Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	Satellite Internet	I have been thinking about trying to get satellite internet at the house in Negros for a while now. Our house is situated between Vallehermoso and Canlaon in the mountains of Negros. Smartbro doesn't work due to no signal, so satellite seems like the only option. I have looked at Ipstar on the internet and they have retailer offices in Luzon. I was wondering if anyone in the RP forum has satellite internet or knows of a retailer in Cebu. Is there another service provider in the Philippines besides Ipstar? If anyone has experience with satellite internet in the RP feel free to share your experience. Theres an internet cafe in Canlaon that has satellite internet. When I asked them what provider they used, they just gave me a blank stare (I don't speak ilongo). So they are not a good source for information, but atleast I know it works in Negros with the correct line of site. Thanks, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2010-10-20 18:59:00
Philippines	Is it wise to teach a 41 year old Filipina to drive?	I know I will get slammed big time for my response but, the poster did ask. Well my 2 cents is if its not absolutely necessary I wouln't teach her to drive. Its not only because of her age but because of her gender that she is at a disadvantage. My wife is 24 and can barely drive an automatic in the U.S.A. and I feel its too dangerous for her so she doesn't. I have tried to teach her to drive a manual in the RP and even with the slower speeds and less traffic in the province, after several attempts my heart couldn't take anymore. She just doesn't have the decision making skills to drive safely. I taught both her father and her uncle who are both 55+ how to drive in a manual transmission car and they grasped the concept pretty good after the first lesson, and after limitted practice I felt safe riding with them. My wife scares the ####### out of me after several more lessons than her older male relatives ever got. Anyways most men who post on here can probablly comment on how women drive and I am not being a chauvenist in my post, I am just stating an observation. In my wifes defense, she says I am a terrible teacher, and she is probablly right about that. Once I get scared or nervous I do revert to yelling instructions. Maybe her older male relatives handle those circumstances of my teaching better? I don't know? Wyatt.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2010-12-10 16:49:00
Philippines	Infant Adoption	Sorry I don't know the entire process, but it was something my wife and I have been intrested in. During this last trip my wife and I just spent 6 weeks in the RP and while there at one of the local restuarants we like to eat at, I met an American man with a Filipina wife and they adopted a little a girl when she was 5 months old. The birth parents brought them the baby and begged them to adopt the little girl because they couldn't take care of her. Long story short they accepted and finally 5 years later the little girl is legally theirs and able to apply for a U.S.A visa. They followed the legal process from the very beginning haveing all the necessary paperwork done etc. etc. What took so long according to the guy I talked to was the RP court system. They would have a court date scheduled, then they would show up and it would get rescheduled. He said this took a long time and was very frustrating. Then finally when their day in court arrived he had to bring all sorts of witnesses and testify that no money changed hands etc. etc. Finally the judge approved the adoption. This guy is living in the RP, so he was able to do it. I am not trying to discourage you, but after my wife and I talked to him, we got a little discouraged. This guy might not be the best resource since it took him so long, but atleast he knows the system. If you want I can try to get his contact information if you are really serious. Just send me a PM. He's a Liberty county Texan and a real nice guy. I'm from Chambers county so its a real small world for us to meet in the RP. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2010-12-15 02:41:00
Philippines	Married Filipinos who send money to family back in Philippines	WOW! Julias Ceasar just joined today and already bashing.....hmmmmm. Don't Feed the TROLLS	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2009-12-22 16:13:00
Philippines	Married Filipinos who send money to family back in Philippines	We send about 6,000 pesos a month to her folks. I say WE because when we got married all my money became her money also. She doesn't have a job here in the U.S.A. that pays a salary and she will not be getting one. Her job is taking care of the farm and taking care of me and hopefully in the near future taking care of the kids. Out of that 6k her parents pay the electric bill at our house in Negros, and take care of other interest we have there. When I lived in the RP her dad and I farmed rice together. He still is keeping that going, and every harvest time he puts half of the proceeds into our BDO account and reinvests the other half. I started raising rabbits when I was living in the RP and my father-in-law took that over as well. I was doing it for fun and for meat, but he has turned it into a small business. I have awsome in-laws that I have a great relationship with. If they ever called and said "hey we need more for this or that" It would not be a problem because I know what kind of people they are and calling me is there absolute last resort. When my wife calls the RP, all her dad and uncles want to talk about is how am I doing? She misses her family alot, but so do I. I can't wait for her greencard to get here.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2009-11-18 03:25:00
