To file you need to send an I-130 form “Petition for Alien Relative” and an I-325a “Biographical Data” form for both your wife and yourself.

Once the petition is approved, you will need to file a G-864 Affidavit of Support to show you can support your wife and she will not become an expense to the country. With this form, you need to show you made a specified income for the past two years.  Being in the Philippines for over two years and not earning any money except a small pittance monthly from an annuity, I do not have the income qualifications. Luckily, a family member can submit the form too as a joint sponsor. Both my mother and brother have offered.

These forms are not difficult to fill out and there are instructions for them available online.

Now for the other side of the coin, Elena realized her passport will expire soon and decided to go to the DFA (Department for Foreign Affairs) to renew. After standing online for many hours she was informed she cannot renew until she had a CFO sticker.

CFO (Commission on Filipinos Overseas) is a government agency that gives seminars for any Filipino who is planning to move abroad. To get this sticker you have to attend a seminar. The problem is the seminar is only taught in Manila or Cebu.  There is also a Catch 22 with this needed seminar and Elena’s process for her Visa.

When Elena goes for her interview at the US Embassy, she must have a passport valid for at least six months. To get the CFO sticker, Elena has to show her US Visa. To get her passport renewed she has to show her CFO sticker. With all this said, you cannot get anything until you show something you cannot get until you get the other. If you are confused reading this, think of me writing it.

Well it turns out you can take the CFO seminar before you receive your visa, which should allow the DFA to issue her passport renewal. Then once she receives her visa, she must return to the CFO to get the sticker. This will entail another flight to Manila or Cebu.

If you are saying that this is a real “pain in the A__” you are right, but then again, with the Philippines, what is easy.

Then they made the Express Line fee mandatory. Recently they added a new fee, Express Line for Processing and a Express Fee for Certification. Both are 500 pesos.

Once you received your residency, you also had to apply for an ACR I-Card (Alien Certificate of Registration). This is similar to the U.S. Green-Card. As always, there was forms, and many photocopies of all papers plus 1×1 and 2×2 photos. Recently the ACR card program was added to any alien at their first 59-day Visa extension. Now, if you come to the the Philippines for a visit and you plan to stay longer than 21 days, besides getting a Visa extension, you have to apply for your ACR I-card.

A friend here is planning to return to the U.S. permanently or at least for some years until he reaches retirement. He is younger than I am and feels he needs to go back and earn a living there since it is almost impossible to make an income here without huge money to start a business. He is leaving in less than a month but needed to receive a one-month Visa extension. He had to pay the extra expense for a card he will no longer need.

I have had my residency for over a year now and the only time I needed to show my ACR I-card was at the Bureau of Immigration when I filed for the Yearly Audit.  So now everyone needs this card to fill their wallet but there will be more room there after you pay the fees.

Below is the Current Fees for Visa Extensions from the Bureau of Immigration Web Site, but do not count on these amounts to stay stable, they always find ways to increase them.

For a 13a Visa, which you receive after marriage, you apply with your wife. Most of the application is from the Filipina including a petition for your permanent residency. At first, you receive a one-year temporary residency and ACR card. After one year, you reapply and you receive your permanent residence.

There is also a Retirement Visa or Special Resident Retiree Visa (SRRV). With this, you need to be over the age of 35. Depending on your age group and if you are receiving a pension the requirements vary. With all the variations, you need to invest a sum of money into the county either in a Time Deposit Bank account, a Condo or even a Golf Club Membership. If in a bank, you may remove the interest made over the year but you cannot remove the principle unless you are reinvesting the amount into one of the other approved investments. If you ever cancel one of these investments, you lose your permanent residency.

About the differences, in the U.S. if someone receives their permanent residency through marriage, after two years you need to apply.  I guess this is to prove your marriage was for real reasons and not a business deal to get a residency and Green Card. After those two years, if the marriage is dissolved the legal resident keeps their residency.

