates who were teasing you are all flips too.. anyway, youre not alone on this, i know exactly what its like to be called bumbay haha, but as NT said, good thing it's not really that bad if you're in the city.. thanks to BPOs there are more and more people like us these days :lol::lol: j/k!:D

That was in the Philippines. I was shipped to the Philippines when I was a kid??:lol::lol: Those two kids I mentioned before went to the same school as I did. But, there are some prejudices against bumbays in the midwest as well, it's more on their accents because most Bumbay in the US are usually hotel owners or doctors so they also get respect from the main society. In the Philippines, it's an entirely different prejudicism, I just can't tell if it's economic biases or what because when pinoys lay down jokes about bumbay, it's always about kulambo or five-six.

That was in the Philippines. I was shipped to the Philippines when I was a kid??:lol::lol: Those two kids I mentioned before went to the same school as I did. But, there are some prejudices against bumbays in the midwest as well, it's more on their accents because most Bumbay in the US are usually hotel owners or doctors so they also get respect from the main society. In the Philippines, it's an entirely different prejudicism, I just can't tell if it's economic biases or what because when pinoys lay down jokes about bumbay, it's always about kulambo or five-six.
so 80's naman yang kulambo:D
Dibidi na ngayon:D:lol:LMAOOOOOOOOO:lol:

^^
Nasungitan ako nung Indian na receptionist dati sa hotel sa US. Pagtapos ng kapagod at delayed na flight, at misrouted na baggage. He speaks with strong Indian accent. Asar. At least yung mga sumunod na Indian na nakausap ko maayos naman. Kaya di talaga dapat maggeneralize about a certain nationality.

I think the accent problem with them is mainly with the old folks. Usually if you get shipped to the US during childhood, they adopt the accent as they grow up. Unless they surround themselves forever with Brit-Indian speaking relatives.

:lol::lol: sira! haha you must be one of the pioneers in the BPO industry having gone to so many places already, astig!! and yes, i know all about those perks, my bro who chose to stay in Manila and work in this US company had been telling me to come home and work there haha! now he flies more to the US and europe than me, :(


Sira! :lol: walang tumama. Hehe...
I'm not a pioneer of anything. Saka sa affiliates lang ako nakikipag "meet" at hindi sa clients. So technically, I'm not into BPO.
Simpleng worker lang. Not even part of the management team now. Saka hindi frequent and trip. Mga every other month lang. Or minsan every month. Yung iba local lang. Hehe...


he heads the country operations of one of them so he flies like every other week "to meet clients"--dun really know what he means by that but, amazing innit.


it's really meeting up clients. i think. if he's with project management, it's the user acceptance test stuff probably. but since he heads the ops, it must be serious business stuff. :D

lucky him. he enjoys those perks at very young age. :okay:


but anyway, im home now after im done with my studies but i dunno, i feel like im leaving again soon, cos its different when you've gone so used already to the ways abroad? you know, those independence issues and convenience but my bro doesnt mind cos like you, he's doin well here already :cheers::cheers:


hah, paalis ka na? di man lang namin nalaman na dumating ka??!

re independence, i know what you mean. it's good to be independent. your success in being one depends on how responsible and mature you are. as you grow up (naks, parang nagpapayo sa teener) you develop deeper sense of responsibility that comes over time, and sometimes, you learn things by trial and error. not a good way to learn things, imo.


and don't forget the to plant the flag in Timbuktu heehee, take pix, lots of them :D

hehe...kung makakaalis ako dito sa capital. i dunno how safe it is outside. i'm hesitant to ask the guys here as they might misinterpret my question. remember the guys in uniform we have in NAIA T1? they have their own version here. in uniform, with IDs. I have no idea if the ID is fake or not. they offer to help you find your hotel...etc. what really bothers me is the fact that they can freely access to the arrival area - right there in the baggage carousel. :ohno: that wasn't a very nice welcome to foreigners. :(


Nice to read about that. Yes, this thread has become far more interesting after .fengrun was banned a third time.


There's a report that tells the mod if two or more usernames appear to be of the same person, i.e., using the same IP add. And I think there's a way to ban by IP instead of doing it on a per username.

Baka dynamic ang IP ni fengrun or gumagamit ng iba ibang terminals.

Oo, wagi yun! Imagine, kahit asa Timbuktu, may Pilipino! :D

:lol: wagi? parang Maggi Wagi! (old tagline ng Maggi cubes) Lol
malay natin, baka marami nang nakarating dun na seaman. hindi nga yata yun bundok. sabi nila disyerto daw. di ako makapaniwala. gusto kong sabihin..."are you kidding me?" kaso baka sabihin sa akin - marunong ka pa, eh kami ang nakatira dito. siempre hindi ko na sinabi kung bakit alam na alam ko ang Timbuktu.

Tinatanong kanina ng receptionist kung ano nationality ko at pinaggalingan.

Receptionist 1: Ahh Thailand?
Me: Hm, near Thailand. Near China.
Rec 1: Ahh...near China.
Rec 2: You have your new president.
Me: Ahh yes, Ninoy Aquino.

Narealize ko, ngayon ngayon lang. Si Noynoy pala. lols...

May bookstore dito sa baba. Puro naman French. Nakakatuwang marinig pag blacks/Africans ang nagsasalita ng French.

"Para viajar sin dinero, MARINERO.."
("To travel without money, be a seaman") :D

OFWs do have the gift and opportunity of experiencing travel and different cultures in the host country they end up in. With this in mind however, most people are under the wrong impression that the only way to experience all these is to slave it off abroad.

And this is where i agree with fengrun. I know he has this obnoxious way of addressing this wrong notion that has become somewhat of a national policy and aspiration, but i do believe this has to be tamed and curtailed by the government, the media and education. You don't have to be an OFW to experience this 'privilege' and you CAN make it in the Philippines! you can work and save money here, and with the easing of travel restrictions abroad and more affordable airfares being offered by budget airlines, you can travel with the pesos you earn. Im not taking sides with fengrun here but he does have some valid points :)

I know many people here on SSC working in Metro Manila/Cebu who are frequent travellers. That generalization of travel and the 'good life' as something that is only possible going the OFW route is REALLY something that has to be stopped because it's not cute. :)

There are jobs for those who stay. For those who choose to migrate, good luck.
But remember, that doesn't make you taller than them. :2cents:

I guess that's the whole point that fengrun was trying to make.

Just thought I'd share something that happened quite recently since your post reminded me of it.

I was in South America visiting the Iguazu Falls (on the Brazilian side) when I ran into a tour group composed of elderly people, mostly Filipinos. One of them, an old woman, told me that she was coming from London. London, she emphasized, because if she was still in the Philippines she wouldn't be there (sightseeing in South America).

I was left speechless, of course, and just stared at her while she rejoined her group.

^^
Nasungitan ako nung Indian na receptionist dati sa hotel sa US. Pagtapos ng kapagod at delayed na flight, at misrouted na baggage. He speaks with strong Indian accent. Asar. At least yung mga sumunod na Indian na nakausap ko maayos naman. Kaya di talaga dapat maggeneralize about a certain nationality.

Baka dynamic ang IP ni fengrun or gumagamit ng iba ibang terminals.

Makukulit ang pure blooded bumbay lalo na ang mga lalake, may pagkatamad pa ng kaunti. Mga babae nila okay naman. very enterprising lang sila at business minded kaya successful usually.

you're probably right. that was a kind of insensitive thing to say..
but then there's no denying the fact that this demographic is the most likely to possess this slave mentality that ED suggested. a slave once freed from their cage they call the homeland, and began mingling with their pale-skinned idols will start thinking they're too privileged already and think they're in the same rank of superiority specially if they get to marry one or acquire the same godly citizenship. :lol: and thats when the whole trouble starts and they start looking down on their co-slaves and the whole slaveland. :lol::lol:

again, these are just observations from our experiences. i don't doubt the work ethics and integrity of our OFWs, however when it comes to how they treat their country and fellow filipinos after, they just act shit. really ignorant attitude :D

You derfinitely have a point on this one.....however I am having trouble understanding what you are trying to imply when you say "mingling with their pale-skinned idols" "thinking they're too privileged" "same rank and superiority"
and when you referring to migrant workers as slaves................"

Meaning ....brown skinned migrant worker should act diffirently from the caucasians? Idolizing....the paled-skinned....you're dead wrong, partner. Only people that could not easily assimilate in the main stream and doesn't have any social skills at all would idolized any race. No offense, I am sure you're smart and educated. There are certain life skills that are vital to function with in the society that not all highly educated people are capable of acquiring it.:)

Let me ask you this.....how would you like those low class people from the impoverised, remote farming community in the Philippines fortunate enough to migrate or married a pale-skinned person?:) act or behave?

Would you like them to be submissive, timid, shy just like how they use to act/behaved when they are with city guy/gal (PINOY) in the Philippines,
making them looks like slave, and uneducated, and ignorrant.

Do you still want to see them work like a slave 24/7 just like working for a wealthy Pinoy in the Philippines where they have to address their employer
as "Dona/Don" "Senora/Senor" "Senorita" "Senorito" or Sir/Ma'am...no medical or insurance. Everytime I read the word slave makes me cringes......honestly.

You're making it sounds like it is the norm among migrant workers....and it is not.

My wife and i met a wonderful couple 5 years back. Wife from Cebu, is a CPA, and the husband a lawyer is from Pampanga. Looking at them at the time we met them, we thought they must be kidding coming to Canada, after telling us about their wonderful affluent life in Makati. True....was obvious, the way they presented themselves.

Wife asked our phone No. because they wanted to visit us and show us their product.

Saturday, around 3 pm on a beautiful summer day in August, they finally showed up. My wife and I were working in our front yard.

Wife said...Uy ang laki at ang ganda naman ang bahay ng amo ninyo. May indor pool pa pala,Suerte naman ninyong magasawa at hi-nire kayung dalawa. Magkano naman ang sueldo ninyong magasawa bilang katulong?

My wife and I just smiled. Before one of us could respond another question.

Husband: Saan yung amo ninyo....naka "Holiday ba sila"

Before I could respond.....our neighbour next door showed up and said...hey guys you're working in you yard again....don't make us feel guilty, please

Bahay ninyo ba talaga ito....".wow still indoubt". Yeah because we looked exactly the same as those low class people from the empoverished remote farming community of Isabela. Although my wife is from Cebu. Nasty huh:bash:

true.. and if i may add, those flips who look down on their country and badmouth it to foreigners and other people are usually those from the rural places which unfortunately account for the great majority of immigrants/OFWs and who are ignorant. if only these migrants and OFWs had experienced the luxury of living in cities like Manila, Cebu or Davao before migrating abroad then they wouldn't have been easily wowed and bought by their new environment and would all have a more pleasant memory of their country.

unfortunately, most of them got shipped straight from their slaveville in the boondocks and farmlands to civilization, with no idea that the country actually has skyscrapers :lol: again, notice how most of them come from impoverished provinces, Samar, Ilocos, Pangasinan, Zamboanga, Cagayan, Leyte. and they would describe the whole country to foreigners the way they last saw their condition in their province.

the media doesn't help to educate them either, like how often do they show Makati, Ortigas, BGC or the new Cebu on local channels and TFC? they see nothing but poverty in the news! all the pleasant stuff about progress and developments are only shown exclusively on the english cable channel ANC (and Skyscrapercity.com) which the prospective migrant has no access to, thereby leaving him ignorant for the rest of his ofw life. :)

I understand that there are highrises/skyscrapers in MM, Cebu and Davao. But unfortunately behind those facades of wealth and affluence are the undeniable poverty and slums, squatters in tents and other form of social decay. Poverty in every forms are everywhere not only in the remote areas of the country. I am not being facatious or anything for this matter or ill- reputing the country I was born, sometimes we need to talked about good/or bad if it affects every aspect of life in the Philippines. Don't listen only to words you like to listen to but to unpleasant comment as well if we want to improve, and move to the right directions.

Makukulit ang pure blooded bumbay lalo na ang mga lalake, may pagkatamad pa ng kaunti. Mga babae nila okay naman. very enterprising lang sila at business minded kaya successful usually.

That's something we should learn from them. It can actually translate into becoming good business managers of corporations. I was surprised yesterday when suddenly two guys entered the room while we were having a training. Two dark-skinned guys - a local and a very dark Indian (but nevertheless good-looking). So I was introduced to them. They asked me how is the training going...etc. I didn't notice any strong accent. After theyve left, I asked..."who are those guys?"...turns out the Indian is a business mgr for the whole of Africa(!!!) the other one is the manager for local operations. (opps) :)

hehe...kung makakaalis ako dito sa capital. i dunno how safe it is outside. i'm hesitant to ask the guys here as they might misinterpret my question. remember the guys in uniform we have in NAIA T1? they have their own version here. in uniform, with IDs. I have no idea if the ID is fake or not. they offer to help you find your hotel...etc. what really bothers me is the fact that they can freely access to the arrival area - right there in the baggage carousel. :ohno: that wasn't a very nice welcome to foreigners. :(

i see, yea be careful with those fixers and tour peddlers, specially if you don't know any french, you don't wanna end up somewhere else like in a cannibal village (yikes!) with all your money and bags and even clothes taken. :lol::lol: But what if that was the real Timbuktu? jk! :D,

anyway, it always helps to research online beforehand and get tips on how to get to one place, how much it would cost, etc from people who's already gone there. try lonelyplanet.com or tripadvisor, anyways when in doubt, just say "allo vous ressemblez a Obama, au revoir" :D

Let me ask you this.....how would you like those low class people from the impoverised, remote farming community in the Philippines fortunate enough to migrate or married a pale-skinned person?:) act or behave?

You're making it sounds like it is the norm among migrant workers....and it is not.

haha i dunno, act normal? :D
hey its alright to feel fortunate and feel a certain gratitude for the differences in your life that Canada does to you. but fortunate can only go far.. see, theres a very fine line between knowing you're fortunate, maybe sharing the joy with a few friends, and overly displaying it to the point that you start to sound ignorant to people who overhear your every comparison between your life now and the misery you had back in PI that almost borders on badmouthing the whole country already. and that has been the main beef we have with many OFWs including migrant filipinos. and ED and NT provided the analysis as to why this mentality prevails, if i ever referred to migrant workers as slaves i was only using it in the context of the slave mentality that was suggested. sorry if you took it offensively but i couldn't agree more to what has been said by other forumers. :)

now, i don't know where you got the rest of your theories, but the only thing that irks me is when you hear them say stuff like "Walang ganyan sa Philippines!" "and "Kung sa Pilipinas yan, nanakawan ka pa", Basta, this general attitude towards everything and anything Pinoy. plus their biases against people of their own social background specially those that just arrived. don't tell me you've not heard nor experienced this. :)

I understand that there are highrises/skyscrapers in MM, Cebu and Davao. But unfortunately behind those facades of wealth and affluence are the undeniable poverty and slums, squatters in tents and other form of social decay. Poverty in every forms are everywhere not only in the remote areas of the country. I am not being facatious or anything for this matter or ill- reputing the country I was born, sometimes we need to talked about good/or bad if it affects every aspect of life in the Philippines. Don't listen only to words you like to listen to but to unpleasant comment as well if we want to improve, and move to the right directions.

haha no problem with me. but good or bad, once it is exaggerated and made to put the whole country down and them 'superior' or whatnot, then ill just laugh :D:)


Just thought I'd share something that happened quite recently since your post reminded me of it.

I was in South America visiting the Iguazu Falls (on the Brazilian side) when I ran into a tour group composed of elderly people, mostly Filipinos. One of them, an old woman, told me that she was coming from London. London, she emphasized, because if she was still in the Philippines she wouldn't be there (sightseeing in South America).

I was left speechless, of course, and just stared at her while she rejoined her group.

hey thanks for sharing your experience, sad as it may sound, but things like this really happen when you run into the typical migrant flip/ofw. i bet things will change tho as the homeland improves eventually :) :cheeers:

i see, yea be careful with those fixers and tour peddlers, specially if you don't know any french, you don't wanna end up somewhere else like in a cannibal village (yikes!) with all your money and bags and even clothes taken. :lol::lol: But what if that was the real Timbuktu? jk! :D,

anyway, it always helps to research online beforehand and get tips on how to get to one place, how much it would cost, etc from people who's already gone there. try lonelyplanet.com or tripadvisor, anyways when in doubt, just say "allo vous ressemblez a Obama, au revoir" :D




May lonely planet sa bookstore diyan sa baba. In French nga lang.

Baka di ako makauwi ng buhay pag nagkamali ako ng sinabi sa kanila! :lol:
Even when the driver of the hotel shuttle was asking me to go with him, I was skeptic. When he started asking if I work with mining something, that's the only time I believed him.

Kakatakot dito, kada umaga may mga naririnig akong mga chants katulad ng mga maririnig mo kada hapon diyan sa malapit sa mga Muslim mosque sa Manila.

Just thought I'd share something that happened quite recently since your post reminded me of it.

I was in South America visiting the Iguazu Falls (on the Brazilian side) when I ran into a tour group composed of elderly people, mostly Filipinos. One of them, an old woman, told me that she was coming from London. London, she emphasized, because if she was still in the Philippines she wouldn't be there (sightseeing in South America).

I was left speechless, of course, and just stared at her while she rejoined her group.

Well...isn't it true. The fact that she was fortunate to have migrated to London, and made her life quite well till she got to her old age, and now has a chance to travel. If she would have been still living in the Philippines she would have not made those trips. If her statement would have been hurled at me I would have just said graciously "Good for you ma'am, life is to short. Don't get too upset about the things you never had in the Philippines. You made it in London......enjoy. Things has changed in the Philippines, though. It is now an emerging economic powerhouse in Asia. If you have a chance, visit the country and I am sure you will change your view about the Philippines.:)

I heard lots....quite frankly, posting #598 pp30. is just classic example of the myriads of things about Pinoys/Philippines both good and bad.:) Just shurg it off.

Every time we hear something that seems a little bit off from the truth, we just smile and asked them when was the last time they have visited the Philippines, and where?

And if they see something that looks quite pecular/rare sight ie; skyscraper, parks, or any thing that every city in the world is a "must have" and they say "Wala yan sa Pilipinas", My wife and I would just say..."Mayroon din tayong ganyan sa Pinas" say it politely without making them looks too ignorant. Only If we have seen it in the Philippines though. "Kung sa Pilipinas yan, nakawan ka pa" Sometimes there is a lot of truth to this....remote areas in the country and in the big cities in the Philippines. Our respond basically is simple.."Kahit saan ka mang lugar, mayroong talagang nakawan":)

You are absolutely right @NTprime. OFW's/migrant behave they way they do because of ignorance. Specially the lowclass as you mentioned from the impoverish remote areas of the countries. It is quite overwhelming to experience a sudden shift in environment from where they are used to. However....my wife and I although not that highly educated...we learned though that somehow every human beings, marginalized/ignorrant and uneducated...deserves to be informed otherwise.

^^Ignorance and prejudice still remain in many OFWs/new migrants because they still are not exposed, i.e. not cosmopolitan. So what if they're now living in the States? Why, do they exactly live in gated communities, or among the really rich and famous? Chances are many of them are living just like you or me. It's really many are just trying to show off that "they've arrived", but in reality, they're also staying in communities where the better off Americans, Canadians, etc. would also look down on them. Pecking order, so to speak...they get pecked by the well-off Americans, whether in their community or at work, and then who is lower than them that they can peck down the line? Probably the Pinoy who just arrived who they think is not as well-versed or entrenched/settled in as they are. It's just like when you add a new pet hamster or fish to a cage/aquarium...the ones who are already there will bully the newcomer until the newcomer is adjusted...and so on.

The way you can deal with it is to probe where they came from back in the Philippines...for one, did they really come from a well-to-do community or family, or were they lucky they married a citizen of their new home country, or had a son or daughter who did? That's usually the case with older folk who were given the opportunity to migrate, c/o their children or spouse, and not of their own hard work. I personally look up to those who've made the hard decision to migrate on their own accord, and without the benefit of the help of others. People like most of you SSC forumers who are now migrants striving for a better life in your new home country...

My wife and i met a wonderful couple 5 years back. Wife from Cebu, is a CPA, and the husband a lawyer is from Pampanga. Looking at them at the time we met them, we thought they must be kidding coming to Canada, after telling us about their wonderful affluent life in Makati. True....was obvious, the way they presented themselves.

Wife asked our phone No. because they wanted to visit us and show us their product.

Saturday, around 3 pm on a beautiful summer day in August, they finally showed up. My wife and I were working in our front yard.

Wife said...Uy ang laki at ang ganda naman ang bahay ng amo ninyo. May indor pool pa pala,Suerte naman ninyong magasawa at hi-nire kayung dalawa. Magkano naman ang sueldo ninyong magasawa bilang katulong?

My wife and I just smiled. Before one of us could respond another question.

Husband: Saan yung amo ninyo....naka "Holiday ba sila"

Before I could respond.....our neighbour next door showed up and said...hey guys you're working in you yard again....don't make us feel guilty, please

Bahay ninyo ba talaga ito....".wow still indoubt". Yeah because we looked exactly the same as those low class people from the empoverished remote farming community of Isabela. Although my wife is from Cebu. Nasty huh:bash:

Ouch. Wonderful couple pala ha.

dapat kasi naka designer clothes palagi, yung orig para namn mag match sa mala palasyong bahay:D ayan tuloy akala katulong:D

sarap sipain noong dalawa:D sinong katulong?:D

Yez. Pero hindi tayo nag-iisa sa ganyan. Mukhang all over ASEAN yata yang ganyang mentalidad (except Singapore ha).


SG is not exempted :lol:

may ibang standards din dito para sa mga Ang Moh (local term for caucasian) :lol:

dapat kasi naka designer clothes palagi, yung orig para namn mag match sa mala palasyong bahay:D ayan tuloy akala katulong:D

sarap sipain noong dalawa:D sinong katulong?:D

Huwag na lang....pare...kawawa naman sila..:)

Yeah, we wear clothes for comfort and not to show off:) Plus we are not cosmopolitan....we are the "llittle ambassadors" representing the low class from the remote farming communities of Isabela. We are not used to wearing designer clothes...but we can afford to own home in a sought after neighbourhood in North America....because we work hard.:)

We are fortunate indeed....coming to Canada, but never would look down on our country of birth and other migrants...We treat everyone with respect. And if somehow someone says things about the "Philippines" that are untrue, because of his/her lack of knowledge about the Philippines, we just have to do the basic. "Inform" those who have no knowledge what the Philippines has ie; economy, tourism, investment, oh...foods....the adobo, milk fish and the pinakbet....yummy. To those who claims to be "Educated", Rather than sulking and doing nothing to mitigate such misunderstanding about the Philippines, take the opportunity to talk about what the country can offer. Calling them ignorant, and non-cosmopolitan would do more harm about the country than good. Become the "Ambassadors" to us here and other countries in the world....tell us what's new good/bad about the country. You have all tools and opportunity to do this because after all you're all "Globe Trotters" frequent fyers....able to see all those migrant like me that doesn't know much about the Philippines.

BTW hope you don't mind....me addressing you "Pare" ...specially from a retired 63 year old fart who is a granfather of 4...soon to be 5 if my gay son and his boyfriend finalized the adoption paper of their soon bundle of joy from Somalia.

Ouch. Wonderful couple pala ha.

That was our first impression...mind you:)

How was your trip by the way....must have been a great experience huh?

Have you tried the ice wine from Canada yet?:cheers:

My wife and I will be flying to the Philippines, hopefully we'll get there on time for the Holiday season...we're actually enroute to Jerusalem to see our daughter and her Cdn.Jew husband who is a pediatrician. We'll be flying with their two Children to the Philippines to experience the "Ilocano" Christmas in our farm.:cheers:

We're hoping that our only son who is gay...:) living with his Greek/Italian boyfrind in the Greek Island of Mykonos....would be able to come to the Philippines too. :cheers:

Actually, may naalala akong story na tulad sa iyo Ephesus29, one filipina who use to work in the same facilty we were working thinks our paycheck is about the same as her as a nurses aid. She is married to an American who use to be in the US Navy, needless to say how they met during their haydays... Anyway, to make a long story short, she assumed that we were getting paid just a bit over the minimum wage also inspite of the fact that she knew that we hired as a skilled professional level, perhaps she is not familiar fully on our profession. She kept on commenting on why at our age,( I was alot younger then)we bought a brandnew house and a brandnew automobile that is not even a luxury car but just equally expensive auto mobile. Ofcourse, I can't tell her how we were able to afford it. It was really hard to explain ourselves even though I knew we don't really have and need to explain ourselves to her. The only thing I mentioned was, it's an investment with a guaranteed return and as far as the car, we wanted to ensure a most reliable car because we started out as a traveler in that company that instead of getting a company car, we just chose to get paid with the mileage incured in our cars on top of the salary we initially negotiated before we signed up the formal employment offer. This is really the sad part there with alot of filipinos(not all again), they seem to never lose their ignorance inpite of the years of exposure in experiences in the country they are living in. They always stick with the black and white, they never consider looking at the grey aspect of life and be well rounded.

^^Ignorance and prejudice still remain in many OFWs/new migrants because they still are not exposed, i.e. not cosmopolitan. So what if they're now living in the States? Why, do they exactly live in gated communities, or among the really rich and famous? Chances are many of them are living just like you or me. It's really many are just trying to show off that "they've arrived", but in reality, they're also staying in communities where the better off Americans, Canadians, etc. would also look down on them. Pecking order, so to speak...they get pecked by the well-off Americans, whether in their community or at work, and then who is lower than them that they can peck down the line? Probably the Pinoy who just arrived who they think is not as well-versed or entrenched/settled in as they are. It's just like when you add a new pet hamster or fish to a cage/aquarium...the ones who are already there will bully the newcomer until the newcomer is adjusted...and so on.

The way you can deal with it is to probe where they came from back in the Philippines...for one, did they really come from a well-to-do community or family, or were they lucky they married a citizen of their new home country, or had a son or daughter who did? That's usually the case with older folk who were given the opportunity to migrate, c/o their children or spouse, and not of their own hard work. I personally look up to those who've made the hard decision to migrate on their own accord, and without the benefit of the help of others. People like most of you SSC forumers who are now migrants striving for a better life in your new home country...

I totally agree with you. However, to blanketly categorized that their ignorrant and prejudice is the reason to probe where they came from would not help, I thought:) It's not even needed. I am sure several forumers like you, would be able to act as an "Ambassador" to us migrant/OFW's who are not well informed about the Philippines. Educate us....you travell frequently because of your job...the opportunity is there for you to help us promote the "Philippines":cheers:

Actually, may naalala akong story na tulad sa iyo Ephesus29, one filipina who use to work in the same facilty we were working thinks our paycheck is about the same as her as a nurses aid. She is married to an American who use to be in the US Navy, needless to say how they met during their haydays... Anyway, to make a long story short, she assumed that we were getting paid just a bit over the minimum wage also inspite of the fact that she knew that we hired as a skilled professional level, perhaps she is not familiar fully on our profession. She kept on commenting on why at our age,( I was alot younger then)we bought a brandnew house and a brandnew automobile that is not even a luxury car but just equally expensive auto mobile. Ofcourse, I can't tell her how we were able to afford it. It was really hard to explain ourselves even though I knew we don't really have and need to explain ourselves to her. The only thing I mentioned was, it's an investment with a guaranteed return and as far as the car, we wanted to ensure a most reliable car because we started out as a traveler in that company that instead of getting a company car, we just chose to get paid with the mileage incured in our cars on top of the salary we initially negotiated before we signed up the formal employment offer. This is really the sad part there with alot of filipinos(not all again), they seem to never lose their ignorance inpite of the years of exposure in experiences in the country they are living in. They always stick with the black and white, they never consider looking at the grey aspect of life and be well rounded.

Ikaw din pala huh....It is sad...isn't it. But it is true. We need to educate our "Kapwa Pinoy". I do understand where some of our forumers are saying though, but doing nothing and calling them as non-cosmopolitan (true though)and ignorrant won't make the problem disappear. "We need " Ambassadors" for this category to deal with it. :)

Frankly my wife and I are immune to it and doesn't bother us that much anyways....We thought "too little stuff to sweat on" although it is quite interesting to talk about and share experiences, with others don't you agree?:)

Yeah, there is nothing you can do about alot of those. Some of them are too old to be changed. It is best to just respond to them the best way you can possibly respond or react. They are usually nice people also when you get to know them anyhow, now, those who has ego and personality problem, I just stay away from them and pretend I don't see them :lol:

I understand that there are highrises/skyscrapers in MM, Cebu and Davao. But unfortunately behind those facades of wealth and affluence are the undeniable poverty and slums, squatters in tents and other form of social decay. Poverty in every forms are everywhere not only in the remote areas of the country. I am not being facatious or anything for this matter or ill- reputing the country I was born, sometimes we need to talked about good/or bad if it affects every aspect of life in the Philippines. Don't listen only to words you like to listen to but to unpleasant comment as well if we want to improve, and move to the right directions.

Dito sa Vietnam, maski magbabasura, at least nakabihis ng maayos. Sa atin, kelangan talagang rags kung rags. Sabi ng kakilala kong foreigner, the Philippines DO NOT know how to put on a pretty face. Poverty is everywhere, but it seems in our rush to be "balanced", parang mukhang mas lalong napagtutuonan ng pansin ang bad side. Poverty is everywhere, decay is everywhere. But it seems mahilig tayong magdwell sa mga ganyan. I think we should highlight things that are more inspiring, more positive and more beautiful. Sa tingin ko nabrainwash na tayong lahat na parati na lang tayong kawawa kaya hindi na tayo maka-alis alis sa kawawa mentalidad.

Positive things reinforce positive things, IMO. The skyscrapers of Manhattan is a facade of false wealth whilst hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs each day in America. Ganun ganun lang din yun eh. Sa tingin ko, let us focus on things positive, yung masama baguhin pero we don't always need to air our dirty laundry in public.

Sa tingin ko lang naman. :)

Dito sa Vietnam, maski magbabasura, at least nakabihis ng maayos. Sa atin, kelangan talagang rags kung rags. Sabi ng kakilala kong foreigner, the Philippines DO NOT know how to put on a pretty face. Poverty is everywhere, but it seems in our rush to be "balanced", parang mukhang mas lalong napagtutuonan ng pansin ang bad side. Poverty is everywhere, decay is everywhere. But it seems mahilig tayong magdwell sa mga ganyan. I think we should highlight things that are more inspiring, more positive and more beautiful. Sa tingin ko nabrainwash na tayong lahat na parati na lang tayong kawawa kaya hindi na tayo maka-alis alis sa kawawa mentalidad.

Positive things reinforce positive things, IMO. The skyscrapers of Manhattan is a facade of false wealth whilst hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs each day in America. Ganun ganun lang din yun eh. Sa tingin ko, let us focus on things positive, yung masama baguhin pero we don't always need to air our dirty laundry in public.