Philippines	phone cards	My wifes mom and dad use the Globe IDD card 40 min. for 100 pesos. They call from Negros Oriental and the line is usually clear. We have used speedypin cards puchased online here from the states and the best rate is maybe 10 cents a minute and they are not as clear as the globe idd card. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-01-02 05:03:00
Philippines	Maybe retireing in the Philippines, I have some questions	If you enter the country with your wife, then you can get a Balikbayan stamp in your passport. That stamp gets you 1 year hassle free. You can keep doing this over and over as far as I know. (NOT CERTAIN) Fly to Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and then return, the downside is your wife would have to be with you upon entering each time and that could get expensive. Just a thought. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-01-09 14:31:00
Philippines	Soldier's wife and kids denied visa in Manila	Anonymous wrote: "The best advice I can give anyone looking to avoid a similar outcome is this: choose what information you wish to divulge to a consular officer (either in writing or during the actual interview) VERY, VERY carefully and VERY, VERY wisely. Working in a bar may sound like an innocent enough occupation but, through the eyes of a consular officer, it becomes a window to a personality" Although I agree with that statement, the mods on here will see that as asking someone to commit fraud of some sort. So I don't think this post will stick around long. A topic about an OP's fiance being an ex-bargirl (which is alot different than just working in a bar in Korea) generated alot of banter about this subject. I personally think sins of the past shouldn't keep two people that love eachother from being together. A friend of mines wife was asked about drug use during her interview. My friend told her to be completely honest to the CO. She told the CO she had tried shabu when she was a teenager She had never told even my friend that. She got put in AR and delayed the process about 6 months. I think if he had it to do over again he would have told her to be honest, except don't tell them you ever tried drugs This happened about 15 years ago, and the system was a little different back then. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2009-12-22 13:03:00
Philippines	Filipina wife issues....advice please...	Dude thats like 30,000 pesos every month. WAY too much in my opinion. I don't see any problem sending the parents a few pesos every month if yall have it, but I would cut off the siblings straight away. On my next trip I would embarass the brother who put that comment on her facebook page in public, and if he didn't relent I would tune him up. Trust me even her dad would understand and if he doesn't let him know his pesos could dry up real quick also. I would be furious too at a comment like that. I wouldn't tip-toe around my wife concerning how I felt about the comment either. Yeah she is going to pout, but so what. In my opinion a Filipina's first response is to internalize things and pout, but if you don't give in and add a little more force for a few days and then back off she will eventually open back up. Definately don't walk on eggshells, this will send the wrong message. Remember you have every right to be pissed off right now, so just go with it. Your wifes family needs to respect you. It doesn't sound like they do right now, play the bad guy for a few months with them and her parents will get excited about 5000 pesos. Looks like you responded with some closure to the situation at the same time I posted. Good luck. Just my 2 cents, Wyatt Edited by TripleG, 21 January 2011 - 12:15 AM.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-01-21 00:11:00
Philippines	Scams in Manila	Never had a problem with money changers, but have heard stories. Taxi drivers ripping you off goes with the territory. 4 lefts make a circle and so do 4 rights so pay attention and if the driver is getting long in his route speak up and let him know its not acceptable, trust me he understands more english than he is letting on. Learn a little Tag or Bisaya depending on where you plan to spend most your time and it will go a long way in not getting scammed as much. As a foreigner all you can do is try to cut down on getting scammed, you will never be able to completely prevent it in my opinion. My favorite part about landing in Manila is Flying out of Manila as soon as I can to get to Cebu. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-07-06 03:57:00
Philippines	Foreign born American citizen	[ Please read my response next to ur last paragraph. I can not repost or edit it so it looked like my reply is a continuation of ur post..sorry. And yes NOA 1 is a 1 yr. extension and 4 months is okay. I was there for almost 6 months and never had a problem coming back here in GA. Thanks for putting me on the right track. I didn't even know it was called CRBA. I had heard the term before, but got some bad info from someone else on how its done. Now that I know a little more I can do all the research I need through the forums history. Thanks again, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-07-31 07:57:00
Philippines	Foreign born American citizen	How is she going to attend her biometrics appointment in the USA when she cant fly because of pregnancy? Its my understanding she can fly until 7 months pregnant. She will be 6 months in Nov. I plan to start removing conditions in Sept. exactly 90 days prior to her card expiring. Her biometrics should be over by the time Nov. arrives? correct? If not that could be a problem. Can she still re-enter on the NOA without a biometrics being done? is there a scenario where she will have her NOA without biometrics being done? Thanks, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-07-30 12:14:00
