Living in The Philippines

February 6, 2014 by feyma

It’s almost Valentines Day!

Valentines Day is just around the corner. Some of our readers here might be single and writing/chatting to a Filipina here in the Philippines. You might want to give an impression to the lady here (they called it pogi points). It might be a good idea for you to give something to the lady you are getting serious with online.

To get started, remember showing that you care by giving her gifts. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It will make her happy that you really take the time in planning it.

Valentine’s Day is approaching!

If you need good advice on what to give to your loved one here in the Philippines. Here are some simple and affordable gifts that you will show to your lady that you care enough for her:

Sweet surprise: selected baked good cookies and put in the box or in the basket.
Chocolate: Different kinds of chocolates (imported or local brands) it can be in the baskets or in a beautiful box that she can use for decorations or storage after munching the chocolate.
Jewelry: Fashion jewelry, pearl jewelry or the real one that will cost more, some are very expensive.
Stuffed animals like teddy bear, puppy, dolphin, monkey and others, or a stuff heart shape pillow and other nice stuffed products.
Photo Album: A pictures of you and your lady inside together, or if you didn’t meet up your lady yet in person maybe a collage of her pictures and yours in the album.
Flowers: Different kind of flower arrangements to chose from either simple arrangements and affordable, in a vase or a bouquet. If you want fancier arrangement then it will cost you more.
Nice printed shirt with hers and your face, or a mug or a plate.
Maybe a puppy or a kitty.
Camera: Lots of good and affordable cameras nowadays.
Cellphone or Tablet: Same as above, you can buy cheaper and affordable cell phone and tablets. Take note: electronics gadgets are way expensive here in the Philippines than the West.

Hope that some of the ideas that I mentioned above help a lot to those still thinking of what to give to their loved one here in the Philippines. Sometimes it’s hard to give when you don’t have any idea in mind.

We have a company that will deliver to your love one here in the Philippines. If there is anything that you want and it’s not on our site feel free to email us what you want and we will send you an invoice for it. I don’t usually mention our other site here, but I was asked from our reader here privately for a good gift for his/her loved one. That’s one of the reason why I wrote this article.

To some of you here that uses our company “Thank You” so much for the patronage. We really appreciate you guys’ business. Again feel free to let us know if there is anything you want that it’s not on our site.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

January 23, 2014 by feyma

Having business here in the Philippines while living abroad!

I was asked by a reader here with questions “If is is good for her to put up business here in the Philippines while she’s still living abroad?”. I answered her back that I will not recommend that. You know why? If the owner is not around the workers will not do what the owner want them to do with the business. I know of some friends who owned businesses here and letting the family members run the business while they are still living abroad. Really lots of them end up closing in no time.

The lady wants a small eatery place with karaoke and they want to serve beer. In short it’s like karenderia with karoake bar. She wants to start to have business here before her retiring time abroad. She works as a nurse if I remember. She earned pretty descent money. She already had some other properties here and she wants to add more income. She told me that she will have her family manage the place before her retiring time. So she’s asking my opinion about it.

Karenderia

I don’t recommend to people to have business here but you know what I don’t know the people that she entrusted her money with. It’s really up to her. She should study hard and read a lot online about people here putting up business if it succeed or if it fails. She should study the pros and cons to it. I’ve know people that put up business for the family and fails.

We had a friend, before he and his wife put up a pretty nice business for the family. They also want the money (income from the business) to be saved for their future retirement here in the Philippines. They put up a nice internet cafe business with 15 seat cafe complete with printer, scanners and all those stuff that’s good for the cafe. It was good at first. Then later it was mismanaged by the family members. Later on almost all the customers that’s occupying the seats in the internet were family members. So no revenue was generating with the business. Year or so later the business folded. So it’s really sad.

My really close friend bought like 3 jeepneys and farms for her family and to save some money when time for her to come back here for good. Well, her contract abroad was not over yet and her jeepneys were already starting to deteriorate. It cost her a big amount of money at the end. The farm starts to make money but family’s relationship starts to fail. Comes with the fighting and not talking.

A family member of mine sent money for her family to start a small business. Instead the family bought a billiard table and because it’s not their hard earned money they just left the pool table outside without cover in just a few months after buying it, it was nothing but trash. The big investment just rotted out in-front of them.

So if thinking of investing while not here to manage it? I hardly recommend putting up businesses here.

January 16, 2014 by feyma

Just a reminder folks!