Sa tingin ko lang naman. :)

Tama ka @riain, sabi nga noong mga mostly american expats, tayo pa raw mga immigrants/OFW ang sumisisira sa bansa natin. Our dirty laundry's is a sad reality but we should not add more dirt for all of us to suffer.

See their forum:

http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/2010/12/philippine-tourism-what-is-the-real-problem/

I totally agree with you. However, to blanketly categorized that their ignorrant and prejudice is the reason to probe where they came from would not help, I thought:) It's not even needed. I am sure several forumers like you, would be able to act as an "Ambassador" to us migrant/OFW's who are not well informed about the Philippines. Educate us....you travell frequently because of your job...the opportunity is there for you to help us promote the "Philippines":cheers:

Oh, I deal with people as I see fit, especially through first impressions. But I am always open to changing that first impression if the other makes an effort to make himself/herself understood better. "Seek ye first to understand, then to be understood." Often people who make nasty comments like that during first meetings are lacking in their paradigms, i.e. they haven't been exposed to others other than what they have back home, or even through reading or watching the news. If they add an arrogant attitude to that, then I can already adjust my response to the way I think will do best in the situation.

I know this very well because there are some people who are "malakas ang dating", including yours truly. So there alone I can tell if people are easily intimidated or not. Perhaps those who say nasty things about others out of ignorance or on purpose are trying to intimidate the other, so in which case, I give them the Jewish approach (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth). Often they will either realize they have offended already and will ask for an apology, or they will even dig their heels further. If it is the latter, then I am not going to waste my time with them, especially if they can be ignored. But if they are a neighbor or I expect to deal with them often, then I can try all tactics to determine if their personality is really like that or it was just a misstep the first time around. Just like people in SSC, there are nice people, arrogant people, and so on including the trolls and flamers who have fun in inciting strong reactions from other forumers.

Having read what you wrote a few posts ago, I would say I like your approach to expressing your opinion, especially the friendly way you invited fengrun to see Vancouver, Whistler, and the other nice sights there. In fact, I know how you feel when you wrote in the Philippine Economy thread archives post no. 13369 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=64095277&highlight=#post64095277) about others giving scathing remarks at you, such as "a bird perched on a cow....etc.etc.". I admire you for not fighting back, but expressing your sincere opinion...if that happened to me, I would have blasted whoever started calling names as a last result to losing an discussion without being man enough to admit it...

Anyway, we had good discussions in this OFW thread early September with a number of posts coming from you. But then fengrun appeared and it went downhill since then. Now that he's banned a third time, and hasn't reappeared in a reincarnation so far, I wish that this thread continue the way it has for the past few days...in fact xxxriainxxx said he's enjoying this thread.

So thank you for the discussions, I myself also find it a good perspective of how our kababayans manage to succeed in their newly adopted land.

OT: Speaking of "ambassador", there's this social network called Internations (www.internations.org), where they have locals and expatriates interact a lot by organizing various events (aside from forum discussions). Just thinking you might find it interesting...

Pre-departure orientation seminar a must – OWWA
December 5, 2010, 5:03pm

ILOILO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – The pre-departure orientation seminar (PDOS) is a must for all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) here.

OWWA Regional Director Samuel Madrid said the PDOS is also required for potential OFWs applicants planning to work mostly in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and parts of the Asia Pacific.

“It is mandatory,” he stressed, adding that OFWs are not allowed to work if they have not undergone a PDOS.

Madrid said the PDOS is an exercise conceptualized to prevent the possibility of OFWs being recruited illegally.

It also orients OFWs on what to expect when they arrive at their country of destination so that they are able to cope with feeling homesick, among other things.

“They are being given the worst scenario of what may happen if they are already there. If they are determined to go there in spite of the situation, then it is expected that they will have a high tolerance level and coping mechanism,” he emphasized.

Some 126,285 sea-based and 20,325 land-based OFWs have gone through a PDOS at the OWWA office here during the period covering January to September this year.

The OWWA has also conducted a similar activity with some 118,934 members of non-government organizations (NGOs), 85,831 coming from inter-agency entities and 2,235 participants from other sectors during the same period.

Furthermore, 900 have attended PDOS in Canada, 29 in Norway, 79 at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and three in Switzerland.

The PDOS at the OWWA office here is held every Monday and Thursday.

In addition to PDOS, the OWWA also extends Comprehensive Pre-Departure Education Program (CPDEP-Devcen) on languages such as Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hebrew, Italian, English and other languages.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/291139/predeparture-orientation-seminar-a-must-owwa

Dito sa Vietnam, maski magbabasura, at least nakabihis ng maayos. Sa atin, kelangan talagang rags kung rags. Sabi ng kakilala kong foreigner, the Philippines DO NOT know how to put on a pretty face. Poverty is everywhere, but it seems in our rush to be "balanced", parang mukhang mas lalong napagtutuonan ng pansin ang bad side. Poverty is everywhere, decay is everywhere. But it seems mahilig tayong magdwell sa mga ganyan. I think we should highlight things that are more inspiring, more positive and more beautiful. Sa tingin ko nabrainwash na tayong lahat na parati na lang tayong kawawa kaya hindi na tayo maka-alis alis sa kawawa mentalidad.

Positive things reinforce positive things, IMO. The skyscrapers of Manhattan is a facade of false wealth whilst hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs each day in America. Ganun ganun lang din yun eh. Sa tingin ko, let us focus on things positive, yung masama baguhin pero we don't always need to air our dirty laundry in public.

Sa tingin ko lang naman. :)

Just wondering, do the Vietnamese men also parade around their community without their shirts on? Like the kanto tambays in most lower class neighborhoods of Metro Manila who have nothing but beer bellies to show off:bash: The most similar situations I can think of are the scenes of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, and some parts of Port-au-Prince. I wonder if this is because of the heat, you don't see these as much in temperate countries during colder seasons. But then again, we don't see these kind of shirtlessness in men in the Arab countries, right?

I think proper decorum and grooming put a country and its people a notch above, even though the country may be poor. Add a little modesty to that and any poor neighborhood can have its respect.

I just had a breakfast meet with a businessman from Djiouti, we talked about a lot of things until the topic turned to both our countries. I was completely taken aback about when he asked me about how was the "demonstrations" going in the Philippines, if it has stopped already. I was a bit confounded until i recalled the news lastweek regarding the "kuliglig" and the "skolar ng bayan" rally that turned violent. I had to grapple for words on how to explain it to him why these things are happening "always" in our country, that the only thing i can think of is tell him that it's part of our democratic rights but unfortunately, most sectors take these rights extremely or abuse it. He told me that it's not good for the country to be always in protest and to give the "man" a chance (this i don't really know what he meant) and i have no come back to that but to agree with him. I also added that since Marcos time, i can't remember where there was no protest, rallies, demonstration held against President X or whoever is in charge in our country.

Now let me ask the question to you guys here as an OFW, did i just bash my country for not telling a lie on the african guy? It looks to me he has a poor judgment on the way WE are helping our nation and i wouldn't blame him for holding that view.

So, did i fall on that category of OFW's you people are discussing here?

Tama ka @riain, sabi nga noong mga mostly american expats, tayo pa raw mga immigrants/OFW ang sumisisira sa bansa natin. Our dirty laundry's is a sad reality but we should not add more dirt for all of us to suffer.

See their forum:

http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/2010/12/philippine-tourism-what-is-the-real-problem/


Kasama na dyan ang media.

Just wondering, do the Vietnamese men also parade around their community without their shirts on? Like the kanto tambays in most lower class neighborhoods of Metro Manila who have nothing but beer bellies to show off:bash: The most similar situations I can think of are the scenes of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, and some parts of Port-au-Prince. I wonder if this is because of the heat, you don't see these as much in temperate countries during colder seasons. But then again, we don't see these kind of shirtlessness in men in the Arab countries, right?

I think proper decorum and grooming put a country and its people a notch above, even though the country may be poor. Add a little modesty to that and any poor neighborhood can have its respect.


Bihira ka makakita ng nakashirtless dito, as per observation ko ha. May mangila ngilan lang. Maski yung tipong Manong na ang trabaho ay tagaxerox lang, nakaslacks pa at naka longsleeve na polo. Nawindang ako. These guys dont earn a lot ha. But they can teach some Pinoys some proper grooming.

Yung downside, mabantot sila. Shucks. I carry Glade with me everywhere. Nagiispray ako sa taxi.

I hate going to the places na matatao here like supermarket kasi some (some not everyone) of them literally, and no joking, smell like poo/fart.

Kahapon namili kami ng Xmas tree, Homaygad, people literally go to the supermarket at magpapicture sa Xmas tree. And badly designed trees at that. Shocking.:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I just had a breakfast meet with a businessman from Djiouti, we talked about a lot of things until the topic turned to both our countries. I was completely taken aback about when he asked me about how was the "demonstrations" going in the Philippines, if it has stopped already. I was a bit confounded until i recalled the news lastweek regarding the "kuliglig" and the "skolar ng bayan" rally that turned violent. I had to grapple for words on how to explain it to him why these things are happening "always" in our country, that the only thing i can think of is tell him that it's part of our democratic rights but unfortunately, most sectors take these rights extremely or abuse it. He told me that it's not good for the country to be always in protest and to give the "man" a chance (this i don't really know what he meant) and i have no come back to that but to agree with him. I also added that since Marcos time, i can't remember where there was no protest, rallies, demonstration held against President X or whoever is in charge in our country.

Now let me ask the question to you guys here as an OFW, did i just bash my country for not telling a lie on the african guy? It looks to me he has a poor judgment on the way WE are helping our nation and i wouldn't blame him for holding that view.

So, did i fall on that category of OFW's you people are discussing here?

Maybe not. But the thing is, we just need to explain these things to people further and clearer. Iwas tayo from saying any negative things, kasi narereinforce din ang paniwala ng tagalabas na talagang kasuklam suklam ang bansa natin. Tayo ang nakakaintindi at tayo ang may pinag-aralan, so sa atin nakaatang ang responsibilidad to represent our country well. These things I tell to my other Pinoy coworkers. Kasi kung mapahiya ang bansa natin, damay damay na tayo dun.

If I was in your shoes, I would have have handled maybe in a slightly different way. I would tell him that these demonstrations are blown up by the local and international media and I will give him a geography lesson that Manila does not constitute the entire country and Manila is BIG. So whatever demonstrations happen in one part do not necessarily paralyse the rest. I would also steer him to good things going on the country, economic numbers, tourism. To cap it off, I'd ask him, how is country dealing with the Somali pirates, and what can be found exactly in Djibouti aside from having military bases and the famed CECAP base of the French Foreign Legion?

Maybe not. But the thing is, we just need to explain these things to people further and clearer. Iwas tayo from saying any negative things, kasi narereinforce din ang paniwala ng tagalabas na talagang kasuklam suklam ang bansa natin. Tayo ang nakakaintindi at tayo ang may pinag-aralan, so sa atin nakaatang ang responsibilidad to represent our country well. These things I tell to my other Pinoy coworkers. Kasi kung mapahiya ang bansa natin, damay damay na tayo dun.

If I was in your shoes, I would have have handled maybe in a slightly different way. I would tell him that these demonstrations are blown up by the local and international media and I will give him a geography lesson that Manila does not constitute the entire country and Manila is BIG. So whatever demonstrations happen in one part do not necessarily paralyse the rest. I would also steer him to good things going on the country, economic numbers, tourism. To cap it off, I'd ask him, how is country dealing with the Somali pirates, and what can be found exactly in Djibouti aside from having military bases and the famed CECAP base of the French Foreign Legion?

Not really, i just can't say it's blown up by the media because filipinos really have this penchant on rallying or protesting. Besides, even if those last events only happened in Manila, it still reflects on the Philippines as a whole and no matter how you steer a person's sight away on these issues, people from other countries will always focus on the negative side of things even if they know about the good things.

I don't have to ask him about those you mentioned about his country as he himself put that on topic and he was quite aware of the position of their country and its capacity. He was just wondering why we who has more resources can't get our acts together and based on the filipinos he knows and meet here, he is impressed with us on how good we are on our jobs or fields, very hardworking and most are good natured. Maybe he was just wondering why inspite of that, we're lagging behind when it's not supposed to be.

UK set to limit entry of workers
By ROY C. MABASA
December 5, 2010, 5:45pm

MANILA, Philippines – Starting April 2011, the United Kingdom will impose limits on the number of non-European Union (EU) workers, including Filipinos, who may enter its borders for employment.

A British Embassy statement issued recently said that in accordance with a new ruling issued by UK Home Secretary Theresa May, the number of visas to be issued to skilled non-EU migrants without job offers, falling under Tier 1, would be cut by 13,000 to 1,000; and the corresponding number of visas to be issued to those with job offers, tagged under Tier 2, would increase by 7,000 to 20,700 – a reduction of one fifth from current levels.

The new ruling is in line with the UK government’s promise to reduce net migration – which, over the previous administration’s time in office, totaled more than 2.2 million people – more than double the population of Birmingham.

To achieve this goal, changes are being made across the immigration system - with the tightening of the economic routes just one part of a package of measures, the British Embassy said in a statement.

Likewise, based on the same ruling, there would be a new minimum salary of £40,000 for firms using intra-company transfers (ICTs) to bring their own people into the UK for more than a year to do specific jobs. Their stay in the UK will also will be restricted to five years.

As well as limiting the number of skilled non-EU workers businesses can bring into the country, the UK Home Office is tightening the intra-company transfer route which will sit outside the annual limit, and restricting Tier One – the ‘highly skilled’ tier - of the Points Based System (PBS) to all but entrepreneurs, investors, and people of exceptional talent.

The introduction of an annual limit was a pledge by the UK Coalition Government and will allow Britain to remain competitive in the international jobs market, while ensuring migrant labor is not used as a substitute for those already looking for work in the UK.

“Controlled migration has benefited the UK economically, socially, and culturally, but when immigration gets out of control, it places great pressure on our society, economy, and public services,” May was quoted as saying.

The UK Government was determined to make changes to Tier One when it was revealed that approximately a third of those coming through this route were actually doing low skilled jobs once they were in the UK. Businesses have made it clear that their priority is to fill their specific vacancies through Tier 2 (skilled worker category).

Applicants under Tier Two will still be required to apply for a visa from the UK Border Agency through the PBS, will have to be of graduate level, be sponsored by an employer and will be awarded points based on scarcity of skills and salary.

However they will be competing against other applicants for a visa to enter the UK and in months when the limit is oversubscribed those with the most points will qualify for one of the certificates of sponsorship available each month.

“The announcement has set out a clear, rational approach to which workers we will allow into the UK job market,” May said in a statement issued last November 23. “We have set out an approach which will not only get immigration down to sustainable levels but at the same time, protects those businesses and institutions which are vital to our economy.”

“We will take action on all routes into the UK and these changes are crucial if we are to limit the numbers coming here to work, while still attracting the brightest and the best to the UK. We have worked closely with businesses while designing this system, and listened to their feedback, but we have also made clear that as the recovery continues, we need employers to look first to people who are out of work and who are already in this country,” she added.

The United Kingdom only had a small population of Filipinos until the late 20th century. The number started to grow in the 1970s when immigration restrictions on Commonwealth citizens meant that employers had to find workers from other countries.

According to the UK Department of Employment, 20,226 work permits were issued to Filipinos alone between 1968 and 1980.

Some 47 percent of the work permits were issued for those who came to work in hospitals and welfare homes as hospital auxiliaries, catering workers and to nurse-trainees. The second biggest category of work permits were for chambermaids, followed by catering and waitering staff.

The National Health Service (NHS) started to recruit more Filipino nurses in the 1990s to make up a shortfall in local recruitment. A large number of Filipinos have also arrived as caregivers and work in public and private nursing homes.

Figures showed that there were approximately 200,000 Filipinos living in the United Kingdom as of 2007. In 2007, 10,840 Filipinos gained British citizenship, the second largest number of any nation after India, compared to only 1,385 in 2001.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/291142/uk-set-limit-entry-workers

Not really, i just can't say it's blown up by the media because filipinos really have this penchant on rallying or protesting. Besides, even if those last events only happened in Manila, it still reflects on the Philippines as a whole and no matter how you steer a person's sight away on these issues, people from other countries will always focus on the negative side of things even if they know about the good things.

I don't have to ask him about those you mentioned about his country as he himself put that on topic and he was quite aware of the position of their country and its capacity. He was just wondering why we who has more resources can't get our acts together and based on the filipinos he knows and meet here, he is impressed with us on how good we are on our jobs or fields, very hardworking and most are good natured. Maybe he was just wondering why inspite of that, we're lagging behind when it's not supposed to be.

It is. If there is a small demonstration made by few people in one tiny part of Manila, it becomes representative of the entire country. The media gives too much importance on these little protests. IMO, I think we should deflect things like this and not merely accept even such comments passively. It is a chance to engage them, so be it. I noticed that every time convos like these come up and when Pinoys become passive, this is misinterpreted by the foreigners that what they are saying is true. Like I said, that's how I would have handled it, please do not misconstrue that I am telling you what to do or act in such situations.

It is. If there is a small demonstration made by few people in one tiny part of Manila, it becomes representative of the entire country. The media gives too much importance on these little protests. IMO, I think we should deflect things like this and not merely accept even such comments passively. It is a chance to engage them, so be it. I noticed that every time convos like these come up and when Pinoys become passive, this is misinterpreted by the foreigners that what they are saying is true. Like I said, that's how I would have handled it, please do not misconstrue that I am telling you what to do or act in such situations.

I disagree with you about this passiveness regarding what i did because it is true and you can't deny that. It would be like burying your head under the sand. Our penchant on rallying or protesting is indeed one of the hindrances of going forward as we keep pulling ourselves down. I did tell him though that those people are just a small sector in the city of Manila (before anyone bash me on this "city of Manila", non-filipinos only knows about Manila even if it's Quezon or Makati).

I'm not taking offense either on what you're saying. The reason why i posted that question here is to have insights from other people, be it bad or good it's fine with me.

^^There is a way about being diplomatic vs. being truthful. I don't always have the gift of being diplomatic, although I also gauge first whether the person I am talking to is the kind for which "saving face" is really important. In many cases, Asians in general, saving face trumps being truthful. Especially with Filipinos. I wonder why they can shame their countrymen in front of foreigners, but then when it's a foreigner that makes the observation, the Filipinos are the first to cry foul or prejudice or something of that sort.

Look for signs of this all over SSC. There are a lot of forumers who take offense if someone differs from their opinion, especially if it is not said in a nice way. Actually, the mere fact of disagreement is enough to send some people on the warpath.

What I like about the recent discussions (including what Yre started) is that there is a genuine interest in finding out what the opinion of others is. That one alone speaks a lot about "seek first to understand, then to be understood".

Now to answer Yre, I think these protests will always be there, although in smaller numbers. You will always find leftists who will jump at the opportunity to rally in front of the US Embassy every July 4th, crying American imperialism. You will always find the urban poor making their case in front of media, so as to gain supposed sympathy, whenever an impending demolition is headed their way. You will find tricycle, jeepney drivers and the like picketing streets to demand fare increases or protest oil price hikes...as well as workers who feel they are being treated unfairly by their employers. It's always about them, not about the country in general. Now where don't you see demonstrations which have some or a lot of tinge of selfishness?

Now I agree with xxxriainxxx in the sense that media and some sensationalist press always find ways to come up with a story, even if it sounds like a broken record already. I have become indifferent to these pickets and the like because they always think that they are on the right side, and not the government or the employers, etc. Did the rallyists or protesters ever consider that they should change their outlook or even their behavior instead of being belligerent? Or that after being given accommodations for the last so many years, it's time for them to move on from properties they've been squatting and benefitting from? Or that the government has given them so much free education, even at the state universities?

All I have to say to them is what JFK said at his inauguration ... "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

In most Middle Eastern countries which are mostly governed by sheikhdom, kingdom or you could say dictatorship. When they see people who could freely express grievances in public like the Philippines, they will say that we are lucky by having this freedom of expression. It is positively correct, although you cannot deny that there are tendencies of exaggerating or overstepping this freedom specially with the press since it is their business. Look at CNN, BBC or Al Jazeera with their news. Lately, with Wikileaks.

Although for others who does not really understand freedom, they may think otherwise and those are people who tend to fence sit or blinded by certain belief. The world may not have the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Mandela or even our own Cory Aquino if we don’t understand freedom.

Oh, I deal with people as I see fit, especially through first impressions. But I am always open to changing that first impression if the other makes an effort to make himself/herself understood better. "Seek ye first to understand, then to be understood." Often people who make nasty comments like that during first meetings are lacking in their paradigms, i.e. they haven't been exposed to others other than what they have back home, or even through reading or watching the news. If they add an arrogant attitude to that, then I can already adjust my response to the way I think will do best in the situation.

I know this very well because there are some people who are "malakas ang dating", including yours truly. So there alone I can tell if people are easily intimidated or not. Perhaps those who say nasty things about others out of ignorance or on purpose are trying to intimidate the other, so in which case, I give them the Jewish approach (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth). Often they will either realize they have offended already and will ask for an apology, or they will even dig their heels further. If it is the latter, then I am not going to waste my time with them, especially if they can be ignored. But if they are a neighbor or I expect to deal with them often, then I can try all tactics to determine if their personality is really like that or it was just a misstep the first time around. Just like people in SSC, there are nice people, arrogant people, and so on including the trolls and flamers who have fun in inciting strong reactions from other forumers.

Having read what you wrote a few posts ago, I would say I like your approach to expressing your opinion, especially the friendly way you invited fengrun to see Vancouver, Whistler, and the other nice sights there. In fact, I know how you feel when you wrote in the Philippine Economy thread archives post no. 13369 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=64095277&highlight=#post64095277) about others giving scathing remarks at you, such as "a bird perched on a cow....etc.etc.". I admire you for not fighting back, but expressing your sincere opinion...if that happened to me, I would have blasted whoever started calling names as a last result to losing an discussion without being man enough to admit it...

Anyway, we had good discussions in this OFW thread early September with a number of posts coming from you. But then fengrun appeared and it went downhill since then. Now that he's banned a third time, and hasn't reappeared in a reincarnation so far, I wish that this thread continue the way it has for the past few days...in fact xxxriainxxx said he's enjoying this thread.

So thank you for the discussions, I myself also find it a good perspective of how our kababayans manage to succeed in their newly adopted land.

OT: Speaking of "ambassador", there's this social network called Internations (www.internations.org), where they have locals and expatriates interact a lot by organizing various events (aside from forum discussions). Just thinking you might find it interesting...

:) I find this thread very interesting, inspite of few spats among forumers, including me. I am just glad that you always come down to the bottom of it when starts to sink.:) lifting it up with your ideas and logics as usual without prejudice on both side so to speak.:cheers: TY

I thought it is very informative, educational, and enlightening. Impressively carried out ...specially from forumers like you,NTprime, xxxrainxxx, mwg2, and the rest. Either bad/good, that I engaged in this forum, at the end...I always take it as a positive experience.

Funny:)you brought that up..re-13369..I was gonna brought it up also, but I tried to contain myself. When the gennie is out, it is quite difficult to contain, let alone putting it back in the bottle.:)

Anyway, on that note^^, I say thank you for your enlightening rod. I always have a blast and wonderful rides with you guys.:cheers:

BTW...and the link as well, TY.

I heard lots....quite frankly, posting #598 pp30. is just classic example of the myriads of things about Pinoys/Philippines both good and bad.:) Just shurg it off.

Every time we hear something that seems a little bit off from the truth, we just smile and asked them when was the last time they have visited the Philippines, and where?

And if they see something that looks quite pecular/rare sight ie; skyscraper, parks, or any thing that every city in the world is a "must have" and they say "Wala yan sa Pilipinas", My wife and I would just say..."Mayroon din tayong ganyan sa Pinas" say it politely without making them looks too ignorant. Only If we have seen it in the Philippines though. "Kung sa Pilipinas yan, nakawan ka pa" Sometimes there is a lot of truth to this....remote areas in the country and in the big cities in the Philippines. Our respond basically is simple.."Kahit saan ka mang lugar, mayroong talagang nakawan":)

i did say i only observed and overheard those comments, now to inform-that i always do only if and when i be the direct recipient of such nasty and ignorant remarks about our country.. like what i do with a few stupid friends and filipino classmates who engage in Pinoy-bashing as a pastime. haha, those idiots would come up to me and say 'so in the philippines do you really eat dog meat?', so i go 'yea, and flip stands for fuckin little island person and im 6 ft':lol::lol: anyways, pardon the stupid behavior, they just love messing around like that heehee! :D but no, so far and fortunately, i havent had to deal with those types of immigrants and be in a direct confrontation with them over their comments. not really my thing to do. :D

but when it comes to those caucasians and other foreigners who may have issues about us or the country, thats when i react, diplomatically of course. i'd do exactly what @xxxriainx said with the Djiboutian?. :) cos its all media and negative images they show. i always try to give people a different perspective on negative stuff facing us. but for some that are really true, for example poverty, i dont see the need to emphasize on that and try not to drag this topic out longer and shift to better more positive stories about us :)

Just thought I'd share something that happened quite recently since your post reminded me of it.

I was in South America visiting the Iguazu Falls (on the Brazilian side) when I ran into a tour group composed of elderly people, mostly Filipinos. One of them, an old woman, told me that she was coming from London. London, she emphasized, because if she was still in the Philippines she wouldn't be there (sightseeing in South America).

I was left speechless, of course, and just stared at her while she rejoined her group.


Well...isn't it true. The fact that she was fortunate to have migrated to London, and made her life quite well till she got to her old age, and now has a chance to travel. If she would have been still living in the Philippines she would have not made those trips. If her statement would have been hurled at me I would have just said graciously "Good for you ma'am, life is to short. Don't get too upset about the things you never had in the Philippines. You made it in London......enjoy. Things has changed in the Philippines, though. It is now an emerging economic powerhouse in Asia. If you have a chance, visit the country and I am sure you will change your view about the Philippines.:)

what did i say again about exaggeration? :D

once more with emphasis, LONDON. can you do that for me?

now say Canada. say it in newfie for maximum impact :D

so where are you from?

CANADAHHHHHH. hehehehe just kidding! :D

again, its all in the tone and manner of saying things that puts off people quite often. but if it was me, i'd probably engage Lola and talk to her, see if she meant anything with the way she replied. Could it be she meant London dont talk to me, or London is my british accent sexy? youll never know. :)

Yeah, there is nothing you can do about alot of those. Some of them are too old to be changed. It is best to just respond to them the best way you can possibly respond or react. They are usually nice people also when you get to know them anyhow, now, those who has ego and personality problem, I just stay away from them and pretend I don't see them :lol:

Ouch!!:lol::lol::lol:meaning old as in "senior citizen"?:lol: You're actually barking at the right person ME!:lol::lol: an old fart at 63:lol::lol::lol:

I think learning doesn't stop when you get to a certain age...it only stop when you made your final exit to this world.:lol: That's why sometimes I am glued to my screen, to engage/share ideas, and learn from other Pinoy and about the Philippines.

I understood NTprime clearly,....ignorance begets arrogance and prejudice....although I must admit we do all have our own prejudices....mildly I hope.:)

Yeh..you're absolutely right....either inform those who has no knowledge about the Philippines or just bluntly ignore them...no:)I have to do my best to inform them.:bash:

what did i say again about exaggeration? :D

once more with emphasis, LONDON. can you do that for me?

now say Canada. say it in newfie for maximum impact :D

so where are you from?

CANADAHHHHHH. hehehehe just kidding! :D

again, its all in the tone and manner of saying things that puts off people quite often. but if it was me, i'd probably engage Lola and talk to her, see if she meant anything with the way she replied. Could it be she meant London dont talk to me, or London is my british accent sexy? youll never know. :)

Canucks may be:lol::lol:Newfie....nah ah....No worries....points taken. :cheers:

Ouch!!:lol::lol::lol:meaning old as in "senior citizen"?:lol: You're actually barking at the right person ME!:lol::lol: an old fart at 63:lol::lol::lol:

I think learning doesn't stop when you get to a certain age...it only stop when you made your final exit to this world.:lol: That's why sometimes I am glued to my screen, to engage/share ideas, and learn from other Pinoy and about the Philippines.

I understood NTprime clearly,....ignorance begets arrogance and prejudice....although I must admit we do all have our own prejudices....mildly I hope.:)

Yeh..you're absolutely right....either inform those who has no knowledge about the Philippines or just bluntly ignore them...no:)I have to do my best to inform them.:bash:

One is never too old to continue learning. What the older folk may lack in terms of technical skill, they make up for it in great volumes of wisdom. And now that the seniors' group is the fastest growing sector in Facebook, they are not out of touch anymore. I think those born before 1940 are the ones who will have the greatest challenge --- many of their peers are probably long gone, they are becoming too frail to enjoy themselves physically by seeing the rest of the world, and modern gadgets and cloud computing are probably a foreign concept. But many of them still continue to learn...I have a lola over 90 years old who is still quite sharp, and while she may have the traditional strict discipline outlook on life, learns from her apos and great grandchildren so as not to be out of place in the conversations during reunions.

What is dangerous are the young folk who think that they know so much of this world, and as if the world revolves around them. Add to that an arrogant attitude and lack of respect for those who came before them. But in due time, they will learn a lot through experience. When I was in my 20s, I was so carefree that we didn't have a care in the world. Of course, as responsibilities pile up, it is our duty to ensure that the next generation don't fall into the pits and traps that our generation went through.

Ouch. Wonderful couple pala ha.

yeah...was the first impression, but after that capaple....was sort of wondering if they're really that wonderful:)

Honestly...they became our great friends. Can't really judge the book by the cover...till you read it to the last page. We understood them..and they did to us.:)

One is never too old to continue learning. What the older folk may lack in terms of technical skill, they make up for it in great volumes of wisdom. And now that the seniors' group is the fastest growing sector in Facebook, they are not out of touch anymore. I think those born before 1940 are the ones who will have the greatest challenge --- many of their peers are probably long gone, they are becoming too frail to enjoy themselves physically by seeing the rest of the world, and modern gadgets and cloud computing are probably a foreign concept. But many of them still continue to learn...I have a lola over 90 years old who is still quite sharp, and while she may have the traditional strict discipline outlook on life, learns from her apos and great grandchildren so as not to be out of place in the conversations during reunions.

What is dangerous are the young folk who think that they know so much of this world, and as if the world revolves around them. Add to that an arrogant attitude and lack of respect for those who came before them. But in due time, they will learn a lot through experience. When I was in my 20s, I was so carefree that we didn't have a care in the world. Of course, as responsibilities pile up, it is our duty to ensure that the next generation don't fall into the pits and traps that our generation went through.