Philippines	Foreign born American citizen	Are there any expats on here that have experience with one or all of their children being born in the Philippines, and them getting the childs American passport at the embassy in Manila. Is a FS-240 all that is required? What other documents are required? How long does this scenario take from start to finish? My wife is pregnant with our second child. The first was born here in U.S.A. Her due date is in Febuarary, and we have considered having the second child in the RP. She wants to fly over mid Nov. with me flying over later in Jan. We want to return with the new baby sometime in March. Does anyone with experience think this timeline is possible. Also if she flies to the RP in November, she will only have her NOA for her removal of conditions, she will not have her actual 10 year green card. My understanding is the NOA for removal of conditions will extend her residency for a year. Is her staying out of the country 4 months with just this NOA going to be a problem? Mostly I want to know approx. how long it takes from time of birth until the child will have U.S.A passport. Any thoughts on the other questions are welcome also. Thanks, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-07-30 11:56:00
Philippines	What's your favorite area in the Phils?	Since I am from the province of Bicol, my most favorite place Caramoan. Its the Boracay and Palawan Version in my province. I have been there couple of times and I can't wait to come back again. Boracay is already convoluted and massively develop. Palawan is quite far and costly to fly, so Caramoan is my haven, in my own home. If you go to Caramoan, its like a private island, you will only see few tourists. Its like a small piece of paradise. This is my blog about this place. Caramoan islands Awsome pics. My wife and I love to check out new places. Will have to put this place on our to do list. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-07-31 08:03:00
Philippines	What's your favorite area in the Phils?	I lived in Batangas as an expat, been all over Luzon and rented an apartment in Mabolo, Cebu for a time. Ayala shopping center and I.T. park is a pretty cool part of Cebu and I could live there. Been down south, but never stayed for more than a few days. I built a small house in Negros Oriental in Vallehermoso deep in the province and its mostly peaceful and I enjoy staying there when we visit, but its too far and secluded for stays longer than 2 months. My most favorite place in the RP is Sabang beach, on the island of Oriental Minduro. When I was single I had way to much fun at this beach. Scuba by day, party drink all night. A weeks stay if you went semi-native with all you could drink and all the women you could chase would cost around 7000 pesos. Not bad if you ask me, What happens at Capt. Greg's stays at Capt. Greg's. Good times. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-07-30 16:43:00
Philippines	US passport	Check this link for info http://www.visajourn...rmit-of-my-son/ Thanks for posting this link. I have been doing major searching about this topic and hadn't come across these post in the link you posted. This a big help. Heck I didn't know it was called a CRBA until someone replied to my original post. All my American friends in the RP are old, and have went through these steps years and years ago and the process has changed. On a side note: When I first read about the exit permit, I got a little PO'd at the thought of just another useless CFO stamp. Then after I thought about it, I guess its necessary to keep track of the population, without it the RP government wouldn't have a record of whether the child was a resident or not? I guess its a census type issue? Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-07-31 07:38:00
Philippines	Any USC Successfully working in RP before retirement ?	I have lived as an expat in the Oil industry with a good U.S. salary and have lived with no income besides business income. One of the problems with running a business in the RP is trust. Who can you trust besides your wife? NO ONE!!! Never make the mistake that you can. This makes running a business in the RP very difficult. You will never be able to keep your Filipino employees from stealing, skimming, or scamming you in some sort of way. This frustrates some Americans that try. The most you can do is try to control it. Remember its not personal! In their eyes, you are a rich Kano and don't need or won't miss that 2000 pesos here or 5,000 pesos there. This is part of the culture, you cannot break it even by paying them well. Go in knowing that they are going to take some for themselves and try to manage it to a small amount you can live with. Treat your business contacts and employees like an auto mechanic with lots of overhead. He might consider it ethical slipping in an extra charge for specially torqued high pressure oil pan bolts if he thought he could get away with it. If your going to do business, its a good idea to learn the language, if not you are at a HUGE disadvantage. Okay next is cost of living, you need to work out a realistic budget. The only way you can do this is to stay there a while. If you think your going to live in paradise for 40K a month with wife and child? Think again. You can live on that and probablly a lot less but, you will have to figure out through experience if you would want to? I won't live in the RP for less than 85K a month and as the my boy gets older, that would get tight. I have went as low as 30k a month in the province, but wouldn't want to do that long term. I am not an expert....these are just my opinions based off of my experiences. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-08-12 11:10:00