Here in the Philippines, the Filipino spouse who partitioned their spouse’s residency decides to, they can go to Immigration and withdraw their petition. At this point the Foreigner is back on tourist visa status unless is being deported for some illegal action.

Recently I heard of a man who cheated on his wife, she was so outraged she went to the Immigration office and withdrew her petition. I am not sure of the reason; the husband is currently in a jail cell at Immigration and might be expecting deportation action against him. I need to say, this is something I heard and do not know if the information is correct. Nevertheless, the point is, residency here is granted by the Philippine Government and can be withdrawn if the requirements are not followed.

I try to keep my nose clean and follow the rules, both with the government and my marriage vows and pray I will stay here peacefully.

Saturday Elena and I joined her group of expat wives, a few of their kids and two other of us husbands and went to use the pool at the Marco Polo Hotel. At one point there was a commotion and I asked what was going on. They all mentioned Noynoy Aquino was there on the other side of the Pavilion Restaurant.

As a Foreigner, I do not write or comment on government issues, politicians or campaigns. It is not the place of this site or for me to discuss issues or my views. Actually, I was told, it is illegal for a foreigner in this country to campaign or comment for or against any candidate. It was just interesting being in the same place as Senator Aquino and he was gracious to allow me to have a photo taken with him.

Benigno Noynoy Aquino III is a the son of the late former President Corazon Aquino and Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. Noynoy Aquino is a Senator in Congress and a candidate for President in the 2010 Election.

I walked over to the other side of the poolside restaurant and there he was with a large group of his supporters. I called over and asked if I could take a photo with him. He nodded his agreement and motioned after he took the photos of all his supporters.  When he finally came over to me, I first gave him my condolences of the loss of his mother and then wished him good luck in his campaign. We then shock hands as our photo was taken.   He also took a photo with Elena, the other wives and one of the ladies two daughters.

Even though I am a foreigner and not a Filipino it  was nice meeting someone of his authority in the government and possible future President, and allowing me to approach and have a photo taken.

Ever since Corazon Aquino was diagnosed of stage four colon cancer, a sense of nationalistic fervor slowly began to rally inside the hearts of many Filipinos. Upon her death, this fervor has once again sparked the essence and value of the freedom we enjoy right now.

It has been a few days already since the burial of Corazo Aquino. Yet I am still left in awe of the display of support which took place last August 5, 2009. What moved me is the fact that Corazon Aquino’s legacy has created a lasting impact in the life of so many people from all walks of life. Even those who conspired against her through coupes eventually admitted that they were wrong. Foreign journalists mentioned that she was the only president, after Ferdinand Marcos, who was not accused of corruption. Her dedication to keep the office of the president honorable despite all the oppositions is still unparalleled until today.

Integrity, it Counts.

Though Corazon Aquino faced so much opposition during her time as president, she was still able to maintain her integrity. The same integrity allowed her to willingly give up her office when her term ended. That same integrity gave her the confidence to challenge politicians in office when she saw them abuse their power.

While many are quick to point out Corazon Aquino’s legacy was her being the icon of democracy, it must be noted that without integrity such title would be very shallow. Integrity is the reason why so many people flooded the streets and endured the harsh conditions just to catch a glimpse of the funeral cortege and flash the ‘laban’ (fight) sign as a sign of support for the family.

While today’s generation does not place any importance in integrity, in the long run it will count, no matter who you are.

I once read about Karl Marx’s funeral and it was totally opposite of that of Corazon Aquino, considering that Karl Marx was the founder of communisim. Since the guy had no integrity, only 6 people attended his funeral. Nobody cared, not even his family—he starved most of his children to death..

While waiting for the funeral cortege to pass by reporter asked  few persons if they would show the same dedication for the current president. The supporter just laughed and said that it would never happen.

Integrity counts and if we want to leave a lasting impression to the younger generations, we must value it no matter what.

So What Now?