Wow, encouraging indeed;Thanks a lot NTprime. I've never been exposed to technology during my younger age. However..my granfather had equiped me with some wonderful wisdom. Needless to say, I grew up with my grand parents. Born in the 40's:lol::lol::lol:I am still in the bracket then:lol:

With younger people...you are right. i guess we just have to guide them through life. Although we can only do so much because of the society's permissiveness in this day and age, just hope for the best. My three childrens are all now grown up. And everytime I descipline them when they were young..they always resort to "payback time attitude". ie..."You see us now the way lolo and lola sees you when you're growing up".:ohno: wow the attitudes:nuts: At the end they all turned out to be wonderful and responsible people. Was a struggle though, them being caught between two cultures. My eldest daughter is now 34, then next is 32 and my one and only son is 28 and he's gay living with his boyfriend in Greece. I was shocked when he came out...but mellowed and accepted him the way he is. Infact my wife and I learned something from him. Tolerance...understanding, love, and acceptance.:)

Wow, encouraging indeed;Thanks a lot NTprime. I've never been exposed to technology during my younger age. However..my granfather had equiped me with some wonderful wisdom. Needless to say, I grew up with my grand parents. Born in the 40's:lol::lol::lol:I am still in the bracket then:lol:

With younger people...you are right. i guess we just have to guide them through life. Although we can only do so much because of the society's permissiveness in this day and age, just hope for the best. My three childrens are all now grown up. And everytime I descipline them when they were young..they always resort to "payback time attitude". ie..."You see us now the way lolo and lola sees you when you're growing up".:ohno: wow the attitudes:nuts: At the end they all turned to be woderful and responsible people. Was a struggle though, them being caught between two cultures. My eldest daughter is now 34, then next is 32 and my one and only son is 28 and he's gay living with his boyfriend in Greece. I was shocked when he came out...but mellowed and accepted him the way he is. Infact my wife and I learned something from him. Tolerance...understanding, love, and acceptance.:)

Hope you don't mind me asking, no offense intended...how do you feel that it's likely that you won't have a grandson who 1) carries your surname and 2) is a direct descendant of yours, not via adoption? (hehehe like asking the same question of the Japanese crown prince) Of course, I am sure you will or already have grandkids from your daughter/s. For other cultures this may not be a big deal, grandkids are always a joy anyway, but for the macho cultures like the Philippines, there is still a tinge of wanting to pass along the progeny?

P1-B fund for returning OFWs ordered

PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. C. Aquino III Monday ordered the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to allocate P1 billion to fund low-interest loans for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW) starting next year.

The announcement was made during his address at the awarding ceremonies of Model OFW Family of the Year at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City.

"The president’s announcement is really an incentive for them [OFWs] to stay,” OWWA Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon said in an interview at the sidelines of the event.

She added the OWWA board of trustees will immediately meet to craft guidelines of the so-called reintegration fund that will be managed by the Land Bank of the Philippines.

According to the agency's Web site, OWWA, which is is attached to the Department of Labor and Employment, is "mandated to protect and promote the welfare and well-being of [OFWs] and their dependents" through contributions from OFWs themselves. -- Ana Mae G. Roa
|

http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=22398

Hope you don't mind me asking, no offense intended...how do you feel that it's likely that you won't have a grandson who 1) carries your surname and 2) is a direct descendant of yours, not via adoption? (hehehe like asking the same question of the Japanese crown prince) Of course, I am sure you will or already have grandkids from your daughter/s. For other cultures this may not be a big deal, grandkids are always a joy anyway, but for the macho cultures like the Philippines, there is still a tinge of wanting to pass along the progeny?

Honestly, Mixed feeling, angry at times...but trying to deal with it. I am still Confuse and still in denial, (not so much with my wife though).:ohno:
We're still waiting for the pix they're supposed to send us this week.

Wanting to pass the progeny....Big Time! As for our two other grand kids from a mixed marriage, my wife and I are quite happy. :)

Honestly, Mixed feeling, angry at times...but trying to deal with it. I am still Confuse and still in denial, (not so much with my wife though).:ohno:
We're still waiting for the pix they're supposed to send us this week.

Wanting to pass the progeny....Big Time! As for our two other grand kids from a mixed marriage, my wife and I are quite happy. :)

Yeah, I think "passing the progeny" is more of a man thing than a woman thing. Mothers, grandmothers generally don't mind, after all, they also lost their original family names when they got married:lol: Although I have a handful of female friends who didn't take on their husband's surnames when they got married.

I have a number of close male friends who have only daughters. Not sure if they envy me a lot because I have a son, but often they'd have a slip and wish that they had someone among their kids to play ball with, go fishing, hiking and other male-oriented pursuits, instead of having to follow their daughters and wives when the girls go shopping. Or even be the driver and bodyguard when the daughter goes on dates. Well, in your case, you still have two sons ... except that they're "in a relationship, Facebook style" with each other (or if and when they decide to get married...as Canada allows for same sex marriage)...wow, that's going to be another tough phase in your life.

Yeah, I think "passing the progeny" is more of a man thing than a woman thing. Mothers, grandmothers generally don't mind, after all, they also lost their original family names when they got married:lol: Although I have a handful of female friends who didn't take on their husband's surnames when they got married.

I have a number of close male friends who have only daughters. Not sure if they envy me a lot because I have a son, but often they'd have a slip and wish that they had someone among their kids to play ball with, go fishing, hiking and other male-oriented pursuits, instead of having to follow their daughters and wives when the girls go shopping. Or even be the driver and bodyguard when the daughter goes on dates. Well, in your case, you still have two sons ... except that they're "in a relationship, Facebook style" with each other (or if and when they decide to get married...as Canada allows for same sex marriage)...wow, that's going to be another tough phase in your life.

I always envy fathers who has sons...for the obvious reason...

Yeah you're right, I've got two sons now...Getting married is another toughee.
We are not quite sure yet when, let alone how to deal with it.:banana:

I always envy fathers who has sons...for the obvious reason...

Yeah you're right, I've got two sons now...Getting married is another toughee.
We are not quite sure yet when, let alone how to deal with it.:banana:

Canada is more tolerant and understanding than the Philippines' rural areas. I'm sure you've already thought about that especially what your contemporaries in Isabela would be saying if they know about the case of your son.

But then again, I think most parents will eventually come to the conclusion that "As long as my kids are happy, who am I to interfere with that happiness?" ... unless they're up to something illegal:lol:

Canada is more tolerant and understanding than the Philippines' rural areas. I'm sure you've already thought about that especially what your contemporaries in Isabela would be saying if they know about the case of your son.

But then again, I think most parents will eventually come to the conclusion that "As long as my kids are happy, who am I to interfere with that happiness?" ... unless they're up to something illegal:lol:

My son and his boyfriend has visited the Philippines twice already. So far haven't heard any harsh comment or any criticism yet from my family or friends. I am trying to hear what they're not saying but to no avail yet, so would take it as "none" "nada" cross our finger though.
In so far as our freinds here in Canada, they seems to not have any problem at all.:) Our worries though specially me is the stigma of the HIV/Aids to gays. Our discussion is very interesting but time for me to hit the sack. Nite and thanks NTprime.

My son and his boyfriend has visited the Philippines twice already. So far haven't heard any harsh comment or any criticism yet from my family or friends. I am trying to hear what they're not saying but to no avail yet, so would take it as "none" "nada" cross our finger though.
In so far as our freinds here in Canada, they seems to not have any problem at all.:) Our worries though specially me is the stigma of the HIV/Aids to gays. Our discussion is very interesting but time for me to hit the sack. Nite and thanks NTprime.

You are a cool dad. :)

A safer and cheaper way to send home money

By ATTY. IGNACIO BUNYEDecember 5, 2010, 4:09pmMANILA, Philippines –

The Yuletide season is an opportune time to remember all Filipinos toiling overseas for the future of their families and their country.

Their ever-increasing remittances have been a source of resiliency for the Philippine economy.

Migrant Filipinos send more money than usual to their families during the Christmas season so their loved ones could fully enjoy their Yuletide celebration.

Just before the holidays last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas signed an agreement with the Association of Bank Remittance Officers, Inc. (ABROI), the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB), and the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) to enable their members to course the money transfers of OFWs through the BSP’s electronic and settlement system.

This system, called the Philippine Payments and Settlements System (PhilPass), provides safer means for sending remittances through theformal banking channel at lower fees.

The PhilPass is also equipped with an efficient feedback mechanism that will allow OFW remitters to trace the status of their remittances.

In yet another effort to further enhance the remittance environment for OFWs, the BSP issued a circular letter a few weeks back, urging all banks and other financial institutions to fully participate in the PhilPass Remit System.

The BSP mentioned the 12 banks that are now participating in the system: Allied Banking Corporation, Asia United Bank, Banco de Oro, Bank of the Philippine Islands, China Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, Philippine National Bank, Philippine Savings Bank, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, and United Coconut Planters Bank.

These banks, according to the BSP circular letter, have established their connectivity with the PhilPass Remit System and have been transmitting batches of remittance transactions to the central bank’s gateway server for processing and settlement since May 4, 2010.

The BSP’s Payments and Settlements Office, headed by Director Bella Santos, explains how the PhilPass benefits migrant Filipino workers. An OFW, for example, would send money to his family in the Philippines through a foreign bank or financial institution, which is in turn a remittance partner of a Philippine bank.

However, the Philippine bank (let’s call it Bank A) is not the actual bank of the OFWs’ family. Bank A would still have to send the remittance to Bank B (the OFW beneficiary’s bank).

Under the old setup, Bank A would still have to hire the services of a courier to deliver the remittance to Bank B. This would entail more service costs: The beneficiaries then have to pay back-end processing fees of P150 to P550.

There is also the risk of couriers being robbed while on their way to the other bank, leading to more losses to the parties involved in the remittance process.

Under the PhilPass Remit System, the back-end processing fees (which Bank B charges the beneficiaries) have been standardized: From as high as P550, OFW dependents now have to pay a uniform amount of only P50.

Plus, an OFW remittance transaction settled via PhilPass will cost a remitting bank (or Bank A) only P5 (from P100).

That’s a lot of savings, as well as peace of mind , for our OFWs.

Note: You may e-mail us at totingbunye2000@gmail.com. Past articles may be viewed at http://speakingout.ph.

SOURCE: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/291105/a-safer-and-cheaper-way-send-home-money

A safer and cheaper way to send home money

By ATTY. IGNACIO BUNYEDecember 5, 2010, 4:09pmMANILA, Philippines –

The Yuletide season is an opportune time to remember all Filipinos toiling overseas for the future of their families and their country.

Their ever-increasing remittances have been a source of resiliency for the Philippine economy.

Migrant Filipinos send more money than usual to their families during the Christmas season so their loved ones could fully enjoy their Yuletide celebration.

Just before the holidays last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas signed an agreement with the Association of Bank Remittance Officers, Inc. (ABROI), the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB), and the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) to enable their members to course the money transfers of OFWs through the BSP’s electronic and settlement system.

This system, called the Philippine Payments and Settlements System (PhilPass), provides safer means for sending remittances through theformal banking channel at lower fees.

The PhilPass is also equipped with an efficient feedback mechanism that will allow OFW remitters to trace the status of their remittances.

In yet another effort to further enhance the remittance environment for OFWs, the BSP issued a circular letter a few weeks back, urging all banks and other financial institutions to fully participate in the PhilPass Remit System.

The BSP mentioned the 12 banks that are now participating in the system: Allied Banking Corporation, Asia United Bank, Banco de Oro, Bank of the Philippine Islands, China Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, Philippine National Bank, Philippine Savings Bank, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, and United Coconut Planters Bank.

These banks, according to the BSP circular letter, have established their connectivity with the PhilPass Remit System and have been transmitting batches of remittance transactions to the central bank’s gateway server for processing and settlement since May 4, 2010.

The BSP’s Payments and Settlements Office, headed by Director Bella Santos, explains how the PhilPass benefits migrant Filipino workers. An OFW, for example, would send money to his family in the Philippines through a foreign bank or financial institution, which is in turn a remittance partner of a Philippine bank.

However, the Philippine bank (let’s call it Bank A) is not the actual bank of the OFWs’ family. Bank A would still have to send the remittance to Bank B (the OFW beneficiary’s bank).

Under the old setup, Bank A would still have to hire the services of a courier to deliver the remittance to Bank B. This would entail more service costs: The beneficiaries then have to pay back-end processing fees of P150 to P550.

There is also the risk of couriers being robbed while on their way to the other bank, leading to more losses to the parties involved in the remittance process.

Under the PhilPass Remit System, the back-end processing fees (which Bank B charges the beneficiaries) have been standardized: From as high as P550, OFW dependents now have to pay a uniform amount of only P50.

Plus, an OFW remittance transaction settled via PhilPass will cost a remitting bank (or Bank A) only P5 (from P100).

That’s a lot of savings, as well as peace of mind , for our OFWs.

Note: You may e-mail us at totingbunye2000@gmail.com. Past articles may be viewed at http://speakingout.ph.

SOURCE: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/291105/a-safer-and-cheaper-way-send-home-money

No wonder our receiving bank is charging me in the Philippines from 80Php to 100Php whenever i remit money to my family. It used to be nil charges before May 2010 and i only pay the charges here. I wonder how me as an OFW saved anything from this setup.

Another way to fleece ofws... :ohno:

you dont pay any taxes here. why are you complaing about an added 20 pesos?

eto naman na received kong SMS mula sa Arab National Bank..

"SR 10 NA LANG BAWAT PADALA PAMASKONG HANDOG NG TELEMONEY SA BUWAN NG DECEMBER 2010 HURRY!!!LIMITED TIME OFFER AT BATHA, BALAD, HUFUF,JUBAIL AND KHOBAR ONLY."

you dont pay any taxes here. why are you complaing about an added 20 pesos?

I actually paid 20USD for my padala (payment) last week. Actually, the fees could have been added to the padala instead of paying for charges.

hindi lang kayong mga OFW ang may pinapadalahan. kahit kami dito sa pinas, may pinapadalhan din sa probinsya. at nagpapabayad pa kami ng income tax (~30% gross) bukod sa fee ng padala. kaya stop complaining. lalo na bente pesos lang naman ang nadagdag sa dating binabayaran.

hindi lang kayong mga OFW ang may pinapadalahan. kahit kami dito sa pinas, may pinapadalhan din sa probinsya. at nagpapabayad pa kami ng income tax (~30% gross) bukod sa fee ng padala. kaya stop complaining. lalo na bente pesos lang naman ang nadagdag sa dating binabayaran.

Actually I use Western Union so that 20PhP means nothing to me because I still pay a flat rate. Cheaper remittances were the focal point of my study before, we posited that we wished to convert the PPC into an online padala centre. It never was adopted because as you know, andaming gustong makisawsaw.

what's to complain about the 20 pesos, really... ;p

We should thank the OFW's for that instead of PGMA for pumping billions of dollars in the economy to stimulate consumption as well as collection of consumption taxes (VAT).

Wala tayo sa product export at wala rin tayo sa direct investments kaya hindi apektado ekonomiya natin, kasi exported labor tayo bumabawi. :lol:


If you mean OFW (overseas Filipino workers) remittances, it is a misnomer. BSP calls it Overseas Filipino remittances, even that is a misnomer. The OF remittances come from various categories of people remitting money in to country via official channels (banking system): Filipino Overseas Workers, Balikbayan (ex-Filipinos, immigrants), expats (with Filipino spouses) or retirees.

*60% of these remittances come from North America where Filipinos are overwhelmingly are citizens, immigrants; include ex US military, American spouses (there are about 250,000 US citizens living in the country) with pensions.
*POEA stats show that the bulk of OFW deployment is to Middle East and parts of Asia, very insignificant (less than 10%) to North America
*25% of OFW's are in the merchant marine with about 20% of remittances
*10% approx of POEA deployments are in the professional, technical, high skilled employment with good wages

What does that leave you? The bulk of OFW's are low or semi skilled category, like domestic/personal support workers, service workers, doing jobs that the locals do not want to do. If there is anything that one should throw at the previous administrations is they did not study the BSP and POEA numbers closely over the years, and adjust economic policies to conform to the reality. What the admin missed is the opportunity to capture the balikbayan remittances into more meaningful investments than just for house and lot, condos or in consumer spending (in malls, restos, restaurants, traveling in the country).

As for the real OFW's, many of the remittances of the low wage earners are through door to door, the informal banking system (lower transaction fees) which is not in the radar screen. Maybe it's time to retire the myth of OFW remittances. The admin (whichever it is) should look at the different segments that contribute to these Foreign Remittances (non corporate/institutional) and create proper policies for each of these segments to maximize their contributions whether OFW or balikbayan etc. Perpetuating the myth of OFW remittances only justifies POEA's export of cheap bodies!

Well...isn't it true. The fact that she was fortunate to have migrated to London, and made her life quite well till she got to her old age, and now has a chance to travel. If she would have been still living in the Philippines she would have not made those trips. If her statement would have been hurled at me I would have just said graciously "Good for you ma'am, life is to short. Don't get too upset about the things you never had in the Philippines. You made it in London......enjoy. Things has changed in the Philippines, though. It is now an emerging economic powerhouse in Asia. If you have a chance, visit the country and I am sure you will change your view about the Philippines.:)

I don't know if I could have managed being that gracious. I should have also mentioned that my non-Filipino friend was traveling with me, and so it was disappointing at the very least to hear her make such a comment to both of us. Furthermore, the comment was unnecessary, even if it was true.

Is it really not that easy for a Filipino to afford on his own a vacation outside of Asia?

I don't know if I could have managed being that gracious. I should have also mentioned that my non-Filipino friend was traveling with me, and so it was disappointing at the very least to hear her make such a comment to both of us. Furthermore, the comment was unnecessary, even if it was true.

Is it really not that easy for a Filipino to afford on his own a vacation outside of Asia?

Prior to Cebu Pacific and the other LCCs offering low international fares, it was really expensive for most Filipinos, even the middle class, to travel abroad especially with family. For single folk, the cost was much lower, something in the vicinity of USD300-500 for a 3D2N stay in HKG with package tour (this was in the 90s when PAL was the only Philippine carrier flying abroad). Multiply that with a family of 4 and you'd be spending easily USD2000 just for a vacation a little longer than a weekend. Which was why HKG was the most popular entry point for a first time Pinoy traveler abroad. As early as October, seats for HKG flights after Christmas (Dec. 26-30) were booked solidly full, and the way to go was to approach the wholesalers (back then it was Master Tours, Sanyo Travel, etc. but they're now gone) to get your bookings as they blocked off a lot of seats on the PAL and CX flights.

Fast forward to 2002 onwards, Cebu Pacific started its cheap fares and slowly started adding international destinations. From HKG initially, they now have over a dozen international destinations, most less than half the price what it used to cost PAL and the other legacy carriers back then. So you are seeing a lot of well traveled Pinoy tourists to the ASEAN and HKG, China regions, some even traveling abroad more than once each year.

But in spite of cheaper airfares to the nearby destinations, Europe is still expensive, beyond the reach of most average travelers. For one, getting a Schengen visa is not easy, one really has to have a sponsor in the country of visit, or if not, an itinerary (usually that of a known tour company like Insight, Globus, Trafalgar) which cost in the high hundreds or even USD1-2K range per person. Now that's not cheap, which is why we don't see a lot of Pinoy tourists to Europe except those who are quite wealthy. Add to that the reduced number of carriers flying there (only KLM flies direct to the Philippines from Europe), then a European vacation is out of range for most Pinoys unless they've done well financially in their lives.

So I won't be surprised about the story of the old lady who felt "patrician" by being privileged to migrate to London, her snootiness is a way of saying "I've made it by migrating here, now what brings you people from the homeland to my new country":lol:

wow......that long......:(


2,300 OFWs follow up 27-year-old case vs Texas-based firm
By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net First Posted 13:04:00 12/06/2010 Filed Under: Overseas Employment, Crime and Law and Justice, Labor, Human Rights, Philippines - Regions



MANILA, Philippines—Some 2,300 overseas Filipino workers on Monday urged the Supreme Court to act on their appeal in connection with the 27-year-old case they filed against a Texas-based giant company worth some $609-million in claims plus interest.

In a three-page urgent motion ex parte for immediate decision, the group, through their lawyer Jerry Del Mundo, urged the high court to immediately resolve their appeal and affirm the December 3, 2002 ruling of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) against Kellog, Brown, and Root.

NLRC had ordered that they be paid $609 million plus 12-percent interest payments for back wages, damages, discrimination pay, hazard, and retirement pay.

The group of OFWs, who also held a protest rally outside the high court, said they have been fighting for their claims for 27 years.

The OFWs, who came from various provinces such as Batangas, Laguna, and Cavite, urged the high court to decide on the merits of the pending petition.

This is the biggest discrimination suit that reached the high court since its creation in 1901.

In 2008, the high court ruled that not all the more than 2,000 claimants are entitled to the $609 million because some claims were unsubstantiated.

The case was filed with the NLRC in 1984 to secure justice and compensation for all the marginalized and poor OFWs and similarly situated workers. They were hired and employed by Brown & Root International Inc. (now Kellog-Brown and Root) in their overseas projects in the Middle East, like Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, from 1976 to the 1990s. Many of them also worked in Vietnam during the war between North and South Vietnam in the 1960s before their overseas employment in the Middle East.

Kellog-Brown and Root, based on Texas, is an associated company of the Halliburton Group of Companies, which had United States Vice President Richard "Dick" Cheney as its chief executive officer for five years.

you dont pay any taxes here. why are you complaing about an added 20 pesos?

What 20pesos? I said it was NIL (ZERO) charges before and then they started charging in between from 80 to 100 pesos around May 2010.

You're right though it's negligible but what i don't like here is to make us believe we ofws are "saving" by paying another charge in the Philippines.

And don't tell me i don't pay any taxes in the Philippines, kada utot ko diyan i had to pay tax. No one is exempt paying tax there unless you meant income tax. Just because someone is not submitting income tax return annually does not necessarily mean WE have not paid a single tax because everything you buy there is laden with VAT. And that is tax already.

Another way to fleece ofws... :ohno:

Kung pangngwarta na yan ng Gubyerno natin, paano na lang yung bagong policy ng Phil. Immigration dito sa Singapore (dunno if ganito din sa ibang bansa)

Ang siste, pag may pupunta dito, tapos makikitira sa kakilala na based sa Singapore eh may chance na harangin ng IO sa Pilipinas at hingan ng Invitation letter..at ang IL na yan kailangan ipa authenticate sa Phil Embassy dito sa SG sa tumataginting na S$42 :bash: oh diba instant kwarta sa Embassy :bash:

Yeah, I think "passing the progeny" is more of a man thing than a woman thing. Mothers, grandmothers generally don't mind, after all, they also lost their original family names when they got married:lol: Although I have a handful of female friends who didn't take on their husband's surnames when they got married.

I have a number of close male friends who have only daughters. Not sure if they envy me a lot because I have a son, but often they'd have a slip and wish that they had someone among their kids to play ball with, go fishing, hiking and other male-oriented pursuits, instead of having to follow their daughters and wives when the girls go shopping. Or even be the driver and bodyguard when the daughter goes on dates. Well, in your case, you still have two sons ... except that they're "in a relationship, Facebook style" with each other (or if and when they decide to get married...as Canada allows for same sex marriage)...wow, that's going to be another tough phase in your life.

I have a son and a daughter. very young though and now I am really enjoying father and son activities, but the daughter is a different thing altogether.

would not realy know how they would act when they are teenagers when hormones kick in.

I have a son and a daughter. very young though and now I am really enjoying father and son activities, but the daughter is a different thing altogether.

would not realy know how they would act when they are teenagers when hormones kick in.

When they are still young their father and mother are their heroes. When they start becoming "pilosopo", then you know they're beginning to test your control and influence over them. And when they start involving themselves with their peers, then it's time to let go, but still making sure that you pop up in their lives once in a while. I'm sure that they'll stay at home with their parents while it's still practical, unless they are of the very independent kind. But then again, it's all how parents bring them up during their formative years, often I see a lot of kids rebel against their parents who are OFWs simply because they (parents) were not there around during the time when their kids needed them (usually emotional needs at school, etc.) and what they see only are the remitted dollars which remind them of their folks. And at an early stage in their teens, they envy their friends who have not just money but also their parents around when they need them. That's the challenge of OFW families.

Now as for bonding activities, I feel the best ones are either sports or culture and travel. Or anything that can be documented with photos or videos. Food, maybe yes, but not all the time. There should be a twist when it comes to eating to make it an interesting bonding activity, like trying out a new dish every time the family eats out. Otherwise if its the same (e.g. ordering fried chicken or pizza at every opportunity), kids will not grow up as connoisseurs, especially in gastronomy. I'm amazed that a lot of Filipinos still always look out for pinoy food anywhere else they go...just like Americans would travel halfway around the world just to look for hamburgers. Of course, if that's all you know what to cook, then it's understandable. But then when eating out, one must try something of other cultures because it gives us a better appreciation of that which is different from ours.

What 20pesos? I said it was NIL (ZERO) charges before and then they started charging in between from 80 to 100 pesos around May 2010.

You're right though it's negligible but what i don't like here is to make us believe we ofws are "saving" by paying another charge in the Philippines.

And don't tell me i don't pay any taxes in the Philippines, kada utot ko diyan i had to pay tax. No one is exempt paying tax there unless you meant income tax. Just because someone is not submitting income tax return annually does not necessarily mean WE have not paid a single tax because everything you buy there is laden with VAT. And that is tax already.

you actually said you were paying from 80 pesos to 100 (80-100=20). poor sentence construction, maybe.

20, 80 or 100 pesos is negligible. and you were not even paying that to the government, you're paying that to the bank or money transfer companies for their services. kung ayaw mong magbayad sa bangko, ipadala mo na lang sa kakilala.

well, aside from the income taxes that we pay here, we also pay the VAT, and local sales taxes, etc. so mas malaki pa din ang nababayaran namin, so stop complaining. the VAT that you paid while you're here is negligible to taxes that we pay here.

you actually said you were paying from 80 pesos to 100 (80-100=20). poor sentence construction, maybe.
.

Or poor reading comprehension from your end...pwede din :lol:

i dont think so. magtagalog na lang kasi.

Haay naku :lol: di naman mahirap intindihin ang sinabi nya..sinisingil sya ng halagang nag r-range ng P80-P100 samantalang dati eh zero..kahit pa di perpekto ang english nya eh madali namang intindihin statement nya kasi nga dinagdag nya sa second sentence na dati wala syang binabayarang charges :nuts:

you actually said you were paying from 80 pesos to 100 (80-100=20). poor sentence construction, maybe.

20, 80 or 100 pesos is negligible. and you were not even paying that to the government, you're paying that to the bank or money transfer companies for their services. kung ayaw mong magbayad sa bangko, ipadala mo na lang sa kakilala.

well, aside from the income taxes that we pay here, we also pay the VAT, and local sales taxes, etc. so mas malaki pa din ang nababayaran namin, so stop complaining. the VAT that you paid while you're here is negligible to taxes that we pay here.

Yup, i admit poor sentence construction nga but you should have read the next sentence where i did say there was no charges before that.

What i'm driving at is not the fees or charges but by telling me I'M SAVING MONEY BY PAYING THAT MUCH when i was not paying it before. So where did i "saved money" there?

Let's not go into taxes here, everyone pays tax even here where i'm at, a so-called tax free country.

Yup, i admit poor sentence construction nga but you should have read the next sentence where i did say there was no charges before that.

What i'm driving at is not the fees or charges but by telling me I'M SAVING MONEY BY PAYING THAT MUCH when i was not paying it before. So where did i "saved money" there?

Let's not go into taxes here, everyone pays tax even here where i'm at, a so-called tax free country.

magtagalog ka na lang daw :lol:

Yup, i admit poor sentence construction nga but you should have read the next sentence where i did say there was no charges before that.

What i'm driving at is not the fees or charges but by telling me I'M SAVING MONEY BY PAYING THAT MUCH when i was not paying it before. So where did i "saved money" there?

Let's not go into taxes here, everyone pays tax even here where i'm at, a so-called tax free country.

i-PNB mo na lang kasi:cheers:

magtagalog ka na lang daw :lol:

Sorry di ko na gets...

it figures

what's to complain about the 20 pesos, really... ;p

aba malaki rin iyon...sabihin nating 1 milyon ang magpapadala e di kumita na ang bangko ng 20M:nuts::banana:

i-PNB mo na lang kasi:cheers:

Ganun na nga rin, kahit saan banko mo ipadala may deduction na yung pera pagdating sa Pilipinas.

Wala naman deduction simula pa nuon nagpapadala ako sa account ng misis ko, it was only in the middle of this year it started. 'Taka nga ako bigla may charges and that article on the prev page shed some light but by telling me i saved money with that new system is a lot of crap!

kung gusto ng libreng padala, di sa kakilala na lang magpadala

Ganun na nga rin, kahit saan banko mo ipadala may deduction na yung pera pagdating sa Pilipinas.

Wala naman deduction simula pa nuon nagpapadala ako sa account ng misis ko, it was only in the middle of this year it started. 'Taka nga ako bigla may charges and that article on the prev page shed some light but by telling me i saved money with that new system is a lot of crap!

dito sa amin wala namang charge sa pinadadalhan mo.nakukuha nila ng buo ang pinadadala namin. sa totoo lang bumaba pa nga sial ng isang dolyar...dati 8 dollars ngayon ay 7 dollars na lang. pero ok na rin iyon brod ang mahalaga ay safe ang pagre-remit mo ng pera sa pamilya mo:)

kung gusto ng libreng padala, di sa kakilala na lang magpadala

may tama ka sir!!! o kaya naman ay yearly na lang ang padala para di gaanong mabigat ang bayad

dito sa amin wala namang charge sa pinadadalhan mo.nakukuha nila ng buo ang pinadadala namin. sa totoo lang bumaba pa nga sial ng isang dolyar...dati 8 dollars ngayon ay 7 dollars na lang. pero ok na rin iyon brod ang mahalaga ay safe ang pagre-remit mo ng pera sa pamilya mo:)

Nagtaka nga ako bakit may charge na rin sa Pinas, dati rati eh wala naman tapos bayad ko kada padala mga 5USD lang naman. Pero yun na nga, na doble nga yung charges sa akin dahil pati sa pinas may kaltas narin.
Sa proper channel ko naman talaga pinapadala pera ko, mahirap na baka maharang pa ni kintoy. :lol:

Nagtaka nga ako bakit may charge na rin sa Pinas, dati rati eh wala naman tapos bayad ko kada padala mga 5USD lang naman. Pero yun na nga, na doble nga yung charges sa akin dahil pati sa pinas may kaltas narin.
Sa proper channel ko naman talaga pinapadala pera ko, mahirap na baka maharang pa ni kintoy. :lol:

kung gusto mo naman sa akin mo na lang ipadala at ako na ang bahala :lol:3 dollars lang ang chrage ko:banana:

kung gusto mo naman sa akin mo na lang ipadala at ako na ang bahala :lol:3 dollars lang ang chrage ko:banana:

Libre na nga kay kintoy eh. :lol: :bash:

Libre na nga kay kintoy eh. :lol: :bash:

basta sayo pamasahe ko :lol:

Ako naman:
Step (1) nagbukas ako ng isa pang bank account dito (in RMB).
Step (2) binigay ko yung ATM card sa nanay ko sa 'Pinas.
Step (3) anytime pwede silang mag-withdraw sa mga ATM sa Binondo na may UnionPay logo. Pesos na.
Step (4) pag may sobra akong pera nagde-deposit ako uli pakonti-konti sa account na yun over-the-counter, kahit wala sa akin yung ATM card. :D

Wala akong dinadaanang middleman pwera na sa bangko. May charge lang per withdrawal nila kasi considered "out of town/country withdrawal" ang nangyayari.

