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My phils dream!

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5K views 29 replies 12 participants last post by  EuroBob 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi,

I'm a 38 year old geek that has a dream of living by the beach while spending the time with the familily and starting an online business from home and programming with my laptop from the pool, I don't like drinking, party or other women, I like going to secluded beachs, kite surfing, diving, running and going to the gym.

People complain about the attitude of Filipinos that they are lazy and not serious etc... I live currently in UAE and I work with a lot of indians, pakistanies and filipinos, no surprise for me, the fact that the people around you are lazy and not efficient has good and bad parts, as they say... "in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king", it is a matter of patience and understanding that in less developed country things go at a different pace, I assume that.

I've been programming all my life for different banks around the world, including US, UK, Japan and Middle East... This last one is where I met my wife from the Phils, my wife is the same age as me, the family is well off when I visit them they usually are the ones inviting me not the apposite, then no issue with an ATM family as I read here, we have a 3 years old baby and planing to go for another one.

I managed to save some money during the years and I'm good at investing it, I can get 4-5 thousand USD per month with my investments, then I won't depend on my success on my online business it will be like a hobby and a chance to make some extra money.

I'm also planing to buy a lot in a subdivision to build a villa... my question is where... I love El nido and Coron, but that is too isolated and laid back to have kids there, Manila doesn't look appealing to me, it is too dangerous and the nice beaches are too far...

I'm thinking in Cebu, maybe a subdivision in Mactan or Liloan area... I need a decent school near, that is another issue... I see that local schools are cheap even the good ones 100-200 USD per month, but the ones with European curriculum are pretty expensive, 1000 USD per month, that is a bit too much, is it worth it? I'm not a big fun of expensive education being myself a self-learner and having studied in average public schools back in Europe, I will send my children to university in Europe for sure once they grow up.

I visited Davao a few times, but I'm not 100% convinced I think that Cebu has nicer spots around and it is safer.... I Can go to Bohol, Malapascua, Dumaguete (Or just live in Dumaguete), Bantayan etc...

I read a lot of bad things about the Philippines and I stayed the Phillipines around 4 months in total, I believe that in the next 10-20 years there will be far more opportunities in Asia than in the Western countries and online education will be very available.

I could go and retire in Europe, but given that I'll be taxed heavily (In the Phils I won't be taxed for my income coming from abroad) and life is much more expensive I don't think that it will be worth it given that I really like south east Asia to enjoy my time with the nature and water sports.

What do you think? Anything I'm missing or it could work out well? Anyone living in the area that can advise on the different areas to live, subdivisions, schools? I'm planning in going to Cebu in a couple of months.

Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
check the law regarding a Foriegner buying Property here in the Philippines.
unless the law has changed as you are a US citizen you are not allowed to buy land in your own name
you can buy a Condo but not land to build on ! you will need to get your wife to buy the land and put all titles and deeds in her name.
check this out it might help Can a foreigner be an owner of a property in the Philippines?
 
#4 ·
Sounds like you will continue to work on-line so I'd check out what area's near a city that can support your internet needs, most of the outlying provincial area's at best will have WiFi only and spotty at that, another thing to remember is that the advertised or paid for speed isn't what it seems. Sounds like you've got many things already figured out so I wish you good luck, late note the family that owns the San Pedro Laguna tobacco factory is Spanish they have a Facebook page here's a short cut below.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tabaqueria-de-Filipinas-Inc/79852398329
 
#6 ·
Thanks a lot for the link, I'll write them to see if they can offer some insights.

I thought about the internet connection, I guess that Mactan should have decent connectivity because of the tourism... Not sure about Liloan, I've been told that many expats live in the Liloan area, I checked a couple of subdivisions, Ananya and the one from Ayala Premier, the diffence in price is quite high not sure if it's worth it or not, I don't need more than 200 sqm lot, and Ayala is selling a minimum of 400.

Also, there could be a concern with the Typhoons? Or a solid house should be fine?

I've seen what happened with typhoons, but looks to me that most of the well built houses were unaffected if they were not to close to the shore.

Regarding schooling I only need a decent school, my wife went to a local private school and university and did well, I'm hoping that my children can validate the studies with the Spanish ones the Spanish embassy offers the option to validate foreign studies with some exams in the embassy year by year, then they might need some extra tuition to be able to do that.