So now what? After all the spent emotions and show of sympathy, now what? Well for one and even before using that funeral to spark another useless revolution, let us first check ourselves and try to analyze if there is integrity left within us. Let us first stop pointing at each other for in the longer run we become nothing but a bunch of worthless hypocrites.

Secondly, let us try to clean up our own act. While it feels good to discuss and condemn the corrupt, we ourselves manifest the same sort of corruption in our daily life. The only difference is politicians have become more intoxicated with power.

Finally, let us put into action the courage that we have in the fight against corruption. Yes, it is easier said than done but inaction will only make our nation rot.

When you first move here your days are filled finding your way around and finding places to live, where to shop, and how to live here. You probably had visited the Philippines before you decided to move here. From these trips you already knew where in the Philippines you wanted to live.

Unless you had an extended stay in the place you decide to live, once you’re here there is so much to learn about this new place.

When you first move here you think your pension, savings or disability pensions will be enough for a good life. Once you’re here and get settled you might realize the income you’re getting from back home is not enough to live the way you want. So, what are your options? Get a job? Start a business?

You might have been a businessman or experienced in many different occupations where you rose to a high level in your native country.  You might think with the advanced schooling and technology from your home country there will be many businesses excited to have someone like you on their staff to help them with their business.

When you first move here you are probably on a tourist visa. According to the rules under that visa you are not allowed to work. If there is some company that does want to hire you they need to get you a work visa and a work permit. To get a work visa the perspective employer has to apply you. But you cannot take a job that can be filled by a Filipino.

To be legally able to work here you need to get resident status. To get that, the easiest way is getting married to a Filipina or file for a PRA (Philippine Retirement Authority). To get a retirement visa there are age and monetary requirements to satisfy. If 35 to 49 years old you need a US$50,000.00 time deposit and if   50 years old and above you need to make a US$20,000.00 time deposit. There is a cheaper way if you’re over 50 years old, and that is if you have a pension, but with that visa you cannot work or own a business.

So, your first problem is being able to work legally. Once you satisfy that hurdle you need to find a job offer. As I mentioned before, you are a highly skilled or experienced person. You think you will be in high demand for your knowledge. For me, I had 15 years in architectural drafting, project management and studio management. I came here and did work a short time for an Engineering and Architectural firm. All the Filipinos I worked with were college graduates and most licensed in their field of specialty. They also knew AutoCAD to a level they could function. I learned things from them that I did not know and they learned from me.

Here in the Philippines families will work hard to put their children through college. With the fact that employees are a large commodity, even a low level job needs a college degree. At the better hotels, even a cocktail waitress is a HRM graduate (Hotel and Restaurant Management).

So what do you do? Maybe open a business. To open a business is difficult for a foreigner with investments so most will open it under their wife or girlfriend’s name. Then if you’re going to work at the business, you will need to be careful or still get the work visa and permit.

Anyone who has opened a business, please comment on the problems or situations.
One other idea is an internet business. They are some that make good income with the right site. There is talk of niche sites. In some ways this is a niche site, but making money from ads is difficult. There is a term of “ad blindness.” That is after a while readers see the articles and not the ads. Or as many who read blogs, they have no interest in the ads on the site.

Whatever your plan, I think it is best to have a savings or pension backup. If you do find a way to make an income here, it will be extra.

I recently received and email. It was from someone who has a 70 year old friend who has had a stroke in the past and has some paralyzes. He lost most use of one hand and can only walk short distances. Online he met a 40 year old Filipina and now wants to sell everything and move here. He has not told the lady of his disabilities. I do not know what he has told her since I am relying on his friends email to me.

They ask me if this Filipina will accept a man in his conditions and will love and take care of him. There is no way I could honestly answer this question since I do not know the man or the lady.

Yes, Filipinos are a caring people and have no problems taking care of family even if it is part of the extended family. Is it love? If you look at olden time Europe and still in India there are/were arranged marriages. A father will arrange a marriage for a son or daughter. While thinking about this, I remember the song from “Fiddler on the Roof.”