^^ this is what i do too. (i think), but its more of me being wired the money (swift--intl-to-intl funds transfer) for my allowance and tuition, and not the other way around. hehe, im sure there are charges there too, standard bank charges and it applies to all, i guess.

;68479913']Kung pangngwarta na yan ng Gubyerno natin, paano na lang yung bagong policy ng Phil. Immigration dito sa Singapore (dunno if ganito din sa ibang bansa)

Ang siste, pag may pupunta dito, tapos makikitira sa kakilala na based sa Singapore eh may chance na harangin ng IO sa Pilipinas at hingan ng Invitation letter..at ang IL na yan kailangan ipa authenticate sa Phil Embassy dito sa SG sa tumataginting na S$42 :bash: oh diba instant kwarta sa Embassy :bash:

hey boyet, bago yan ah. when was this rule suddenly enforced? i was just there last sep-october and stayed in a friend's apartment. or OFWs lang at hindi kasama dyan ang tourists? :)

I think Danny Chua's approach is very smart and more cost efficient. It's like letting a blood relative receive a credit card extension from you where they can use the card on cetain instances and they have to inform the main account holder which is the OFW overseas. I guess you would have to open an account in a back where there is a branch in the country or city you are living in, just like how Hongkong and Shanghai bank before were there are branches in the Philippines and other parts of Asia. There is no real big penalty if you withdraw cash from your ATM card extension. But if I am the OFW, I wouldn't just entrust my personal bank account other than myself, I would probably open a separate checking account especifically for that purpose so this would work like a joint savings or checking account which is not all uncomon anywhere in this world, it would just be a hassle on the extension owner because they can only use the local branch which normally if it's foreign banks, has only one branch and mostly in the Capital City.

Well the system that I'm exploiting using came into being only recently. UnionPay is just China's equivalent of our BancNet or MegaLink which allows card users to use their cards in other banks' ATMs. What really made things convenient was when some banks in Binondo also started hooking up into this network as well, along with Cirrus, Maestro etc. (for convenience of people from mainland China, Taiwan etc.)

That card which my mother holds is a different account from my own (so she doesn't know how much I really have. Mwahahaha... :lol: ) She doesn't need to inform me when she withdraws, but because she knows that the banks charge their fees per transaction and not related to amount, she limits her withdrawal frequency (but withdraws a largish amount para sulit). Anyway that account is for emergency purposes only (normally my family doesn't need my support) and so it actually seldom gets touched.

As for me over here even though I don't have that card on me I can still go to the bank and check its balance by proving that I am the account owner (by recalling the card number, showing my passport, and inputting the password). I can also deposit into it, but not withdraw. My mother obviously can only withdraw and check the balance, as the bank which I'm using doesn't have any branches in the Philippines.

I think Danny Chua's approach is very smart and more cost efficient. It's like letting a blood relative receive a credit card extension from you where they can use the card on cetain instances and they have to inform the main account holder which is the OFW overseas. I guess you would have to open an account in a back where there is a branch in the country or city you are living in, just like how Hongkong and Shanghai bank before were there are branches in the Philippines and other parts of Asia. There is no real big penalty if you withdraw cash from your ATM card extension. But if I am the OFW, I wouldn't just entrust my personal bank account other than myself, I would probably open a separate checking account especifically for that purpose so this would work like a joint savings or checking account which is not all uncomon anywhere in this world, it would just be a hassle on the extension owner because they can only use the local branch which normally if it's foreign banks, has only one branch and mostly in the Capital City.

That was what my boss recommended before to me, open up an account with HSBC in the Philippines so he can just transfer my salary to this account since our company has an HSBC account here. The transfer cost between branches will be free so the company saves, but what about me? If i'm going to use the Phil. HSBC ATM card here, i'm going to be charged per withdrawal and it's going to cost me more than what i'm usually paying when i remit money so i nixed that idea.

Besides, malalaman na ni misis ano sahod ko. :D

nasa Yahoo homepage tayo...

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g27/malejana/untitled-1.jpg

Filipinos sue CA hospital over English-only rule
AP
By AMY TAXIN, Associated Press Amy Taxin, Associated Press (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101207/ap_on_bi_ge/ca_filipino_nurses_discrimination) – Tue Dec 7, 5:52 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Dozens of Filipino hospital workers in California sued their employer Tuesday alleging they were the sole ethnic group targeted by a rule requiring them to speak only English.

The group of 52 nurses and medical staff filed a complaint accusing Delano Regional Medical Center of banning them from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages while letting other workers speak Spanish and Hindi.

The plaintiffs are seeking to join an August complaint filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Kern County federal court over the hospital's enforcement of a rule requiring workers to speak English.

Filipino workers said they were called to a special meeting in August 2006 where they were warned not to speak Tagalog and told surveillance cameras would be installed, if necessary, to monitor them. Since then, workers said they were told on a daily basis by fellow staffers to speak only English, even on breaks.

"I felt like people were always watching us," said tearful 56-year-old Elnora Cayme, who worked for the hospital from 1980 to 2008. "Even when we spoke English ... people would come and approach us and tell us, 'English only.'"

A message was left at the hospital seeking comment.

In its lawsuit, the EEOC has accused the hospital in California's San Joaquin Valley of creating a hostile working environment for Filipinos by singling them out for reprimands and for encouraging other staff to report them. The agency is seeking an injunction to protect the workers against future discrimination.

The EEOC has seen an increase in complaints alleging discrimination based on national origin amid a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, said Anna Park, a regional attorney for the EEOC. That's especially the case in California's central valley, where a greater share of the complaints the agency receives relate to such issues than in the nation as a whole.

In this case, the current and former hospital workers filed a separate complaint under state law in part because monetary damages are capped by federal law, said Julie Su, litigation director for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, which represents the plaintiffs. They want the English-only policy to be changed and for hospital staff to be trained on the new rule.

Under California law, employers may require workers to speak English if there is a business necessity, Su said.

Delano Regional Medical Center is a 156-bed hospital located about 30 miles north of Bakersfield.

^^ That's in Central Ca., puro kastilaloy nga ang salita ng mga public establishments dun... ayaw madaig ng Tagalog siguro. :lol:

porque bitoy?:D




haaayyyyy, buti na lang talaga hindi ako nag nars:D ayun midwife na lang ako sa barrio:D

comment section of that article was disabled.

^^ this is what i do too. (i think), but its more of me being wired the money (swift--intl-to-intl funds transfer) for my allowance and tuition, and not the other way around. hehe, im sure there are charges there too, standard bank charges and it applies to all, i guess.



hey boyet, bago yan ah. when was this rule suddenly enforced? i was just there last sep-october and stayed in a friend's apartment. or OFWs lang at hindi kasama dyan ang tourists? :)

Loco ka, di ka man lang nagparamdam na nandito ka :bash:

Random lang daw ang paghingi ng IL. Ang hinihingan eh yung mga "tourists" na matagal ang return ticket tapos wala naman hotel booking. Nabasa ko lang din sa PinoySG na maraming nahaharang na palabas. OFWs are exempted naman

Dito sa Vietnam, maski magbabasura, at least nakabihis ng maayos. Sa atin, kelangan talagang rags kung rags. Sabi ng kakilala kong foreigner, the Philippines DO NOT know how to put on a pretty face. Poverty is everywhere, but it seems in our rush to be "balanced", parang mukhang mas lalong napagtutuonan ng pansin ang bad side. Poverty is everywhere, decay is everywhere. But it seems mahilig tayong magdwell sa mga ganyan. I think we should highlight things that are more inspiring, more positive and more beautiful. Sa tingin ko nabrainwash na tayong lahat na parati na lang tayong kawawa kaya hindi na tayo maka-alis alis sa kawawa mentalidad.

Positive things reinforce positive things, IMO. The skyscrapers of Manhattan is a facade of false wealth whilst hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs each day in America. Ganun ganun lang din yun eh. Sa tingin ko, let us focus on things positive, yung masama baguhin pero we don't always need to air our dirty laundry in public.

Sa tingin ko lang naman. :)

I totally agree with you, dressing up appropriately, where it is necessary and when it is needed. I mentioned the poverty behind those facades of wealth in the Philippines with the premise that those "Pinoy" who are ignorant have no knowledge that it exist in PI (cities) having been shipped to other parts of the world, directly from the Provinces. I thought the statement "Walang ganyan sa Pinas" being hurled arround while there are other pinoy listening (on the bus/train in NY) is/was the case in this unfortunate situation.Those pinoys/pinays must have seen the ugly part of the city (NY) poverty, homelessnes and drugs.
I also agree with you that we should focus on the positive thing. Dirty laundry, with its incnonvenient truth, is fact of life and never would go away, let alone its impact to everyone and every contry. We just have to be discrete.

When they are still young their father and mother are their heroes. When they start becoming "pilosopo", then you know they're beginning to test your control and influence over them. And when they start involving themselves with their peers, then it's time to let go, but still making sure that you pop up in their lives once in a while. I'm sure that they'll stay at home with their parents while it's still practical, unless they are of the very independent kind. But then again, it's all how parents bring them up during their formative years, often I see a lot of kids rebel against their parents who are OFWs simply because they (parents) were not there around during the time when their kids needed them (usually emotional needs at school, etc.) and what they see only are the remitted dollars which remind them of their folks. And at an early stage in their teens, they envy their friends who have not just money but also their parents around when they need them. That's the challenge of OFW families.

Now as for bonding activities, I feel the best ones are either sports or culture and travel. Or anything that can be documented with photos or videos. Food, maybe yes, but not all the time. There should be a twist when it comes to eating to make it an interesting bonding activity, like trying out a new dish every time the family eats out. Otherwise if its the same (e.g. ordering fried chicken or pizza at every opportunity), kids will not grow up as connoisseurs, especially in gastronomy. I'm amazed that a lot of Filipinos still always look out for pinoy food anywhere else they go...just like Americans would travel halfway around the world just to look for hamburgers. Of course, if that's all you know what to cook, then it's understandable. But then when eating out, one must try something of other cultures because it gives us a better appreciation of that which is different from ours.

Hockey practice on the ice rink with my only son was the most memorable bonding that we ever had, not to mention few short trip to; Disneyland, a cruise to Hawaii and a trip to Mexico. Our kids loves exotic foods, and try almost anything. When they were young, and my wife and I were just trying to make ends meet, we went camping almost every summer, fishing hiking and swimming. ....oh we always had a blast.

They were not all that bad...though could have been better. Anyways they all turned out to be responsible people.

;68545557']Loco ka, di ka man lang nagparamdam na nandito ka :bash:

Random lang daw ang paghingi ng IL. Ang hinihingan eh yung mga "tourists" na matagal ang return ticket tapos wala naman hotel booking. Nabasa ko lang din sa PinoySG na maraming nahaharang na palabas. OFWs are exempted naman

Wow, ok. thanks for the heads up, i should be careful then next time i visit SG hehe.
you can always make up the Address While In in those cards right? ill prolly just write Hotel 81 so they wont find out :lol:
nawala ko yung nos. nyo ni custer so i wasn't able to arrange a meet na, and i thought busy ka din with eheemm :D

^^ the problem is with the PH IO.Pag tipong madaling takutin tapos yun nga nasuspetsahan nila na mag job hunt dito eh hinihingan nila ng IL..pero mukhang maangas ka naman eh so takot lang nila sa iyo :lol: angasan game lang yan..besides marami nang tatak passport mo so safe ka na :)

Hockey practice on the ice rink with my only son was the most memorable bonding that we ever had, not to mention few short trip to; Disneyland, a cruise to Hawaii and a trip to Mexico. Our kids loves exotic foods, and try almost anything. When they were young, and my wife and I were just trying to make ends meet, we went camping almost every summer, fishing hiking and swimming. ....oh we always had a blast.

They were not all that bad...though could have been better. Anyways they all turned out to be responsible people.
I wonder how the children of OFWs feel about their father's or mother's activities once they get back home. Is it possible that since they usually go home, the OFW after buying the gifts and pasalubongs of their kids, then go out and drink, eat, shop and be merry with their friends, barkadas and other relatives? Which probably makes the children a bit envious of the lack of attention being showered on them?

If I were an OFW, I would make sure that I would bring my immediate family (spouse and kids) to a place where they've not been before, so as to change the environment and ensure that family bonding is greater. Why would you just give them gifts but not quality time with them during the 1 month end/renewal of contract leave? For kids, once the novelty of the toy or pasulubong dies away, they will look out for parental affection and togetherness. It seems to me that OFW homecomings have become too commercialized, and the value of Christmas has gone away because as some bishop said "Santa has replaced Christ" for many. Well, in some OFW families, not all.

I wonder how the children of OFWs feel about their father's or mother's activities once they get back home. Is it possible that since they usually go home, the OFW after buying the gifts and pasalubongs of their kids, then go out and drink, eat, shop and be merry with their friends, barkadas and other relatives? Which probably makes the children a bit envious of the lack of attention being showered on them?

If I were an OFW, I would make sure that I would bring my immediate family (spouse and kids) to a place where they've not been before, so as to change the environment and ensure that family bonding is greater. Why would you just give them gifts but not quality time with them during the 1 month end/renewal of contract leave? For kids, once the novelty of the toy or pasulubong dies away, they will look out for parental affection and togetherness. It seems to me that OFW homecomings have become too commercialized, and the value of Christmas has gone away because as some bishop said "Santa has replaced Christ" for many. Well, in some OFW families, not all.

I can't speak for other ofw's but everytime i'm home, walang ibang mag may-ari sa akin kun di pamilya ko lang.

Some of my acquaintances/friends who invites me out or to dinner christmas parties whenever i decline, sasabihin mayabang na daw ako por que galing abroad and so i have to explain to them that i only have 30-40 days in a year to be with my family physically and had to get the most of it.

Most of them though understand it when i explain it to them but i do invite them back at home for little gatherings if they really want to see me but for me to see them, i just don't have enough time. Gusto ko kasama ko pamilya ko lang 24/7 pag nandun ako and we do go out to other places.

And one more thing, i don't serve alcohol to visitors at home dahil ayaw ko ring magtagal sila sa bahay ko. :D

they should speak English if they are working in other countries to be fair to others so that they can understand. Spanish language is given already because it is the second language in America. wag na ipagpilitan Tagalog.

;68598397']^^ the problem is with the PH IO.Pag tipong madaling takutin tapos yun nga nasuspetsahan nila na mag job hunt dito eh hinihingan nila ng IL..pero mukhang maangas ka naman eh so takot lang nila sa iyo :lol: angasan game lang yan..besides marami nang tatak passport mo so safe ka na :)

:lol::lol:

dapat kase siguro for those who are planning on jobhunting in Singapore, they must secure the employment pass first that is valid for i think 2 years before coming to Singapore so they don't get questioned if they stay with a friend/relative. remember what my friend had me do last time? we filled up this online form and after a few weeks, i got the permit. hehe, didnt get to use it tho. :D

to get the employment pass (EPEC), one must qualify and be elligible to work in SG, you fill out your online resume on SG ministry website, but the application and permit is free. :cheers:

I can't speak for other ofw's but everytime i'm home, walang ibang mag may-ari sa akin kun di pamilya ko lang.

Some of my acquaintances/friends who invites me out or to dinner christmas parties whenever i decline, sasabihin mayabang na daw ako por que galing abroad and so i have to explain to them that i only have 30-40 days in a year to be with my family physically and had to get the most of it.

Most of them though understand it when i explain it to them but i do invite them back at home for little gatherings if they really want to see me but for me to see them, i just don't have enough time. Gusto ko kasama ko pamilya ko lang 24/7 pag nandun ako and we do go out to other places.

And one more thing, i don't serve alcohol to visitors at home dahil ayaw ko ring magtagal sila sa bahay ko. :D

You are definitely doing the right thing. Keep the good work young man.
Family specially children has to come first.:cheers:

they should speak English if they are working in other countries to be fair to others so that they can understand. Spanish language is given already because it is the second language in America. wag na ipagpilitan Tagalog.

You couldn't have said it any better. I totally agree with you.

In the Philippines, English is spoken in almost everywhere, with some taglish words hurled occasionally in any conversation. It's fine. However once you have set foot to an English speaking country, do the right thing.

they should speak English if they are working in other countries to be fair to others so that they can understand. Spanish language is given already because it is the second language in America. wag na ipagpilitan Tagalog.

What about Hindi then? Why aren't they banning it?

The group of 52 nurses and medical staff filed a complaint accusing Delano Regional Medical Center of banning them from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages while letting other workers speak Spanish and Hindi.

People should try to speak in a language that everyone can understand (English, in this case), especially if they're communicating something that is work-related. But sometimes infomation is better shared in a language other than English, particularly if someone is newly-arrived to the country.

break time nga eh:D ano ba, hihingi ka lang ng tuyo at bagoong, english pa:D

may pa anchovies ancho churva ka pa eh bagoong o tuyo nga:D:D:D


eh english na nga salita minsan napagkamalan pa na tagalog dahil sa pinoy accent:D ang kulit nila noh:D

they should speak English if they are working in other countries to be fair to others so that they can understand. Spanish language is given already because it is the second language in America. wag na ipagpilitan Tagalog.

That is not the point, that is more prejudicism than just picking the filipinos single handedly in a work place. You've got to understand that sometimes Americans are too paranoid when it comes to these and it seems that they wanted to know exactly what filipinos are saying to one another even if they just happen to pass by them. Sometimes, it is easier for a filipino nurse to relay messages to one another about their patients. The problem there is that, even during break hours where filipinos would sit down and visit one another even if it has nothing to do with other nationality, they wanted to know what's up. Its all about freedom of speech and if the spanish speaking people are acceptable, why can't filipinos or other nationalities deserve the same treatment? It's not a matter of imposing the filipino language to Americans, it's their freedom to express themselves freely to another filipinos.


break time nga eh:D ano ba, hihingi ka lang ng tuyo at bagoong, english pa:D

may pa anchovies ancho churva ka pa eh bagoong o tuyo nga:D:D:D


eh english na nga salita minsan napagkamalan pa na tagalog dahil sa pinoy accent:D ang kulit nila noh:D

This is one good example and it does happen. Filipinos would have to talk to a fellow filipino coworker to relay some issues about work but when all of a sudden an american coworker happen to passby and heard them speak filipinos, it usually create a big uproar. I believe the issue is deeper than just the language itself, in the midst of this finacial set back, this recession, health care is one of those professions that provides job security and is causing resentments, little that they know that it is their fault when most americans would rather not have their hands get dirty and would opt to go into a more glamorous jobs plus the fact that Nursing can also be challenging in terms of training and is not necessarily an easy job depending on which department a nurse specialized in. Nursing degree is shortened for the purpose of luring more Americans enter this profession, sadly, it took millions of job lay offs or increase in the rate of unemployment that it is only now more americans started looking into health care professions. The hiring of foreign trained nurses up until last year were getting higher and this is not helping in alleviating these resentments towards foreign nationals migrating into the United States.

I, however, can't blame some Americans when filipinos talk to one another in filipino infront of them, especially the patients. Some Filipinos do need to be a little bit more discreet and proper. It is a different story in breakrooms or hospital cafeterias.

Well, count this as part of the OFW thread as someone from abroad won the grand prize. And he came in paranoid style, complete with hired hands with walkie-talkies:lol:

It also seems that the computer won over humans this time in placing the winning bet...

Balikbayan from NY claims P741-M grand lotto prize (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=637794&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Perseus Echeminada (The Philippine Star) Updated December 10, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (55)

MANILA, Philippines - The suspense is over.

A 60-year-old balikbayan from New York City showed up yesterday at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in Pasay City and claimed the P741,176,323.20 jackpot of the 6/55 Grand Lotto on-line lottery draw last Nov 29, ending wild speculations on who the lone winner was.

Jose Ferdinand Rojas II, PCSO general manager, told The STAR that the winner was with his family and was shopping at the Royal Duty Free at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in Olongapo City when he decided to buy five lotto tickets using the lucky pick system, wherein the computer picks the number combination for the bettor.

The lotto outlet owned by Necitas Garcia that is located inside the Royal Duty Free at the SBMA sold the ticket with the winning number combination 11-16-42-47-31-37.

“He has been a lotto fan in the US,” he said.

Rojas said the winner, who is married and a devout Catholic, plans to donate a portion of his winnings to charity and his relatives in the Philippines, and put the rest of the jackpot in the bank.

The lucky winner of the biggest lotto jackpot since the PCSO launched the on-line lottery in 1995 said he would return to the US and retire there.

He will return to the Philippines after one year and retire here and live on the interest of his huge bank account.

Several men carrying handheld radios escorted the winner to the PCSO.

As a policy the identies of lotto winners are kept secret for security reasons.

The STAR spotted Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo near the room where the winner was waiting for his check.

A PCSO official said that the presence of Robredo was just a coincidence.

The winner and his escorts, for security and confidentiality purposes, had told PSCO security guards that they wanted to visit PCSO chair Margie Juico or the general manager.

The visitors were told to get security passes but when they reached the chairman’s office, the winner revealed that he would claim the jackpot.

“It took only an hour and the winner got the jackpot prize intact,” Rojas said

The lotto jackpot was finally released after a nationwide frenzy over the Grand Lotto jackpot.

Juico said the lotto jackpot generated total sales of P4.1 billion in 86 draws.

She said 30 percent of lotto sales are used for medical and health services of indigent patients nationwide, including hospitalization assistance, medical/dental missions and ambulance donations, among other charity concerns.

Well, count this as part of the OFW thread as someone from abroad won the grand prize. And he came in paranoid style, complete with hired hands with walkie-talkies:lol:

It also seems that the computer won over humans this time in placing the winning bet...

Balikbayan from NY claims P741-M grand lotto prize (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=637794&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Perseus Echeminada (The Philippine Star) Updated December 10, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (55)

MANILA, Philippines - The suspense is over.

A 60-year-old balikbayan from New York City showed up yesterday at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in Pasay City and claimed the P741,176,323.20 jackpot of the 6/55 Grand Lotto on-line lottery draw last Nov 29, ending wild speculations on who the lone winner was.

Jose Ferdinand Rojas II, PCSO general manager, told The STAR that the winner was with his family and was shopping at the Royal Duty Free at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in Olongapo City when he decided to buy five lotto tickets using the lucky pick system, wherein the computer picks the number combination for the bettor.

The lotto outlet owned by Necitas Garcia that is located inside the Royal Duty Free at the SBMA sold the ticket with the winning number combination 11-16-42-47-31-37.

“He has been a lotto fan in the US,” he said.

Rojas said the winner, who is married and a devout Catholic, plans to donate a portion of his winnings to charity and his relatives in the Philippines, and put the rest of the jackpot in the bank.

The lucky winner of the biggest lotto jackpot since the PCSO launched the on-line lottery in 1995 said he would return to the US and retire there.

He will return to the Philippines after one year and retire here and live on the interest of his huge bank account.

Several men carrying handheld radios escorted the winner to the PCSO.

As a policy the identies of lotto winners are kept secret for security reasons.

The STAR spotted Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo near the room where the winner was waiting for his check.

A PCSO official said that the presence of Robredo was just a coincidence.

The winner and his escorts, for security and confidentiality purposes, had told PSCO security guards that they wanted to visit PCSO chair Margie Juico or the general manager.

The visitors were told to get security passes but when they reached the chairman’s office, the winner revealed that he would claim the jackpot.

“It took only an hour and the winner got the jackpot prize intact,” Rojas said

The lotto jackpot was finally released after a nationwide frenzy over the Grand Lotto jackpot.

Juico said the lotto jackpot generated total sales of P4.1 billion in 86 draws.

She said 30 percent of lotto sales are used for medical and health services of indigent patients nationwide, including hospitalization assistance, medical/dental missions and ambulance donations, among other charity concerns.

So, what the press had been telling were all "guesses"! Ito talagang taga media, oo!
Ang sabi daw street sweeper ang nanalo. Tapos, nabasa daw yung ticket kaya hindi na raw ma-claim yung prize! BS reporting na naman! Ang masama, nasa mental hospital na raw dahil nag break-down! Bad, bad journalism!
Anyways, good to know the winner claimed the prize! Good on him!

:lol::lol:

dapat kase siguro for those who are planning on jobhunting in Singapore, they must secure the employment pass first that is valid for i think 2 years before coming to Singapore so they don't get questioned if they stay with a friend/relative. remember what my friend had me do last time? we filled up this online form and after a few weeks, i got the permit. hehe, didnt get to use it tho. :D


You cannot get your Employment Pass pag nasa Pilipinas ka pa lang, Kailangan kasi yan ng personal appearance sa Ministry of Manpower (thumbprinting, medical check up sa singapore clinic etc) The only thing na pwede ka magkaroon while nasa Pilipinas ka eh yung IPA or In-Principle approval ng epass application mo. Then para di ka maharang ng IO dapat member ka na ng OWWA. Pag naman may epass or kahit IPA ka, then di ka member ng OWWA at nakita ng PH IO na meron ka nun eh di ka papaalisin kasi papa memberin ka sa OWWA.

So yung mga gusto maghanap ng work sa SG, they prefer to leave as tourists at sa SG na gawin ang formalities like OWWA membership kasi mas less ang hassle

:lol::lol:
to get the employment pass (EPEC), one must qualify and be elligible to work in SG, you fill out your online resume on SG ministry website, but the application and permit is free. :cheers:

EPEC is not EP..EPEC is Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate lang and not the pass mismo. It does not allow you to work in Singapore but more of a certificate lang na your credentials make you eligible for epass.. Kaso isa lang ang credentials mo s factors na i consider ng Ministry of Manpower para magka epass or spass ka. I consider din nila ang merits ng job mo like job description, salary, status ng company na nag apply ng pass para sa iyo. The EPEC isnt free din, libre ang pag apply pero ang pag pa activate noon. Do remember na kailangan pa ipa activate ang EPEC sa Immigration and Checkpoints Authority ng Singapore para ma grant ka ng 1 year Long Term Social Visit Pass and kailangan mo magbayad ng S$100 para doon ..tapos di pa sure yung activation na yan, minsan kahit may EPEC letter ka sa MOM, sabit pa sa ICA activation :) Yun lang naman talaga ang pinaka punto ng EPEC, na magka 1 year LTSVP ka para mas may time ka maghanap ng work sa Singapore and once maka hanap ka ng work, kailangan ka pa i apply ng epass or spass para legal ka nang maka work :)

whew ang haba ng sinabi ko :lol:

Filipino engineers, CPAs pass Middle East examinations
December 10, 2010, 6:52pm

MANILA, Philippines – The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Friday announced that 23 passed the Professional Mechanical Engineer and 38 out of 145 passed the Mechanical Engineer Licensure Examination given by the Board of Mechanical Engineering in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Al-Khobar and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in Doha, Qatar last November 2010.

On the Board of Mechanical Engineering are Engr. Leandro A. Conti, Office-In-Charge and Engr. Vicente B. Vosotros, Member.

PRC also announced that 35 out of 96 passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Licensure Examination given by the Board of Accountancy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Al-Khobar and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in Doha, Qatar last November 2010.

The members of the Board of Accountancy are Eugene T. Mateo, Chairman; Ma. Elenita B. Cabrera, Vice Chairman; Luis A. Cañete, Rufo R. Mendoza and Jose S. Tayag, Jr., Members.

Successful examinees in the Professional Mechanical Engineer Examination given in the Middle East in November 2010

Successful examinees in the Mechanical Engineer examination given in the Middle East last November 16-17, 2010

Successful examinees in the CPA licensure examination-Middle East held on November 16, 2010

CPA licensure examination-Middle East (List of successful examinees whose REGISTRATION shall be DEFERRED pending compliance with some registration requirements)



http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/292116/filipino-engineers-cpas-pass-middle-east-examinations

Tamo, balikbayan pa ang nanalo, I am sure nanggagalaiti sa galit si fengrun nyan.

Tamo, balikbayan pa ang nanalo, I am sure nanggagalaiti sa galit si fengrun nyan.
--------------------------------------------
^^:lol::lol::lol:

Tamo, balikbayan pa ang nanalo, I am sure nanggagalaiti sa galit si fengrun nyan.

tseeee:D

kinakawawa nyo na namn ang friend ko:D

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

tseeee:D

kinakawawa nyo na namn ang friend ko:D

:lol::lol::lol::lol:



:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Imagine mo baka OFW din yun.. nagbakasyon lang. Tapos antagal din sgurong pumila si fengrun sa lotto office tapos OFW pa ang nanalo. wahahaha

Tamo, balikbayan pa ang nanalo, I am sure nanggagalaiti sa galit si fengrun nyan.

Pinaalis mo kasi yon dito! Hehehehe

Pinaalis mo kasi yon dito! Hehehehe

Dapat mabigyan nya ng balato si Fengrun ... kasi ayaw mag-OFW ... :D

saan kaya sa NY??? marami rin kasi dito sa amin ang umuwi para sa Christmas, baka isa na sa kanila ang nanalo...:lol::nuts:

saan kaya sa NY??? marami rin kasi dito sa amin ang umuwi para sa Christmas, baka isa na sa kanila ang nanalo...:lol::nuts:

Malejana daw ang last name ... :lol:

Balatoooooo!!! :D

Tamo, balikbayan pa ang nanalo, I am sure nanggagalaiti sa galit si fengrun nyan.

Ako yun! :lol::lol:

Malejana daw ang last name ... :lol:

Balatoooooo!!! :D

haha, di naman kami umuwi ano...:lol: sayang...:ohno:

masuerte si lolo, nagbakasyon lang sa Pilipinas nanalo pa ng miliones. :okay:

Ako yun! :lol::lol:

hindi sure yun:D

69yo daw yun eh ikaw 79:D:lol::lol::lol:

Tamo, balikbayan pa ang nanalo, I am sure nanggagalaiti sa galit si fengrun nyan.



tseeee:D

kinakawawa nyo na namn ang friend ko:D

:lol::lol::lol::lol:



:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Imagine mo baka OFW din yun.. nagbakasyon lang. Tapos antagal din sgurong pumila si fengrun sa lotto office tapos OFW pa ang nanalo. wahahaha

:rofl: :rofl: kinawawa ninyo ng husto si fengrun, baka nag heart attack na yan pakaalam na OFW ang nanalo ng lotto:lol::lol:

saan kaya sa NY??? marami rin kasi dito sa amin ang umuwi para sa Christmas, baka isa na sa kanila ang nanalo...:lol::nuts:

Umasa ka pa, sa dami ng pinoy diyan sa NY, airport pa lang magkakanda duling at hilo ka sa pag spot kung sino yuong mukhang nanalo ng sweepstake a pinas. Makataya nga sa sipistik baka manalo din ako... :lol:

hindi sure yun:D

69yo daw yun eh ikaw 79:D:lol::lol::lol:

Malay natin, nandito lang yan! 69 yo ba kamo? Ano kaya ang palatandaan ng isang 69 yo? Madaling magalit, malimutin, atbp?