Philippines	I-751 Removing conditions question	On the I-751 Form Part 5. Information about your children List all your children. There is a box that is for Adress and immigration status of listed child. The box is about 2 inches long and there is no way an adress can fit in the box with immigration status. The next box to be checked: Does the child live with you? Our son lives with us and is an American citizen. So do we need to list his adress? Its our adress. How did others fill this part out? Did anyone make an addendum? Putting this in the RP formu becuase it gets alot of traffic. If the mods think its more appropriate to transfer it to the I-751 forum I am cool with that. Thanks, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-09-08 10:06:00
Philippines	Mitsubishi Boxtype Fail!	Wow... What happened? Brakes fail? Bald tires on wet road? Regardless of what the cause was, it is amazing that no one was seriously hurt...and everyone walked away. They should thank their lucky stars! My father-in-law said he was going too fast on a wet road, and and some goats tied to the side of the road wandered too far out as he was approaching a steep curve. Instead of braking he panicked a little trying to miss the goats and swerved before apllying the brake but it was too much and the car shot off the mountain at the curve. The ordeal scared him so bad he went into shock. He was really concerned that I would be mad. Of course I am not, I love the old man and am just glad everyone is okay. My father-in-law is a really cool guy, and I consider myself lucky to have him as an inlaw.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-09-19 23:00:00
Philippines	Mitsubishi Boxtype Fail!	My trusty 1986 boxtype has finally had her last ride. I bought this car a few years ago for province joy riding, and it served us well. A few days ago my father-in-law and 2 of his buddies where comming down the mountain. They went off the edge, hit a tree and plunged approx 15 meters down a ravine and into the river. My father in law and the man in the front passenger seat where ejected. The man in the back seat rode it all the way down and the car landed upside down in the river. All 3 men walked away. My father-in-law hurt his elbow. Pretty amazing, considering they where not drunk. They where comming home from work. Its a miracle in my opinion. I think I am going to salvage the engine, tranny and wheels and scrap the rest. RIP General Lee of Negros Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-09-18 23:21:00
Philippines	CRBA	My wife is going to have our second child in the RP in Febuarary. I have been reading all about CRBA trying to make sure I have all the correct documents that I need before we fly over there. I have read the required CRBA check sheet from the USCIS website but still have a few questions. Question #1 I am a natural born citizen of the U.S.A. Is my passport all that I need to prove my citizenship? Several blogs I have read about the subject say "Don't forget your birth certificate" The CRBA check sheet does not specifiy that I need it. I don't have it and don't want to waste time getting it if I don't need it. Question #2 The CRBA checksheet does say if my wife or I have had previous marriages, they require divorce decrees for those marriages. I have not seen this as a requirement on any blogs about the subject. Has anyone on here who has been through the CRBA process been asked for them? My problem is I don't have a copy of this item either. I supplied the original I had when I filed the I29F years ago for her K1. My current wife and I where married in Texas and I will have our original marriage cert. Question #3 How long does the NSO birth certificate take to get? Approximately how long after the baby is born will this document be available? Thanks for any and all answers or opinions Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-10-05 10:49:00
Philippines	Disability Insurance in California	The previous posters are correct. You have a payroll deduction line like CASDI or California short term disability that you pay into per paycheck. I think if your company is big enough they have to offer you Family leave which secures your job for up to 12 weeks (I think on the length). This income isn't taxable by the feds or the state so it doesn't count against you for income tax purposes. Have a happy last bit and take care of yourself!! Best of luck Bob This is correct, google Family Medical Leave Act. This leave is good for 12 weeks. I think the company has to have over 50 employees??? Anyways with some research you can find all that you need. I have used the Family Medical leave act twice in the last 10 years, but am not an expert. Good Luck, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-09-20 03:46:00