In that movie Tevye the Milkman was talking to his wife and in a song asked his wife “Do you love me?” Each time he asked, she replied in song with that for 25 years she took care of him and listed how. He continued to ask and finally she answered “Do I love you? I guess I do.”

I feel in the beginning a woman looks at a foreigner man as a way to have a better and secure life. She will take care of his home, cook his meals, do his laundry, help him with life here and of course sleep with him and have sexual relations. Together she will learn his ways as a foreigner and she will teach him her way and the culture here. If all is well, in time real love will happen.

Now, I am not saying all women are good and want this, and I am not saying all women are out for a man’s money. There is no way of knowing. You need to take your time getting to know each other before making the decision.

As I have written in the past, Elena and I met online. We chatted and saw each other on cam. As we got to know each other better the frequency of meeting online increased. Eventually I wanted to meet her in person. I flew to Manila and flew here there too. We spent a week together. I then filed for a Fiancée Visa. Because of problems and delays it took time. I returned to the Philippines about a year later and visited her and her family for Christmas and New Years.

I returned again the following summer for 2 weeks and at that time Elena had her appointments in Manila for medical and visa interview. With the turn of the economy, I moved here before her visa was approved so we did not need it. During this time, Elena and I talked and saw each other every morning and evening every day online. We talked about our day, family and normal general things, so we got to know each other very well.

Even with all this contact, just as in any relationship, you never really know each other until you live together. There have been many learning experiences with Elena, our 3 nieces who live with us, their older brother and the rest of the family. There is the cultural difference, misunderstanding of common sayings and expressions and just habits.

When you first move here, with a tourist visa, you cannot open your own bank account. So what do you do? You open it in your ladies name. Do you want to put your money into an account of a lady you just met? A foreigner cannot own land. So maybe you want to buy a house. It has to be in her name. Do you want to put your life savings into a home that you can lose?

For anyone to meet someone online and develop a relationship, sell all their belongings and move to the Philippines, or anywhere in their country or around the world to me is totally crazy. What happens if you do this and it is a scam? You get off the plane and nobody is there to greet you. Or she walks off with your bank account or takes over your home. This can happen. In the Philippines, we are here with the permission of the Philippines. This permission can be easily taken away. Also if a Filipina wants to rip off a foreigner, who is there to help him? All a lady has to do is scream she was abused and she wins under the law protecting Women and Children. There are no laws to protect the foreigner. Many say there has never been a court case between a Filipino and a Foreigner and the Foreigner wins. I do not know that for a fact.

Back to the man I started this article about. He has some good friends in America that cares about him. I hope they help him understand the danger of his plans.

When I started writing I could only remember the 3 Red Cross workers that were abducted back in January by the Abu Sayyaf on Sulu, an island group south of Mindanao. As of now, I think the only one hostage remains, an Italian.

June 28th a NPA group attacked an Army post in Torril, in the southern edge of Davao City. This area has been a problem since it is so far from the main part of Davao.

Now more recently there have been bombings in other areas of Mindanao.

A bomb blast in Cotabato city on Sunday killed six people and wounded dozens, followed by another attack in Iligan city on Tuesday that wounded three soldiers and about 10 civilians. Because of these bombings the UN World Food Program has suspended food distribution to these areas due to safety concerns for their workers.

An Article in GMANews TV has this information:

On Tuesday, two separate bombings in Jolo, Sulu and Iligan City in southern Philippines claimed six lives and wounded more than 40 people.

Shortly before 8 a.m., an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in front of a hardware store in Jolo. Police said two people were killed and 17 injured. About three hours later, another improvised bomb placed under a car exploded.

Last Sunday, a deadly bomb near a cathedral in Cotabato City killed five people and wounded dozens others.

The night before, another blast caused by a 60-millimeter mortar explosive in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao province injured three.

The military had said the bombings could be the handiwork of rogue units of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF, however, had denied responsibility for the series of attacks.

