Akong kauban ug akong kalaban

It’s Friday, and that means it’s time for me to share my weekly column from SunStar Davao, Davao City’s largest circulation newspaper.

Since living in the Philippines, I have a lot of different kinds of friends or companions (kauban), different than I had in the USA.  Friends from many nations.  Of course, a lot of Filipinos, and also expats from countries all over the world.  My list of friends is like a veritable meeting of the United Nations, it seems!  I also have a few enemies (kalaban) here too.  Today, there is one kauban and one kalaban that I want to focus in on.

My kauban is a new friend, I just came to know him a week or so ago, but we seem to be best of buddies.  I would have never had this friend when I was living in the USA, that is certain.  They don’t have this kind of friend in the US.  My kauban is a butiki, or a small lizard!  Ha ha…  yes, it’s true.  I have a new friend who is really a small lizard.  It started about a week ago when I was sitting at my desk in my office and I noticed this little lizard running across my desk.  Bata pa sya (he’s still a baby).  This little fellow is about 1 inch and a half long.  He seems to be my constant companion, though.  I don’t know where his Mom is… I’m not even sure if mother lizards take care of their young after birth.

This little fellow (or is it a little girl? I’m really not educated in how to determine the sex of a lizard!) has been hanging around on my desk for a week already.  He’s not afraid of me anymore either!  Even if I put my hand right over next to him, he just stays there, kind of checking me out.  If I get a drink and put it on my desk, little butiki goes over and runs around the glass to see what it is.  Maybe he’s thirsty, I don’t know for sure!  But, one thing I do know is that he is curious.  As I said, he is also unafraid!  Despite seeing many butiki every day since living in the Philippines, I never saw one like this!  He is my first butiki friend!

Now, what about my kalaban?  Well, that’s an Iring (cat).  I’ve been a cat lover all of my life, and for some reason, cats have always been comfortable around me.  Usually, with any cat, we become fast friends.  But, this cat…  well, I don’t think it’s going to happen.  It all happened more than three years ago when my kids wanted a new cat, so we got one.  It was just a kitten, only a few weeks old.  At first, she (yes, I know how to determine the sex of a cat!) was friendly to me.  After she started getting a little bigger, though, she came to hate me!  I’ve never known why she hated me, though.

If I go anywhere near this cat, she stares at me, looking like she is about to pounce on me anytime!  It’s like her mortal enemy just walked into the room.  If I reach out to give her an affectionate touch, she will hiss at me, and reach out to claw me!  I’ve been injured by this cat on more than one occasion.  She hates me.  In my heart, I still want her to love me, though, because I’ve never had a cat in my life that didn’t like me!  But, what can I do?  She seems to be unable to ever befriend me!

Hey, cat… don’t you know who is buying your cat food?

So, well, those are my current friends and enemies at this moment.  I have to say that I never expected either a lizard friend, or a cat enemy!

Hmm… where is that little lizard?  I’m looking around my desk and I don’t see him.

Fleeting friends…

Filipino Time: First Encounter

I clearly remember my first encounter with a phenomena in the Philippines called “Filipino Time”. I can see all you guys out there married to your wonderful, beautiful Filipinas shaking your heads as you recall your first experience with this rift in the time/space continuum. I doubt it was a pleasant experience for any of you. I know it wasn’t for me. Keeping it as a repressed memory is probably not a good thing, so Mindanao Bob and “Live in the Philippines Web Magazine” affords me another opportunity to vent, for which I am grateful.

January 20, 2000, on a Thursday at approximately 12:05 pm is when I first experienced my initial contact with “Filipino Time”. It was a hot and muggy day in Coloocan City. It was my wedding day. My fiance and I were ready to make the trip to the City Hall in Coloocan where my future sister-in-law Marialos had already made an appointment and arrangements for our civil wedding ceremony. The ceremony was scheduled for 1:00 pm. Since I had been in the Philippines for only four days and on my first visit and having just met my wife-to-be Melinda this past Sunday night for the first time, I was a bit on edge. (Melinda and I had been writing each other for the past six months.) The jeepney ride to the City Hall was a half hour away so that meant Marialos had only 25 minutes to get ready, Melinda and I were going to be late for our own wedding.

Realizing that Marialos was a woman I thought it might take her more than 25 minutes to get ready to be a witness at her own sister’s marriage to a kano. Please do not perceive this as a sexist remark, but I thought maybe things are different in the Philippines with the ladies preparation time than in the United States (you guys married to Filipinas can stop laughing now.) I was getting extremely upset, but I was still trying to present my best side as one is apt to do when dating someone, and then once you are married you can revert back to your old caveman self and walk around in your boxer shorts, scratching your belly, while holding a san mig in the other hand. I calmly asked Melinda when her sister was going to get ready. Melinda replied it is OK, we are in the Philippines and everyone is always late. I (still) calmly replied that we were going to be late for our own wedding. It is not a problem, she replied, this is the Philippines. We are on Filipino time!

