Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	im 21 do a need a consent?	QUOTE (jasman0717 @ Jan 8 2009, 08:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (tallcoolone @ Jan 8 2009, 06:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You will need Parental Consent signed and notarized. You will have to show it at CFO Seminar, before they will issue you a stamp to leave PI. Actaully, at 21 years of age, the law requires Parental NOTIFICATION, not CONSENT. Sometimes CFO requires this documentation, sometimes they don't. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2009-01-08 23:14:00
Philippines	I MISS MY LIFE	QUOTE (nickoftime @ Dec 21 2008, 06:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (tallcoolone @ Dec 21 2008, 05:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (nickoftime @ Dec 19 2008, 06:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (my_panacea = Greg @ Dec 18 2008, 04:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Guys, I have a question... What if your husband doesn't want you to work? he just wants you to stay at the house and be a dedicated housewife? what are you goin to feel?, do?.... I will start to consider him a control freak and an abusive husband! Seriously, your husband has no right whatsoever to ask you not to work and to just stay at home and be a dedicated wife. It's more of an economic abuse which may constitute an act of violence against a woman. To work. explore all your possibilities and maximize your potentialities are your basic rights that your husband should respect and which you must protect. #######? Economic Abuse? Constitute act of vioence? Did you google that answer from someplace? It seems out of line and not related to this thread...... That's based on RA 9262, a Philippine law known as anti-Violence against women and their children act. I don't have to goggle it. I know the law very well and had prosecuted quite a few men who did such form of violence against women. Oh give me a break........Carumba!	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2009-01-08 23:32:00
Philippines	Can I divorce my wife for cooking fish?	QUOTE (manika @ Mar 20 2009, 06:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Rocky_nBullwinkle @ Jan 9 2009, 03:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Help! I have a shirt wrapped around my face as I write this post. Some sort of small fish she cooks in oil, produces lots of smoke. It smells like the warmest day in gym class, only 100 times worse. It has been two days now, and I can't even go in the house without covering my face. -Bullwinkle DON'T BE SOOO SHALLOW! HAVE'NT YOU HEARD OF PINAYS COOK DRIED FISH AT HOME BEFORE YOU MARRIED HER? YOU'RE IN TROUBLE NOW! Hey Manika - no cooking that smelly dried fish in da house, married or not! Orno lang, sa dirty kitchen, OUTSIDE!!! WINK WINK Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2009-03-22 11:49:00
Philippines	Birth Cert, late registered	QUOTE (Haole @ May 9 2009, 07:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (TinTin and Samby @ May 9 2009, 01:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> All late registered births in the philippines are required to be accompanied with an affidavit. The affadavit most commonly used is a standardized got form that is shown on the back of the (local) birth certificate when issued. The reason give is usually only a few words to a sentence long - short and simple. Just bring a copy of this local BC with Affadait and state what it states. (note, this is the local issued BC, not the NSO authenticted one. of course, you will also need the NSO Authenticated Certificate of Live Birth, but this local BC (which often has the affadavit on back/atttached) can help with any questions if you were late registered. ) Good Luck! Samby Local BCs may help a little but can be faked easily. Best to have the other evidence as abbynorm2 and I said. Baptismal certificate, photos of the page in baptismal book, photo of the cover, school records and work records, school annuals, SSS, postal Id, voter ID. affidavits from people that attended your birth. Especially the hilot. Haole, My point was not that this local BC Affadavit was all the evidence needed. Only that it is a source of info to answer the specific question about the REASON why they brith was late registered. -Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2009-05-10 07:12:00
Philippines	Birth Cert, late registered	All late registered births in the philippines are required to be accompanied with an affidavit. The affadavit most commonly used is a standardized got form that is shown on the back of the (local) birth certificate when issued. The reason give is usually only a few words to a sentence long - short and simple. Just bring a copy of this local BC with Affadait and state what it states. (note, this is the local issued BC, not the NSO authenticted one. of course, you will also need the NSO Authenticated Certificate of Live Birth, but this local BC (which often has the affadavit on back/atttached) can help with any questions if you were late registered. ) Good Luck! Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2009-05-09 18:59:00
Philippines	Reporting Marriage in USA to Philippine Counsler	QUOTE (loveusomuchhoney @ May 22 2009, 04:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Does anyone know which exact form that is needed to be sent to the Philippine Embassy counsler here in the USA reporting a marriage K1 in the USA? I read somewhere this has to be done especially for renewing your Philippine passport when you visit the Philippines. If you do not report the marriage in the USA...when in the Philippines they will not renew your passport or change it to your new married last name?? Please advise Hi! Where in South Carolina? We are in Greenville! Since you are in South Carolina, you are obligated to register your marriage with the Washington DC Embassy office. Here is a link to the base form tat you need to complete. http://www.philippin...loads/ROMDC.pdf It is a 1 page form. On the 2nd page of the PDF document that this link takes you to, are the instructions for filling out the form, including all of the accompanying documentation, photos and other items which must be submitted with the form. You will note in these instructions that, for example, the "Info Sheet on Filipinos Marrying Foreigners" is but 1 example of such additional documentation that must be submitted with the base Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad form. Be careful to read the instructions carefully, because in typical Filipino style, 50,000,000 copies of everything is required (ok..only 4, but you get my point! ) You have 2 choice to file: in person in washington DC. or via mail. If you file via mail, than you must have the forms notorized. Here is an important point to consider: If you are not going to be needing your passport for the next 60 days, then I would strongly suggest that you file the Passport