A few days ago me and Aaron went to the Department of Foreign Affairs or DFA to file for our Philippines passports. First time for Aaron to get a Philippine passport and a renewal Philippine passport for me. We’ve been wanting to go there since middle of last year, but didn’t get around to it until end of the year. We know we had to be there early, I mean really early even before the mall opened. Luckily now the DFA office here in Davao City located at the third floor of SM City Mall Matina, not too far from our house. Good thing that the office is inside the mall, so it’s not so hot inside the office anymore while waiting. So Aaron and I went there like around 9:30am just right before the mall opened.

Aaron & Feyma

We already went there last year to get the applications. We just want to get the application paper from the security guards. They were just handing out outside the door of the DFA office there. We didn’t even have to fall in line for that. Our purpose of going there to renew my passport since its already expired a long time ago ever since I was still living in the States. When it’s expired (around mid 1990′s) I just didn’t bother to get a renewal since I already had my US passport anyway. At that time the Philippines would not recognize the dual citizenship yet. They just passed the law on august of 2003.

So after we (me and the kids) got our dual citizenship here early last year, we then decided to get our Philippine passports. Since Aaron is going to the States this year, its good for us to get his Philippine passport for the first time. When the person at the DFA office explained the requirements to me for Aaron to do, he could tell I am cringing every time he’s explaining. Duh in short too many requirements to fulfill. Big Sigh. One of the requirements you have to fill the same papers (7 times) and have it notarized by the lawyer. Wow unbelievable… One of the requirements that will takes us long to get is the NSO birth certificate for Aaron. They will not bend down there, the applicant had to submit the NSO birth certificate. So any Filipina giving birth in the USA should report the birth of the kid to the nearest Philippine consulate office in your area. So that the kid will have records in the Philippines too. Easier to get any Philippine documents then especially passport after dual citizenship. Unfortunately none of my kids were reported of their birth to the Philippine Consulate Office after giving birth. I never knew and never had friends that reported the birth of their kids too as far as I know. I really wish to God we did. It will be all easier for us by now then.

The personnel at the DFA office told me that the processing for the reporting of the birth (NSO) since we are in the Philippines will take around 4-6 months. Wow, really long, but we don’t have a choice but to report it. My understanding when the personnel explain, they will send the papers again to the USA (at the consulate office there) for their records that the child was born there. Send it back to the NSO office here in the Philippines for verification and approval. At least the kid already has records both countries. Oh well just have to do what they requires us to do.

So reminder again Fil-Am friends: To please report your kids after giving birth in the USA to the nearest Philippine Consulate Office in your area. Some of you might want to get a dual citizenship of your kid. It will be easier to get the Philippine passport then.

Cheers!

January 9, 2014 by feyma

Conversation that I heard!

It’s really nice now that we decided to ride jeepneys in going anywhere here in the city area. On one of our jeepney routes, me and my niece overheard a very interesting conversation of 2 old friends. One of the ladies might be in her mid 50′s and the other one might be a little younger than me. I am just estimating their ages. The route was a bit longer because of the traffic accident. So even with the traffic I was not agitated because of the delay, just thankful of the interesting conversation I’ve heard inside the jeepney. As the minutes went on, their conversations got intense. Both of them shared each other stories about their friends or close friends rendezvous. I will share their conversation here, some readers here might know of similar stories happens to their friends or relatives. Feel free to share here. I will make 2 post from the lady’s chitchat.

Overheard on the Jeepney

As I gathered with their conversation, both ladies used to be neighbors. They were just in that jeepney together accidentally. When the older lady converse about the wedding of I think her close family member. She was asked to be the godmother (ninang) of the couples to be. She was happy to do it. She was even helping the couple in the wedding preparation. Just by listening I could tell that the wedding was a success. The godmother said that the guy, a foreigner from the States, was a bit older than the lady. I guess the guy had money and was getting a big pension. As I was hearing the conversation, the bride was a lavish spender. Bought stuff that’s not even necessary. They had a really nice wedding. Which was understandable since she was just married once, so why not have a fancy wedding? She bought stuff for their house and of course the typical thing partied almost every night, drinking beer and liquor.

The guy wants to live here in the Philippines because he has the money to live here comfortably. The lady really insisted before the wedding that they had to live in America. So the guy agreed to the wishes of the girl because he really loved the girl so much. Thinking about it, it might also good for the lady to live in the States for a few years for her to learn American culture and that she will get her US citizenship and after that they will settle back here in the Philippines for good.