Umasa ka pa, sa dami ng pinoy diyan sa NY, airport pa lang magkakanda duling at hilo ka sa pag spot kung sino yuong mukhang nanalo ng sweepstake a pinas. Makataya nga sa sipistik baka manalo din ako... :lol:

lol, magandang idea yan ah... magabang ako sa airport... kung sino ang may walkie-talkie eh lapitan ko na at manghingi ng pera..:lol::nuts:

but yeah, it's true.. may hinatid kami one time jan sa JFK, China Airlines nga pero puro pinoy naman ung andun sa Check-in counters...:D

Naku mahirap yan, sa filipinas siguro may makikita kang OFW na naghire ng off duty police para private body guard nila. May dalawa akong kilala dito na talagang ginagawa yan :lol: yuong isa taga Iligan at ang isa taga Cavite City :rofl: parang mga tungek, sobrang paranoid at feeling super rich at celebrity sa filipinas. :lol:

that sounds very fishy. For weeks nobody has ever won then all of a sudden a balikbayan from "outside the country" supposedly won.
Usually when the pot gets that big it's split between multiple winners.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Imagine mo baka OFW din yun.. nagbakasyon lang. Tapos antagal din sgurong pumila si fengrun sa lotto office tapos OFW pa ang nanalo. wahahaha

:lol::lol::lol: I could see fengrun "FUMING", what a tease indeed eh! if its true that OFW won a lottery in PI :lol::lol:

If there are infact multiple winners. What if that sexaginarian bought multiple tickets? It is not impossible that the rest of the tickets left unsold and he happen to be the sole winner.

If there are infact multiple winners. What if that sexaginarian bought multiple tickets? It is not impossible that the rest of the tickets left unsold and he happen to be the sole winner.

^^Highly unlikely but there is always a possibilty.:)

according to gma 7, the winner had 5 number combinations and all are lucky pick numbers (or given by the machine). ang swerte namang makina nun. :lol:

;68665885']You cannot get your Employment Pass pag nasa Pilipinas ka pa lang, Kailangan kasi yan ng personal appearance sa Ministry of Manpower (thumbprinting, medical check up sa singapore clinic etc) The only thing na pwede ka magkaroon while nasa Pilipinas ka eh yung IPA or In-Principle approval ng epass application mo. Then para di ka maharang ng IO dapat member ka na ng OWWA. Pag naman may epass or kahit IPA ka, then di ka member ng OWWA at nakita ng PH IO na meron ka nun eh di ka papaalisin kasi papa memberin ka sa OWWA.

So yung mga gusto maghanap ng work sa SG, they prefer to leave as tourists at sa SG na gawin ang formalities like OWWA membership kasi mas less ang hassle



EPEC is not EP..EPEC is Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate lang and not the pass mismo. It does not allow you to work in Singapore but more of a certificate lang na your credentials make you eligible for epass.. Kaso isa lang ang credentials mo s factors na i consider ng Ministry of Manpower para magka epass or spass ka. I consider din nila ang merits ng job mo like job description, salary, status ng company na nag apply ng pass para sa iyo. The EPEC isnt free din, libre ang pag apply pero ang pag pa activate noon. Do remember na kailangan pa ipa activate ang EPEC sa Immigration and Checkpoints Authority ng Singapore para ma grant ka ng 1 year Long Term Social Visit Pass and kailangan mo magbayad ng S$100 para doon ..tapos di pa sure yung activation na yan, minsan kahit may EPEC letter ka sa MOM, sabit pa sa ICA activation :) Yun lang naman talaga ang pinaka punto ng EPEC, na magka 1 year LTSVP ka para mas may time ka maghanap ng work sa Singapore and once maka hanap ka ng work, kailangan ka pa i apply ng epass or spass para legal ka nang maka work :)

whew ang haba ng sinabi ko :lol:


wow, ok. ang haba nga :lol::lol: sorry i missed that process. but at least they have this kind of accomodation for those wanting to work there. its like a first step to getting employment before you even set foot in the country and without having to have an employer or offer. it allows you to stay longer legally in SG until you find a job, something you don't get in other countries. :cheers:

saan kaya sa NY??? marami rin kasi dito sa amin ang umuwi para sa Christmas, baka isa na sa kanila ang nanalo...:lol::nuts:

what's 700million pesos in dollars? $15M?
swerte naman nung matandang new yorker na yun. magiging neighbor na nya si Loida Nicolas Lewis sa Fifth Ave by Central Park. :cheers:

:nuts: why send half to the US? hehehe, sabagay, pera niya yan, he can decide on what to do with them.... nakasahod na kaagad ang kamay ni Uncle Sam nito... :lol:

Balikbayan to keep 50% of lotto prize in PH, 50% in US (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/10/10/balikbayan-keep-50-lotto-prize-ph-50-us)

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sites/default/files//a_images/topics/tvpatrol/2010december/121010_pcsowinning.jpg

MANILA, Philippines - A 60-year-old balikbayan who won the biggest lotto prize in Philippine history is setting aside half of his P741 million (approximately $16.9 million) winnings for his eventual retirement in the Philippines.

The unnamed winner, who worked as an engineering aide in New York, USA for the past 20 years, presented his driver's license and California ID as well as the winning lotto ticket to claim his prize at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Thursday afternoon

Pinaalis mo kasi yon dito! Hehehehe

Uy, hindi ako nagpaalis sa kanya ha, aliping sanggigilid lang ako dito sa SSC. :lol:

:rofl: :rofl: kinawawa ninyo ng husto si fengrun, baka nag heart attack na yan pakaalam na OFW ang nanalo ng lotto:lol::lol:



Umasa ka pa, sa dami ng pinoy diyan sa NY, airport pa lang magkakanda duling at hilo ka sa pag spot kung sino yuong mukhang nanalo ng sweepstake a pinas. Makataya nga sa sipistik baka manalo din ako... :lol:

Hala, magbabantay na yang si patrick sa airport.magdadala ng malaking karatula yan: "Balato this way." :D


:nuts: why send half to the US? hehehe, sabagay, pera niya yan, he can decide on what to do with them.... nakasahod na kaagad ang kamay ni Uncle Sam nito... :lol:

Balikbayan to keep 50% of lotto prize in PH, 50% in US (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/10/10/balikbayan-keep-50-lotto-prize-ph-50-us)

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sites/default/files//a_images/topics/tvpatrol/2010december/121010_pcsowinning.jpg

MANILA, Philippines - A 60-year-old balikbayan who won the biggest lotto prize in Philippine history is setting aside half of his P741 million (approximately $16.9 million) winnings for his eventual retirement in the Philippines.

The unnamed winner, who worked as an engineering aide in New York, USA for the past 20 years, presented his driver's license and California ID as well as the winning lotto ticket to claim his prize at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Thursday afternoon

OFW nga!!!

Puso mo fengrun pag nababasa mo ito. :D:lol::lol::lol:

filipinos exploiting filipinos?.....:ohno:


Florida couple jailed for exploiting Filipinos

Agence France-Presse First Posted 09:34:00 12/11/2010 Filed Under: Crime and Law and Justice, Punishment, Migration


WASHINGTON – A Florida couple was sentenced to several years in prison Friday for exploiting dozens of Filipino migrants they lured here with lies and forced to work under threat in service jobs in Florida, the Justice Department said.

Sophia Manuel and Alfonso Maldonado "pleaded guilty to conspiring to obtain a cheap, compliant and readily available labor pool by making false promises to entice the victims to incur debts to pay up front recruitment fees," the department said in a statement.

Manuel, who was also found guilty of making false statements to obtain foreign labor certifications and visas under the federal guest worker program, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years behind bars, and Maldonado to four-and-a-quarter years.

Approximately 39 Filipino migrants were brought over by the Quality Staffing Services Corporation the couple owned, and "compelled... through threats to have the workers arrested and deported" to work in country clubs and hotels in southeast Florida, the department said.

"These defendants exploited vulnerable individuals for their own financial gain, depriving the victims of their civil rights," said Thomas Perez, an assistant attorney general.



http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20101211-308345/Florida-couple-jailed-for-exploiting-Filipinos

PHL appeals to Middle East, China for clemency for Filipinos under death sentences
December 11, 2010, 12:50pm

MANILA, Philippines (PNA) — The Philippines on Friday renewed its appeal for clemency or moratorium in the implementation of death sentence to Filipinos offenders abroad, specifically in the Middle East and China.

The appeal, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, (DFA) trumpeted the Philippines’ active role in the worldwide campaign for the abolition of capital punishment or a moratorium on its implementation.

“This is an important advocacy, as capital punishment remains part of the penal laws in many countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia,” DFA said in a statement timed with the worldwide observance of Human Rights Day on Friday.

”In this respect, we have made constant appeals for clemency for Filipinos who have been meted the death penalty overseas, particularly in the Middle East, China and in other countries,” DFA said.

There are more than a hundred Filipinos sentenced to death and are in prison in China, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Kuwait, and the United States, mainly on drugs-related crimes.

The abolition of the death penalty in the Philippines in 2006 and the commutation of death sentences since 2001 reflect the “clear and well-established” commitment of the Philippine government to the dignity of human life and its full respect for human rights, DFA said.

Even before the passage of Republic Act 9346 in June 2006, the Philippines has not carried out the death penalty since 2001. The death sentences of 1,230 prisoners have been commuted to life.

Timed with the observance, President Benigno S. Aquino III on Friday morning ordered the Department of Justice to immediately withdraw charges of illegal possession of explosives and ammunition against the so-called “Morong 43” group for humanitarian reasons.

Detained since February this year, they portray themselves as health workers but were rounded up on suspicion of being members of the internationally-listed terrorist group, the New People’s Army (NPA), the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

In ordering the release, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa said: “This represents the President’s commitment to respect human rights and to uphold the rule of law, a commitment that will be consistent regardless of the parties’ political affiliations.”

Reacting to the President’s move, Undersecretary Alexander Padilla, a presidential adviser on the peace process with the secessionist Left, said it was “a good confidence-building measure” in the resumed negotiations with the National Democratic Front, the political arm of the CPP.

A number of Philippine programs for human rights promotion are being assisted in part by the European Union (EU), which paid tribute to human rights defenders in a statement by its Brussels-based High Representative (Foreign Minister) Catherine Ashton.

Apart from direct support to human rights defenders, the EU has also funded activities in the area of election monitoring, violence against women and children, trafficking in human beings, indigenous communities, peace-building activities and (through the EPJUST program) extra-legal killings and enforced disappearances.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Alistair MacDonald said that “through these grants the EU has been able to strengthen the capacities of government agencies as well as civil society in promoting and protecting human rights and democratic reforms, and in facilitating the peaceful resolution of resource-related conflicts.”

The Ambassador said that human rights was an area of mutual interest and importance for the Philippines and the EU in the bilateral relations.

The EU Delegation in Manila said that “the issue figured prominently in the recently concluded negotiations on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which the EU and the Philippines will sign in the near future.”

MacDonald said human rights was also included as a priority in the recently adopted EU-Philippines Multi-annual Indicative Program, “which gives the strategic priorities for our development cooperation in the coming years.”

The Philippines has also been an early strong advocate and staunch supporter of the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights and a leading voice for the release of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi.

”And now that this icon of freedom (Suu Kyi) has been released, we have urged the Myanmar Government to release the 2,100 other prisoners of conscience in said country,” DFA said.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/292211/phl-appeals-middle-east-china-clemency-filipinos-under-death-sentences

:nuts: why send half to the US? hehehe, sabagay, pera niya yan, he can decide on what to do with them.... nakasahod na kaagad ang kamay ni Uncle Sam nito... :lol:

Balikbayan to keep 50% of lotto prize in PH, 50% in US (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/10/10/balikbayan-keep-50-lotto-prize-ph-50-us)

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sites/default/files//a_images/topics/tvpatrol/2010december/121010_pcsowinning.jpg

MANILA, Philippines - A 60-year-old balikbayan who won the biggest lotto prize in Philippine history is setting aside half of his P741 million (approximately $16.9 million) winnings for his eventual retirement in the Philippines.

The unnamed winner, who worked as an engineering aide in New York, USA for the past 20 years, presented his driver's license and California ID as well as the winning lotto ticket to claim his prize at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Thursday afternoon

Look at the work of the one who created the sample checks. Poor in math... it should be 370,588,161.60 and not 370,588,161.06:lol:

In any case, the press is reporting too much already on the lottery winner. Unscrupulous elements who are good at googling can probably trace the identity of the winner given more info. If I won the top prize I would try to be as anonymous as possible:lol:

Probably the press has a field day trying to hype stories like these...especially the piece that the majority of the winners have opted to keep a simple lifestyle after their rags to riches story...which somehow reinforces the notion that luck and not hard work is the solution to one's miseries...remember what former CBCP President Oscar Cruz had to warn whoever wins the lotto (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101130-306223/Bishop-warns-lotto-winner-PH-is-not-the-safest-place-to-be-in)?

filipinos exploiting filipinos?.....:ohno:


Florida couple jailed for exploiting Filipinos

Agence France-Presse First Posted 09:34:00 12/11/2010 Filed Under: Crime and Law and Justice, Punishment, Migration


WASHINGTON – A Florida couple was sentenced to several years in prison Friday for exploiting dozens of Filipino migrants they lured here with lies and forced to work under threat in service jobs in Florida, the Justice Department said.

Sophia Manuel and Alfonso Maldonado "pleaded guilty to conspiring to obtain a cheap, compliant and readily available labor pool by making false promises to entice the victims to incur debts to pay up front recruitment fees," the department said in a statement.

.


http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20101211-308345/Florida-couple-jailed-for-exploiting-Filipinos

Hay naku, may personal akong kakilala na ganito, nag trabaho pa man din ako ng part time sa kanya nuon. Dati therapist, nurses and ITs ang racket niya na demanda na ng dalawang beses, lumipat na ng ibang state mga teachers naman ang binibiktima, walang kadala dala, sugapa sa pera, professional naman siya at kayang kumita ng pera na matino pero gust easy money na halos milliones ang kita. Ito ang kailangan na masunog ang kaluluwa sa impyerno. May ilang filipino dito sa America na ganyan, tulad nuon sa Cali na nasusumbong ng kapwa filipino sa immigration dahil tatangap sila ng US$1,000.00 kada ulo. Grabe talaga ang mga ito.

^^ Ano ba ang bago nyan, maski sa Pinas maraming ganyan - traffickers. Mangloloko ng mga tao sa probinsya, pangakuan ng waitress job sa Manila, ang bagsak pala ay pagpopokpok.

Thousands of women and children are trafficked everyday internally sa Pilipinas at palabas ng Pilipinas.

^^ Ano ba ang bago nyan, maski sa Pinas maraming ganyan - traffickers. Mangloloko ng mga tao sa probinsya, pangakuan ng waitress job sa Manila, ang bagsak pala ay pagpopokpok.

Thousands of women and children are trafficked everyday internally sa Pilipinas at palabas ng Pilipinas.

^^True, Infact I've seen a documentary about trafficker's "modus operandi" in the Philippines. Young girls at 14 sometimes 12, from the deep trenches of the Provinces, are being sold to foreign predators. Really sad, and Canada is not immune to this kind of practices either. Mostly from the former Eastern communist bloc in Europe.

There are few instances too, that "Pinoy" exploit their kapwa "Pinoy" here in Canada. :ohno:

^^True, Infact I've seen a documentary about trafficker's "modus operandi" in the Philippines. Young girls at 14 sometimes 12, from the deep trenches of the Provinces, are being sold to foreign predators. Really sad, and Canada is not immune to this kind of practices either. Mostly from the former Eastern communist bloc in Europe.

There are few instances too, that "Pinoy" exploit their kapwa "Pinoy" here in Canada. :ohno:

Kaya if anyone suspects a person is being trafficked, call the authorities.

This site is concerned with trafficking in the Philippines -

http://www.ecpat.net/EI/Ecpat_directory.asp?id=75&groupID=3

They also have sites for other countries.

ako gusto magpa traffic:D please parang awa nyo na:D


toinks:D hahaha

Kaya if anyone suspects a person is being trafficked, call the authorities.

This site is concerned with trafficking in the Philippines -

http://www.ecpat.net/EI/Ecpat_directory.asp?id=75&groupID=3

They also have sites for other countries.

Thanks for the info and the appropriate link. :) Sure helps.

^^ Ano ba ang bago nyan, maski sa Pinas maraming ganyan - traffickers. Mangloloko ng mga tao sa probinsya, pangakuan ng waitress job sa Manila, ang bagsak pala ay pagpopokpok.

Thousands of women and children are trafficked everyday internally sa Pilipinas at palabas ng Pilipinas.

Well you would atleast expect that fellow filipinos would not exploit their fellow filipinos while in another country. They can compete or even look down on their fellow filipinos but as far as they themselves are treating their fellow filipinos like slave in another country is different. I understand that it may happen in the Philippines, somehow, most of their victims have families or support system they can turn to. It's just sickening that they really take these as far as other countries and to their fellow filipinos.

ako gusto magpa traffic:D please parang awa nyo na:D


toinks:D hahaha
Igapos kita at itapon sa gitna ng kalye sa baclaran makita mo :lol: :lol:

Well you would atleast expect that fellow filipinos would not exploit their fellow filipinos while in another country. They can compete or even look down on their fellow filipinos but as far as they themselves are treating their fellow filipinos like slave in another country is different. I understand that it may happen in the Philippines, somehow, most of their victims have families or support system they can turn to. It's just sickening that they really take these as far as other countries and to their fellow filipinos.


Sana. But that doesn't really translate to reality. Common sense dictates, if it is too good to be true, chances are it is.

ako gusto magpa traffic:D please parang awa nyo na:D


toinks:D hahaha

Ahehehehehehe! Ano nga pala'ng vital statistics mo ining? toinks:righton::righton::righton:

If it hasn’t been discussed yet in this forum, I would like to open up the following discussion.

Do you think as a Filipino who immigrated abroad to seek other opportunities, you will one day return to the Philippines to reside?

If so, why? What are your reasons for doing so?

If not, why not? What are your reasons for not doing so?

There is no right or a wrong answer here as this involves your own life and your personal circumstance.
You might want to mention about your specific circumstance, your family situation, support system, your desire where you would rather settle and enjoy the fruits of your savings, the environment you would rather live for the next stage of your life, your desire to make a difference, business or work plans, etc. All these may be factors in your decision making process.
For those who did not immigrate abroad, you might find the responses here interesting, and might find encouragement to perhaps immigrate as well if you have the opportunity, or an affirmation that staying put where you are now was/is the right choice. So, you might have valid questions you might want to ask as well.

Do you think as a Filipino who immigrated abroad to seek other opportunities, you will one day return to the Philippines to reside?
Yes for me.

Multiplication Factor of the Money I’ll be bringing home:
The exchange rate and cost of living (in the Philippines) is to my favour; hence the money I’ll be bringing home will go a long ways to finance the life style I could live, in relative ease and comfort.

There is Global Reach in Today’s World and has made the World a smaller place:
Today’s transportation and communication cost has taken a quantum leap forward in today’s World compared to decades ago during our parents’ time. I can remember in the olden days during my parents’ time when long distance and transportation cost can set you back a fortune and procured rarely and usually in extreme cases only, like for very important reasons or urgent cases usually. Now a days, communications through telephone and internet is extremely cheap, and transportation cost to traverse the oceans are relatively cheap, and is now done more for leisure than necessity. So I won’t feel as much, the separation and distance from families I’ll be leaving behind in the West, since I can communicate with them easily and cheaply, and even visit them from time to time and they can visit me as well. I won’t feel any severing of ties and connections at all.

Many Improvements has Occurred in the Philippines recently compared to decades ago:
Martial Law is gone thank God, and the populace enjoy relative democracy in the Philippine, albeit still has a long ways to go in making it better. This is a must for me. I don’t think I would like to live in a totalitarian country ruled by Martial Law.
Construction and infrastructure has very much improved as well, although we still face traffic and pollution especially in Metro Manila, but I am hopeful this will improve too.

Desire to make a Positive Contribution to the Philippines in some Small Ways:
This is for my own altruistic reasons and a response to an inner call within, to somehow make a positive contribution to our neighbourhood, environment and the people less fortunate than myself. Where else can I better do this than in the land of my birth?

^^ Yes of course but the trend in the future would be at least dual residency where people will have to commute between their residences in two countries.

Do you think as a Filipino who immigrated abroad to seek other opportunities, you will one day return to the Philippines to reside?

Absolutely mate!

Most OFWs’ destinations have not been certified as safe—POEA
By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 10:18:00 12/15/2010 Filed Under: Overseas Employment, Safety of Citizens, Government, Philippines - Metro


MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has so far certified less than half of more than 180 countries around the world as nations where overseas Filipino workers can be “deployed,” the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief said Tuesday.

POEA administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said her agency was also reviewing these certifications because the DFA certified some countries using qualifications other than those set by the new Republic Act 10022, or the amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act.

Under the controversial RA 10022, OFWs can be sent only to countries where their rights are protected. The DFA certifies which countries meet this criteria and this certification will then have to be approved by the POEA governing board.

The law states that a country viable for OFW deployment should have existing labor and social laws protecting rights of workers, including migrant workers; it should be a signatory of bilateral or multilateral agreements relating to the protection of migrant workers; or it has taken “positive and concrete measures” to protect migrant workers.

Manalili said the deadline for certifying countries was also moved to January 24 for nations with Philippine embassies and February 24 for countries that do not have a Philippine diplomatic post.

“Even before (the initial) deadline of November 24, all the 65 countries (that have PH embassies) were able to submit (certifications), including major markets in the Middle East,” Manalili said in a press briefing.

“I also think that less than 20 (countries that do not have PH diplomatic posts) were also able to submit. This would be the greater part because if my recollection is correct, there are around 120 countries (that do not have PH diplomatic posts),” she added.

Manalili said the DFA, POEA, and the labor department were also thinking of sending missions to other countries to inform them about this certification system.

Meanwhile, prominent groups, individuals, and churches of the Filipino community in Hong Kong have issued a manifesto urging the government to spare the former British colony from another controversial provision of RA 10022: the mandatory insurance of new agency-hired OFWs.

“Our livelihood is at stake. Protection for overseas Filipino workers should not cost us our jobs nor should it be a financial burden for OFWs,” said the manifesto, signed by 130 groups and individuals led by Unifil-Migrante.

The manifesto pointed out that HK employers already take out insurance policies, with better benefits, for their domestic workers because this is required by HK laws.

“It is thus ironic that the new mandatory insurance scheme…in reality puts our jobs at risk, threatens our future, and poses further strain to the already vulnerable condition of overseas Filipino workers,” the manifesto said.

I can see that the trend of returning residents will grow over the years, although it is easier said than done. How many do you know now that has two residences (that is 2 properties under their own names and not to their parents), that is one in the Philippines and another one abroad? Among friends of mine, I only know of two people so far, 3 by next year when a third will have taken possession of their condo unit in the Philippines by then.

In my extended family, counting my aunts and uncles and cousins, only 2 out of 38 succeeded in going back to the Philippines, but with only one residence. So that means they sold out their residences abroad when they took up residences in the Philippines.

Many factors can hinder or dissuade someone from returning to take up residence in the Philippines. The passage of time might work against it simply because one might get used to his/her life abroad. Close family ties may cause one to stay. Dependency and support system is abroad. Financial reasons, either dependent on someone or someone else is dependent on them is another reason.

As for us, it is still a goal at the present time. But we have already taken steps towards that goal by reserving a pre-selling condo unit in the Philippines due in 3 years. It is also our hope that we will be able to maintain both residences, one in North America and a second one in the Philippines for at least 5 to 10 years.

Do you think as a Filipino who immigrated abroad to seek other opportunities, you will one day return to the Philippines to reside?

Absolutely mate!

My aunt who lives in Australia loathes everything about the country during the 90's. Now, the hag has bought a farm in Batangas and is planning retire in 2012 with her husband:lol:

^^

that's what's my beef with them actually. they all left when the Philippines is having problems, now they are back when things are better. they are like leeches, taking advantages of the things that they did not help achieve.

^^ Actually kinukuha nya yung mga pamingkin nya including me para dun daw magsimula. Balik na lang daw dito pag mag-reretire na.

di ka sumama? dahil ba kay...? hehe

^^ SIRA! i might leave next year since na lodge na yung application ko last year pa. that's why i'm trying to get a better job here to show her that one can be successful kahit hindi umalis ng pinas.

iiyak yun for sure pag umalis ka :D

^^ sino ba yang tinutukoy mo? :gossip:

si kapuso :D

:badnews:

OFW remittances surge to $15.46B
Highest monthly record posted in October

By Michelle Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:25:00 12/15/2010

REMITTANCES SENT to the Philippines reached $1.67 billion in October, the highest monthly level so far recorded, given robust demand by foreign companies for Filipino skilled and professional workers.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported yesterday that the latest amount of remittances from Filipinos abroad was higher by 9.3 percent from $1.53 billion in October last year.

Remittances in October brought the total for the first 10 months to $15.46 billion, up 7.9 percent from $14.32 billion in the same period last year.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the move of Filipino banks to expand their remittance channels worldwide also helped increase inflows as sending money became easier.

The central bank said remittances in October came mostly from the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Italy, Germany and Norway.

Tetangco cited a report by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showing a robust demand for Filipino workers by companies offshore. Job orders for Filipino workers reached 578,535 from January to October this year. These orders involved professional and technical jobs.

The central bank chief said remittances were expected to remain strong over the short to medium term given the expanding labor markets for Filipinos. He said that although some countries, especially industrialized Western nations, were having difficulty accelerating their recovery from the latest global crisis, growth of alternative labor markets was seen to boost demand for Filipino workers.

Tetangco said ongoing talks between the Department of Labor and Employment with its counterparts in foreign countries would also help sustain strong inflows of remittances.

“Looking ahead, the deployment outlook for Filipinos overseas remain upbeat given the continuing bilateral talks with some host countries, aimed at matching manpower requirements with the competencies of Filipino workers,” Tetangco said.

He cited Algeria and Guam as countries that have expressed interest to hire more Filipino workers in 2011. Algeria is planning to implement infrastructure projects while Guam is about to hire for the construction of a military base.

Remittances, which fuel consumption of Filipino households, have been credited for helping the Philippine economy escape a recession last year and post a robust growth this year.

In 2009, when remittances reached $17.3 billion, the economy grew 1.1 percent. This was a slowdown from the previous year’s 3.8 percent, but was better compared with the growth performance of most developed countries, which fell into recession.

The Philippines is the world’s fourth-biggest recipient of remittances after China, India and Mexico.

http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20101215-309158/OFW-remittances-surge-to-1546B

^^

that's what's my beef with them actually. they all left when the Philippines is having problems, now they are back when things are better. they are leeches, taking advantages of the things that they did not help achieve.

Really? Many of those who left in the late 60's and early '70s were forced to leave not because of economics but because of political situation. Some I know who did not leave did not survive, spent part of their time in jail, or hunted or ended up in less than desirable lives. The balikbayan if you care to check the numbers supported the country, 60% of the remittances come from balikbayan. The old timers, now called balikbayan have always been remitting money to the country. The OFW phenomenon only came in 1975 when Marcos and Blas Ople decided they can make money from modern day slaves.

So these people who come back, you call leeches, are seen as walking ATM's by Filipinos there. The same leeches people who have been out of the country for decades have continuously supported the country, and maintained a certain degree of loyalty to them inspite of the negatives. Sorry dude, many of these so called leeches have put in their money where their mouth and heart is.

OFW remittances surge to $15.46B
Highest monthly record posted in October

By Michelle Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:25:00 12/15/2010

REMITTANCES SENT to the Philippines reached $1.67 billion in October, the highest monthly level so far recorded, given robust demand by foreign companies for Filipino skilled and professional workers.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported yesterday that the latest amount of remittances from Filipinos abroad was higher by 9.3 percent from $1.53 billion in October last year.

Remittances in October brought the total for the first 10 months to $15.46 billion, up 7.9 percent from $14.32 billion in the same period last year.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the move of Filipino banks to expand their remittance channels worldwide also helped increase inflows as sending money became easier.

The central bank said remittances in October came mostly from the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Italy, Germany and Norway.

Tetangco cited a report by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showing a robust demand for Filipino workers by companies offshore. Job orders for Filipino workers reached 578,535 from January to October this year. These orders involved professional and technical jobs.

The central bank chief said remittances were expected to remain strong over the short to medium term given the expanding labor markets for Filipinos. He said that although some countries, especially industrialized Western nations, were having difficulty accelerating their recovery from the latest global crisis, growth of alternative labor markets was seen to boost demand for Filipino workers.

Tetangco said ongoing talks between the Department of Labor and Employment with its counterparts in foreign countries would also help sustain strong inflows of remittances.

“Looking ahead, the deployment outlook for Filipinos overseas remain upbeat given the continuing bilateral talks with some host countries, aimed at matching manpower requirements with the competencies of Filipino workers,” Tetangco said.

He cited Algeria and Guam as countries that have expressed interest to hire more Filipino workers in 2011. Algeria is planning to implement infrastructure projects while Guam is about to hire for the construction of a military base.

Remittances, which fuel consumption of Filipino households, have been credited for helping the Philippine economy escape a recession last year and post a robust growth this year.

In 2009, when remittances reached $17.3 billion, the economy grew 1.1 percent. This was a slowdown from the previous year’s 3.8 percent, but was better compared with the growth performance of most developed countries, which fell into recession.

The Philippines is the world’s fourth-biggest recipient of remittances after China, India and Mexico.

http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20101215-309158/OFW-remittances-surge-to-1546B

Remittances from US/Canada is about 55% of these remittances. They are non-OFW nations, same as Germany and Norway. Many Filipinas are married to Germans and Norwegians, you would find them mostly in the Visayas, they build their own home, and some have their own resorts or businesses.

Do you think as a Filipino who immigrated abroad to seek other opportunities, you will one day return to the Philippines to reside?
Yes for me.

Multiplication Factor of the Money I’ll be bringing home:
The exchange rate and cost of living (in the Philippines) is to my favour; hence the money I’ll be bringing home will go a long ways to finance the life style I could live, in relative ease and comfort.