Application (Renewal) at the same time as the Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad. The one caveat here is that while the Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad can be filed by mail (with the additional requirement of notorization), the Passport Application (Renewal) ***MUST*** be filed peronally by the applicant in Washington DC (for you, Washington DC because you are in South Carolina). It can ***NOT*** be filed by mail, even though you will find plenty of documentation still on the official Phillipine Embassy and Consultate Web Sites giving instructions on how to file this by mail, this is OLD, OUTDATED information. You ***MUST*** file Passport Applicaitions in person now. Also, it is important to understand that you will still see references to the old PASSPORT AMENDMENT process whereby a valid passport can simply be amended with a notation of the change of legal (married) name. This is also out of date information. With the new Maroon colored Machine Readable Passports, they do not ammend these anymore, so "ammeding the passport with your new married name" is now the same process as "replacing (renewing) your passport. You will receive an entirely new passport (and this must be applied for IN PERSON.) What is the advantage to filing the passport application at the same time as the report of marriage vs waiting until you are in the Philiipines and getting the passport reissued there? 1. When you file the Report of Marrage Contracted Abroad, the embassy/consulate processes this, sends you back a copy of the application with their stamp on it showing that the Report of Marriage has been received and accepted. Then, the embassy/consulate forwards another copy of the received/accepted Report of Marriage to NSO in the Philippines. NSO then proceeds to update their central records with this information so that in the future, for example, if you were to pull a CENOMAR/CEMAR from the NSO in the philippines, it would include a record of your marriage and show the filipina's married name. This process takes approaximately 4-6 months!!!!!!! When you apply at DFA in the philippines to have your passport reissed with your married name, they have a list of required documents that you must submit. You guessed it...one of them is the NSO documentation (NOT the EMBASSY/CONSULTATE Documentation) showing that your marriage has been reported and is on file with the NSO. So, there is a 4-6 month delay between filing your Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad at the Philippine Embassy/Consulate in the USA and the time you are able to apply for a renewal/reissue of your passport - if you apply for this IN THE PHILIPPINES. 2 If you submit the 2 requests together to the Embassy/Consulate in the USA, The consulate forwards the Report of Marriage to NSO and also forwards the passport renewal (with married name) directly to the DFA. In this case, the DFA accepts the Embassy/Consulate's assurance that that marriage has in fact been registered (even though the NSO has not completed their actual processing to log this in their systems) and immediately processes the Passport Renewal. DFA then sends the new passport back to the Embassy/Consultate from where it was submitted and is available for distribution to the applicant. This process takes only 6-8 weeks. Of course, the question to be asked is How Far is the Trip to Washington DC to file in person (required) vs how long into the future are you planning to make your next trip to the Philippines. You have to weigh these to see what the right answer is for you. Good luck to you. And send us a PM where in South Carolina you are! Warm Regards, TinTin & Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2009-05-22 22:41:00
Philippines	this SUCKS!	QUOTE (itzallgood @ May 23 2009, 06:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (ToddnCezy @ May 22 2009, 09:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (maritoni @ May 22 2009, 09:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (ToddnCezy @ May 23 2009, 05:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am deeply frustrated right now after receiving a RFE notice from USCIS about my medical exam. Turns out to be, all of my medical forms (from St Luke's) was missing!! How the hell could it be missing??? When in fact that I didn't even open my brown envelope and pretty confident that all of my madical papers were in that brown packet. If I had known that it didn't contain all of the necessary documents that should be in there, I could have thrown it away!!! Now I have to redo all my medical!!!! How frustrating is that????!!! It wasn't my fault! They should be at least calling the stupid staff at St. Luke's or the people of the Embassy where the hell those papers are! Rather than us paying the mistake of those stupid people who can't even do their job!!! We are not financially stable to do this. The whole medical is just insane... Money matters!!what a ripp off...anyways you better call them as other posters suggested and here's a contact numbers of St.Lukes..Relax and good luck!! St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic (SLMCEC) Address: 1177 J. Bocobo St. Ermita, 1000 Manila Telephone numbers: (632) 521-0020 (632) 521-8647 (632) 524-6083 Thank you so much for this! We are looking to do any option that we could to skip the 'whole redo medical thing'. We already had someone from the FBI look on our case and are optimistic that we won't be doing the medical again. USCIS needs to stop doing this for some innocent applicants who are struggling to file AOS and totally ripping them off with something that wasn't even the AOS applicant's fault. They might think that we are the ones who are in need of it and would definitely do everything (paying the mistakes that they did) just to get a GC. Wow, did you have the CIA look for your medical results as well? Seems to me if you had a receipt and evidence of paying/ taking the SLEC medical exam, then you paid for RESULTS to be delivered to the USEM. If that did not happen, then they owe you the results, or a FREE exam to get the results that you paid for. Do you have proof to show that you indeed paid/took the exam? Treat this like something you bought at Ayala mall, and now your item is broken or missing from itz box , and now you are returning for a refund because the store failed to deliver what you paid for, sis. You clearly have not lived in the Philippines...... The notion of accountability and customer service is , how should i say, noticeably absent there. That said, of course, as the OP points out there are many many transfer points along the way were the medical results coould have become misplaced or lost. So no telling where the negligence occurred. It sucks, but the easiest away past this situation is to have a new medical done in the US by a CS and forward it to USCIS , as requested by the RFE. Good luck to the OP. -Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2009-05-23 09:50:00