Following the recent attacks on Tuesday, government forces in southern Philippines have been placed on heightened alert.

PNP chief Verzosa said all government forces in Mindanao were directed to set up checkpoints and secure vital installations like power pylons and communication lines.

“Due to these incidents, the PNP and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) have declared full alert at Mindanao and heightened alert at other areas of the country. We have directed our offices in Mindanao to secure vital installations and conduct intensified checkpoints,” he said.

AFP chief of staff Gen. Victor Ibrado directed the Western Mindanao Command and Eastern Mindanao Command to fortify existing checkpoints. Bomb experts and additional K9 units have also been deployed in the town of Jolo in Sulu province as well as the cities of Cotabato and Iligan. -Sophia M. Dedace, GMANews.TV GMANews.TV

Most of these attacks are in areas that have been active with the MILF and have not been a problem in Davao.

I thank Mayor Rodrigo “Rudy” Duterte, Task Force Davao, the PNP and all other Military and Police agencies for keeping Davao a safe place to live for Filipinos and Foreigners alike.

We do need to be vigilant and careful no matter where you live, I still feel safe here in Davao.

Then as we are supposed to do is go to the dentist every 6 months for checkups and teeth cleaning. At the dentist he might recommend treatments with a hygienist for scaling and gum treatments.

Here in the Philippines I have noticed there is no thought for preventative medicine.
For medical a yearly checkup with blood tests, x-rays, and general diagnostic examinations many problems can be contained, cured and or controlled with early diagnoses.

High blood pressure is a big problem. No wonder with all the fried foods, high salt intake and a diet of rice and fish, meat or poultry with low or no vegetables.  Filipinos have a need for salt, Soy sauce, MSG and even salt on fruits.

With teeth, they let the teeth go until they are so bad, the only thing the dentists will do is extract it. If they can afford it, they will get a partial bridge. This is a shame because so many Filipinos have beautiful smiles and many carry a toothbrush and tooth paste and brush their teeth after every meal.

Unfortunately many do not follow this regiment and let their teeth go. It might be cleaning and or diet but you see many children and adults with decayed teeth or missing teeth. It is a shame when you see a cute child or a nice looking adult until they smile or open their mouth and you see decaying or missing teeth.

I realize the ones with the missing or decayed teeth are because of poverty, but the others with the false teeth have the means to have saved their teeth. All it takes is bi-yearly visits, x-rays and preventative care and treatment.

In my research I tried to find if there is any free medical or dental available in Davao. Unfortunately I could not find any except one. The one found is Family Circus Children’s Ministries. This organization is a gives vitamins for pregnant women and free dental care for children over the age of 5. Visit there site for more information.

Many working Filipinos receive PhilHealth medical insurance or they can purchase coverage themselves. This insurance mainly covers hospital inpatient and outpatient services. But for regular checkups I do not think there is coverage.

With all my Filipino readers I am hoping there will be more information and corrections to my information.

This video showed how someone goes to restaurants to get their food wastes to bring to his family and poor neighbors.

All over Davao and I would guess most cities here you will see beggars. Kids in dirty clothes will come up with their hands out and will make a motion with their other hand to show they are hungry. Many who do not know English will say “Hungry.” You will see older kids or adult women in dirty rags carrying a child in one hand and a hand out in the other.

They walk through the Public markets, across from office buildings and in parking lots. Security Guards will move them away, to return as soon as the guard turns his back. At many intersections kids will walk up tapping on windows with hands out. Most will leave you alone if you wave your hand off or say “Wala” which means nothing. Some will persist looking at you, tugging your clothes or someway to disturb you.

You will see people going through the garbage pails along the road and many evenings going door to door asking for leftovers. Many will stand there calling for a while and will not listen if we tell them we have nothing.

As I mentioned in the past articles there is a high unemployment and over population here in the Philippines and many go hungry every day. The hard part is you cannot help everyone.