There is Global Reach in Today’s World and has made the World a smaller place:
Today’s transportation and communication cost has taken a quantum leap forward in today’s World compared to decades ago during our parents’ time. I can remember in the olden days during my parents’ time when long distance and transportation cost can set you back a fortune and procured rarely and usually in extreme cases only, like for very important reasons or urgent cases usually. Now a days, communications through telephone and internet is extremely cheap, and transportation cost to traverse the oceans are relatively cheap, and is now done more for leisure than necessity. So I won’t feel as much, the separation and distance from families I’ll be leaving behind in the West, since I can communicate with them easily and cheaply, and even visit them from time to time and they can visit me as well. I won’t feel any severing of ties and connections at all.

Many Improvements has Occurred in the Philippines recently compared to decades ago:
Martial Law is gone thank God, and the populace enjoy relative democracy in the Philippine, albeit still has a long ways to go in making it better. This is a must for me. I don’t think I would like to live in a totalitarian country ruled by Martial Law.
Construction and infrastructure has very much improved as well, although we still face traffic and pollution especially in Metro Manila, but I am hopeful this will improve too.

Desire to make a Positive Contribution to the Philippines in some Small Ways:
This is for my own altruistic reasons and a response to an inner call within, to somehow make a positive contribution to our neighbourhood, environment and the people less fortunate than myself. Where else can I better do this than in the land of my birth?

I don't think the contribution is in a small way. The reason properties are becoming unaffordable is that the demand is strong from overseas, for investment or for future retirement. Many of these immigrants are also bringing their foreign spouses with their pensions, even their families. Some of them are already there, living there. Three weeks ago, 18 applicants for dual citizenship were sworn in at the consulate here. The swearing in is only done every week. Including my friends.

As for altruistic motives, may be not. Many of the returnees are just looking for investments or an alternative place to call home. Some may return permanently some may not. But in the end it all goes into the Philippine economy.

10 million OFWs, $17 billion remittances = about $1,700 per OFW.

too small a contribution per person

The Philippines is the world’s fourth-biggest recipient of remittances
after China, India and Mexico.

http://business.inquirer.net/money/t...surge-to-1546B

Population:
#1 China: 1,330,141,295 (July 2010 est.)
#2 India: 1,173,108,018 (July 2010 est.)
#11 Mexico: 112,468,855 (July 2010 est.)
#12 Philippines: 99,900,177 (July 2010 est.)


I wonder where our OFWs/ Expats are getting all these money they are sending back to the Philippines?


:cheers2:

$1,700 @ P43.9 is P74,630. syempre di pa kasali jan yung mga padalang bagay tulad ng spam at target, mga bitbit na pera pauwi, at saka mga ipinakisuyong padala na pera.

ilang bilyon ba worth ng Spam ang dinadala nila dito? :D

Really? Many of those who left in the late 60's and early '70s were forced to leave not because of economics but because of political situation. Some I know who did not leave did not survive, spent part of their time in jail, or hunted or ended up in less than desirable lives. The balikbayan if you care to check the numbers supported the country, 60% of the remittances come from balikbayan. The old timers, now called balikbayan have always been remitting money to the country. The OFW phenomenon only came in 1975 when Marcos and Blas Ople decided they can make money from modern day slaves.

So these people who come back, you call leeches, are seen as walking ATM's by Filipinos there. The same leeches people who have been out of the country for decades have continuously supported the country, and maintained a certain degree of loyalty to them inspite of the negatives. Sorry dude, many of these so called leeches have put in their money where their mouth and heart is.

You might also want to include those who left for abroad after Ninoy was assassinated in 1983. Usually these were college graduates from 1984 to 1987. They also contributed greatly to the economy despite having to leave because of the poor economic climate back then.

I am guessing that many younger folk who graduated from 2000 onwards were lucky that the economy started picking up, especially in the BPO sector. For that many didn't have to leave like their elders had to.

10 million OFWs, $17 billion remittances = about $1,700 per OFW.

too small a contribution per person

Where did you get that 10 m OFW?

I have not seen it in actual stats from POEA. There is no stats available at this time for the actual number of OFW's who are currently overseas, only annual deployments. They do not actually track those currently working overseas, or who have come back. There are about 250,000 in merchant marine alone, which represent about 25 percent of POEA depoloyments. So that 10m is highly questionable.

There are 4.5 m immigrants/American citizens per State Dept statement before Hilary Clinton's visit. Based on a NSO survey in 2007 or 2006? I saw, there were only 1 m who actually had worked outside of the country within the last 5 years of the survey as OFW. Until POEA, the government can provide hard numbers it is very hard to make intelligent conclusions. Only BSP has the accurate number in terms of remittances, but that's not counting the informal (door to door) remittances which operate under the radar.

Table 30
http://www.poea.gov.ph/stats/stats2007.pdf

wikipedia entry for OFW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Filipino

Total population
8,726,520-11,000,000 estimates [1 (http://www.poea.gov.ph/stats/stats2007.pdf)][2 (http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/RapidPopulationGrowthCrowdedCitiesPresentChallengesinthePhilippines.aspx)]

An estimated 10 percent of the country's population, or nearly 8 million people, are overseas Filipino workers distributed in 182 countries, according to POPCOM. That is in addition to the estimated 3 million migrants who work illegally abroad"

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/RapidPopulationGrowthCrowdedCitiesPresentChallengesinthePhilippines.aspx

ilang bilyon ba worth ng Spam ang dinadala nila dito? :D


$1,289,765,328.08. :lol:

What are possible benefits to the Philippines brought about by a returning resident?

The investment a Returning Resident might make in purchasing their residence in the Philippines will surely benefit the economy. It creates jobs in construction and there will be rippling effect to the economy. Workers with jobs will have more money to spend on goods. This probably will be the biggest investment factor that Returning Residents can make.

Returning Residents that are retirees as well will have money to spend that will greatly add to the economy.

A lot of these Returning Residents might want to invest in businesses, so that will create jobs.

A lot of these Returning Residents have expertise in their field of endeavours and might want to share their expertise through teaching, volunteer work, NGOs. They will have expertise to contribute and some will be active in their communities lending their time and talent.

Some of these Returning Residents, because they have the money, might want to send to school some of their less fortunate relatives. I know this happens because I know a few who are doing it.

So, I can’t see why a Returning Resident can be branded as leeches, seeing the positive effects they will bring to the economy, their neighbourhood and the country at large.

The problem is not too many of them return or consider returning due to being turned off by the corrupt system, perceived or real, the quality of life ,pollution , traffic , healthcare ,good education for their kids.
That is a very untapped market returning overseas residents. For example a lot of Filams have disposable monies stashed somewhere say at least 200000$ per person.
Individually it may not make a big dent in the PHil. economy if one person decides to use that in Phil. investment, but collectively multiplied by the millions of filams, that can be huge. They can use that to invest in small businesses somewhere like putting up small lodges and quality restaurants all over the Phils to help with tourism.
A lot of start up businesses in Vietnam are being spearheaded by returning oversea Viets. I think the confidence is not there yet with the Phil. govt. being able to do housecleaning. that and pinoys I feel don't work well collectively and are risk averse.

The problem is not too many of them return or consider returning due to being turned off by the corrupt system, perceived or real, the quality of life ,pollution , traffic , healthcare ,good education for their kids.
That is a very untapped market returning overseas residents. For example a lot of Filams have disposable monies stashed somewhere say at least 200000$ per person.
Individually it may not make a big dent in the PHil. economy if one person decides to use that in Phil. investment, but collectively multiplied by the millions of filams, that can be huge. They can use that to invest in small businesses somewhere like putting up small lodges and quality restaurants all over the Phils to help with tourism.
A lot of start up businesses in Vietnam are being spearheaded by returning oversea Viets. I think the confidence is not there yet with the Phil. govt. being able to do housecleaning. that and pinoys I feel don't work well collectively and are risk averse.
^^
You are right on! Corruption is the main reason investor's are turned off. Kinda hard to put in the books bribes that was paid for doing business specially under the eyes of the SEC and stockholders. $500M is not petty cash . Another problem is the instability of the economic and political system. It's very risky to invest when every six years or less (if there's a coup) a new administration will be threatening to close you down if you don't pay up.

my investments in real estate and shares in companies in the Philippines are really looking good right now and in the long term!




:cheers2:

Table 30
http://www.poea.gov.ph/stats/stats2007.pdf

wikipedia entry for OFW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Filipino

Total population
8,726,520-11,000,000 estimates [1 (http://www.poea.gov.ph/stats/stats2007.pdf)][2 (http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/RapidPopulationGrowthCrowdedCitiesPresentChallengesinthePhilippines.aspx)]

An estimated 10 percent of the country's population, or nearly 8 million people, are overseas Filipino workers distributed in 182 countries, according to POPCOM. That is in addition to the estimated 3 million migrants who work illegally abroad"

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/RapidPopulationGrowthCrowdedCitiesPresentChallengesinthePhilippines.aspx

There lies the problem. The use and interpretation of stats can be misleading. The POEA stats (same ones used by Wikipedia).

Table 30 -
*Stock ESTIMATES - Estimates not actual
*First column - PERMANENT, these are the immigrants or non-Filipinos (citizens of host countries) whose heritage is FILIPINO under the national census. (US, Canada and other countries normally has a box to check for heritage.) This may include people who have left the country decades ago, or new immigrants, or 1st/2nd generation citizens of other countries, or the half breeds which the media love to call Fil-this and that. Count people like Lou Diamond Phillips, Tia Carere, the hollywood types, the two Younghusband kids playing football for the national team, etc, all the half-Fils you can think of. Immigrants/Non Filipino citizens and half breeds are not OF Workers.

*Second Column - TEMPORARY, these are the true blue OF Workers.
*Third Column - IRREGULARS, no explanation given in the table (no permanent contract? illegals? but they seem to go overseas, I don't know)

What you or media generally refers to as Overseas Filipino WORKER is not correct. Based on Table 30, the actual OFW is just a little over 5 m. Let's not forget that many of these temporary overseas Filipinos, come back to the country. If you look at annual deployments, sea based workers (e.g. the merchant marine) is 26% of the little over 1 m annual deployment of workers in 2007. They do not live overseas but return to home base (Philippines) after their assignment, usually within a year.

Saying there are 10 m OFW's is very misleading, disingenuous on the part of the media and government. It's like saying there are 10 m overseas Italians or 5 m overseas Irish workers in the US just because Americans like to call themselves, Italians or Irish etc. New York has the second highest number of Jews next Tel-Aviv, but Israel doesn't call them Overseas Jewish Workers. As for remittances, correlate the numbers with that of the annual remittance table and you will find that the highest come from North America where the permanet are the highest.

The problem is not too many of them return or consider returning due to being turned off by the corrupt system, perceived or real, the quality of life ,pollution , traffic , healthcare ,good education for their kids.
That is a very untapped market returning overseas residents. For example a lot of Filams have disposable monies stashed somewhere say at least 200000$ per person.
Individually it may not make a big dent in the PHil. economy if one person decides to use that in Phil. investment, but collectively multiplied by the millions of filams, that can be huge. They can use that to invest in small businesses somewhere like putting up small lodges and quality restaurants all over the Phils to help with tourism.
A lot of start up businesses in Vietnam are being spearheaded by returning oversea Viets. I think the confidence is not there yet with the Phil. govt. being able to do housecleaning. that and pinoys I feel don't work well collectively and are risk averse.

You are right about the above. There are a lot of turn offs. One you didn't mention is that balikbayan, foreign retirees, or foreign spouses of Filipinos (expats) are viewed as walking ATM or a billboard with $ sign speaking from my experience and others. There is no protection if youare seen as an outsider with no "padrino". One area of investment I discovered where overseas Filipinos are getting into is retail treasury bonds. Every time the gov't issues these bonds, it's sold out ahead of time. Many use their relatives there to buy bonds. The amount that goes into the country is huge. GMA in that pdf link has a new word for this group of people, OFI (Overseas Filipino Investors).

What are possible benefits to the Philippines brought about by a returning resident?

The investment a Returning Resident might make in purchasing their residence in the Philippines will surely benefit the economy. It creates jobs in construction and there will be rippling effect to the economy. Workers with jobs will have more money to spend on goods. This probably will be the biggest investment factor that Returning Residents can make.

Returning Residents that are retirees as well will have money to spend that will greatly add to the economy.

A lot of these Returning Residents might want to invest in businesses, so that will create jobs.

A lot of these Returning Residents have expertise in their field of endeavours and might want to share their expertise through teaching, volunteer work, NGOs. They will have expertise to contribute and some will be active in their communities lending their time and talent.

Some of these Returning Residents, because they have the money, might want to send to school some of their less fortunate relatives. I know this happens because I know a few who are doing it.

So, I can’t see why a Returning Resident can be branded as leeches, seeing the positive effects they will bring to the economy, their neighbourhood and the country at large.
I agree with you on this one. Returning residents are the reason the big multinationals nowadays are able to provide jobs to people in the mother country, and even export jobs to nearby neighbor countries.

Take a look at South Korea and Taiwan, even India and Vietnam. Much of the reason the first two countries are industrialized economies is because the students who left for abroad during the height of the cold war have come back, and brought a lot of technological know-how and revitalized their local industry. In the 70s, the US was the powerhouse of computers, from the silicon wafer chips to personal computers. Nowadays, where is the research and especially production done for these items? In South Korea and Taiwan, respectively. (Manufacturing in most cases is now concentrated in China). For India, many of the BPOs were founded by Indian nationals in the United States. But did they keep the businesses there? Not always. Many of them have come back to the homeland, grown larger and global in scope, and now they are exporting some of the jobs to countries like the Philippines.

As for Filipinos, sure, there are a number of people who have made big success in their second countries, but not all have brought back the investments and fruits of their success to the homeland. If ever they do, it is usually for labor intensive business, not technologically advanced processes in manufacturing and research. Why? Because the government is not supportive enough of these industries. Look at the budget of the DOST, it's nothing compared to what countries like Israel have for their sciences. A lot of research by global companies is done in Israel, e.g. IBM and other high tech companies. But for here in the Philippines, it's usually manufacturing or service, one reason because we have a relatively educated workforce (in English, that is). We also have a lot of accountants, nurses, healthcare professionals which is why backoffice work, medical transcription and similar BPO lines of business are sent here. But do you see research and other scientific pursuits? No! That is why there is little innovation happening here, it's just good that Filipinos are good adaptors so they can handle the work whenever it is farmed here from abroad. But to lead the pack, I'm sorry, this is not the case yet.

We need to prevent the brain drain of the smartest minds from leaving and staying away for good, if we want scientific and industrial progress. With that we need to increase the standards of technical universities with their course offerings, as well as encourage overseas Pinoys who are successful entrepreneurs to come back home and serve the Filipino market, in addition to the high end markets. That should be the priority of the government, not increasing pork barrel allocations which are full of graft and corruption in inferior projects which do not last for the long term.

Investing in the knowledge of the younger generations is primordial, we don't want them to become jejemons and the laughing stock of their peers in other countries who are trying so hard to learn the lingua franca of business (English). With good English comes good comprehension, with good comprehension comes out-of-the-box thinking, with that comes innovation and progress.

As for Filipinos, sure, there are a number of people who have made big success in their second countries, but not all have brought back the investments and fruits of their success to the homeland. If ever they do, it is usually for labor intensive business, not technologically advanced processes in manufacturing and research. Why? Because the government is not supportive enough of these industries. Look at the budget of the DOST, it's nothing compared to what countries like Israel have for their sciences. A lot of research by global companies is done in Israel, e.g. IBM and other high tech companies. But for here in the Philippines, it's usually manufacturing or service, one reason because we have a relatively educated workforce (in English, that is). We also have a lot of accountants, nurses, healthcare professionals which is why backoffice work, medical transcription and similar BPO lines of business are sent here. But do you see research and other scientific pursuits? No! That is why there is little innovation happening here, it's just good that Filipinos are good adaptors so they can handle the work whenever it is farmed here from abroad. But to lead the pack, I'm sorry, this is not the case yet.

We need to prevent the brain drain of the smartest minds from leaving and staying away for good, if we want scientific and industrial progress. With that we need to increase the standards of technical universities with their course offerings, as well as encourage overseas Pinoys who are successful entrepreneurs to come back home and serve the Filipino market, in addition to the high end markets. That should be the priority of the government, not increasing pork barrel allocations which are full of graft and corruption in inferior projects which do not last for the long term.


Let me add my personal find of a simple but intelligent Filipino in the name of Engr. Dado Banatao. This man used to be an F/A of PAL right after graduating from Mapua, Electrical Engineering. He opted to try his luck in the Silicon Valley and co-founded companies there, sort of venture companies. I noticed this one company, S3, producing video cards for desktop monitors when I was doing some DIY replacing a burnt-out video card of my old PC long ago. Mr. Banatao, or should I say Engr. Banatao earned a lot when he sold some of his venture company to Intel a long time ago.

It is a proof that inventors or innovators cannot grow here in our country because of the various factors @NTPrime has enumerated. Who would believe a native of Barrio Malabbac, Iguig, Cagayan Valley is capable of doing great in the US? IMO, there are many Dado's here who are technically and professionally capable but just can fly because government support is non-existent!

There lies the problem. The use and interpretation of stats can be misleading. The POEA stats (same ones used by Wikipedia).

Table 30 -
*Stock ESTIMATES - Estimates not actual
*First column - PERMANENT, these are the immigrants or non-Filipinos (citizens of host countries) whose heritage is FILIPINO under the national census. (US, Canada and other countries normally has a box to check for heritage.) This may include people who have left the country decades ago, or new immigrants, or 1st/2nd generation citizens of other countries, or the half breeds which the media love to call Fil-this and that. Count people like Lou Diamond Phillips, Tia Carere, the hollywood types, the two Younghusband kids playing football for the national team, etc, all the half-Fils you can think of. Immigrants/Non Filipino citizens and half breeds are not OF Workers.

*Second Column - TEMPORARY, these are the true blue OF Workers.
*Third Column - IRREGULARS, no explanation given in the table (no permanent contract? illegals? but they seem to go overseas, I don't know)

What you or media generally refers to as Overseas Filipino WORKER is not correct. Based on Table 30, the actual OFW is just a little over 5 m. Let's not forget that many of these temporary overseas Filipinos, come back to the country. If you look at annual deployments, sea based workers (e.g. the merchant marine) is 26% of the little over 1 m annual deployment of workers in 2007. They do not live overseas but return to home base (Philippines) after their assignment, usually within a year.

Saying there are 10 m OFW's is very misleading, disingenuous on the part of the media and government. It's like saying there are 10 m overseas Italians or 5 m overseas Irish workers in the US just because Americans like to call themselves, Italians or Irish etc. New York has the second highest number of Jews next Tel-Aviv, but Israel doesn't call them Overseas Jewish Workers. As for remittances, correlate the numbers with that of the annual remittance table and you will find that the highest come from North America where the permanet are the highest.

permanent or not, they still remit money to the philippines. even those migrants still send money to the Philippines.

if they are overseas, are Filipinos and, are Working = OFW

if we use your original figure of 1 million OFW, are you saying they send an average of 17,000 dollars a year?

Really? Many of those who left in the late 60's and early '70s were forced to leave not because of economics but because of political situation. Some I know who did not leave did not survive, spent part of their time in jail, or hunted or ended up in less than desirable lives. The balikbayan if you care to check the numbers supported the country, 60% of the remittances come from balikbayan. The old timers, now called balikbayan have always been remitting money to the country. The OFW phenomenon only came in 1975 when Marcos and Blas Ople decided they can make money from modern day slaves.

So these people who come back, you call leeches, are seen as walking ATM's by Filipinos there. The same leeches people who have been out of the country for decades have continuously supported the country, and maintained a certain degree of loyalty to them inspite of the negatives. Sorry dude, many of these so called leeches have put in their money where their mouth and heart is.
^^
And if may I add being one of those pinoys immigrated in the 70's, for the same reasons, rampant corruptions in every political spectrum.

Calling us leeches I think is extremely unacceptable IMO.My wife and I helped out our neices/nephews and even their offsprings, get their college education and are now working productively in the Philippines. It may not have translated into a huge amount of investment in fiduciary term, however I would argue that we definitely contributed something to the Philippine economy in many ways. (It's no brainer to get my point)

If it hasn’t been discussed yet in this forum, I would like to open up the following discussion.

Do you think as a Filipino who immigrated abroad to seek other opportunities, you will one day return to the Philippines to reside?

If so, why? What are your reasons for doing so?

If not, why not? What are your reasons for not doing so?

There is no right or a wrong answer here as this involves your own life and your personal circumstance.
You might want to mention about your specific circumstance, your family situation, support system, your desire where you would rather settle and enjoy the fruits of your savings, the environment you would rather live for the next stage of your life, your desire to make a difference, business or work plans, etc. All these may be factors in your decision making process.
For those who did not immigrate abroad, you might find the responses here interesting, and might find encouragement to perhaps immigrate as well if you have the opportunity, or an affirmation that staying put where you are now was/is the right choice. So, you might have valid questions you might want to ask as well.

To reside permanently? It is really a tough question for me to answer. My wife is definitely not into it, although I am more into having a second home. Although I must say we do have property in the Province (agricultural land a home ) to stay if we decide to live 4-6 month a year in the PI.

Quite frankly, I am not totally convince that what I am hearing and reading about PI's economy holds a lot of water just yet. Although I must admit that it is heating up.. What I am getting so far is a lot of sizzle in the pan but not enough steak yet.:)

I understand that there are a lot of economic activities in the Philippines specially MM and other cities in the PI. ie. sprouting condo development, mostly marketed to OFW's or returning migrant workers and retirees from abroad. There are amazing and wonderful destinations, attractive to international tourists, plus hi-roller casinos in some places. BPO moving to the PI is another great economic indication that PI indeed is onward. To me this doesn't translate to a solid economy, without manufacuring, and resourse base businesses. As Ramos had said when I interviewed him in 1997 APEC summit here in Vancouver, " OFW's/migrant workers are the number one export of the Philippines". duh!:lol:

However, there is more to it than just economy. Politics, still is corrupt, the quality of life specially in MM is to me is unaccepatable. Traffic, pollution and transportation is chaotic. Although the new development of residences are very modern I still have to consider livability in the area. ie; access to outdoor recreation and facilities, museums, cummunity centers for arts and entertainment, Schools and hospitals, and Health care and safety.

Where, we live now, gated community is unheard of. It is quite safe and livable. Infra are great and transportation is excellent. Drivers are corteous, and drives with in the lanes.

No shirtless drunk dude trowling around. :)

we managed without you here. now you;re going to come back just because things are better?

we managed without you here. now you;re going to come back just because things are better?

Simply because, there is such a declaration in our constitution on the right or freedom of abode. As a Filipino, they can come back and live wherever their money can bring them to!
OTOH, they can fly out whenever they feel it's not safe living here anymore - a natural law called "self-preservation"!

Those who cannot do things as freely as those with deep pockets could just watch, that's life!

^^
that's what's my beef with them actually. they all left when the Philippines is having problems, now they are back when things are better. they are like leeches, taking advantages of the things that they did not help achieve.

we managed without you here. now you;re going to come back just because things are better?

^^
And if may I add being one of those pinoys immigrated in the 70's, for the same reasons, rampant corruptions in every political spectrum.

Calling us leeches I think is extremely unacceptable IMO.My wife and I helped out our neices/nephews and even their offsprings, get their college education and are now working productively in the Philippines. It may not have translated into a huge amount of investment in fiduciary term, however I would argue that we definitely contributed something to the Philippine economy in many ways. (It's no brainer to get my point)

Kudos to you and your wife Ephesus29, for supporting the educational needs of others back home that are less fortunate. “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he eats for a life time”. My wife and I, also support the educational needs of others less fortunate than us. My wife is mindful that a good education can open a lot of opportunities and contribute to a successful career and beneficial to ones’ life. So, we started our own scholarship program to look after the educational needs of others back home that are less fortunate than ourselves. At the present time, we are currently supporting the education of 10 kids and adults alike. Five are in the elementary level and the other five are in Colleges and Universities. Of the ten, seven were complete strangers to us. They are three kids from Gawad Kalinga, two kids from the dumps of Payatas and two seminarians (one of them just got ordained and the other is in his final year). The remaining three of the ten are first cousins to my wife, although she hasn’t met them before, being in the remote provinces where they grew up and my wife was in the City at that time.

So Kintoy, who has benefitted the most from this arrangement? Who is the giver and who is the taker? Who is the provider and who is the receiver? Have you heard of the government and the Media calling the OFWs our ‘Modern Day Heroes’? Why do you think that is so? Because they have sent money to the Philippines to the tune of 17.3 Billion Dollars last year alone, and is credited in propping up the economy. These are benefits that you certainly now enjoy indirectly. And yet, with all the charity works that we do to our countrymen, never in my wildest dream would I classify any of our beneficiaries as a leech. Don’t you think that we deserve better than being labelled as one?

Kintoy, you are still young and impressionable. Don’t take it personally when I say to you, that you still have a lot of maturing to do, and in the manner that you organize your thoughts and the way you reason out. It truly betrays the character within. You are like a ‘gun slinger’, with your mouth (or hands on the keyboard in this case) quick to fire salvos in an instant, without first analyzing your thoughts and the validity of your arguments. Instead, be like a ‘long range expert sharp shooter’, poised and relaxed before taking aim, taking enough time eyeing his target in his scope; and with the hands relaxed, breathing deliberately slow, and nerves under control, he fires a shot and hits his target. You are not in the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in a gunfight, where a fast hand on the trigger can give you an advantage. You are participating in a forum where you can express your ideas and well thought out opinions. You can only be taken seriously in this forum when you deserved to be taken seriously; when you express your well thought out ideas without giving offense to anyone. So act like a matured person deserving to be taken seriously.

Quite frankly, I am not totally convince that what I am hearing and reading about PI's economy holds a lot of water just yet. Although I must admit that it is heating up.. What I am getting so far is a lot of sizzle in the pan but not enough steak yet.:)

I understand that there are a lot of economic activities in the Philippines specially MM and other cities in the PI. ie. sprouting condo development, mostly marketed to OFW's or returning migrant workers and retirees from abroad. There are amazing and wonderful destinations, attractive to international tourists, plus hi-roller casinos in some places. BPO moving to the PI is another great economic indication that PI indeed is onward. To me this doesn't translate to a solid economy, without manufacuring, and resourse base businesses. As Ramos had said when I interviewed him in 1997 APEC summit here in Vancouver, " OFW's/migrant workers are the number one export of the Philippines". duh!:lol:

However, there is more to it than just economy. Politics, still is corrupt, the quality of life specially in MM is to me is unaccepatable. Traffic, pollution and transportation is chaotic. Although the new development of residences are very modern I still have to consider livability in the area. ie; access to outdoor recreation and facilities, museums, cummunity centers for arts and entertainment, Schools and hospitals, and Health care and safety.

Where, we live now, gated community is unheard of. It is quite safe and livable. Infra are great and transportation is excellent. Drivers are corteous, and drives with in the lanes.

No shirtless drunk dude trowling around. :)

I agree on that part I highlighted above. BPOs are a good and welcoming development but I don't foresee that as an indicator for an economically advanced country.

On the last part, there are gated communties here in the US (even in this little city I live in) as much as in the Philippines, infact, alot of them. I have cousins and inlaws that live luxuriously in the Philippines and travels overseas leisurely so it only means that you can live comfortably in the Philippines. It depends on where you will get yourself situated. As far as I know, more and more filipinos can afford leisure travels even in the neighboring asian countries only when it is usually reserved for a very few well of filipino families. I am with you when it comes to politics and safety, but on transportation, you might be living in country side or less populated part of your city because major cities like NYC is the same way, chaotic, I always expected Manila to be chaotic as well, too chaotic for my taste having lived here in the midwest for so long. This is why you can't get me to move in Cities like New York or Los Angeles.

I have an impression that when you left the Philippines, you use to live in a remote province like Isabala (no offense meant to you or anybody) and that is the impression left in your mind. I am not sure how long since you visited the Philippines but if you are to ask me, the amenities and conviniences are all there even in Manila IF YOU HAVE THE MULLAH, you live there like how you enjoy life there in Canada.


As, for myself, I don't foresee myself living permanently back in the Philippines at this point. Not with how you describe things above, my reason is mostly on fear of starting a new life again, especially if I am at a retirement age already. Another is that I know it would be hard to live far away from your own children and grandchildren. My wife doesn't see herself back in the Philippines because her immediate family are all now in the US so she have nobody else there except some cousins, same goes with myself. If I am younger and just got married, had the balls and resources to come back to the Philippines with a good money making business in mind, I would probably do it and keep my US house as a vacation home. But I didn't, so, at this point, my mind is set here in the states.

we managed without you here. now you;re going to come back just because things are better?

Ito naman si manong masyadong matabil!!:lol: Easy ka lang baka tumanda kang masungit. YOu can't blame some people though, not how the Philippines was like back then. It's the younger generations are ones who should look back in the Philippines and give it a shot if they have the means. We knew that back then, thieves and robbers were preying on balikbayans and steal their hard earned money. So, that do leave a lasting (bad) impression.

At first we were aversed with the idea of taking up residence in the Philippines, but recently in the last year had a change of heart for a lot of reasons.

I noticed major improvements in the Philippines lately with regards to construction brought about by better performance in the economy. I think the economy will continue to perform well, and the Philippines is joining the ranks of an emerging market like Brazil, Thailand & Malaysia. Hindi na masyadong backwards ang syodad ng Maynila tulad ng kapanahunan noon. I was surprised when I visited The Fort when I saw modern buildings all built recently. My wild guess is at least 50% of those Condominium Units at The Fort are empty because its owners are abroad in their second residences.

I can live partially in the Philippines and partially in North America (U.S. & Canada). A Condominium in the Philippines can make this possible because it meets our security needs. We can leave our Condominium Unit for months at a time when we travel outside of the country. It is secured and needs no house sitter.

You have seen how rich folks in the Philippines live a good life. If you are retired from working most of your life abroad and drawing on a pension, for that same amount of pension income, think of the kind of life you can have in the Philippines? Now, if you have a little bit more than most, like for instance you can afford to buy a house and lot in the Philippines or even a Condo and a car to boot, and drawing on your monthly pension, then I think you can live like a King with house servants et al, if you like. Ah, eating out everyday and playing golf every other day awaits me. He he he he.

The same leeches people who have been out of the country for decades have continuously supported the country

including helping out whenever disaster strikes the country

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/11/18/09/pinoys-ondoy-bayanihan-continues-london
http://www.yelp.com/topic/new-york-ondoy-disaster-relief-donations-needed



So, we started our own scholarship program to look after the educational needs of others back home that are less fortunate than ourselves. At the present time, we are currently supporting the education of 10 kids and adults alike. Five are in the elementary levels and the other five are in Colleges and Universities. Of the ten, seven were complete strangers to us. They are three kids from Gawad Kalinga, two kids from the dumps of Payatas and two seminarians (one of them just got ordained and the other is in his final year). The remaining three of the ten are first cousins to my wife, although she hasn’t met them before, being in the remote provinces where they grew up and my wife was in the City at that time.