Philippines	Report of Birth	Hi. Just a comment that you may want to think about and consider. Since the Philippines has just made the 2nd change to their passport format in only 3 years. As of this past summer, 2010, Newly issued Philippine passports are so called "smart passports" (aka "e-Passports". This new type of passport has replaced the previous "Machine Readable Passport" format that was only implemented less than 3 years ago. (a lot of turmoil for such a short lived format!) Since I noticed that your list included both an e-Passport application and an Ammendment of Passport application, I assume that the e-Passport Application is for your child and that the Ammendment of Passport application is for you to change your maiden name to your married name. You may want to consider NOT filling that Ammendment Application, and instead, filing an e-Passport Application for you (which can have your name change incorporated) so that you will have an e-passport, not an old style "Machine Readable" or the even older Non Machine Readable passport. Best Wishes and enjoy your trip to Chicago! Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2010-10-19 00:37:00
Philippines	Cenomar disaster	Hi. My read of this reply from the USEM/Manila is that it is non-responsive to the facts in your situation. It seeems clear that they have confused or not understood the question you are asking. 1. You are not asking about any "waiver". You are asking for the specific process and required documentation in your specific scnario (ie, whether USEM requires Philippine issued "recognition" of USA based and issued, American pertitioned divorce. or whether such USA documentation is sufficient for the USEM process. 2. All of the information that they wrote regarding Annullment is immaterial, as your situation is not a case of Filipino - Filipino marriage. If it were me, I would respond back to the USEM and (gently) clarify their misunderstanding of your question so that you can get a valid and responsive reply that will guide you. Warm Regards, Samby Ok this is the from the Manila Embassy: This is in reply to your inquiry regarding the visa case of the referenced individual. American citizens who would like to marry a foreign national in the United States should file a fiancé(e) (K1) visa petition (Form I-129F) with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of their fiancé(e). To qualify for K1 visa classification, the petitioner and beneficiary must be unmarried, or their previous marriages have ended through divorce, annulment or death. There is no waiver of the legal termination of marriage requirement for K1 visa petition purposes. Under Philippine law, any marriage is considered to be valid until annulled, and neither party is free to remarry until they also obtain a separate judicial decree of nullity in addition to the annulment. The declaration of nullity is mandatory even in cases where the marriage appears to have been void from the beginning. Abandonment by one of the parties would not constitute a legal termination of a marriage. Philippine law does not allow divorce. A Philippine citizen is considered married until the marriage is annulled under Philippine law or the other contracting party dies. Philippine marriage annulments are generally granted by courts. The annulment process entails (1) A court judgment granting the annulment; (2) A certificate of finality issued by the court after the judgment and; (3) Annotation by the National Statistics Office (NSO) of the marriage certificate. ***** Now we have filed the Petiton, but got an order from court today of summons for the ex husband through the foreign service at our expense (typical) Now how do we do this since no contact in 18 years no idea where he is.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2010-10-19 01:19:00
Philippines	Do they require a Parental Consent in Marriage for 22 yrs.old???	They only place it could case a problem would be going through the CFO seminar or CENOMAR (which is not required but advised). Sorry, but this is not correct - The CFO seminar and the issuance of a CENOMAR ("Certificate of No Marriage Record") are BOTH REQUIRED.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-09-18 21:03:00
Philippines	Do they require a Parental Consent in Marriage for 22 yrs.old???	Good info here.. The letter of the law here in the Philippines is: 22 and under - Notorized parental CONSENT required. 23 or 24 - Notorized parental NOTIFICATION required. But, as correctly pointed out above -- this doesnt apply for the US Embassy. It DOES technically apply for CFO. But , you know, this is the Philippines , so adherence to laws are based on time and place and person you are dealing with.....<sigh> Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2008-04-06 14:01:00
Philippines	Apply for U.S citizenship or not ?	Here is some information that I posted on this subject over in the US Naturalization forum. It may help some get a practical rality handle on the current state of the Filipino Dual Citizenship topic. Having researched RA9225 for nearly a year, it's clear that like so many other things in the Phillipines, this topic is rife with illogical, inconsistant and ambiguously worded information. Here is what I have concluded after reading hundreds of documents on the subject: 1. Filipino law has been in the past (before RA9225) and STILL CURRENTLY IS TODAY (after RA9225) that any Filipino Citizen who becomes a Naturalized Citizen of a foreign country (Foreign - ie NOT Philippines) automatically loses their Filipino Citizenship, by that act of naturalization, effective immediately. This is still the law today. 2. Before RA9225, there was no (easy) way to reverse this loss of Filipino Citizenship. 3. RA9225 put in place an Administrative Process, which allows Filipinos to reverse this loss of Filipino Citizenship by doing 3 (relatively) simple things: a) Pay a small fee, b) sign a simple form stating your intention to reverse the loss of Filipino Citizenship that has occurred) and c) Swear an Oath stating the same to a duly authorized Philippine Government Representative (in Country at BIR, Out of Country at Embassy/Consulate). 