There was a time when a beggar girl would approach me when I was out having a cigarette at the mall. She did not ask for money at first. She would sit near and look up at me. After a little while she smiled and I returned the smile. I asked her what her name was and we talked a little. She was 15. She was in worn clothes and very dirty. After a few minutes she said she was hungry and put her hand out. I felt bad and since she did not come up and just beg, I gave her 10 pesos. The next week she came up to me again. As before she smiled and said hello. She sat and did not ask for money at first. Then a few minutes later she put her hand out and said she was hungry. After I gave her 10 pesos she told me she had a baby sister, can I give her money for her too. I was getting upset, but decided to give in and handed her another 10 pesos. Instead of saying thanks, she then told me her birthday was in a few days and would I give her more for a present. This got me angry and, even though she did not understand, I told her she was pushing my kindness and no more. A few weeks later she saw me and approached me again. I remembered her and just waved her off.

There are stories of kids who beg and have to give the money to their father who spends it to get drunk. I do not know this and remember the same stories in America.

There are some people here that do not even want to help themselves. A friend told me of a girl he met, she was 19 and according to him, she was very attractive. Talking to her he found out she lived in a squatter home with her mother and 3 siblings. She told him no one in the family worked. My friend asked her how they survived, how they got food to eat and things needed. She told him they would get help from friends. This friend knew of someone in need of a server in a restaurant and he spoke to his friend about this girl. His friend told him if the girl could pass the easy employment test he would give this girl an advantage in consideration of getting the job. He told this girl about the possible job opportunity. The day the interviews were scheduled the girl sent a text to my friend to tell him she had a bad toothache and could not go to the interview, but the next day sent a text if he would take her out for lunch. He met this girl and she admitted she did not want to work.

I do not know if it laziness or just so many years of surviving without the need to work they have no incentive to work. The only good thing about this girl was my friend thought he could get the girl to go home with him for some “private” time and he would pay her. Her answer was she was a virgin and would not go home with him. At least she had some morals.

There are charities and foundations here to help, but there is never enough help for everyone. Then there are some I wonder if help was offered would be willing to improve their lives.

I heard of another story about how the city government wanted to help the squatters. They built some low cost housing and moved some families from the squatter area near the river and gave them homes. Part of the agreement was they had to live there for 2 years and then would get the title to the house and lot. Two years later most of these families sold their house and lot and moved back to the squatter area.

There have been articles and discussions I have heard that families have many children with the though the more children they have the more income will be generated in years to come to help support the elders. This is fine since there is no real retirement support here in the Philippines. There are some pensions from the Social Security System, but it is small and only for those who worked the jobs that paid into the fund.

But the homeless and squatter types are having babies that they cannot feed or support and then begging to help them. I found this at the World Health Organization website.

Statistics:
Total population: 86,264,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $): 3,430
Life expectancy at birth m/f (years): 64/71
Healthy life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2003): 57/62
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 32
Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1 000 population): 277/157
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2006): 223
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2006): 3.3
Figures are for 2006 unless indicated. Source: World Health Statistics 2008

Here is the same statistics for the United States to compare.
Statistics:
Total population: 302,841,000
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $): 44,070
Life expectancy at birth m/f (years): 75/80
Healthy life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2003): 67/71
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 8
Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1 000 population): 137/80
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2006): 6,714
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2006): 15.3
Figures are for 2006 unless indicated. Source: World Health Statistics 2008

Some do try to help. I was at a Barangy office one day. While we were there I noticed outside many children starting to congregate near the office. First I thought it was to look at the “Foreigner” in the office but that was not the case. Every afternoon the Barangy brings a quantity of Congee. That is a type of rice porridge. Kids would come up with a bowl and they would give it out to all. This is something good to help, but congee is just sodium and carbohydrates but no vitamin or mineral content and very little protein. So what does this do besides fill their hungry stomachs?

Is there an answer? A cure? I do not know, but I do know with the world in such a financial crisis there will be less donations and it will be more difficult for what ever is already being done to continue and grow in such assistance.