Elena checked her email to see if they were having one of the cuisine specials this month and they did. This month they are having “Wild Wild West” American Buffet at the Café Marco.

We also have a couple we are friends with and the husband only likes to eat American style foods, so we invited them to join us. So we met them at the hotel that evening.

Both we Kanos (Americans) eyes lit up when we saw the buffet table. There was a huge Prime Rib of beef, a large turkey and a leg of lamb.

Since I love the soups they have there, I started with a small bowl of sweet corn and salmon soup, which was delicious as their soups usually are.

After the soup I headed to the meat table. I got a slice of rare Prime Rib, a few slices of turkey breast and some leg of lamb. They even had mint jelly to compliment the lamb. I then got some roasted potatoes to compliment my plate.

All the meats were cooked and seasoned perfectly and if you did not know better you would think you were at one of the fine dining in America.

If you follow this site and hear me talk about foods and eating here, I am a big proponent of having fresh vegetables with my dinner, but that night was different. I ignored everything else. I skipped the vegetables, sushi, sashimi, rice and all the other wonderful items and just thought about the beef, turkey and lamb.

After I finished my first servings, I got up for round 2. Again I got Prime Rib, Turkey and Leg of Lamb with more mint jelly. I did get a few more potatoes but less this trip. By the buffet table was one of the Chefs supervising and I had to compliment him for his food and told him he could compete with some of the better chefs in American restaurants.

Both our American friend and I were in heaven. The taste was just like back home. I decided, even though I try to eat until no longer hunger and not until full was being put away for this evening and after my second helping, I got up for my third. I did cut back, I skipped the turkey this trip.

After finishing the third plate I went out on the balcony to relax a bit and settle my stomach with a cigarette. After this I went to the dessert table and took a selection of their delicious desserts. They have little parfait type desserts in shot glasses and there was also cream Brule, chocolate soufflé, napoleons and other treats. After I enjoyed my small plate, and being the glutton I was that night, I went back for some of the others I missed on the first trip.

As we were relaxing and chatting over a coffee and dessert, I was still thinking of going back for more beef, but I kept myself in control. Control, ok, maybe that is the wrong word for this evening.

Even though eating at the Café Marco at the Marco Polo is expensive, even with one meal free, it is always an experience. The foods, the staff, the ambiance is always wonderful. If you live or plan to visit Davao, and have the time and budget for an evening of good foods, do not forget the Marco Polo. If you have a larger budget, I hope you will invite me and Elena to join you.

The information I will give will be as accurate as I can find, but realize the laws here change and some of my research might be out dated. So I suggest you verify this information yourself before making the big plunge.

Citizens of the US, most European and Asian Countries can enter the Philippines as a tourist with just a passport for 21 days as long as their passport is valid for 6 months from their date of arrival. Also they must have valid tickets for their return travel.

What I did was to visit a Philippine Consulate and purchased a Tourist Visa good for one year, even though I needed to extend my visa every 59 days at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) here. They have now increased stay here for 16 months and can also be extended to 2 full years as long as you file with the BI before you reach the 16 months here. This is because they have to send the request to Manila for approval. After you reach the end of your extensions, you must leave the country and return showing your exit stamp and the stamps of the visiting country when you return.

The 2 options when you first travel here would be as Tourist or Balikbayan. There are others such as a work visa, student visa, and missionary visa and investment visas. I will not get into this since most readers are looking to just move here. I do believe you can file for the Retirement visa prior to moving here, but I will explain as if you’re already here in the Philippines.

A Balikbayan is if you’re married already to a Philippine Citizen with a valid Philippine passport. You must arrive together and have with you a valid Marriage Certificate. This will give you (1) year of stay and can be extended to 16 months.

Once you’re here and you would like to remain and not have to travel outside the country every year and a half to 2 years and you get tired of going to BI every other month to file an extension and pay the fees there is 2 options I know of. One is marrying a Filipina and filing for a 13(a) Permanent Residency Visa or file for a Retirement Visa.