4. The Administrative Process put in place by RA9225 provided for retroactive curing (e.g. Reversal) of Filipino Citizenship loss that occurred prior to the passage of RA9225. Therefore, a Filipino who lost their Filipino Citizenship by being Naturalized as a Citizen of a Foreign country (- ie NOT Philippines) 20 years ago, say in 1991, can use the same 3 step Administrative Process to "Reaquire" their Filipino Citizenship in 2011 as someone who lost their Filipino Citizenship by being Naturalized as a Citizen of a Foreign country 1 month ago in 2011. In summary, what this really means is that the wording used in RA9225 - Reaquire or "RETAIN" is simply poor and the source of tons of confusion. There is no "preemptive" way to "RETAIN" Filipino Citizenship via the RA9225 Administrative Process. In all cases, Filipino Citizenship is "lost" at the moment of the act of Naturalization to a Foreign Country. The only difference is how long this loss exists for - 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, 10 years, etc. The answer to that question is simply the timeline between the Naturalization Act with the Foreign Country and the execution of the Administratve Process of RA 9225. Regarding benefits of using RA9225 to reacquire Filipino Citizenship, there are several, but these seem to be the most popular: a) Right to own (unrestricted amounts) of real property in the Philippines b) Right to engage in business and/or practice one’s profession c) Right to travel with a Philippine passport (A Philippine passport allows the holder to travel to member-nations of the ASEAN without a visa - Vietnam is a good example difference from US Passport) d) Right to have Permanent Resident/ Citizenship benefits extend to one’s spouse/children e) Right to vote in Philippine elections f) Right to hold public office (some restrictions at Policy Level Positions) The best documentation on this topic I have found after reading hundreds and hundreds of official and unofficial documents is http://askthepinoy.blogspot.com. Warm Regards, Samby Edited by TinTin and Samby, 18 September 2011 - 08:41 PM.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-09-18 20:40:00
Philippines	Passport for my 10 mos old son?	Was your child born in the USA or Philippines? This may or may not make any difference in getting the Philippine passport. We got our son a Philippine passport with no problems. First you have to file a "REPORT OF BIRTH Child Born Abroad of Philippine Parent or Parents" with the nearest Philippine consulate. In our case it was Washington DC. We live in South Carolina. This form can be completed by mail and the form needed can be downloaded on the nearest consulate website to you, New York you stated. Be sure to go to your closest consulate website because this form differs and each consulate only will accept the version of the form they have on their website. The fee was a certified check for 25 USD made out to Embassy of the Philippines. The report of birth form has to be Notorized they required 4 Original notorized copies of this form. Other requirements were: Copy of Childs birth certificate 4 copies, data pages of parents passport 4 copies, marriage certificate of parents 4 copies. We also took originals with us just in case. You have to also send a postage paid express envelope so when the consulate gets the form completed they can mail it back to you. This was the requirements of the Philippine Embassy in Wash DC on their web site. Please go to your nearest Philippine consulate web site because their requirements may differ. Once you get the approved Report of Birth form back in the mail from your consulate you can then go back to the consulate web site and down load the passport application form and complete it. Read all the requirements your consulate has as far as getting the Philippine passport for your child. The consulate will need to see the original approved Report Of Birth Form and they will make a copy or you can bring a copy with you. You will need to take your child to the consulate to process the passport application because they take digital pictures and no longer accept passport pictures taken elsewhere. Again, read teh requirements for YOUR NEAREST CONSULATE Be sure to bring the approved Report Of Birth form with you. The consulate then sends the passport application to DFA in the Philippines in its Diplomatic mail and when the completed passport is returned to your consulate office they forward it to you by express mail. Again you have to provide a postage paid express mail envelope. In both cases we got an 8 X 11 Post Office Express Envelope and had the post office give us the exact postage in stamps to send along. The requirements for our case was we could not place the postage stamps onto the express envelope. Also we could not provide a post office machine printed postage label, it had to be stamps. The post office has a stamp in the exact amount for the express envelpoe because it is one cost for this no matter the weight of the envelope. I believe the cost is now 18 USD and some cents for the express envelope postage. I understand you not liking to travel far to the consulate but that is the way it is for some people. We had an 8 hour drive and hotel expense to do get our son a Philippine passport and also same previously when we renewed my wifes passport. Our son was born in the USD and he has a Philippine passport and a USA passport. I know he is an American citizen since he was born here but not sure if he is also a Philippine citizen. All the consulate required was his birth certificate, our marriage license, and our passports and there were no questions or problems with getting the Philippine passport. Good Luck. +1 Good Accurate information from this poster. If Mom was still a (natural born) Philippine Citizen when baby was born, then the child is automatically a Philippine Citizen at birth, regardless where he was born. However, the Birth must be RECORDED with the Philippine Gov't (easiest way if everyone is in the USA, id via the closest Philippine Embassy/Consulate. Once Birth of Baby is recorded and documentation is returned (+/- 2 months), then Baby can apply for and receive Philippine Passport - as stated above, this must now be done IN PERSON - even for infants. Time to process and receive back Philippine Passport is 2-3 months. Warm regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-09-26 14:40:00
Philippines	XOOM COUPON	Thanks for sharing that! We use Zoom and $6 is $6!! Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-09-28 20:34:00
Philippines	On her way :)	What? No banana ketchup in your spaghetti??? Dude, you are SO not converted yet!! Funny stuff! Made me smile! Thanks.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-09-22 16:38:00
Philippines	help with mama	I think gretchen should deal with her family not really you. she should be the one to explain to them or make her family realize that living here in US is not easy. i dont know know why you need to talk to them about money, boat or whatever... your making them expect something from you... Its like your trying to be the man who will rescue them from poverty or something like that... just forget about the family in the philippines and just deal with your finances first. And tell gretchen to talk to her family coz shes the one who can only stop or tolerate her family from asking money. And you just keep quite. Excellent Advice!	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-09-22 17:01:00