Philippines	Giving Birth in Cebu	My wife just had her 28 week check up at Cebu doctors hospital. She just flew in yesterday from Texas. She really likes her OBGYN at the hospital Dr.Larrazabal. This doctor was recommended to us by another VJ member when she was pregnant with our first son during a visit to the RP. I will be joining my wife in January and was not at this appointment. During her appointment my wife asked if I could be present in the room when they perform my wifes planned C-section in Feb. The doctor said no. I am really, really dissapointed by this. I was present for my first sons birth via C-section in Texas. Heck, Texas Womens Hospital in Houston let me film the C-section (it was awsome on many different levels). Anyways I don't need to film it again, but I do want to be present. Its not like I want to help or anything, I just want to be in there for moral support for my wife. Also I understand I am not a doctor but I want to watch what they do, I already seen one in the USA and I want to compare. Has any father on this board been allowed into the OP room during a C-section in the RP? Is there anything I might could say in anyones opinion that could change the Doc's mind? My wife already plead my case some, and was rejected on safety concerns? Like I said, I don't plan on helping (lol) Thanks, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-11-24 01:44:00
Philippines	CRBA Timeline with the new process?	I have it now, it took a little over 2 Weeks, Very efficient! Thanks US Embassy Manila! Thanks for the great follow up post on this topic. My wife and I and our newborn will be going through the CRBA process in March 2012. She has a planned C-section scheduled for Feb. 20th in Cebu and we wanted to wait atleast a week before flying to Manila. Also we are not sure how long it will take the NSO to get us a certified copy of birth certificate after the birth? I have done tons of research on the subject and got my checklist for documents off the USA/Manila website and got most of it all together. I feel pretty confident it will go smoothe, we are married, have another child that was born in Texas, and all the other necessary proof. Did you have any suprises in documents that the checklist wasn't clear about? Thanks, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2011-11-24 01:06:00
Philippines	Overstaying American Falls - Cebu Sun Article "Fact or Fiction"	"Immigration Special Prosecutor Serafin A. Abellon investigated him for working without a Department of labor and Employment permit and using his wife, Jan Debbie Pernia, as a dummy in his illegal busines" What made his business illegal? The fact it was alleged to be a mail-order-bride business? or the fact that he was an American operating a business using Pilipino labor? In this case, his wife for labor. So if I live in the Philippines and conduct business, could I be investigated for working without a department of labor and Employment permit? If I am soley an investor and everything is in my wifes name, and my sole responsiblilty is to give her advise, direction or consult her as her husband as to her business affairs am I breaking this law? I think not, but if that is the case I will refrain in the future from talking to my wife at all. Hahaha I am joking of course, but that part of the article is hilarious. If this was a real crime then they would have to run about 300,000 Koreans and 500,000 Chinese out of the country. I see far more atrocious things happen on nearly a daily basis without any reprocussions. Tall was right, this doesn't seem to be about his alleged business, this seems to be about a scorned woman and him not paying off the right Pinoys when it was discovered. Everything has a price in the RP and this guy had to find out the hard way. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2010-09-13 23:32:00
Philippines	Balikbayan Boxes	Hi guys, I just wanted to know if it's safe sending balikbayan boxes to the PI. I was thinking of sending one to the family back home. Also I have just arrived in the US, so would I even qualify to be able to use one or do I need to go home first to be considered a balikbayan? My husband threw in another concern too and that is customs and applicable fees. How much would it cost to send one? Would it have a hard time going through customs? Sorry guys. I am just not sure where to get the answers to my concerns. I have looked on some courier sites but nothing seemed specific. Thanks a whole whole lot to any answers that come my way. Ria We like Balikbayan. I have sent things this route as an American citizen (non Filipino) so I can't imagine you having a problem. Balikbayan is safe and you pay all the applicable fee's as part of the shipping. We have never had anything come up missing and I consider it safer then DHL or Fed-ex as far as customs corruption goes. The pros for Balikbayan are the amount you can ship. You are only limitted to the amount you can fit in the box, not weight. The cons are how long it takes to get there. We just sent a box Jan. 6th and it did not arrive until March. 12th in the western visayas of Negros Oriental. So its not exactly fast, I heard its around 35 to 45 days to anywhere in Luzon, but I don't know for sure. Wyatt Edited by TripleG, 04 April 2010 - 05:30 AM.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2010-04-04 05:28:00
Philippines	kamunggay/malungay/moringa	My wife and I just recently got back from a 6 week trip to the RP. Upon returning to the states we went to our Pediatrician to get our sons 4 month shots that he missed while we where in the RP. Our son is nearly 5 months old. While at the pedatrician the doctor commented on the health of the boy and how his weight, balance and congnitive senses all seemed normal or above for his age. They asked what we had been eating and we responded with milk, and Kamungay juice from boiled leaves. Our pedatrician is Filipina and her husband is also Filipino and they practice out of the same office. The Filipina doctor shook her head and told us to quit feeding him Malungay juice, and her husband overheard the conversation and made the point to stick his head in the room and exclaimed in disabelief that we where feeding him malungay. I asked why and the doctor said because it can cause him to develope food alergies? My wife and everyone I know in the part of the RP we reside eat kamungay at least 4 times a week. Its also very common to give the juice to babies. So my question is: How many where fed this plant or its derivitives as babies or children and has there been in lasting adverse health effects? My wife is convinced our doctor is a quack now, and wants to find a new one. I am supporting the doctors request until I get more information. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2010-12-10 14:58:00