I have some friends that traveled a lot with kids and they were fine with homeschooling and taking exams in the embassy after that they were able to go to a Spanish university.

I'm not a big fun of top notch studies, I believe that attitude and motivation to learn is the most important requirement for success, and also there are many ways of measuring success, happiness doesn't always come with a stressful job and lots of responsibilities, that's the mean reason I want to move from a good career path to a more laid back lifestyle.
 
#12 ·
You are getting some good advice here. These posts are correct that you as a foreigner, cannot actually buy the land, (I know because I have tried). Philippine land can only be held in ownership by a Philippine National.

Mcalleyboy brought up some very good issues concerning available internet. I have some urgent business deals happening several times a week in my office in Manila and I pay for extra speed which I rarely get even with the payment and the Philippines does NOT warrant or guarantee anything. I have complained about my service shortcomings and nothing is ever done and with a signed contract, I am obligated to pay for my service. Be close to a major city if you want any consistency.

As far as the typhoons go...my company deals directly with these issues and I can shed some light on the subject. Do not mis-read my comments...typhoons are serious and can be deadly...However, with that being said, most of the damage is restricted to poorly constructed buildings and then most of this damage is from storm surge and NOT from the actual typhoon.

Have a good, strong, quality home build up above the storm surge levels in your area and you are already ahead of the game. Very few buildings are actually damaged just form the winds of a typhoon or hurricane. Storm surge is the killer!

Your desires and wants in life are almost describing two different areas...one out away from the big city. laid back and relaxed, the pristine beaches, quiet life...and the other is being somewhere that has a good strong internet signal and connections for operating your online business. I am in the exact same boat...I love the beach and am an avid scuba diver but my business transactions are currently keeping me close to Manila for the time being.

Short of an occasional and very temporary lack in internet services, most days I can do anything I need to do for my international business right from the comforts of my home office and I do business with several hundred countries around the world at any given time. I could not do this if I were down by the beach or out in the province.
 
#7 ·
Don't come in with a lot of assumptions about internet - you will be greatly dismayed. But if you spend enough - you can get a decent hook up. Got friends that run calling centers and on-line web building service - they spend some real bucks and have two providers - but they get the job done.

Mactan would be my choice. Except for the bridges being a pain to get to the city, it is pretty good there. School - spend as much as you can afford. Do not even consider the public schools in Cebu unless you really, really hate your kids. Check the school you choose out carefully. Look at their text books, their labs and so forth. Not sure which are the best colleges with a high school and elementary attached. But those would be a good place to check out.
 
#8 ·
I hope that internet will improve by the time I settle there, getting into the city is not very important, it is good to have a city near to go from time to time, but as I won't go there on a daily basis it is not really important.

My wife said that Sacred Heart school is good or the Univerity of San Carlos will be fine... I'm not thinking on the public school, but not sure if it's worth it to spend 1000 USD/month on a school.

I need to check the ones on Mactan, it will be good if anyone had experiences to share...
 
#9 · (Edited)
I'll ask my wife about any recommendations. She's from the area - though not Cebu City - Mactan. And it has been a few years since she lived there. But I'm sure she has some idea of the better schools. She's into education as a career.

Oops - cancel the above - she says it has been too long. She's more familiar with Baguio City area in Luzon now, since that is where we have lived for the last 8 years.
 
#10 ·
Not considering Luzon in your plans dalamar?

The state capital is located in Luzon though there are some good schools and internet connections in the south, in my opinion, Luzon still offers the best option for you requirements.

You could always have a vacation home in the south as well but if the kids education are priority then Luzon is a good choice. Specifically areas in Manila or at least within a 3-4 hour radius.
 
#11 ·
I visited Luzon a couple of times up to Illocos Norte... it's ok, but the idea is to have a villa by the beach and be very near to very good locations.

If I live in Luzon and I have a holidays home in another area, I'd better live in Andorra that I'll be tax free as well with very good schools and hospitals and go for holidays to the Mediterranean coast, that is another option I've been considering.

I don't need to stick to one of the options I could also do a few years here and there, no need to burn the bridges.