Philippines	report of marriage	That's correct, you do not need to go to the immigration office to report your marriage. You can report your marriage through the mail to the Philippines Consulate which has jurisdiction over the city where you got married. Or, you can go to the Consulate in person. Or, you can go to one of the Consulate's outreach programs which are listed on the Consulate's website. By the way, reporting your marriage is not mandatory unless you want to amend or renew your passport. ...or report the birth of a child. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-12 15:09:00
Philippines	Is her Philippine degree worthless in the U.S???	Jeez. Like I said, when I had my bachelors degree evaluated, mine came out as equivalent to a US degree. I never needed to take extra courses. I am currently in grad school for speech pathology here in PA. I even have a partial scholarship! That's terrific for you. However, Curriculum evaluations are on a course by course basis. THEN, that course by course evaluation is matched up to a SPECIFIC DEGREE PROGRAM AT A SPECIFIC (USA) EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. There is no way of saying that "My degree is equivalent to a USA Degree". The evaluation is that "My specfic (Philippine) course curricuum that I followed for my Degree matches up against the specific course curriculum requirements of XYZ Degree at ABC University in the USA and ABC University has agreed to grant me academic transfer credit for the following courses in their degree program." If all the required courses in their degree program are covered by this course by course granting of accademic credit, then great (a rare thing indeed). If not, you will have to make up the difficiencies. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-18 21:13:00
Philippines	Is her Philippine degree worthless in the U.S???	A couple points to consider: A "High School Diploma" in the Philippines is (generally and normally) completed at age 16. This (generally) concludes with a total of 10 years of primary and secondary instruction (education). A "Bachelors Degree" in the Philippines is (generally) completed at age 20. It generally includes 4 years of post secondary (post High School) instruction. When completed, the student will have 14 years of instruction (education). In the USA, a High School Diploma is (generally and normally) completed at age 18. This (generally) concludes with a total of 12 years of primary and secondary instruction (education). In the USA, a Bachelors Degree is (generally) completed at age 22. It generally includes 4 years of post secondary (post High School) instruction. When completed, the student will have 16 years of instruction (education). As you can see, and can be validated by looking at (most) Philippine University "Bachelor Degree" curriculum, a "Bachelor Degree" in the Philippines is analagous to a 2 year Associates Degree in the USA - not a Bachelors Degree in the USA. The first 2 years of the Philippine "Bachelors Degree" is analogous to the Third and Fourth year of USA High Schoool (secondary instruction years 11 and 12 in the USA). The last 2 years of the Philippine "Bachelor Degree" is analagous to the first 2 years of post secondary instruction (post High School) in the USA. Depending on the subject matter (major) of the Philippine "Bachelor Degree", these 2 years may be more in line with a USA 2 year Technical College degree or a USA 2 year Community College Associates Degree or simply the first 2 years of course study in a USA 4 year University Bachelor Degree curriculum. As many have stated here already, the USE of the Philippine Bachelor Degree in the USA is MOST IMPORTANT DETERMINANT in how it will be viewed and received: As a general Post Secondary Educational Achievement, for example, in an unregulated profession (such as a Philippine HRM Bachelor Degree in the USA Hotel Management Industry), it can provide value on its face, by demonstrating to a prospective employer that the candidate began a long term course of action, perservered in that course of action and completed that course action (ie began, persevered and completed (graduated) a University Degree), regardless of the underlying details of the degree program of study. This is a very attractive candidate attribute to a perspective employer. As an attained Degree in in a Regulated profession (such as Nursing or Law), the value of the Philippine Degree is more subject to scrutany based in the institution conferring the degree and the curriculum of the degree itself. There are also career specific proficiency exams required by Regulation Agencies in the USA that will be required in addition to the scrutany of the attained Degree - NCLEX, for example, in the Nursing profession. As an attained Degree for use in continued study for other attained Degrees in USA-based Institutes of Education (Universities, Colleges, etc), the fact that the Philippine Bachelor Degree (as a Degree) was conferred will be nearly meaningless. An evaluation of the specific coursework that was undertaken and completed (on a course by course basis) that made up the curriculum of the Degree at the specific University in the Philippines will be required. This evaluation must be performed by one of Associations accredited and approved for such curriculum evaluations by the USA University (or other Institute of Higher Learning) where credit is being sought. In general, the BEST CASE SCENARIO for a holder of a Philippine University issued "Bachelor Degree", would be gaining Junior Year (3rd Year) entry standing in a 4 year Bachelor Degree program of Study at a USA University or College. (Keep in mind that the first 2 years of a Philippine "Bachelor Degree" are years 11 and 12 of secondary instruction (education), which are equivalent to the last 2 years (years 11 and 12) of USA High School and as such would, generally, receive zero or close to zero transfer credit toward a USA University/College Bachelor Degree program of study. This would be a BEST CASE SCNARIO, a more NORMAL SCNARIO would be that the course by course review by the Curriculum Evaluation Association would result in "some" courses being accepted for transfer. Normally, the more specialized, regulated, higher level the degree, the less credits that will qualify for transfer. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-17 14:10:00
Philippines	Birth Certificate	the long birthcertificate has more information on it get a copy at nso. For immigration purposes you need what is referred to as a "Authenticated True Certificate of Birth". This is issued by the NSO. It is the only type of Birth Certificate that the NSO issues. It is sometimes referred to as the "long form birth certificate", although that name does not officially exist. As a previous poster replied to you, you DO NOT want any local birth certificate from the LCRO, Baranguy, Hospital, Midwife, Church, etc. The easiest way (and cheapest if you are located in the Philippines to get a copy of your NSO Authenticated Birth Certificate is online at https://www.ecensus....e/frmIndex.asp. (WARNING: If you are NOT in the Philippines, this way is much more expensive) Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-29 14:47:00