Philippines	Local Woman Shots Attacker	Or a nice sub-compact in .40 or .45 ACP with hollow points would fit the bill and her small hands. GO AMY!!! My wife is pretty efficient with a lever action Golden Boy 22 mag. rifle and I bought her a Ruger .380 that fits her small hands nicely. She also likes to shoot a Ruger 357 mag. revolver (speed six) loaded with 38's but is not strong enough to use the double action trigger, so she has to ####### it before fireing. Any higher caliber pistol and she flinches before firing because she cannot comfortabbly handle the recoil. We live on 35 acres in the piney woods and shoot guns alot. Gun safety is the most important thing to teach, then practice, practice, practice. We go through scenarios of what to do in case of home intruders so she will be prepared if I am not home. We also have situational awareness discussions when we are away from home. Texas is a permit to carry concealed state and I am always armed. Wyatt "Its better to have a gun and not need it. Then to need a gun and not have it." Capt. Woodrow F. Call	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-04-28 01:05:00
Philippines	Expence Issues B4 Traveling	After you clear customs at the Manila airport...you have to cross the street and then go down a ramp. Let your girlfriend negotiate the Taxi fare to Cavite or let them run the meter, either way it won't be too expensive. Once your in Cavite don't be scared to ride the Jeepney's for cheap transportation. Food is cheap..4 people can eat at Jollibee for the equivilant of 7USD or less. Have a good time, keep your head on a swivel until you get used the surroundings and try not to look lost. Try to use ATM's inside of the Bank, and break your money down when ever you can. Don't carry around all 500's. Make change where ever you can and get a bunch of 20's, 50's and 100 peso bills.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-05-21 00:40:00
Philippines	Middle name	+1 Just because you named your sons Waylon and Willie. I feel like driving to Luckenbach now. Hahaha....Yeah buddy. Waylon's middle name is Wylie after Ray Wylie Hubbard. We plan on a 3rd child a little bit further down the road and no matter if its a girl or a boy we will name him/her Kris. Thats it though, 3 is enough.....we can always name the dog Johnny or Cash. A twin pregnancy could complete the Highway Men though. All my filipino relatives think Willie is named after Wow Wow Wee Willie V. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-05-21 19:11:00
Philippines	Middle name	Our first son Waylon was born in the U.S.A. and doesn't carry his mothers maiden name. Our second son Willie has only one first name and carries his mothers maiden name as his middle name. I tried to give Willie my fathers name as his middle name, but the Civil Reistar's office in San Carlos wouldn't accept the application being sent to the NSO without the mothers maiden name being included in his name. I didn't want his entire name to be too long, so no 2 first names. Wyatt Edited by TripleG, 21 May 2012 - 12:52 AM.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-05-21 00:52:00
Philippines	Texas DL	I have always drove on my Texas DL while in the RP. I have only been stopped once, and that was at an LTO check point. Didn't have any problems using my Texas DL, a few pesos took care of my other problems. My question is: Will my Filipina wife have any problems driving with her Texas DL if she is pulled over in the RP? Does her Texas Drivers license cover her? Thanks, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-12-22 17:20:00
Philippines	money problems in paradise...	(Steve here) As a registered nurse (RN) by trade, frankly, I'm conufsed. (As was pigmonk) Few surgeries in RP cost 420,000PHP. Triple bypass (CABG) does cost about 840,000PHP and the price is similar for a kidney transplant, and that's at St. Luke's probably the highest cost hospital in RP. And for the person who stated that heart surgery cost US$40,000 well, I remember Juliet saying no to a fella as we got off the ferry between Cebu and Bohol and when I said: "Why'd you tell the cabbie no?" Well, she said "He wanted 400 peso for the fare, we'll walk around the corner and it'll be 120 peso", so I don't doubt you, but frankly whoever paid that much probably didn't need to because it should have cost one half or one quarter that much. See: http://www.phc.gov.p...s/treatment.php or google using keywords "cabg triple-bypass and philippine cost" I concur Juliet and Steve, back in 2005 I had back surgery double lamindectomy on L-4, and L-5 at Asian Hospital in Alabang. Doctors fees 250K, hospital fees and other incidentals for 4 days 30K. While walking around hospital I ran into another American walking around that just had triple bypass surgery and was there for a follow up visit. I asked him how much the surgery set him back and he said around 16,000 USD all total. So thats pretty close to 840K PHP considering it was 48 to 1 back then. On a different note, my wifes cousin's daughter spent about 16 days in the hospital here recently in Cebu for a blood disease treatment. Forget the name of the disease but googled it and it was serious. They needed 20k php for the first round of treatment, so I sent 40K php. The husband of my cousin-in-law is a hard working dude, works for Cerres bus liner making only about 260 php a day, he sometimes works 14 days in a row, 14 hr days so I didn't mind sending the money. I didn't even ask him to pay me back. He payed me back anyways as soon as his Govt. assistance loan came through. He's a good dude. That scenario doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. 