Well, after the wedding when they should have the honeymoon somewhere. The girl postponed it and said that she’s not up to it going somewhere, because she was really exhausted with the prep of the wedding. So she just wants to go to the hotel and sleep. The godmother saw the reason for her not going with the honeymoon somewhere. The bride already had an affair with her ex two days after the wedding. Instead of spending time with her husband she was in bed with her ex. The husband was alone in his hotel room. He thinks his wife spends time with her parents. That really shocked the people that saw her and the ex especially the godmother.

So the godmother was fuming. She told the bride to end the relationship with the ex or she will tell the husband immediately, she said not tomorrow, its going to be today. She told the bride that if she ever do that again that she will never want to get involve with the family because she will never tolerate that kind of behavior. She also added that from now on she will monitor the bride and if theirs something she notice that’s not appropriate to the marriage, she will tell the husband and the church. Hmm. Shocking.. It worked though, because she said the bride really straighten up and behave like a wife after their talk. Just by listening I was hoping too for the happy ending of the new couple.

So I guess you better get godparents that are really close to the family. At the end it will help out both husband and wife. I’m just glad that the godmother really stood her ground and gave her piece to the new bride. I think the parents were also giving advice to the bride to stick with the husband because not just he had the money but also they could tell that the husband will be there for their daughter until the end. They know that the ex will just be there while he can dig in money from their daughter. Plus morally they know that their daughter was already married. They bride was still processing her papers to go to the States. Hoping for the best for the husband and wife while living in the States. Good luck to them.

Watch out next week for the other story. If the story rings a bell to you feel free to comment. Have a great day!!!

January 2, 2014 by feyma

Dear Feyma: My sister’s problem!

Dear Feyma, I saw your website recommended by my friend. I am writing to you maybe some Filipina went through what my sister gotten into her married life. She’s married to an American. When they were writing, the guy he is nice and getting along with my family. I am married to a guy from Europe. I am lucky to have married him. He is really a nice man. My sister on the other hand was just so unlucky in love.

Anyway, they were married in the Philippines. My family came from the Northern part of the Philippines. My family thought everything was okay with them. It looks that way anyway. My sister got her papers process after the wedding. Over a year after the wedding, she went to the States. My sister said the marriage was okay in the beginning. Few years after living together, she can see signs already of the husbands bad behavior. At first my sister stayed in the house, since they had no children yet, the husband said it was okay for my sister to go get a job. So my sister was happy since not much to do at their house. She works as a waitress in a small restaurant. I think after months of working, my brother-in-law didn’t like it that my sister was out of the house. So it didn’t take long my sister quit her job and stayed home again. Well, my brother-in-law when they had arguments starts hurting my sister. It really shocked my sister because she never thought he’s that type of a man. But he did. My sister just let go the first physical fight. But later on he started doing it more often, my sister finally said that enough is enough and move out and stayed with my cousin on the other State.

Domestic Violence

Feyma Bayoy Martin He tries to ask for forgiveness, but my sister, she’s not yet ready to be with him again. My family was not happy with the outcome with the marriage of my sister, but my parents supports my sister a hundred percent and they don’t want also my sister to be the punching bag of my brother-in-law. I know that there’s 2 sides to the story. But my sister has evidence that she’s been abuse and she sent it to my parents. So I don’t want to start a debate here. I just want to share with you what my sister been through. The husband had no power to have my sister deported since she’s already a resident of America. We thank god for that. Maraming salamat Feyma for reading my email. Hanggang sa uulitin. Hannah.

Hi Hannah,

Thank you so much for writing. I’ve heard to many stories similar to what your sister been through. But not just Filipina to foreigner kinda marriage. It’s really a universal problem. Abusive people makes excuses to abuse somebody and blame the victims for their behavior. Like your sister, I bet you she’s the one blamed by your brother-in-law of his bad behavior. You know It’s been going on also with some members of my family and other people that I know. We really tried to help out the one in our family, we want her to leave her husband but unfortunately it never happened her leaving him. He left the wife for a year or so, and we the family were so happy, but he came back and beg for forgiveness and the wife give in. Same cycle again. We just give up and leave them alone. It’s been going on for so long that we just shrug it off. Nothing we can do about it anymore. Very frustrating.

I really hope Hannah that your sister will be safe and she will really decide what’s really best for her. You and your family can’t decide about that. Praying for peace of mind for her. Good luck to you and your family especially to your sister. God bless!