Philippines	Anyone ever attended their fiance(e)'s visa interview?	I was there for TinTin's appointment at USEM. However, was NOT allowed in the interview room. As others have said, it all depends on the CO you get. Some are nice and others are ..well..grumpy. TinTin's was definately Grumpy! That said, it was only 10-15 minutes long. I was still glad to have been there with her. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-11-03 13:28:00
Philippines	TeleServ in Philippines	Unfortunately, just some bad luck. Ecensus does deliver anywhere in the Philippines, even the most remote provinces. The cost is (suppossed to be) the cost. It seems that you just were the victum of an unfortunate combination of a lazy courier and some corrupt money grubbing middlemen. Sorry that happened to you. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-11-04 11:15:00
Philippines	Is there something wrong with how Filipinos use the word "Until"?	Not related to the "until" utilization, but the above posts have 2 examples of another "Classic (common)" example of Tagalog to English "translation" speedbumps (a gentle way of saying errors...) - The use of the word "ON". Number #1: "I understand what you are saying because I am on the same position." This use of "on" is very common from Filipinos, but is, in fact, a translation error. the correct english would be "I understand what you are saying because I am at the same (level)." Number #2: "Sometimes we have the tendency to translate our tagalog sentences in a conversational manner that gives a different meaning on how we want to convey the message." The correct english would be "Sometimes we have the tendency to translate our tagalog sentences in a conversational manner that gives a different meaning to how we want to convey the message." The "until" post just got me thinking of other examples to share. I continue to be impressed as can be at the amount of english coming from non native english speakers in the Philippines. I know , for me, it is all I can do to get a couple handfuls of Tagalog WORDS memorized - I can't imagine being able to actually construct whole sentences! And then try to do that with NO ERRORS..YIKES! Warm Regards, Samby Edited by TinTin and Samby, 06 November 2011 - 01:32 AM.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-11-06 01:28:00
Philippines	what kind of food is bakla	Private Judy arrived for her trial period last week and in general seems pretty happy but when I gave her the list of american food that she's not allowed to eat she got a little upset. She was yelling in philippino while she prepared my cheeseburger and kept talking about bakla. I got her lots of fish and rice so she should feel at home. I think if she started eating a bunch of american food it would be really un healthy for her. Is bakla philippino for cheeseburger? "Private Judy", huh....You certainly aren't shy with your "humor".......... Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-11-11 08:19:00
Philippines	Is this a Bigamous Marriage?	Simply put: If a Philippine citizen is married to a foreigner and the foreigner filed for divorce, the Philippines will acknowledge that the foreigner is divorced, not the Philippine citizen. It is for the sake of the convenience of the foreigner BUT the Philippines will still consider the Philippine citizen not divorce because: there is no divorce in Philippine law, only annulment but the marriage wasn't annulled in Philippine courts. http://showbizandsty...les-for-divorce Sorry, but you need to check your facts better. The above statement is not true. In the scenario where a non filipino spouse initiates (files) for a divorce from a filipino spouse in a court of competent jurisdiction, The Philiipines DOES recognize this divorce for the Filipino Citizen and will recapacitate him/her to remarry. This is one of a few well documented exceptions to the general principle of "No Divorce in the Philippines". If both of the spouses are filipino, or if the filipino spouse is the one who initiates the divorce procedings, then this exception would NOT apply and the Philiipines will not recognize the divorce. In this case, the Filipino does not regain his/her capacity to remarry. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-11-09 22:17:00
Philippines	Is this a Bigamous Marriage?	Her second marriage was null and void from the very beginning, because she was still legally married to her first husband. They can't get divorce anywhere in the world, because they're covered by Philippine laws. Unless she underwent naturalization and became a US citizen during her stay there, she can't file for divorce. She's STILL married to her first husband, I think. http://www.bcphilipp...hilippines/430/ +1 Which makes the 2nd marriage fraudulent and therefore not legally in force, which also makes the 3rd marriage fraudulent and not legally in force. Since neither the 2nd nor the 3rd marriage are legally in force, that makes any divorces of those marriages irrelevent. Since the OP states that her first marriage was to a Filipino in the Philippines, then there are ZERO divorce options for her with that one. Yes there are annullment options, but I doubt that annulmment at this time would be a curative action for all the subsequent fraud. At best, I would think, it would put her in a unmarried status and therefore legally able to be married again in the future. (Remember, the other marriages are irrelevant, because they were entered into on fraudent basis, and she did not have the legal capacity to marry, since she was still married to husband #1 (hence the charge of bigamy). On top of all of this, there are strong quentions to be asked regarding her immigration status - if illegal, then, it's illegal, period. If her status came about through a (suppossed) legal process, then it too could also be null and void if marriage was part of that process and she "hid" that first marriage. That's immigration fraud..if that is what happened. I also believe she is still legally married to the first husband (and only the first husband). All other marriages were entered into under fraud and have no force of law. The divorces from those other marriages are irrelevant. It's certainly a big mess and a great example of the downward spiriling out of control that can occur when trying to not follow the rules and then try to hide that fact. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-11-09 10:04:00
Philippines	Philippiness Back to US	On your return from PH to the USA, you will have to get a Waiver form for the "Filipino Exit Tax". The waiver can be gotten at the desk in the lobby hall of the main terminal of NAIA. There isn't a fee, but there usually is a line (well...it's the Philippines, so actually , no line...just a SWARM of unqued people!). You will need this waiver form BEFORE you check in at the Airline desk. So, just make sure you leave yourself an extra 30 minutes or so to get the form. (and of course, as you already know, you will need your PH Passport and your USA GreenCard.). Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-11-04 10:57:00