10K USD for motorcycle accident surgery does seem a little fishy. I guess if the dude had multiple broken bones, fractured skull, internal injuries etc. etc. it might be possible to add up to that amount in a private hospital. Public hospital sounds like the way to go for these folks. Good Luck, Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-12-22 16:54:00
Philippines	ACR I-CARD	I got my (or atleast payed for my) I-card at the Bureau of Immigration when I extended.  I always stay more than 21 days and one time was denied balikbayan status eventhough flying in with my wife and kids. Was told it was up to the immigration agent at entry.  They gave my kids balikbayan stamp and denied me? (Who knows why? I have an old B2 in my passport, but have gotten balikbayan status before.)  Anyways this was almost two years ago and when I went to extend my wife went with me.  I filled out some paperwork payed I think somewhere in the range of 4800 pesos plus extention fee and they mailed me my I-card or so they said they would.  We left before it arrived and my wifes parents said it never came.  I either got scammed, or the pinoy mail system failed us. I had to show the receipt that I payed for it when exiting.  So I don't know if this helps on your question, but the paperwork at the bureau of immigration wasn't that complicated, but then again I never did recieve my card so I don't know if this is the best route to go.  I used the bureau of immigration in Bacolod (Negros Occidental), but our house in actually in Negros Oriental, I don't know if this complicated things.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2013-11-16 02:16:00
Philippines	Consular Outreach programs	Hello all,   My wife has been trying to get her Philippine passport renewed since the outreach in Houston,TX last March.  We live close to the Houston area of Texas and wanted to renew her passport via the outreach program that will be here in Dec. 2013.  We have tried twice now unsuccessfully to get an appointment, we tried back in March also. We had been calling the Los Angeles consulate office for the last couple of weeks wanting to know when they would be accepting applications for the outreach in our area for Dec.  They said wait for us to post the accepting dates online, we said okay we did that last time and we never got on the list. Three days after this phone call, they posted on the website they would start accepting applications via fax, why didn't they just tell us they would be accepting fax applications in 3 days???   We faxed her e-passport application to the consulate office the first day, and called them for confirmation but they wouldn't pick up or return or calls.  Looked at the list online and my wifes name was not on there.  So we faxed it in again, and then called to try and get confirmation that they recieved the fax, and once again nothing.  I called several more times, no answer.  So we faxed a 3rd time and her name is not on the list and now the list is full and they are not accepting anymore applications.  I am more than a little upset.  Twice now we missed it, and I know her paper work is legit.   Why isn't she getting put on the list?   Has anyone else had this problem?   I am fed up.  I am more than willing to fly her to Los Angeles to renew her passport, but now they have created an almost emergency situation for our travel plans.  Since they are doing the outreach they are not in LA, so where can I go to get her passport renewed.  Can I fly her to another consulate?  I shouldn't have to spend good money flying her somewhere to get this done, but at this point I am tired of dealing with it, and will do what ever needs to be done to be finished with it.      This situation leads to a seperate hypothetical question:  What if we had an emergency and one of her relatives was sick, and we had to fly right a way??  Is there any provision for emergency's in renewing your RP passport.  Like if there not in LA because they are doing outreaches in a different part of the country, what do you do then??   We don't have an emergency, thank God.  But what if?   Thanks, TripleG	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2013-11-16 01:18:00
Philippines	Cyclone Dispalced Fiancée: $ of Supporting in Cebu, & Refugee Question.	I concur with the $200 to $300 range per month.  I base this off what an SM mall worker brings home.  My wife worked at Cebu SM before and she brought home 12,000 php per month, as of right now that would be about $279.00 USD.  She could make it on less.  A single room, shared bathroom boarding house can be had for 2000 to 2600 per month if you look hard enough.  Less per month for just bed space. Food is minimal expense. She could probablly find a job to help supplement.    Also the $150 USD figure for a family of 5 is accurate if its in the province, in a Nipa Hut with no electricity, no running water (yay! river baths) and they walk everywhere.  Its tight but people do it.  My wife was raised like this in the mountains of Negros Oriental (1/2 Negrito).  They gathered bannanas, kumungay, grew corn, raised their own chickens and goats and her dad fished a lot.  When your that poor rice is a delicacy.  Bottom line is it can be done, but its a different type of lifestyle.	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2013-11-17 01:21:00