Wow, very generous of you and your wife to be supporting the education of 10 people! :bow:

Wow, very generous of you and your wife to be supporting the education of 10 people! :bow:

Thank you. What are blessings for if you keep it all to yourself? You can’t take any of your treasures when you depart from this world. But at least the outcome of our educational support lives on in the lives of those affected in uplifting their lives and their families even after we are gone from this world. The thought of that is enough to keep us doing what we have started. I can honestly say we have received rewards in so many ways unimaginable, financially and otherwise.

^^that's nice:okay:

At first we were aversed with the idea of taking up residence in the Philippines, but recently in the last year had a change of heart for a lot of reasons.

I noticed major improvements in the Philippines lately with regards to construction brought about by better performance in the economy. I think the economy will continue to perform well, and the Philippines is joining the ranks of an emerging market like Brazil, Thailand & Malaysia. Hindi na masyadong backwards ang syodad ng Maynila tulad ng kapanahunan noon. I was surprised when I visited The Fort when I saw modern buildings all built recently. My wild guess is at least 50% of those Condominium Units at The Fort are empty because its owners are abroad in their second residences.

I can live partially in the Philippines and partially in North America (U.S. & Canada). A Condominium in the Philippines can make this possible because it meets our security needs. We can leave our Condominium Unit for months at a time when we travel outside of the country. It is secured and needs no house sitter.

You have seen how rich folks in the Philippines live a good life. If you are retired from working most of your life abroad and drawing on a pension, for that same amount of pension income, think of the kind of life you can have in the Philippines? Now, if you have a little bit more than most, like for instance you can afford to buy a house and lot in the Philippines or even a Condo and a car to boot, and drawing on your monthly pension, then I think you can live like a King with house servants et all, if you like. Ah, eating out everyday and playing golf every other day awaits me. He he he he.

If I was outside, the first thing I'd consider before giving back to my motherland is, will my money go to good hands?

I don't mind if the country is very poor now, as long as the people you see are diligent, hardworking, corrupt-free, and mature, then I don't mind spending and putting back my money home.

I agree on that part I highlighted above. BPOs are a good and welcoming development but I don't foresee that as an indicator for an economically advanced country.

On the last part, there are gated communties here in the US (even in this little city I live in) as much as in the Philippines, infact, alot of them. I have cousins and inlaws that live luxuriously in the Philippines and travels overseas leisurely so it only means that you can live comfortably in the Philippines. It depends on where you will get yourself situated. As far as I know, more and more filipinos can afford leisure travels even in the neighboring asian countries only when it is usually reserved for a very few well of filipino families. I am with you when it comes to politics and safety, but on transportation, you might be living in country side or less populated part of your city because major cities like NYC is the same way, chaotic, I always expected Manila to be chaotic as well, too chaotic for my taste having lived here in the midwest for so long. This is why you can't get me to move in Cities like New York or Los Angeles.

I have an impression that when you left the Philippines, you use to live in a remote province like Isabala (no offense meant to you or anybody) and that is the impression left in your mind. I am not sure how long since you visited the Philippines but if you are to ask me, the amenities and conviniences are all there even in Manila IF YOU HAVE THE MULLAH, you live there like how you enjoy life there in Canada.


As, for myself, I don't foresee myself living permanently back in the Philippines at this point. Not with how you describe things above, my reason is mostly on fear of starting a new life again, especially if I am at a retirement age already. Another is that I know it would be hard to live far away from your own children and grandchildren. My wife doesn't see herself back in the Philippines because her immediate family are all now in the US so she have nobody else there except some cousins, same goes with myself. If I am younger and just got married, had the balls and resources to come back to the Philippines with a good money making business in mind, I would probably do it and keep my US house as a vacation home. But I didn't, so, at this point, my mind is set here in the states.



Ito naman si manong masyadong matabil!!:lol: Easy ka lang baka tumanda kang masungit. YOu can't blame some people though, not how the Philippines was like back then. It's the younger generations are ones who should look back in the Philippines and give it a shot if they have the means. We knew that back then, thieves and robbers were preying on balikbayans and steal their hard earned money. So, that do leave a lasting (bad) impression.

Yeah, I agree BPOs are quite vulnerable to unpredictable global economy. Sometimes, here today and gone tommorow, specially when currency appreciates substantially. However,given the economic climate and environment bouyed by construction industry and development, and OFW's/migrant remmittances, I would think that it is arguably and intuitively plausible. More work needs to be done to fare with the rest of its Asian neighbours , however.

I am fully aware how the wealthy "pinoys" lived in the PI. With all the bells and wistles, the priveleges and luxuries that come with the "Mullah" can get them around is just stunning. It is common for the rich to reside in gated "Posh" villages in the city.

In the North Shore municipalities of Vancouver (ONE) where we live, doesn't have any gated community, although considered to be the most expensive real estate in Canada. I would think, that because it is quite safe and secured. How long will stay like this, remains to be seen. Even in the whole lower mainland of B.C., gated community is unheard of.

West Vancouver, with its multi- million homes, a lot of Hollywood celebs, take residency in the summer time is conservatively quiet and seemingly safe. Dignitaries, and diplomats, foreign leaders and ex-politico from Asia lives in this un-gated community of the "Haves". Even the Prince of Brunei and Princess of Thailand resides in this Community. (North Shore)

Yep, I was living and working in Isabela, before I moved to Canada 36 years ago. I lived with my relatives in Dasmarinas Village along Tamarind St. for 4 1/2 years when I was going to University. I've seen first hand, how the wealthy 'Pinoys" live their lives. (I wasn't among them, then and even now) sabit lang.:lol:

My cousins in California, who owns a residential for Seniors, lives in a gated community also. They were stunned when they visited us the first time, here in Vancouver, North Shore.

Location to me is my priority when taking residency in a certain place. Sure I would be able to live a luxurious life in PI (condo/home in the city), liveability would be another factor for me. When I say liveability, includes all aminities which I am quite sure that MM has in a newer and modernized development.

Transportation, medical facilities and hospitals, health care in general. Accessibilty to recreational facilities and outdoor venues for hiking trail, kayaking, swimming, golfing. Traffic, is vital to mobility in any given place, let alone its effect in a given economy, is something that has to be taken seriously.

We live in a 15-25 minutes radius of places to see and play. Infact, we're just 10 minutes to the closest ski slope, (Grouse Mtn) . Beaches and lakes, fishing ponds and picnic grounds are all with in the radius.

For, Kintoy, just cool it off a notch down, we disagree to agree I hope. :)

I agree on that part I highlighted above. BPOs are a good and welcoming development but I don't foresee that as an indicator for an economically advanced country.

On the last part, there are gated communties here in the US (even in this little city I live in) as much as in the Philippines, infact, alot of them. I have cousins and inlaws that live luxuriously in the Philippines and travels overseas leisurely so it only means that you can live comfortably in the Philippines. It depends on where you will get yourself situated. As far as I know, more and more filipinos can afford leisure travels even in the neighboring asian countries only when it is usually reserved for a very few well of filipino families. I am with you when it comes to politics and safety, but on transportation, you might be living in country side or less populated part of your city because major cities like NYC is the same way, chaotic, I always expected Manila to be chaotic as well, too chaotic for my taste having lived here in the midwest for so long. This is why you can't get me to move in Cities like New York or Los Angeles.

I have an impression that when you left the Philippines, you use to live in a remote province like Isabala (no offense meant to you or anybody) and that is the impression left in your mind. I am not sure how long since you visited the Philippines but if you are to ask me, the amenities and conviniences are all there even in Manila IF YOU HAVE THE MULLAH, you live there like how you enjoy life there in Canada.


As, for myself, I don't foresee myself living permanently back in the Philippines at this point. Not with how you describe things above, my reason is mostly on fear of starting a new life again, especially if I am at a retirement age already. Another is that I know it would be hard to live far away from your own children and grandchildren. My wife doesn't see herself back in the Philippines because her immediate family are all now in the US so she have nobody else there except some cousins, same goes with myself. If I am younger and just got married, had the balls and resources to come back to the Philippines with a good money making business in mind, I would probably do it and keep my US house as a vacation home. But I didn't, so, at this point, my mind is set here in the states.



Ito naman si manong masyadong matabil!!:lol: Easy ka lang baka tumanda kang masungit. YOu can't blame some people though, not how the Philippines was like back then. It's the younger generations are ones who should look back in the Philippines and give it a shot if they have the means. We knew that back then, thieves and robbers were preying on balikbayans and steal their hard earned money. So, that do leave a lasting (bad) impression.

Yeah, I agree BPOs are quite vulnerable to unpredictable global economy. Sometimes, here and gone tommorow, specially when currency appreciates substantially in the host country, like the Philippines. However,given the economic climate and environment bouyed by construction industry and development, and OFW's/migrant remmittances, I would think that it is arguably and intuitively plausible. More work needs to be done to fare with the rest of its Asian neighbours , however.

I am fully aware how the wealthy "pinoys" lived in the PI. With all the bells and wistles, the priveleges and luxuries that come with the "Mullah" can get them around is just stunning. It is common for the rich to reside in gated "Posh" villages in the city.

In the North Shore municipalities of Vancouver (ONE) where we live, doesn't have any gated community, although considered to be the most expensive real estate in Canada. I would think, that because it is quite safe and secured. How long will stay like this, remains to be seen. Even in the whole lower mainland of B.C., gated community is unheard of.

West Vancouver, with its multi- million homes, a lot of Hollywood celebs, take residency in the summer time is conservatively quiet and seemingly safe. Dignitaries, and diplomats, foreign leaders and ex-politico from Asia lives in this un-gated community of the "Haves". Even the Prince of Brunei and Princess of Thailand resides in this Community. (North Shore)

Yep, I was living and working in Isabela, before I moved to Canada 36 years ago. I lived with my relatives in Dasmarinas Village along Tamarind St. for 4 1/2 years when I was going to University. I've seen first hand, how the wealthy 'Pinoys" live their lives. (I wasn't among them, then and even now) sabit lang.:lol:

My cousins in California, who owns a residential for Seniors, lives in a gated community also. They were stunned when they visited us the first time, here in Vancouver, North Shore.

Location to me is my priority when taking residency in a certain place. Sure I would be able to live a luxurious life in PI (condo/home in the city), liveability would be another factor for me. When I say liveability, includes all aminities which I am quite sure that MM has in a newer and modernized development.

Transportation, medical facilities and hospitals, health care in general. Accessibilty to recreational facilities and outdoor venues for hiking trail, kayaking, swimming, golfing. Traffic, is vital to mobility in any given place, let alone its effect in a given economy, is something that has to be taken seriously.

We live in a 15-25 minutes radius of places to see and play. Infact, we're just 10 minutes to the closest ski slope, (Grouse Mtn) . Beaches and lakes, fishing ponds and picnic grounds are all with in the radius.

For, Kintoy, just cool it off a notch down, we disagree to agree I hope. :)

Kudos to you and your wife Ephesus29, for supporting the educational needs of others back home that are less fortunate. “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he eats for a life time”. My wife and I, also support the educational needs of others less fortunate than us. My wife is mindful that a good education can open a lot of opportunities and contribute to a successful career and beneficial to ones’ life. So, we started our own scholarship program to look after the educational needs of others back home that are less fortunate than ourselves. At the present time, we are currently supporting the education of 10 kids and adults alike. Five are in the elementary level and the other five are in Colleges and Universities. Of the ten, seven were complete strangers to us. They are three kids from Gawad Kalinga, two kids from the dumps of Payatas and two seminarians (one of them just got ordained and the other is in his final year). The remaining three of the ten are first cousins to my wife, although she hasn’t met them before, being in the remote provinces where they grew up and my wife was in the City at that time.

So Kintoy, who has benefitted the most from this arrangement? Who is the giver and who is the taker? Who is the provider and who is the receiver? Have you heard of the government and the Media calling the OFWs our ‘Modern Day Heroes’? Why do you think that is so? Because they have sent money to the Philippines to the tune of 17.3 Billion Dollars last year alone, and is credited in propping up the economy. These are benefits that you certainly now enjoy indirectly. And yet, with all the charity works that we do to our countrymen, never in my wildest dream would I classify any of our beneficiaries as a leech. Don’t you think that we deserve better than being labelled as one?

Kintoy, you are still young and impressionable. Don’t take it personally when I say to you, that you still have a lot of maturing to do, and in the manner that you organize your thoughts and the way you reason out. It truly betrays the character within. You are like a ‘gun slinger’, with your mouth (or hands on the keyboard in this case) quick to fire salvos in an instant, without first analyzing your thoughts and the validity of your arguments. Instead, be like a ‘long range expert sharp shooter’, poised and relaxed before taking aim, taking enough time eyeing his target in his scope; and with the hands relaxed, breathing deliberately slow, and nerves under control, he fires a shot and hits his target. You are not in the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in a gunfight, where a fast hand on the trigger can give you an advantage. You are participating in a forum where you can express your ideas and well thought out opinions. You can only be taken seriously in this forum when you deserved to be taken seriously; when you express your well thought out ideas without giving offense to anyone. So act like a matured person deserving to be taken seriously.

if you're offended by people who speak their mind bluntly then you shouldn't be on this forum.

since you're hiding behind your online anonymity, it's easy to claim that you've done this and that, to get brownie points from other sycophantic forumers.

if you're offended by people who speak their mind bluntly then you shouldn't be on this forum.
.

Ay may tama ka..naglipana talaga ang mababaw ang utak at bastos sa mga forum kaya dapat tapangan ang sikmura :lol:

kaso kintoy iba ang pagiging blunt magsalita pero halatang may utak sa pinagsasabi kaysa sa simpleng walang modo lang :yes:

if you're offended by people who speak their mind bluntly then you shouldn't be on this forum.

since you're hiding behind your online anonymity, it's easy to claim that you've done this and that, to get brownie points from other sycophantic forumers.

This is below the belt already. Tchitz was very polite in expressing a point of view and giving you advice. I find nothing wrong if someone said his point in a well composed message, without having to insinuate himself being offended. Not like your one liners which are full of sarcasm and angst. And why should he not be on this forum? You don't have a monopoly of good ideas here. Just listen to his insights because it is obvious that Tchitz is far more experienced in life than you.

The last time a troll started attacking the overseas pinoys on this thread he got banned thrice. We're not asking you to engage in the same behavior, just to show respect to other members who show the same to you in their posts.

if you're offended by people who speak their mind bluntly then you shouldn't be on this forum.

since you're hiding behind your online anonymity, it's easy to claim that you've done this and that, to get brownie points from other sycophantic forumers.

So why don’t you challenge me for a proof (if you think it’s easy for me to say anything here on the internet hiding behind my online anonymity)?

Surely I wouldn’t be able to show proof like receipts issued by the organization that I channel my funds to if what I said was not true. No way, right? Come to think of it now, it would indeed be impossible for me to show an official receipt that shows a receipt number and hence a way to track down to that organization the validity of the receipt, right? Surely I won’t be able to show some proof like pictures of my visit to a school in the dumps of Payatas if I knew I could hide under an online anonymity, right? Surely I wouldn’t be able to show proof that I was communicating with my beneficiaries, like hand written letters written to me by children from the dumps of Payatas, right? It would be impossible to show those proofs (if untrue), right?

If I can’t show any of those proof, then you must be right, when you said:

^^
that's what's my beef with them actually. they all left when the Philippines is having problems, now they are back when things are better. they are like leeches, taking advantages of the things that they did not help achieve.

we managed without you here. now you;re going to come back just because things are better?

To prove your point, all you have to do is to challenge me, right? Here is a chance for you to prove that all those that left the country and return are like leeches (like you said), right?

A trap has been set. When faced with the prospect of being exposed as a fraudster or genuine because of convincing evidence for, or against him, one either puts up or shut up. Either way, he is exposed. Blatant lies are inherently indefensible. A liar when caught with his obnoxious lies scampers away like a whimpering dog. Liars cannot stand the truth. They always flee in the face of being exposed.

it's easy to claim that you've done this and that, to get brownie points from other sycophantic forumers.

from Merriam Webster

Definition of SYCOPHANTIC: of, relating to, or characteristic of a sycophant : fawning, obsequious <sycophantic compliments>


Definition of FAWN
2: to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner


from Wikipedia
Brownie points in modern usage are a hypothetical social currency, which can be accrued by doing good deeds or earning favor in the eyes of another, often one's superior. The origin of the term is unclear.



Why would tchitz need the brownie points if the other forumers are the ones who want to gain his favor (ie being "sycophantic")?

Indeed Home is where you make of it, wherever it may be. I may be excited with the prospect of returning to reside in the Philippines someday, but I’m sure when and if it happens and after a while of staying there, it won’t have the same effect, the same novelty like in the beginning. Ngeeeeee... balik nanaman ako sa North America. Huwag lang sa sobrang lamig na panahon. He he he. Maybe if I can just skip the winter months here in Calgary where temperatures can sometimes reach -30 degrees centigrade, I’ll be content with that. He he he. The novelty of a thing or place tends to wear off in time. Magaling talaga ang Diyos. Nothing in His ephemeral world of His creation is everlasting. Everything is transitory, even our own feelings and emotions, our likes and dislikes, our loves and hates. This is a world of duality indeed, like two sides of a coin. What is true today may not be true tomorrow. Nothing is ever permanent. Perhaps, a hint for us to search for the only Sole Reality hiding behind every phenomenon in creation.

.....In the North Shore municipalities of Vancouver (ONE) where we live, doesn't have any gated community, although considered to be the most expensive real estate in Canada. I would think, that because it is quite safe and secured. How long will stay like this, remains to be seen. Even in the whole lower mainland of B.C., gated community is unheard of.

West Vancouver, with its multi- million homes, a lot of Hollywood celebs, take residency in the summer time is conservatively quiet and seemingly safe. Dignitaries, and diplomats, foreign leaders and ex-politico from Asia lives in this un-gated community of the "Haves". Even the Prince of Brunei and Princess of Thailand resides in this Community. (North Shore)

Yep, I was living and working in Isabela, before I moved to Canada 36 years ago. I lived with my relatives in Dasmarinas Village along Tamarind St. for 4 1/2 years when I was going to University. I've seen first hand, how the wealthy 'Pinoys" live their lives. (I wasn't among them, then and even now) sabit lang.:lol:

My cousins in California, who owns a residential for Seniors, lives in a gated community also. They were stunned when they visited us the first time, here in Vancouver, North Shore.....


Yeah, I second that.

Fifteen years ago on a visit to California, when my sister-in-law brought up the idea of purchasing a plush home in a gated community, I was stupefied of hearing it. A gated community? Why, my last encounter with a gated community was when I was a minor living with my parents in White Plains Subdivision in Quezon City. So after years of living in Canada, I haven’t seen such a thing above the 49th parallel. But my sister-in-law showed the opposite reaction to me though. She asked where do the rich and famous in Canada live? Don’t they live in gated Communities? You can imagine her surprised, when I explained that even the plush communities in Canada where the rich lives are not gated. I savoured the satisfaction in explaining to her that there was no need for a gated community to exist in Canada. Ha ha ha.

That was then. Now that I reminisce about it though, although still true now, I don’t know how much longer it may last.

Yeah, I second that.

Fifteen years ago on a visit to California, when my sister-in-law brought up the idea of purchasing a plush home in a gated community, I was stupefied of hearing it. A gated community? Why, my last encounter with a gated community was when I was a minor living with my parents in White Plains Subdivision in Quezon City. So after years of living in Canada, I haven’t seen such a thing above the 49th parallel. But my sister-in-law showed the opposite reaction to me though. She asked where do the rich and famous in Canada live? Don’t they live in gated Communities? You can imagine her surprised, when I explained that even the plush communities in Canada where the rich lives are not gated. I savoured the satisfaction in explaining to her that there was no need for a gated community to exist in Canada. Ha ha ha.

That was then. Now that I reminisce about it though, although still true now, I don’t know how much longer it may last.

I am surprised that your sister-in-law, living in California, would have such a reaction. Not all the rich live in gated communities; for example, there are very grand homes in Beverly Hills (like near Rodeo Drive) and in San Francisco (eg St Francis Wood) that are not in gated communities. Actually, as far as I know, there are no gated communities in SF.

This is below the belt already. Tchitz was very polite in expressing a point of view and giving you advice. I find nothing wrong if someone said his point in a well composed message, without having to insinuate himself being offended. Not like your one liners which are full of sarcasm and angst. And why should he not be on this forum? You don't have a monopoly of good ideas here. Just listen to his insights because it is obvious that Tchitz is far more experienced in life than you.

The last time a troll started attacking the overseas pinoys on this thread he got banned thrice. We're not asking you to engage in the same behavior, just to show respect to other members who show the same to you in their posts.

Kintoy is actually far from that person you were refering to because kintoy do make sense and seems to be very intelligent. He is opinionated and resorts to sarcasm, that's his only down point but overall, i think he is really a cool guy. Although, I've noticed that he did have some opinion on filipinos living overseas and the way they acted. I don't really blame him or even fengrun for that because somehow it is true because I constantly witnessed the type of pinoys there were talking about. The only thing is that they get way too deep on this issue and generalized everything. The only difference is that Kintoy has more reservation than the former, especially when Kintoy realized that certain someone does not really talk or act like most filipinos who acts so high and mighty because they live outside the Philippines. You're right though, kintoy needs to ligthen up a little bit more.

Indeed Home is where you make of it, wherever it may be. I may be excited with the prospect of returning to reside in the Philippines someday, but I’m sure when and if it happens and after a while of staying there, it won’t have the same effect, the same novelty like in the beginning. Ngeeeeee... balik nanaman ako sa North America. Huwag lang sa sobrang lamig na panahon. He he he. Maybe if I can just skip the winter months here in Calgary where temperatures can sometimes reach -30 degrees centigrade, I’ll be content with that. He he he. The novelty of a thing or place tends to wear off in time. Magaling talaga ang Diyos. Nothing in His ephemeral world of His creation is everlasting. Everything is transitory, even our own feelings and emotions, our likes and dislikes, our loves and hates. This is a world of duality indeed, like two sides of a coin. What is true today may not be true tomorrow. Nothing is ever permanent. Perhaps, a hint for us to search for the only Sole Reality hiding behind every phenomenon in creation.

I'd do whatever you think is good for you. If you think you can prosper more in the Philippines, then do it. Atleast you gave yourself a chance to try other options. You're not the only one, I knew of atleast 4 filipinos who return to the Philippines after trying their luck in the US, they feel they belong to the Philippines so they returned. So far, they are doing well. Infact, the one old friend I had whom I met for the first time after 20 years in Florida is one of them, I posted our pictures in samahan thread before, He had all the opportunity to live luxuriously here in the US being a medical doctor when he finished his training here and partly worked in the US, he has been back in the Philippines since then and just visits the US every 2 years or yearly. He is the Physiatrist in a hospital in Manila and one other hospitaal, he is also the dean in a University just outside metro manila, as young as he is he's been doing quite well and seems to be enjoying his life in the philippines and his travels outside the country.

I am surprised that your sister-in-law, living in California, would have such a reaction. Not all the rich live in gated communities; for example, there are very grand homes in Beverly Hills (like near Rodeo Drive) and in San Francisco (eg St Francis Wood) that are not in gated communities. Actually, as far as I know, there are no gated communities in SF.

I am sure she was aware that there were also rich people in California that don’t live in gated communities. That was never in contention. Her reaction was in reference to the fact and after I explained it to her, that there were no gated communities in Canada. Her being exposed to gated communities in California, she must have thought albeit naively, that rich people in Canada have that same option to live in gated communities as well. In a sense we were both showing naivety. You know how it is when one express surprised on hearing something unusual or new to you? But the surprise only last for a few moments since it was the first time one has ever heard of it. And after the knowledge gained, one cannot be surprised of hearing it a second time.

Rich people in Cali or other US states usually live in their own estates, not in exclusive and gated communities. These communities are mostly for those who is just above middleclass. Most rich caucasians prefers estate where they have acres and acres of land and not live next to another house. Most of these estates are enclosed with fence and have good landscaping inside, some does not.

Rich people in Cali or other US states usually live in their own estates, not in exclusive and gated communities. These communities are mostly for those who is just above middleclass. Most rich caucasians prefers estate where they have acres and acres of land and not live next to another house. Most of these estates are enclosed with fence and have good landscaping inside, some does not.

Yeah you are right. It was my poor choice of the word ‘rich’ when the correct word to use is middleclass or upper middleclass.

For me and my wife, the motion has been put in place already to make it happen. About a year ago, we purchased a pre-selling unit at The Fort and the scheduled delivery date is December of 2013. It will probably serve as our second home or vacation unit that we could use when in the Philippine. At least that’s what we figured for now, but who knows, three years is still a long ways to go. I know of three other people who recently purchased their own condo units in Metro Manila also as their second homes, and intend to keep their homes here abroad. So I suspect there is a growing trend there for dual residence. More than ever, that opportunity is more real today than before.

I am sure she was aware that there were also rich people in California that don’t live in gated communities. That was never in contention. Her reaction was in reference to the fact and after I explained it to her, that there were no gated communities in Canada. Her being exposed to gated communities in California, she must have thought albeit naively, that rich people in Canada have that same option to live in gated communities as well. In a sense we were both showing naivety. You know how it is when one express surprised on hearing something unusual or new to you? But the surprise only last for a few moments since it was the first time one has ever heard of it. And after the knowledge gained, one cannot be surprised of hearing it a second time.

Gated communities are there primarily for security. One of my relatives moved from downtown L.A. to a gated community a few miles east. Less problems worrying about getting burglarized again...one problem of course is the distance to bus stops and public transportation.

Here in the Philippines I also live in a gated community, and security is a big deal for us. However many gated communities have squatters nearby, take for instance DMCI projects (Mahogany) and Megaworld's McKinley Hill --- they are practically and literally a stone's throw away from IS shanties!:bash:

In Canada you shouldn't be worried about not living in gated communities...gun ownership is not as widespread as that in the US (or even in the Philippines) so the chances of armed/violent crime are lesser.

Gated communities are there primarily for security. One of my relatives moved from downtown L.A. to a gated community a few miles east. Less problems worrying about getting burglarized again...one problem of course is the distance to bus stops and public transportation.

Here in the Philippines I also live in a gated community, and security is a big deal for us. However many gated communities have squatters nearby, take for instance DMCI projects (Mahogany) and Megaworld's McKinley Hill --- they are practically and literally a stone's throw away from IS shanties!:bash:

In Canada you shouldn't be worried about not living in gated communities...gun ownership is not as widespread as that in the US (or even in the Philippines) so the chances of armed/violent crime are lesser.

Is it correct to say that "gated" or not, the problem lies in the presence of "bad elements" in the locality? Or shall I ask; does owning a gun provide some deterrence? I have seen a residence with a big signage "NEVER MIND THE DOG, BEWARE OF THE OWNER!" with a gun logo as background!

Gated communities are there primarily for security. One of my relatives moved from downtown L.A. to a gated community a few miles east. Less problems worrying about getting burglarized again...one problem of course is the distance to bus stops and public transportation.

Here in the Philippines I also live in a gated community, and security is a big deal for us. However many gated communities have squatters nearby, take for instance DMCI projects (Mahogany) and Megaworld's McKinley Hill --- they are practically and literally a stone's throw away from IS shanties!:bash:

In Canada you shouldn't be worried about not living in gated communities...gun ownership is not as widespread as that in the US (or even in the Philippines) so the chances of armed/violent crime are lesser.

In California, many gated communities are being built far from the urban cores, in cities (some of which are still developing) that can hardly be perceived as crime-infested. In those places, I don't see security being such a big issue.


Anyway, I found this discussion on gated communities:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1092733

Is it correct to say that "gated" or not, the problem lies in the presence of "bad elements" in the locality? Or shall I ask; does owning a gun provide some deterrence? I have seen a residence with a big signage "NEVER MIND THE DOG, BEWARE OF THE OWNER!" with a gun logo as background!

The sign alone could be the deterrence--no need to own a gun :)

The sign alone could be the deterrence--no need to own a gun :)

Well, that depends upon the neighbourhood. In a not so desirable location, the ‘akyat bahay’ type of gangs scouts the area before hand. Their member will be roaming the streets and neighbourhood, patambay tambay sa paligid, pasimple simple sa tabi tabi, pasilip silip sa bakuran. After staking out their intended target, they will have gathered the necessary information they need. They would know the number of people that lives in the house and the regular schedules of its occupants as well. So, sometimes you will have to show credible force. For instance, I read a story in one of the other forums that I participated in, about an American that retired in the province with his Filipina wife had a similar warning sign on his fence. For believability, he would do some target practice within the compound of his property from time to time. Now, that’s Believable Credible Force. Is he caring it to the extreme? I’m sure he has his reasons why he feels the need to resort to that extent, but at least he can sleep well at night that he won’t be burglarized.

..... Here in the Philippines I also live in a gated community, and security is a big deal for us. However many gated communities have squatters nearby, take for instance DMCI projects (Mahogany) and Megaworld's McKinley Hill --- they are practically and literally a stone's throw away from IS shanties!:bash:.....

When I was a kid living in White Plains Subdivision with my parents in the early 70’s, our house was the third house from the Security Guard house. We felt safe and the back doors of our house did not even have locks. I can’t say the same thing with the other houses though that were further away from the guard house. I came home one day and noticed a teenager cutting our front lawn grass. His appearance when I saw him was unmistakable what was done to him. His face looks like that of Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito at the end of their fight with Manny Pacquiao. It turned out that the security guards had caught this teenager within the compounds of the gated subdivision and he didn’t live there at all, had no business for being there, and was suspected of scouting the subdivision for some nefarious reasons; so the Security Details of the subdivision gave him a beating and sent him to our front lawn to cut the grass. This is a true story.

Is it correct to say that "gated" or not, the problem lies in the presence of "bad elements" in the locality? Or shall I ask; does owning a gun provide some deterrence? I have seen a residence with a big signage "NEVER MIND THE DOG, BEWARE OF THE OWNER!" with a gun logo as background!

I love the sign "Trespassers will be shot!" :lol: You don't see that as often nowadays except perhaps on large estates.

Yes, one of the major problems is indeed the presence of criminals and potential criminals. Nowadays there are so many possessions that can be stolen and easily sold (thieves didn't steal landline phones generations ago and sell them in Greenhills the way they do with cellphones nowadays). And personal devices/gadgets have become more expensive than the traditional items to be stolen (well aside from money back then, it was cars and jewelry). Petty theft wasn't a big problem, there were fewer wants and even needs. Now, everyone "needs" a cellphone to communicate with each other, never mind if it is second-hand and likely stolen (well not in all cases). So in villages where there is limited security and the homeowners are not always home, security is a big deal so we have to prevent criminal elements from targeting our residences. One way to do so is to live in gated communities where there is a common security service.