Philippines	List of US Banks affiliated to the Philippines	We have an account with BPI. When we want to put money into the account, we just have our USA bank send a check to the BPI office in San Deigo (National City). The BPI office there deposits it into our BPI account and voila, the money is there and available for withdrawl from any BPI bank branch in the Philippines. Time and Costs to process: 3-5 days for our USA bank to send the funds (US Mail) to the BPI bank branch in Californina. (no fee involved - source and target insitutions are both in the USA - it's basicaly the same as an electoinc Bill Pay transiaction) 1 day for the BPI bank branch in National City to process the deposit. Competitive currency exchange rates from USD to PHP (no commission or other fees for currency exchange). Flat fee of 7USD per deposit. Total Time: less tan 1 week. Total Cost: $7USD. Reliability: 100% - have been doing this for more than 2 years now. I have been trying to convince the BPI Bank Branch in National City to accept electronic transfers from US Banks, but so far no luck. If they will ever agree to this, then the Total Time to Process would decrease to 2 days. The process is very reliable, can be done from anywhere in the world (no personal visits required), but due to the 1 week time frame, this isnt a solution for "emergencies". Good Luck. Warm Regards! Samby Edited by TinTin and Samby, 01 January 2010 - 12:54 PM.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2010-01-01 12:49:00
Philippines	Q re: NSO Birth certificate: clerical error and faded	Not sure if the OP has resolved this issue or not by now. But, here's some information for you to consider: 1. You state that the clerical errors were already resolved in the past and that the NSO BC that you have, while faded, does have the Ammendment annotation on it explaing and correcting these clerical error(s). 2. if #1 is accurate, then all you need to do is order a new copy (i recomend you oder 10 copies - trust me, you will need one every time you turn around over the next 3 years) from NSO. This is VERY EASY to do online. The NSO will even deliver the copies to you. The cost ranges from minimal if the request is made inside the Philippines, to "manageable" if the request is made from outside the Philippines. The process (other than the payment pasrt) is the same, regardless. 3. The NSO copies that you order will come with the Ammendment Annotation on them. (Note, the original "incorrect" information will still be listed in the body of the BC, but the Annotation (usually written along the side or on the back will attest to the fact that certain data (it will be listed) has been corrected and updated to be as stated in that Annotation area. The website to use to order the NSO BC copies is: https://www.ecensus....e/frmIndex.asp. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-09-22 17:56:00
Philippines	Birth of Baby - US or Philippines?	All in all nice post TinTin and Samby I agree with almost everything you stated except #1. I THINK? NOT SURE? There are instances where Philippine law stipulates a difference between a citizen by blood and a citizen by birth. A child born to a Philippine parent would be a citizen by blood not by birth, hence not a natural born citizen if born in the U.S.A. Does anyone know if Philippine law stipulates a differnce in citizenship by blood or by soil birth? Where is it referenced? Wyatt Hi TRIPLEG. No difference in Philippine Law (or US Law for that matter). The definition of "NATURAL BORN CITIZEN" is a Child who was conferred Citizenship at the instance of birth - per the laws of the country conferring citizenship. In the Philippines, these laws are based on BLOOD relations, NOT GEOGRAPHY (location of Birth). In the USA, the laws are based on BLOOD relations OR GEOGRAPHY (location of Birth). Any other type of Citizenship other than NATURAL BORN is conferred based on some subsequent ACT performed by the Child or its Legal Guardians (Parents, etc). The most common of these other types of citizenship whould be NATURALIZED CITIZENSHIP - a process (ACT) that many of us here at Visa Journey are familier with. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-10 17:15:00
Philippines	Birth of Baby - US or Philippines?	The OP didn't say she's going through a c-section. She hasn't responded yet. Nonetheless, your post is very informative. She can now weigh more options so she her kid won't have a problem like Obama. Thanks, TEAPOTGURL1983. You are correct. It was not the OP that mentioned about the C-Section plan. It was a latter poster, TRIPLEG. My mistake. Thanks for pointing that out. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-10 17:07:00
Philippines	Birth of Baby - US or Philippines?	Many good posts here.... The biggest disadvantage is a problem birth. Philippines, you get the "What you can afford to pay service". In the USA there will be no expense spared... I have a friend with a million dollar preemie twins. In the Philippines,,, Who knows... Note: I understand a normal hospital birth in the Philippines is in the $400 range for costs. I am sure that costs varies region to region and is dependent on the type of hospital. Regards, Just a note, That would be in the provence for a NATURAL DELIVERY at a midwife facility. The OP stated she was planning on a C-SECTION. Two very different cost propositions. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-09 12:49:00
Philippines	Birth of Baby - US or Philippines?	There are several inaccuracies in the posts above. Hopefully the following will help to clarify the facts for the OP and others: 1. A child born to a US Citizen Father and a Philippine Citizen Mother is INSTANTLY a Dual (Natual Born) American and (Natural Born) Filipino Citizen AT the instance of birth. This is the case regardless of whether the birth occurs in the Philippines or if the birth occurs in the USA. 2. The Child's Birth must be REPORTED to the respective Governments so that they can document the fact that a new (Natural Born) Citizen has "arrived into the world". In this case, there are TWO different Governments that the Birth must be reported to: USA and Philippines. 3. The PROCEDURES for DOCUMENTING & REPORTING the birth are different for the Philippines and the USA. Remember, however, these are procedures for DOCUMENTING & REPORTING the FACT OF THE BIRTH. IT IS THE BIRTH THAT HAS CONFERRED THE REPSECTIVE CITIZENSHIPS, NOT THE DOCUMENTATION & REPORTING PROCEDURES. 4. For a child born in the USA (at a standard Hospital or Birthing Facility), the facility handles the DOCUMENTATION PROCEDURES for the US Government upon the birth of the child. This includes Recording the Birth with the State, Requesting a Birth Certificate be Issued, Requesting a Social Security Number be Issued, etc. Once this process is complete, the parents can apply for a US Passport for the Child. 