For now I'll go to have a look in Cebu by April/May and see how it looks like.
 
#14 ·
Exactly Cebu Citizen, my idea is to be in a pristine beach in a nice gated subdivision and to be able to go to nice places during the weekend, like Bohol, Malapascua (Yes, I'm a diver), Bantayan, Apo island...

I'm thinking in moving in 4-5 years, I hope that the internet connection will improve by that time (Project Loon? Or similar...). I'm thinking in buying the lot in the subdivision now, in the name of my wife, of course.

I can see that some of the subdivisions are part of a decent resort that means that they should have internet connection for the guests, I'll ask them and check when I get there in April/May.

I understand that I don't need to pay taxes in the Philippines for income coming from abroad, that means dividends and rental yields (for the rents of my properties in the Phils I'll have to pay taxes).

unggoy, I'm married to a local so I can get a one year visa on arrival, or I can go for the retirement visa (classic), I've seen that there are also some tax breaks for online startups, if my business goes well I can check that, if it goes very well I'll come back to Dubai/Abu dhabi where we live now and and have an investor visa, we like it here, but being employed is too painful (overtime, work culture...) and live is too expensive (rents, schools and health insurance) to be able to live only from my "passive" income.

My concerns are safety (crime and weather) and education, also some advice in the area will be very welcome.

As far I've seen, safety is not a major concern and education could be, a combination of a private school for 10 years with 2 years extra in the international school and some extra tuition online and at home could work out.

Thanks!
 
This post has been deleted
#15 ·
And that bus bombing was committed by a Cop!...with an 81mm mortar round
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/02/26/13/cop-arrested-2011-makati-bus-bombing


MANILA, Philippines - A member of the Special Action Force (SAF) was arrested for his alleged involvement in the bus bombing in Makati City last Jan. 25, 2011, where four people were killed and 11 others were wounded.

Before his arrest, Police Officer 2 Arnold Mayo had been under restrictive custody at the SAF headquarters since Jan. 25, 2012 – exactly a year after the bus blast *– when he was injured in a bomb explosion when he and other policemen brought an 81-millimeter mortar round to a junk shop in Lower Bicutan, Taguig City.

Mayo will be detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) pending the return of the warrant to the Makati City regional trial court, which issued his arrest for murder yesterday.

Mayo is the only respondent identified in the complaint filed by the SITG Newman Goldliner before the Department of Justice (DOJ). Police said the explosion that ripped the bus was also triggered by an 81-mm mortar round.
 
#26 · (Edited)
unggoy : "Make the most of life and enjoy each day".

For some, with meager resources like myself, this is, by and large, all we could do.

In spite of the hardships of daily life in the Philippines (wherein I am not alone), I still prefer to live here.

Why? I am more at peace; because my life is that much simpler.
My family doesn't have grandiose taste / needs (because we can't afford it).
Complexity brings it's own burdens.

The fact that I have electricity (albeit erratic), clean water that I fetch from a well (therein getting great healthy exercise), I have my trusted (so far anyhow) and hard working partner, the mother of my young hyper-active child, food on the table (just the right healthy portion), a few good friends that I have trained to not be moochers (they know my wallet's contents are similar to theirs)... hey, I'm saying, my needs are pretty basic. That's the essence of my success here.

In the course of living in the P.R., one needs to learn : danger / calamity / tragedy / irritants - avoidance;
or in other words, we need to learn survival techniques.
Instead of just whining and complaining, we need to learn how we could be happi-er here (or anywhere else for that matter).
Oopps, I better stop preaching.. Sorry.
 
#27 ·
Agree, I'm trying to gather as much information as possible before my visit in May, I've been in the Philippines 4 times, visited Illocos, Manila, Cebu (A little only), Davao/Mindanao (A lot), Coron etc... Around 4-5 months in total, Coron and probably El nido are great but there are too isolated, good for holidays only, I'm not 100% convinced with Davao and Manila is not appealing.

My priority is location if I can get decent studies for my daughter, I know that the Spanish embassy offers exams (and material) in the embassy that validate with Spanish studies for the extra classes required, I can try a local private school and the extra curriculum at home, and see if that works, I can always try for a couple of years and if that doesn't work move back to Spain, initially my daughter will study in London for 3-4 years (while I work for last few years) and will have a good English level, we also speak English at home and my wife is very well educated, in terms of computing and maths I'm the one that can help.