Well, that depends upon the neighbourhood. In a not so desirable location, the ‘akyat bahay’ type of gangs scouts the area before hand. Their member will be roaming the streets and neighbourhood, patambay tambay sa paligid, pasimple simple sa tabi tabi, pasilip silip sa bakuran. After staking out their intended target, they will have gathered the necessary information they need. They would know the number of people that lives in the house and the regular schedules of its occupants as well. So, sometimes you will have to show credible force. For instance, I read a story in one of the other forums that I participated in, about an American that retired in the province with his Filipina wife had a similar warning sign on his fence. For believability, he would do some target practice within the compound of his property from time to time. Now, that’s Credible Force. Is he caring it to the extreme? I’m sure he has his reasons why he feels the need to resort to that extent, but at least he can sleep well at night that he won’t be burglarized.

Gated communities are more common in newly developed urban areas, where many of the residents are just newcomers to each other, not neighbors from the time they were kids. Small towns also have this feeling where "everyone knows everyone" since generations of families have lived together with their townmates.

Now the newer subdivisions in Metro Manila are mostly gated communities, and even the older subdivisions have resorted to "gate-ing" themselves off from the large crowds in order to reduce crime, traffic as well as flow of non-residents/strangers. A very good example is BF Paranaque --- before there was just one set of guards for a village association, etc. Now look at the mini-associations who have set up their own gated community, complete with stickers where others cannot freely pass through and have to leave IDs or driver's licenses with the guard.

And for OFWs who may own more than one house (abroad and in the Philippines), there is a chance they may not be living in their "investment" houses all the time. So unless these are being rented out or occupied by relatives, reliable security will be imperative. Even far off relatives or "katiwala" may not always be reliable (what if they have parties and bring strangers, or rack up fantastic power, phone and cable TV bills?) so if a residence is left empty for extended periods of time, a gated subdivision or condominium will ensure more peace of mind.

When I was a kid living in White Plains Subdivision with my parents in the early 70’s, our house was the third house from the Security Guard house. We felt safe and the back doors of our house did not even have locks. I can’t say the same thing with the other houses though that were further away from the guard house. I came home one day and noticed a teenager cutting our front lawn grass. His appearance when I saw him was unmistakable what was done to him. His face looks like that of Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito at the end of their fight with Manny Pacquiao. It turned out that the security guards had caught this teenager within the compounds of the gated subdivision and he didn’t live there at all, had no business of being there, and was suspected of scouting the subdivision for some nefarious reasons; so the Security Details of the subdivision gave him a beating and sent him to our front lawn to cut the grass. This is a true story.

In the 70s crime was not so much of a problem. Especially during the curfew imposed after martial law. And there were far fewer squatters living in Metro Manila. And thieves/burglars would have to travel great distances from their houses to reach the houses of the upper middle class to rich. Nowadays, many of the victims of petty crimes are lower middle class who can't afford that kind of security...it's easier for a thief to steal a cellphone from houses which are not given an additional layer of security by a common community guard or watch.

Haha, the kid got beaten up, plus he had to do community service? Was that humiliation for him? Nowadays, they either get shot or if lucky (and are part of a criminal syndicate), even have a lawyer to bail them out once they are accosted for akyat bahay and the like. :bash:

Even though we would like to be nice to strangers, you can never trust anyone at face value unless they've proven themselves to be trustworthy, plus with the financial crisis hitting hard, many people don't think twice anymore before resorting to a life of petty crime, and then later on graduate to more serious crime:bash:

When I was a kid living in White Plains Subdivision with my parents in the early 70’s, our house was the third house from the Security Guard house. We felt safe and the back doors of our house did not even have locks. I can’t say the same thing with the other houses though that were further away from the guard house. I came home one day and noticed a teenager cutting our front lawn grass. His appearance when I saw him was unmistakable what was done to him. His face looks like that of Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito at the end of their fight with Manny Pacquiao. It turned out that the security guards had caught this teenager within the compounds of the gated subdivision and he didn’t live there at all, had no business for being there, and was suspected of scouting the subdivision for some nefarious reasons; so the Security Details of the subdivision gave him a beating and sent him to our front lawn to cut the grass. This is a true story.

Oh, I missed to mention a not so minor part to this story. When I saw this teenager cutting the grass, he didn’t have his pants on. It turned out that the security guards took it away. This was to ensure he won’t run away while he performed his forced community service till sunset. Now, talk about humiliation huh? Ginulpe na, hinubaran pa, pinagputol pa ng damo. (ano ba iyan? Only in the Philippines huh? He he he)

Is it correct to say that "gated" or not, the problem lies in the presence of "bad elements" in the locality? Or shall I ask; does owning a gun provide some deterrence? I have seen a residence with a big signage "NEVER MIND THE DOG, BEWARE OF THE OWNER!" with a gun logo as background!

:lol::lol::lol::lol: That made me laugh big time.


There are really very few depressed communities in Canada, Canadians are generally peaceful and have lesser immgrants from all parts of the world, I know it is prejudicial to say that sometimes but here in the US, latino has the second (has also been the number one) highest number of population in jail especially in California and New Mexico areas. I think and this is just my opinion, where there are concetration of poverty, the more you expect burglary and crimes to happen. I am not saying when one is poor they are criminal automatically but when it comes to burglary itself, it's usually that groups that comes from a lower member of the society. Toronto is somewhat that way because that last time I visited Toronto, my rented car was burglarized, good thing there were no valuable stolen from us. The thief took the car's fog light though. I'm thinking maybe these are teenagers who is trying to build their own cars and has no money to buy for parts and accessories :lol::lol: Anyway, it was covered by the insurance so it didn't cause any rift in my pocket.

Oh, I missed to mention a not so minor part to this story. When I saw this teenager cutting the grass, he didn’t have his pants on. It turned out that the security guards took it away. This was to ensure he won’t run away while he performed his forced community service till sunset. Now, talk about humiliation huh? Ginulpe na, hinubaran pa, pinagputol pa ng damo. (ano ba iyan? Only in the Philippines huh? He he he)

I hate to hear those acts being done by security officers but sometimes, they (security agents) get to pay for anything lost to thievery in their area of responsibility. Considering the meager pay they get for a 12-hour shift, officers can get too hard on them robbers!

I even heard of a guard who got to pay the cost of lost property 3 times; losing copper cables in the laydown area of a construction company. After the third incident, he went to the house of the thief and gunned down the man in front of the thief's kids, left his job for an unknown destination!

See, your experience was a bit flat to the taste compared to the murder case I've just told you. We only feel remorse after a fit, failing to consider others and rushing judgment right there and then!

:lol::lol::lol::lol: That made me laugh big time.


There are really very few depressed communities in Canada, Canadians are generally peaceful and have lesser immgrants from all parts of the world, I know it is prejudicial to say that sometimes but here in the US, latino has the second (has also been the number one) highest number of population in jail especially in California and New Mexico areas. I think and this is just my opinion, where there are concetration of poverty, the more you expect burglary and crimes to happen. I am not saying when one is poor they are criminal automatically but when it comes to burglary itself, it's usually that groups that comes from a lower member of the society. Toronto is somewhat that way because that last time I visited Toronto, my rented car was burglarized, good thing there were no valuable stolen from us. The thief took the car's fog light though. I'm thinking maybe these are teenagers who is trying to build their own cars and has no money to buy for parts and accessories :lol::lol: Anyway, it was covered by the insurance so it didn't cause any rift in my pocket.

Agree, but how long will stay safe and peaceful, remains to be seen. Some Canadian municipalities and cities are now catching up with the US, in terms of gang violence, robberies and other related criminal activities. However, Vancouver and its suburbs, still quite safe and peaceful, compared to other Canadian and US cities.

I also agree that most of the crimes comitted here like in the US, are mostly immigrants. I wonder if due to their inability to integrate in the main stream in general. Making them isolated, and feels outcast. Some of those immigrant though are well off. Poverty is only one of the reason why someone comitts a crime or violence. Crimes among teens and juveniles are mostly attributed to drugs and peer pressure.

Oh, I missed to mention a not so minor part to this story. When I saw this teenager cutting the grass, he didn’t have his pants on. It turned out that the security guards took it away. This was to ensure he won’t run away while he performed his forced community service till sunset. Now, talk about humiliation huh? Ginulpe na, hinubaran pa, pinagputol pa ng damo. (ano ba iyan? Only in the Philippines huh? He he he)

Wow, if such action was done here in Canada, it would have been construed as an assault, and if the person is a minor, could even be worse.:lol:
My pet peeves here in Canada, when it comes to petty crimes, the victim could be charged once he/she laid hand on the perpetrator. "Let the authorities deal with it" rhetorically.:ohno::nuts:

.....And for OFWs who may own more than one house (abroad and in the Philippines), there is a chance they may not be living in their "investment" houses all the time. So unless these are being rented out or occupied by relatives, reliable security will be imperative. Even far off relatives or "katiwala" may not always be reliable (what if they have parties and bring strangers, or rack up fantastic power, phone and cable TV bills?) so if a residence is left empty for extended periods of time, a gated subdivision or condominium will ensure more peace of mind.....

I agree on that count. That’s primarily the reason why we limit our abodes to condominiums for security reasons. We (my wife and I) do a lot of traveling for business and leisure, so we are constantly away weeks at a time. Condominiums that are staffed with a concierge makes our home secure even when we are away. No worries when we travel. I’ll be able to enjoy our trips. A friend of mine in Canada who lives alone has to make specially arrangement with friends to empty his house mail box when he is away for a few days. An overflowing mailbox is a giveaway to would be burglars that no one is home. This was also the reason why we were limited to condominiums when we shopped for our future 2nd/vacation home in the Philippines.

Agree, but how long will stay safe and peaceful, remains to be seen. Some Canadian municipalities and cities are now catching up with the US, in terms of gang violence, robberies and other related criminal activities. However, Vancouver and its suburbs, still quite safe and peaceful, compared to other Canadian and US cities.

I also agree that most of the crimes comitted here like in the US, are mostly immigrants. I wonder if due to their inability to integrate in the main stream in general. Making them isolated, and feels outcast. Some of those immigrant though are well off. Poverty is only one of the reason why someone comitts a crime or violence. Crimes among teens and juveniles are mostly attributed to drugs and peer pressure.

Probably could also be a similar case with squatters (many of who illegally resettled from the provinces), perhaps many of the petty cases and even big time cases are committed by people from the provinces. Why do you have gangs like "Waray-waray", the Ilonggo Group, the Ozamis Group, Alvin Flores and the Ampang Colangco Groups? some info from http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/228186/police-focused-four-robbery-syndicates

The gangs usually out of Manila are the ones associated with jails and the like. Probably provincial gangs are predominant nowadays because many of the vehicles they carnap are shipped off to the provinces and sold there, stolen vehicles are easier to spot in Manila since there is a large potential for witnesses and informants, not to mention police groups specific to combat such crimes.

I agree on that count. That’s primarily the reason why we limit our abodes to condominiums for security reasons. We (my wife and I) do a lot of traveling for business and leisure, so we are constantly away weeks at a time. Condominiums that are staffed with a concierge makes our home secure even when we are away. No worries when we travel. I’ll be able to enjoy our trips. A friend of mine in Canada who lives alone has to make specially arrangement with friends to empty his house mail box when he is away for a few days. An overflowing mailbox is a giveaway to would be burglars that no one is home. This was also the reason why we were limited to condominiums when we shopped for our future 2nd/vacation home in the Philippines.

And usually condominiums are well maintained, so that their value will continually increase. Some houses in older subdivisions are left to neglect, that won't be the case with housing communities with association dues and the like. And since many balikbayans come home during the holiday season, it would definitely be an advantage if their condominiums are near the shopping and events places, not far off in the suburbs or even out of Metro Manila.

I agree on that count. That’s primarily the reason why we limit our abodes to condominiums for security reasons. We (my wife and I) do a lot of traveling for business and leisure, so we are constantly away weeks at a time. Condominiums that are staffed with a concierge makes our home secure even when we are away. No worries when we travel. I’ll be able to enjoy our trips. A friend of mine in Canada who lives alone has to make specially arrangement with friends to empty his house mail box when he is away for a few days. An overflowing mailbox is a giveaway to would be burglars that no one is home. This was also the reason why we were limited to condominiums when we shopped for our future 2nd/vacation home in the Philippines.

You are giving me ideas to invest more with condos rather than build a house (vacation home or retirement home) on the properties I inherited from our parents. My Dad is still very much alive but they decided to just distribute our share on those property. so, I guess i can really claim it as inheritance.

His face looks like that of Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito at the end of their fight with Manny Pacquiao.. You are giving me ideas to invest more with condos rather than build a house (vacation home or retirement home) on the properties I inherited from our parents. My Dad is still very much alive but they decided to just distribute our share on those property. so, I guess i can really claim it as inheritance. We were havin brunch one day before the fight (Margarito & Pacquiao together all bearded up). When CNN showed both guys together, 3 of my Yankee Atlantan friends turned to me and in all honesty they blurted out the same question, “Are they brothers”? Well, I replied, sort of, they’re more like primos… ajejeje :D

yea, wifey & I got a coupla condos but we can’t use them for ourselves! The older one was pooled by some friends into a tidy rental scheme.. The other one is still bein built nearby, also in the Fort… So,,, does that make moi a Makati Boy or a Taguig Dude? Pero parang mas maganda pakinggan ang the Fort Kid… ajejeje :nuts::nuts:

yea, wifey & I got a coupla condos but we can’t use them for ourselves!

...teka...¿Es usted casado?
Vous vous etes marie!
Congratulations!!!

Bai, Mabuhay ang bagong Kasal!


:cheers2:

^^:? huh... dugay na oi 10 years hagbay ra... au, kuwan ra man Las Vegas style ra man to, dili man Church... tsus does it count?? pero salamat :D

Living Abroad - There’s no place like home
By Frederick Arceo

Editor's note: The following Philippine Daily Inquirer article is one of the most shared articles on OFW sites and blogs. Written in Filipino, it has been tossed around so much that many sites don't even know who wrote it anymore. Some have edited it and put in their own remarks. It goes by different titles like, "Iba pa rin sa Pinas," "Ang OFW ay Tao Rin" or "Pagpupugay sa OFW," among others. It often comes with an introduction, like the one posted on qatarliving.com that says, "Here's something for those with spouses, siblings, children, or relatives who are OFWs and especially those who hope to work abroad one day. This may help you better understand what it means to be an OFW."

This is a translation of the original piece, published with the permission of its author, Saudi Arabia-based Filipino, Frederick Montilla Arceo.
http://blogs.inquirer.net/livingabroad/
***************************************************************

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are not rich. We have this notion that when someone is an OFW or based abroad, he or she is loaded. Not true. An OFW might earn from P50K-P300K a month, depending on the location. Those in Saudi Arabia or the United States might earn in the high range. But to say that they're "rich" is a fallacy (amen!).

Many Filipinos seek work abroad because their needs are great. They have so many mouths to feed. Often, 3/4 or half of their earnings go to paying school tuition fees for their children and keeping up with the family's household expenses.

It's hard being an OFW. You need to scrimp and save as much as you can. Yes, food can be good abroad but often you stick to paksiw or adobo or eggs in order to save money. Come the 15th or end of the month, the first thing you look up is the conversion rate of the peso to the dollar, rial, or euro. It's okay to make do with what little is left than let the family go hungry. Come leave time, you also have to have some money left because many relatives will be waiting at the airport or at home. You know how it is among Pinoys, word gets around that you are an OFW and it attracts a lot of kin.

If you don't bring pasalubong (a traditional homecoming gift) they may feel slighted and say bad things about you. Well, not all. But I'm sure some OFWs here have had that experience. Abroad, OFWs are also looked at differently. Very many have experienced not getting their due or being discriminated against in workplaces. You just take it, keep going, cry it out alone, because you think how miserable your family would be if you packed up and went home.

Besides, you really can't count on a job waiting for you back home. And prices of rice, milk, sardines, and apartment rentals are high. So you suffer on--even though you have to work with a lot of jerks (kahit maraming kupal sa trabaho), even though you are sick and have no one to take care of you, even though the food sucks and working conditions bad, even dangerous, and the job difficult. Then when you have remitted money home, everything seems okay again; you call, "hello! kumusta na kayo(how are you all doing)?"
OFWs are not unfeeling (Hindi bato ang OFW). You are human--not money or cash machines. You get tired, lonely (yes, often); you get sick, hungry; you stop and think, too. You, too, need support, if not physically, at least emotionally or spiritually.

OFWs also grow old. Those I have met and spoken to, many have receding hairlines or are balding. Most of them have signs and symptoms of hypertension, coronary artery disease, and arthritis. Yet, they continue to work thinking about the family they left behind. There are many abroad, after 20-30 years, that still have not put away a savings stash. No matter how hard they work, they can't seem to save enough. It's painful when you know that the family you support back home still can't make ends meet, that a child is a drug addict, a daughter, pregnant; and one's spouse is in a relationship with someone else. It recalls that popular old song "Napakasakit Kuya Eddie."

OFWs are heroes. That's true. I, for one, realized this only now, that OFWs really are heroes in so many ways. Not icons or household names like Nora Aunor or Flor Contemplacion but heroes in the truest sense of the word. They could surpass even Rizal or Bonifacio: They have braved more wars and conflicts in order to give their families a better life; they have battled more political intrigues just to keep their jobs in hostile environments; they have exhibited more patience than your usual congressman or senator in the Philippines--all because of the fear of losing that precious pay check.
OFWs are survivors. Pinoys are survivors (Matindi ang Pinoy). They are more tenacious than rats or cockroaches which are said to be able to survive cataclysms. Yet for all their sacrifices, they have yet to see solutions or results.

OFWs are unlucky--unlike politicians. They don't sign autographs or give interviews to media (unless they were kidnapped); they stay on the sidelines. When they leave the country, they are sad and on the verge of tears. When they come home, the lucky ones are welcomed by relatives at the airport. But if they come home without money, relatives are hard to find.

If only OFWs had a voice in Congress like politicians who are financed by the Filipino people and don't have to work under the hot sun, or get scalded by hot oil, or shouted at by foreign employers, or eat paksiw day in and day out to save money, or live in a compound with conditions less than favorable, and be forced to live with people with strange ways if only to be able to live. Politicians are lucky, really lucky.

OFWs are steadfast. Stronger and more steadfast than soldiers or other groups you might know. They are masters of reverse psychology, negotiations, and counter-attacks. Will the OFWs last? Most likely because we still don't know when change and progress will come to the Philippines. Will it come? Is there a chance?

Happiness is imagining yourself in the company of your loved ones every day, watching your children grow in a healthy and loving home. Happiness is eating sitaw, bagoong, lechon, inihaw na isda, taba ng talangka. Happiness is watching a Filipino movie, whether old reruns or new ones. There's still nothing like knowing your neighbors. There's still no place like the Philippines, being with other Pinoys (well, except those with crab mentalities). There's still nothing like being able to tell stories and know that others around you understand what you are saying. There's really nothing like the sound of "mahal kita!", "'day, ginahigugma tika," "Mingaw na ko nimo ba, kalagot!" "Inday, diin ka na subong haw? ganahan guid ko simo ba." There's really no place...like home.

Sige lang. Tiis lang. Saan ba't darating din ang pag-asa. So be it. just suck it in and keep going Somehow, you hope, things will work out.

tama nga si fengrun:D toinks:D

Living Abroad - There’s no place like home
By Frederick Arceo

Editor's note: The following Philippine Daily Inquirer article is one of the most shared articles on OFW sites and blogs. Written in Filipino, it has been tossed around so much that many sites don't even know who wrote it anymore. Some have edited it and put in their own remarks. It goes by different titles like, "Iba pa rin sa Pinas," "Ang OFW ay Tao Rin" or "Pagpupugay sa OFW," among others. It often comes with an introduction, like the one posted on qatarliving.com that says, "Here's something for those with spouses, siblings, children, or relatives who are OFWs and especially those who hope to work abroad one day. This may help you better understand what it means to be an OFW."

This is a translation of the original piece, published with the permission of its author, Saudi Arabia-based Filipino, Frederick Montilla Arceo.
http://blogs.inquirer.net/livingabroad/
***************************************************************

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are not rich. We have this notion that when someone is an OFW or based abroad, he or she is loaded. Not true. An OFW might earn from P50K-P300K a month, depending on the location. Those in Saudi Arabia or the United States might earn in the high range. But to say that they're "rich" is a fallacy (amen!).

Many Filipinos seek work abroad because their needs are great. They have so many mouths to feed. Often, 3/4 or half of their earnings go to paying school tuition fees for their children and keeping up with the family's household expenses.

It's hard being an OFW. You need to scrimp and save as much as you can. Yes, food can be good abroad but often you stick to paksiw or adobo or eggs in order to save money. Come the 15th or end of the month, the first thing you look up is the conversion rate of the peso to the dollar, rial, or euro. It's okay to make do with what little is left than let the family go hungry. Come leave time, you also have to have some money left because many relatives will be waiting at the airport or at home. You know how it is among Pinoys, word gets around that you are an OFW and it attracts a lot of kin.

If you don't bring pasalubong (a traditional homecoming gift) they may feel slighted and say bad things about you. Well, not all. But I'm sure some OFWs here have had that experience. Abroad, OFWs are also looked at differently. Very many have experienced not getting their due or being discriminated against in workplaces. You just take it, keep going, cry it out alone, because you think how miserable your family would be if you packed up and went home.

Besides, you really can't count on a job waiting for you back home. And prices of rice, milk, sardines, and apartment rentals are high. So you suffer on--even though you have to work with a lot of jerks (kahit maraming kupal sa trabaho), even though you are sick and have no one to take care of you, even though the food sucks and working conditions bad, even dangerous, and the job difficult. Then when you have remitted money home, everything seems okay again; you call, "hello! kumusta na kayo(how are you all doing)?"
OFWs are not unfeeling (Hindi bato ang OFW). You are human--not money or cash machines. You get tired, lonely (yes, often); you get sick, hungry; you stop and think, too. You, too, need support, if not physically, at least emotionally or spiritually.

OFWs also grow old. Those I have met and spoken to, many have receding hairlines or are balding. Most of them have signs and symptoms of hypertension, coronary artery disease, and arthritis. Yet, they continue to work thinking about the family they left behind. There are many abroad, after 20-30 years, that still have not put away a savings stash. No matter how hard they work, they can't seem to save enough. It's painful when you know that the family you support back home still can't make ends meet, that a child is a drug addict, a daughter, pregnant; and one's spouse is in a relationship with someone else. It recalls that popular old song "Napakasakit Kuya Eddie."

OFWs are heroes. That's true. I, for one, realized this only now, that OFWs really are heroes in so many ways. Not icons or household names like Nora Aunor or Flor Contemplacion but heroes in the truest sense of the word. They could surpass even Rizal or Bonifacio: They have braved more wars and conflicts in order to give their families a better life; they have battled more political intrigues just to keep their jobs in hostile environments; they have exhibited more patience than your usual congressman or senator in the Philippines--all because of the fear of losing that precious pay check.
OFWs are survivors. Pinoys are survivors (Matindi ang Pinoy). They are more tenacious than rats or cockroaches which are said to be able to survive cataclysms. Yet for all their sacrifices, they have yet to see solutions or results.

OFWs are unlucky--unlike politicians. They don't sign autographs or give interviews to media (unless they were kidnapped); they stay on the sidelines. When they leave the country, they are sad and on the verge of tears. When they come home, the lucky ones are welcomed by relatives at the airport. But if they come home without money, relatives are hard to find.

If only OFWs had a voice in Congress like politicians who are financed by the Filipino people and don't have to work under the hot sun, or get scalded by hot oil, or shouted at by foreign employers, or eat paksiw day in and day out to save money, or live in a compound with conditions less than favorable, and be forced to live with people with strange ways if only to be able to live. Politicians are lucky, really lucky.

OFWs are steadfast. Stronger and more steadfast than soldiers or other groups you might know. They are masters of reverse psychology, negotiations, and counter-attacks. Will the OFWs last? Most likely because we still don't know when change and progress will come to the Philippines. Will it come? Is there a chance?

Happiness is imagining yourself in the company of your loved ones every day, watching your children grow in a healthy and loving home. Happiness is eating sitaw, bagoong, lechon, inihaw na isda, taba ng talangka. Happiness is watching a Filipino movie, whether old reruns or new ones. There's still nothing like knowing your neighbors. There's still no place like the Philippines, being with other Pinoys (well, except those with crab mentalities). There's still nothing like being able to tell stories and know that others around you understand what you are saying. There's really nothing like the sound of "mahal kita!", "'day, ginahigugma tika," "Mingaw na ko nimo ba, kalagot!" "Inday, diin ka na subong haw? ganahan guid ko simo ba." There's really no place...like home.

Sige lang. Tiis lang. Saan ba't darating din ang pag-asa. So be it. just suck it in and keep going Somehow, you hope, things will work out.

Well, the piece was written by an OFW, hoping for others to feel his angst. The part I hate the most about many OFW relatives are their being so one-sided, especially when it comes to money. As if money (and lots of it) is the only way to repay the time that the OFW is home from his/her family. And then the rest of the family screws up big time (pregnant teenage daughter, drug addict kids, unfaithful spouse, gambling, gossiping, crab mentality, etc.). That will be a big slap on the face of the OFW. And such a painful price to pay.

But then, this is just one side of the coin. Not all OFWs are like that. Others are lucky to have family accompany them as part of their contract, complete with free schooling at the international schools, and so on. These are the progressives of the Filipinos working away from their homeland.

Most filipino parents I believe concentrates on their children's education and are mostly encouraging courses that would allow their children to land a job overseas. Not very many filipinos are wise enough to also engage themselve into business to ensure that even if their OFW family are not able to return or unjustly deported they would have other means to support themselves. I believe, alot of filipino parents just expect their children to support them when they can no longer work and not think about their own retirement so they do not have to rely on their children for finances. The result, generation of OFWs. Most of the time they blow all their money because being "one day millionair" is a way the of life, even to the OFWs themselves.

^^:? huh... dugay na oi 10 years hagbay ra... au,
kuwan ra man Las Vegas style ra man to, dili man Church...
tsus does it count?? pero salamat :D

My bad! I thought you were too young to be married. :cheers2:


tama nga si fengrun:D toinks:D

may tama naman yun talaga,
kaya nga lang maraming iba ang natutusok sa mga punto na sinasabi niya
kaya panay ang rebuttal nung iba riyan sa atin! :lol: "the truth hurts."



:cheers2:

Well, the piece was written by an OFW, hoping for others to feel his angst. The part I hate the most about many OFW relatives are their being so one-sided, especially when it comes to money. As if money (and lots of it) is the only way to repay the time that the OFW is home from his/her family. And then the rest of the family screws up big time (pregnant teenage daughter, drug addict kids, unfaithful spouse, gambling, gossiping, crab mentality, etc.). That will be a big slap on the face of the OFW. And such a painful price to pay.

But then, this is just one side of the coin. Not all OFWs are like that. Others are lucky to have family accompany them as part of their contract, complete with free schooling at the international schools, and so on. These are the progressives of the Filipinos working away from their homeland.

Based on POEA annual deployment, the numbers for the professional, techinical, managerial levels is roughly around 10% only of the annual deployment. The big bulk is low paying service jobs some as low as $300, that's according to a couple I've talk to. That's where the government should put in their efforts. As for the highly technical OFW's, a friend here in TO hired 6 Filipinos to work in the jungles of a South American country. They earn more (in net pay because they don't pay taxes), than him, and he is a VP of this company! So it is possible but who wants to work in the jungle.

^^ ba, jungles of the Amazon? if the price is right, why not? a dollar a day isn't a bad idea. :D

:D

I like to be in America
Ok by me in America
I like the shores of America
Comfort is yours in America.

Yeee Haaah!

:horse:

^^ Mas delikado pa nga sa Iraq o Afghanistan, nagulat ako nuon, meron mga Pinoys na mga drivers, sikyu, tindero sa fastfoods at iba pang pinag tra-trabahuhan nila.

Ako rin, pangarap ko makapunta sa jungles of South America, baka nga meron ng McDonalds daw sa gubat. :D

^^ I dunno how these Iraq or Afghanistan pinoys do it; coz I've seen the passports of other Filipinos and there is a strict "Not valid for travel to Iraq" restriction pero nakakalusot pa rin ang iilan.

dun di ako hanga sa mga seaman na sumasama sa Arctic & Antarctic ships. Like that sad mishap of the S. Korean ship which sank in the Antarctic. It's a good thing all 3 Filipinos on board escaped safely.

Yun isa kong kasamang Yankee from s. carolina, ang saya raw niya na-assign for awhile sa colombia... kaya lang he got the clap while in the colombian jungles daw from some encounters :D

si Tarzan ang tagal na kaya nagtatrabaho sa kagubatan:D caretaker sya sa mga unggoy doon:D

^^ I dunno how these Iraq or Afghanistan pinoys do it; coz I've seen the passports of other Filipinos and there is a strict "Not valid for travel to Iraq" restriction pero nakakalusot pa rin ang iilan.

dun di ako hanga sa mga seaman na sumasama sa Arctic & Antarctic ships. Like that sad mishap of the S. Korean ship which sank in the Antarctic. It's a good thing all 3 Filipinos on board escaped safely.

Yun isa kong kasamang Yankee from s. carolina, ang saya raw niya na-assign for awhile sa colombia... kaya lang he got the clap while in the colombian jungles daw from some encounters :D

Magaling tumirada yung mga agencies around ME. Hired karamihan from the Emirates, tapos pasa sa foreign agencies yata tapos short travel across the border, andun na.

maraming magaganda kasi sa SA, sa Peru lang daming mga tsinitas...:D

si Tarzan ang tagal na kaya nagtatrabaho sa kagubatan:D caretaker sya sa mga unggoy doon:D

Nagtra-trabaho o Tina-trabaho ni Tarzan? :lol:

may tama naman yun talaga,
kaya nga lang maraming iba ang natutusok sa mga punto na sinasabi niya
kaya panay ang rebuttal nung iba riyan sa atin! :lol: "the truth hurts."
:cheers2:

So, tinatanggap mo pala ang sinabi ni fengrun na ang mga nagabroad at nasa america mga walang skills. kulang sa diskarte at mahihina ang ulo kaya hindi umasenso sa filipinas at nag abroad na lang, aba ay bakit nasa America ka nag duktor kung ganoon???:lol::lol: PEACE, yan naman talaga ang panabi nuon, pero otherwise, may tamang punto din siya. Nasisira nga lang ng pagiging mapintasin , pagiging mapang mata at kulang ng exposure kahit man lang leisure travels. Review hin mo ang kauna unahang sinabi nuon.