For the 13(a) Permanent Residency Visa you first have to be married to a Filipina or Filipino of you’re a female visitor. After you are married, and your marriage is registered at the NSO (National Statistic Office) you go to BI and file. Once approved you will get a 1 year Probationary Residency. About 2 months before the year is over you have to re-file. After you are approved, you have permanent residency. Then you only have to go to BI once a year during the months of January and February for their “Annual Audit” where you pay a small fee.

The other option is the Special Resident Retiree Visa (SRRV). With this you do not have to be married. There are different requirements for different age groups and if you are receiving a pension. There is also a requirement to invest an amount of money into an approved Bank Time Deposit.

The requirements are as follows:
1.       With Pension – 50 years. Old and above – the required time deposit is US$10, 000.00 plus a monthly pension of US$800.00 for a single applicant and     US$1,000.00 for couple
2.       Without Pension
o        35 to 49 years old – US$50, 000.00 time deposit
o        50 years old and above – US$20, 000.00 time deposit
o        Former Filipino Citizens (at least 35 years old, regardless of the number of dependents – US$1,500.00)
o        Ambassadors of foreign countries who served and retired in the Philippines, current and former staff members of international organizations including     ADB (at least 50 years old) – US$1,500.00
3.       A resident retiree can bring with him, without additional deposit, his spouse and a child who is unmarried and below 21 years old or if the spouse is not joining, two (2) children (provided they are unmarried and under 21 years of age.) Additional children with the same qualifications may also be allowed to join the principal retiree provided there is an additional deposit of US$15,000.00 per child. The said time deposit however, is subject the same and conditions with that of the principal deposit. This does not apply to former Filipino Citizens.

After (30) days of receiving your SRRV you can convert your time deposit into another form of investment

A retiree can choose to invest their required deposit through the following means:
a.    Purchase, acquisition and ownership of a condominium unit
b. Long-term lease of house and lot, condominium or townhouse for a period not shorter than twenty (20) years.
c. Purchase, acquisition and ownership of golf or country club shares.

I hope this information is useful for those planning to move here in the future. Also feel free to ask me for any assistance regarding this or any other matter moving here.
For information about the SRRV Visa you can visit here: http://www.pra.gov.ph/

Most forms from the Philippine Government are avaliable online in PDF format to be printed. If you would them converted to a file that can be filled out on your computer, saved and emailed I will be willing to convert them for you.

From my experience, many non-Asian men find the exotic look of an Asian lady very desirable. The long black hair, the almond shaped eyes and the culture of the dedication to their husbands and family so different in their home countries.

I do need to state in the beginning, what I am writing is from observations, comments, stories and my some of my opinions. I am not trying to insult any Expats or Filipinos. This is just to put some thoughts in your mind if you have not yet found your special lady.

Remember, marriage is easy in most countries. Here there is no divorce and an annulment is expensive and not as easy as a divorce in other countries. Also in the Governments eyes, you are a foreigner and will always be a foreigner. When a disagreement comes between a foreigner and a Filipino, it is difficult to win that battle in court.

I know of some men that had their wives in their home country and decided when they retire to move to the Philippines. Not from any experience, but what I have heard from some, it is more difficult for a Filipina who has lived in America to move back to their home country. They had gotten used to the easier life, cleaner streets, shopping and just life in America or some other 1^st World Nation and do not want to live in the Philippines again. I am not saying all, or many, but some.

There are other men, who had met their lady online, developed a long distance courtship and wanted to shorten the distance. That is what I did. I met Elena online, chatted and then progressed to using web cam and headsets. Once I decided Elena was the lady for me, I stopped the contact with the other candidates and just get to know her.

I first flew here for a week. We met in Manila and got to know each other in person. Then I had made 2 other trips. I came to Davao, met her family and got to experience Davao.

I originally planned to get Elena a fiancée visa and move her to the US and then move here when I retired. Well my retirement came sooner than planned. But now back to the story.

So, some men married their wives and lived with them in their home country. Some had met them online or some other way, maybe in another country they were visiting or working.