5. For a chiled born in the USA, it is the PARENTS who must handle the DOCUMENTATION PROCEDURES for the PHILIPPINE Government after the birth of the child. This is done by filing a "REPORT OF BIRTH - CHILD BORN ABROAD OF PHILIPPINE PARENT OR PARENTS" with the Philippine Embassey/Consultate serving your State. Once this process is complete, the parents can apply for a PHILIPPINE Passport for the Child. 6. For a child born in the PHILIIPINES, items #4 and #5 are reversed. The Record of Live Birth reported to the LCRO (Local Civil Registry Office) (and which is then ultimately forwarded to the NSO) is (usually) handled by the Hospital/Midwife, etc. After this happens and is completed, the parents can apply to the NSO for an authenticated Copy of the Live Birth Certificate and use this to apply to the DFA for a PHILLIPINE passport for the Child. However, the Documentation Procedures for the US Government must be entirely handled by the parents at the US Embassey in the Philippines. Both routes end with the same outcome: the child will be a Documented, Natural Born Citizen of both the USA and the Philippines. As such, the Child will be entitled to all rights, privledges and responsibilities of citizens of each respective country. Specifically, regarding the comments above concerning Real Property Inheritance and Ownership, this child is a natural born Philippine Citizen and can inherit, own and sell real property without limitation (no different than his mother, for example). The limitations mentioned in posts above regarding Real property have to do with FORMER FILIPINO CITIZENS and NON CITIZEN FILIPINO RESIDENTS - neither of which apply to this child. (As a side note, these limitations can be removed for FORMER FILIPINO RESIDENTS via RA9225 - Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition of 2003.) There are restricitions placed on the Dual Citizen Child regarding certain High Ranking Policy Positions within the Government. For example, certain (but not all - in fact not even the majority) government positions (elected and appointed) in the Philippines would require the Child to renounce his USA Citizenship. There are other examples like this, but they are very few and none would RESTRICT the child, they simply would require additional actions from the Child (like the example, above of renouncing US Citizenship). As a Natural Born US Citizen, the Child may one day seek and be elected to the Presidency of the USA. So, for the OP, the outcome is the same, the choice is a cost / benefits analysis between having the child in the philippines and going through the required USA documentation procedures in the US Embassey or having the child in the USA and going through the required PHILIPPINE documentation procedures in the Filippino Embassey. Warm Regards, Samby Edited by TinTin and Samby, 09 October 2011 - 12:40 PM.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2011-10-09 12:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Philippines passport?	Hi Larry, Yes, the Philippines can be a frustrating place to get things done. When you say your gal neends her sss number..that's a bit confusing, becuase its pretty unusual that many fiilipinos , particularly younger ones would have this. Here is the link to the official requirements for getting a Philippines passport: http://www.dfa.gov.p.....me applicants One of the funny quirks about IDs in the philippines, is that typically the ID has to still be 'current' or 'active'. So former employer id's, if she doesnt work there anymore or former student ids, if she is no longer a student, often wont be accepted. I never could understand this point, since the ID is simply being offered as an 'Identifier' of the person, not a 'membership' to the issuing organization (employer, school, etc). Of well....when in rome... Another thing you will sometimes run into with IDs is that some places require those IDs to not be brand new, but instead have been issued for some amount of time - It varies, but I have seen examples of this from 1 month to 3 months. Interestingly enough, the Drivers License has 'saved the day' for several people I know. Even if they dont driver, they have gone to get a drivers license simply to have this valid government issued id that they can then use for other purposes.. You can see on the Passport site lnk that a DL is one of the valid IDs that is acceptable for passports. Voting is a big deal in the philippines, expecially in the provinces. You could ask your call if she can get her voter affidavit from her regional office. Also, NBI clearance is (relatively) easy to get. If they are saying you absoutely MUST have sss, push back or try somewhere else. Ask what the other ID options are possible. Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2007-07-23 20:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	APPROVED	Congrats to you! Congrats to You!! Warm Regards, Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2007-07-30 22:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Pls Help me to determine REAL NOA1 date	I think of it like this: Helps me to keep it straight with all those darn dates! MAILING DATE: date you mailed the application. ARRIVED DATE: Date the Postal Carrier (ie US Posal Service, of FedEx, etc) delivered the application to the USCIS RECEIVED DATE: Date the USCIS entered and "RECEIVED" the application into their system (THIS IS THE NOA1 DATE and as others have said is used for PRIORITIZATION and PROCESSING reasons.) NOTICE DATE: Date the Paper Notice was created - in this example it is an NOA1 notice, but is applicable to any kind of notice correspondance. So for the OP it would be: May 16 - MAILED DATE May 18 - ARRIVED DATE June 5 - RECEIVED DATE July 25 - NOTICE DATE (1st Notice) July 26 - NOTICE DATE (2nd Notice) Edited by TinTin and Samby, 06 August 2007 - 06:41 AM.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2007-08-06 06:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	July filer and still waitig	Yep...Other than the 2 exceptions, USCIS is still working on May, early june NOA1's. THose of us in July still have a bit of a wait...	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2007-10-23 16:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	OCTOBER 2007 ST. LUKE AND MEDICAL APPOINTMENT	Kevin_Johna, wonderful news! Congratulations! We wish you sucess on the medical and USE interview.	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2007-10-24 00:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	We are APPROVED!!!	Congratulations!!!	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2007-11-10 01:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	CSC Processing Times	Yes, It sure is frustrating to see the lack of consistency in processing times. Our NOA1 is July 17 and still no NOA2 or RFE or anything. And I can't get anywhere with an inquiry until after the six months current processing timeline has passed, so that's another 2 weeks of waiting. Ugh! -Samby	TinTin and Samby	Male	Philippines	2008-01-02 06:12:00