I'll check around in Liloan and Mactan about the Internet and safety, I'd like to live in a good gated subdivision with all the amenities, even if I need to work one or two extra years in London to pay for that, then money is not an issue but I don't want to waste it.

I know that growing your kids in the Philippines is risky for a number of reason, but London, Paris or Madrid they also have plenty of problems and bad influences, I live in UAE right now, so far so good for my wife and daughter, they have other expat and Filipino friends and they don't mix much with other people, that works well, but for retirement it is too expensive, I won't be able to live on 4K USD as the schools and rents are too expensive, looks like in the Philippines a family of for with a paid house can live well with 2-3K USD, the other option is to do the same in Spain by the beach that won't be much more expensive than that given that public schools are ok, or a mix of both, a few years each.

@unggoy, my wife is my age in fact she is 6 months older than me, her family is great they have several business and they can help us with legal paper-work, contacts, know-who, basically I'll be able to start a business here without getting ripped-off (or at least being a bit more secure) as they already have business including a firm of lawyers and a constructions company, my wife is well educated and she is happy to move to the Phillipines, she hates London and she is happy with UAE (where we live) or Spain, then we are thinking in saving some more money here in UAE or in London where I get most of the good job offers and move to the Philllipines for a few years and see if it is that paradise or not, if not we can always pay a bit more tax and live in Spain by the beach with free schools and health-care (They are decent but not great and security/crime is okish).

I've seen many people that they marry poor good looking young girls as you mention and they have lots of problems after, that's not my case we are like-minded we can discuss economy, we can do computer programming together etc... It is just a normal marriage, between two persons in the same social range, with similar education and age.

In terms of internet connection, not very concern, I'm a programmer I don't need more than a massive internet connection, I need to be connected, read forums/blogs/emails and a bit more but my work is 80% off-line.

Crime is everywhere, you cannot avoid it, probably the safest place is where we live now in UAE and it is not 100% safe, in Spain people don't want to live in villas anymore because of the thieves, London is even worse you get a stabbing or killing near your place every week or so... Obviously I don't want to live scared of going out, I've been several times in the Phillipines and I didn't have the feeeling of being insecure like in Brazil or most of the south american countries, I think that most of the bad things happens if you drink and chase girls if you live and mix with a community of expats and good locals should be fine, when my kids reach some age it could be a good idea to move back to Europe to prepare them for colleage and after that if we want come back to the Phils and let them do their live, by that time the center of business will be Singapur or Hong Kong most probably...

I've talked to other people with Internet business and they are living happily in places like Thailand (also with come visa issues/hassle), my objective is to have a good relaxed live without much problems, I don't need luxury but I can afford one of the nice subdivions with the pool by the beach, wake up at any time, do some sport, and do some programming on the computer, go to some nive places (Bohol, Dumaguete, Bantayan, Malapacua) for the weekend send the kids to a decent school, I don't need more than that, not sure if I'm asking for too much or it's achievable.

I'll have a look in May when I travel around, let me know if you want to meet for a coffee when I get to Cebu.
 
#29 ·
I've been for the last couple of weeks in Cebu and surroundings, I didn't like Mactan too much, I'm in for Liloan, I signed the lot purchase agreement today.

Internet is not too bad, so far good in the cheap hotels and I'm very impressed that the long distance buses have free wifi that works pretty well.

I'm in for the Cebu living adventure! Now the challenge is to find a good developer to build the house!
 
#30 · (Edited by Moderator)
Dalamar, you probably know the following but just in case you didn't the following seems to apply if you are the spouse of a Filipina and want to work in the Philippines:
START QUOTE-
NOTE: In support of the UN Spouse Employment Policy, the Philippine government has also exempted the spouses of members of international organizations from securing an AEP. Spouses however, are required to file an application for a Certificate of Exemption from the DOLE's Bureau of Local Employment (BLE).
-END QUOTE

I did not find where the BLE instructs how a person should file for their exemption.
The following is a BLE website. Perhaps you will have to call them and ask how to file for an Exemption Certificate for AEP.
Contact us
 
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