It’s exactly four years to the day I arrived in the Philippines so I guess now is as good as time as any to post my four review of life in the Philippines. Before I do, I have noticed recently that some WordPress followers have signed up to follow this blog and not my author website. I don’t believe that was intended. I no longer have a newsletter for this blog but if you want to keep up to date with my author stuff then you may sign up over on my author site here. The first question I have is where did the time go? Tempus certainly fugit 🙂 I wrote this on my Facebook timeline today and every word is true: Four years… Read More
Expat In Bacolod
Stephen Bentley - Writer
This is as factual a post you will find anywhere on the internet¹ about ‘Amendment of Temporary 13A Residency Visa to Permanent,’ if you apply from within the Philippines. Note: It is possible, and advisable, to apply from overseas using that country’s Philippines Embassy if you (applicant) and your spouse (petitioner) are residing overseas (and married in that foreign country), and wish to live in the Philippines on a permanent basis. Also, in those circumstances, you will skip the ‘Probationary’ period and go straight to ‘Permanent Residency,’ as I understand it. Once you have jumped through the hoops and the visa is approved you are good to stay indefinitely as a permanent resident of the Philippines. The only thing that has to be renewed is… Read More
The report below my comments is reproduced from the Visayan Daily Star Facebook page. Bacolod City embarks on clearing illegal structures and it’s long overdue. Some of these illegal structures cause danger on the highways as they restrict the free flow of traffic and pedestrians. While admiring the ingenuity of some of the people involved in expanding their businesses, it should not take precedence over public safety. The reference to river banks must involve squatters who choose to live near a source of running water. That is understandable but once again, it causes problems. Firstly to the people themselves in their makeshift homes perched on the river banks. They are often flooded out during rainy season. Plus, these squatters deposit trash in the rivers including… Read More
It has just been announced the LBC Shipping Cart now open in the UK. That’s great news for a number of reasons especially if, like me, you hail from the UK and want goods shipping to your door in the Philippines. Marks & Spencers’ bigger mens’ sizes anyone? 🙂 If you need to know the details of the LBC Shipping Cart system, I have written about it before here and here. The LBC system has always delivered for me. Safe in transit, insured goods, tracking, great communication by email – all of those things and the price you pay includes any relevant taxes. They take care of the Customs declaration so it isn’t impeded on arrival in Manila. At the moment I await delivery of an… Read More
The Expat in Bacolod monthly newsletter is to be cancelled from February 2019. The updates from my author website will continue as usual. The main reason behind this is I had combined my subscriber list from here and my author website. The newsletter went out with a combined RSS Feed* showing posts from both sites. Sadly, the January newsletter looked a mess owing to some glitch with the RSS Feed. I am unable to fix it. Here’s how it will affect you if you are an existing subscriber to the newsletter. If you see my posts via WordPress and/or WordPress Reader – nothing changes If you only follow this blog via the newsletter, there will be a link back to this site from the author… Read More
Yes, it’s that time of year again – a Philippines Christmas. I thought it would be a good idea to re-blog this post as I’m sure many of you will not have read it before. Enjoy! Merry Christmas! Christmas in the Philippines “Maligayang Pasko Sa Inyong Lahat” or Merry Christmas to Everyone! The typical Filipino does not need much of an excuse to celebrate and party. Christmas in the Philippines is no exception. The manifestations of the onset of Christmas start here as early as September. That is when you first notice the street vendors and stalls selling their Christmas lighting and decorations. It is a sight particularly noticeable after dusk when you cannot fail to see the twinkling, flashing lights of reindeers and other… Read More
Crafty Fartsy? Good question. Who are they or what is it? And what does it/they do? Luckily I’m in a position to tell you. It specializes in, and I quote from the Facebook page, ‘Personalized Products Free Personalization! Make any celebration better with personalized party supplies, gifts & more!’ It’s operated by my wife Zabrina. She works closely with good friend Shar Mayne who operates Michs N More Events and Coordination. It specializes in party events and poses this question with the solution: Planning a party and need something unique? We can help you, we are your one stop solution to your events and party. Together, they provide a one-stop solution for all party needs whether a birthday, Christening, small corporate functions etc. They are… Read More
I was delighted to come across a sauce, I mean source :), of British grub here in the Philippines. It’s a website run by another British expat from Leyte. No problem though as he arranges shipping through LBC. Funnily enough, HP sauce can be bought in many supermarkets here. But the guy in Leyte stocks a lot more foodstuffs that all Brits are familiar with. Most of it seems to be from Asda, Lidl, and other UK supermarkets. No matter, it appears to be a good selection right across the board. The prices are reasonable too. I think I’m lucky. I can eat the local food and find most of it delicious. I was the same in Thailand and come to think of it, the… Read More
That’s a good question: will they work? I’m talking about the new Bacolod bicycle lanes project. I hope they do partly because they have cost P62M (about 1.1M USD). That’s a lot of money to spend on some yellow lines painted on the road. However, the main reason I hope they work is to make the roads here safer for all users including cyclists and there are many of them in this country. You see the serious ones every day of the week clad in Lycra furiously pedaling away on their top-end machines. Here is one reason why the good intentions are immediately dismantled by selfish car drivers. Take a look at the picture below. You can immediately see what the problem is and how… Read More
What follows is one sad story of one expat here in the Philippines. I reproduce the tale unedited. I know him and he will remain anonymous. He’s a good man and deserves better. It is a cautionary tale for any who move here. I thank God I chose wisely and have a wife who ensures I am not exposed to any of the shenanigans you will read below. For your information, one British Pound equals about 70 Philippines Pesos (PHP) at the time of writing. One dollar will get you about 50 PHP. I have been here in the Philippines for almost 3 years and can honestly say it is a stunningly beautiful country. We bought land, designed and built our own house in an… Read More
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