Then there are men who had come to the Philippines either part time or fully living here, and then spent some time meeting, dating and then decide to live with that special lady.

There are many ladies here, single, separated, young, and old. They also have many reasons they are interested in a foreigner for a mate. With the cultural differences a younger lady and an older man is not as strange as you would see in America.

What I am going to talk about now is some of the reasons I have heard why Filipinas, especially younger ones are interested. You need to think of this, the Philippines is a 3^rd world nation and there is a lot of the population that are poor. They see a Foreigner as a rich man with savings and pensions. They can have a better life. Some also think of it as a way to help support their family too. I am not saying all, but some. I cannot even give the percentages. It is just something to keep in mind.

I have heard of a girl from the provinces that was told by her mother to go to an internet café to find an American to marry so he would help support her mother and family.

Family culture here is very different than in America. Here, family members help support the family. Children, especially if they work abroad will send money home to support their family.

Once you’re here, or even before you arrive, you might be asked to help out family members. IT might be support, to open a business, hospital bills. It might not be for an immediate family member, it could be for a close or even distant relative.

When you first move here, and are still thinking in your home county’s costs and everything is so much cheaper here, and you want to show compassion for your lady and her family, you might just dip into your pocket and help. Once you open the door, it is hard to close.

Just as when you move here, there is little chance there is anybody here that knew you at home, you can say you were anything back home. It goes the other way too. You meet this sweet, beautiful and loving lady. She treats you better than you have ever experienced before in your life. But you only know what she tells you about herself. Also since Filipinos stick together, her friends will not tell you about the hidden secrets. They might tell each other, but not to you, unless some girl wants to try to steal you.

You also need to realize, since English is not their native language, yes many here speak it to some level, they prefer to speak their language. Of all the social engagements I have attended, if there are 2 ladies at the table, they will talk in their native language. If there is a large group you will see all the Filipinas move to one table and leave their mates at another so they can talk to each other.

If you’re living in a house with your mate, and there are Filipino family members living with you, there is a strong possibility the only English you will here is if you’re directly in the conversation. Otherwise they will talk in their language. I have heard of one friend whose wives son, who knows English, has never talked in English at home.

I have 3 nieces and a nephew’s fiancée living with us and the only English I get is when I ask them a question or when they need something from me. And those conversations are very short. If feeling isolated is something you think will upset you, think again if this is the right lady or family to be with.

There is always the alternative, learn their language. For me, it is difficult. I am trying to learn, but just a word here and there. I do not have enough knowledge to follow a conversation. I hope someday to feel more comfortable with pronunciations to learn, maybe from a teacher, but now I am not ready.

I am not only warning Foreigners to be careful finding that lady here. I feel Filipinas have to beware too. There are Foreigners that move here that are not completely honest either.

As I stated in the beginning, these are just observations, thoughts and situations I have heard and just putting some thoughts to keep in mind if you’re planning to move here.

The delays were many. First I needed to go to the US Embassy in Manila to get an affidavit of a Capacity of Marriage. That is to say that the United States Government says I am free and clear to get married.
Then Elena needed to get papers and copies of birth certificate from the National Statistic Office (NSO)

In the middle of getting all the documents, Elena had her operation and needed time to recover.

Then we needed to go to City Hall and file for our Marriage License. Once there they requested more copies of everything. Plus we needed to fill out 2 copies of the form for the license. Then we had to do it again since it has to be easily readable and no corrections.

After we filled out the forms we had to meet with the Attorney of the department.

Once filed and paid we had to wait 10 days. After the wait we had to get the packet and approved license.

Since we just want a civil ceremony Elena went to the Courthouse to register with the Clerk of the Court. They in turn gave here a date and time to meet with a Judge for the marriage to be Solemnized.

Since we have made so many friends and acquaintances we decided to just have an open house party then rent a hall or a room in a restaurant. We will have the party on Sunday the 13th.

We invited all the Expats we know and friends of Elena and I invited all from the Architectural Firm I am involved with.

In about a week or so you we see the photos and maybe video of the wedding festivities.