Philippines	Travel to Philippines with infant	You can bring powder formula and water for sure, I have done this. It takes longer to clear security, but they allow it.  Liquid formula already mixed might be a problem.  Baby has to have passport.  I would bring birth cert. and medical records just to have just in case.  Also if you are traveling alone, you will need a letter from your spouse stating its okay for you travel out of the country with the baby.    Hope this helps, TripleG P.S.  I have 3, have made the trip with the 2 boys (2 year old, 6 month old at that time)  soon we will be traveling with all 3 (3 years old, 2 years old, and 1 years old)  God help us! hahaha!	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2013-11-18 05:59:00
Philippines	CRBA Experience	That's a good CRBA review -- surely others will be helped by it. Congrats on the new baby! Thanks. I will post up later the hospital experience and the cost associate with having a C-section birth in the Philippines. Our total cost with everything was around 65,000 pesos give or take a 1,000. Willie was 3 weeks premature, but didn't need any incubation or special care after being born. Thank God because the hospital we were at was not equiped for anything serious. The 6.9 earthquake hit the day we brought him home from the hospital. Our house is located 20 miles from where the epicenter was. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-04-21 02:30:00
Philippines	CRBA Experience	I recently went through the CRBA experience and thought I would share my timeline on how it went. Before I went through the process I had a lot of questions that I couldn’t find answers for, so maybe this will help someone else. It took a total of 43 days from his birth date to have the CRBA and US Passport in hand. Step 1 Birth of the child. (Feb 3rd) Step 2 Fill out birth certificate information at the hospital. (Feb 5th) Step 3 The hospital transcribes the information onto an application for the birth certificate and forwards it to the civil registars office. I hand carried the transcribed application to Civil Registars office on (Feb 6th) Step 4 Civil Register’s office checks it for mistakes, records it locally, and then forwards it to the NSO. Step 5 The NSO then records the information submitted by the Civil Registars office and issues the NSO b/c. I went to the NSO and got his NSO b/c on (Feb 24th) Step 6 Go to the U.S. embassy Manila website and make an appointment online. The first available CRBA appointment date for us was March 5th. Step 7 Go to appointment and submit application for CRBA and US passport, NSO b/c, supporting documents (found in CRBA checklist on the website) and other requirements. Step 8 We received my sons CRBA and US passport via Air 21 in Negros Oriental on March 17th. I was in a hurry to get my sons US passport as soon as possible. So there was a few things I did to speed up the process. I was told at the hospital it would take up to 7 days to transcribe the information we provided for his b/c application. I explained I was in a big hurry to get the NSO b/c, so with a little charm I was allowed to pay for expedited services… at the hospital. I then hand carried his application to the Civil Registar’s office. The expedited services I paid for at the hospital put me in contact with the head person at the Civil Registar’s office which allowed me to get expedited service again. At the US embassy in Manila you go through 2 layers of security, then up to the second floor. When you go through security they give you receipt with a number on it. Once on the second floor you will see several windows and two rooms in the center. Wait for your number to be show up on the screens. Go to the window it prompts you to go to and there you submit all your paperwork, requirements, and supporting documents. This first trip to the window is to make sure you have everything required and that it is correct. The person at the first trip to the window is just a screener. He will tell you to go sit back down and then he takes your documents to an actual American consulate worker to review. Then you get called again to either a window or one of the rooms and they conduct an interview, or just ask you questions. You raise your right hand, swear the information is correct, and then they direct you to Air 21 desk to have your CRBA and passport mailed to you. Our actual interface with the consulate worker was less then 5 min. probably, it was real quick. Total time spent at the embassy 4 hours. Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2012-04-21 00:07:00
Philippines	Philippine Passport Renewal Los Angeles	You have probably seen this already:   http://www.philippin...g/contactus.htm   It lists several phone numbers to call, including a "passport mailing section" number.   Good luck     Yeah....sent an email, no response.  Called and got be patient sir, but no information at what phase of the process it is at or anything like that.  Just wanted them to check, but maybe I am being unrealistic in my expectations.  If its going to be longer than 8 weeks...that info would really help me out a lot.  There is some really good deals on airfare through United on the flight we most like to take.  Houston to Hawaii to Guam to Manila, but I can't purchase until it arrives or I know definatively when it will.   Thanks anyway for your response.  Wyatt	TripleG	Male	Philippines	2014-08-13 11:09:00