Finally at about 12:30 pm my sister-in-law starts getting dressed at the time we should have been leaving in the jeepney. I cracked. Wisely, and somehow, I did not use any profanity but asked my future Sainted Patient Wife in no uncertain terms what was the matter with her sister and why did she wait so long since she knew we had to be at City Hall at 1:00. Again, not to worry, she said.

Finally at 1:00, the appointed time for our civil wedding ceremony, Marialos  was ready. I was fuming! We go outside to catch a jeepney along with the rest of the relatives (too many to take in a air con cab I was told) and head towards Coloocan City Hall.

We arrive an half hour late, go up the stairs to the City Clerk’s office. The City Clerk that had arranged with my sister-in-law to have our wedding certificate ready, took one look at me and said something to my soon bride-to-be in Tagalog.

Suddenly the fee for the marriage license went up an additional 2500 pesos! What a day! My first encounter with “Filipino Time” and now I was experiencing for the first time the “Skin Tax”!

Well, things have worked out well since then. Oh, the marriage ceremony went as planned, and I have had almost ten years of marriage to my wonderful Sainted Patient Wife. Now we are living a great life in the Philippines. And “Filipino Time”? Better get used to it, brother. That is the way it is. That’s life in the Philippines!

On Cambridge Farm there were some cows!

In 1990 when Ellie was working on the construction of our building, she kept on getting all kinds of offers to buy thing at good prices from people who needed money pretty quick! She got a small Jeep for around p40,000 which really got abused and overloaded but did the job it was asked asked to do! The best buy I think was a small herd of cows consisting of about 35 heads for a really good price! This was from a very dear relation, Joe Deonoso who at that time had well over 1,000 cows and he said that he did not need this particular herd but really, as he was not short of money I really think that he was just being a good relation and wanted Ellie to get into the cattle business for a while!

All the cows were mostly the local variety of White Brahma, a few had other colors on them! Some were mothers and calves, some were yearlings and one was a good size bull who was kept busy with the lady cows! The was also a cowboy with them so we took him on also! We did not actually keep them at Cambridge Farm as it was too small so we kept them in a pen opposite Tropicana Beach Resort which was a very good location with plenty of water to be had from a borehole which was on the land! To graze the cows, the cowboy took them out to the hills every day, the hills were right at the back of the pen anyway so that made the job a lot easier! The pen was actually on a grazing leased piece of land so like everything else here it was not free as we had to pay the guy who held the lease one calf in three which was the standard going rate! We did try to get our own lease but all the areas which were available were well up on the hills with no roads and more importantly, no water so we accepted the place where the cows were, that way the cows knew where they lived anyway! Basically we were in a good location and had no real reason to move!

When I got back to General Santos on a leave period, I was asked to think about a brand for the cows so I did a few simple designs but unfortunately when we had them checked in the Cattle Brand Registration Office all were rejected as they were already in use or were very similar to existing brands so it was time to put brain in deep thought mode and the perfect brand appeared to me! Being British gave me the idea, the sign for the British Currency, the Pound Sign £! This design was approved and a local Brand Maker soon made up two different sizes, one for the large animals and one for the young ones!

Once we had the Branding Irons ready we decided on a day to brand the herd so as usual the food and drink was prepared and it was a family day out to do the deed then on to the beach! The cowboy did not take the Cattle out on that morning so as we arrived, a fire was built to cook the Branding Irons and the cattle were driven into a special trap with a strong gate on each end so that only one cow at a time could be penned and branded! A couple of other cowboys were assisting with the process so there was no real problem except for a couple of the calves who were not happy about being separated from their mums for the first time and the mums were not too happy hearing their babies shouting for them especially when they got their first kiss with the Branding Iron!

The actual Branding was very interesting to me because I had seen it in movies before but had never actually seen it done live before! The cowboy was very skillful at Branding as he knew when the Branding Iron was the correct temperature, if it was too hot it would burn through the hide and could possibly cause infection, if too cold then the Brand would not be permanent! Also when applying the Brand he kept the contact time very short, just long enough to leave a permanent mark! Once the work was finished we all feasted in the normal Philippino Style at Tropicana Beach Resort and went swimming etc, the cowboy on the other hand after eating took the newly branded cows up the hills to graze! They all seemed non the worse for their Branding Adventure and some still had several other brands on them from previous owners!

Now as the Branding was going on we had to fill out new papers for each cow so that we could register the New Brands with the correct office! The registration form was basically a single page with two cow pictures on it, one right and one left side and a few lines for details! On the cow drawings we had to put the distinguishing marks of each animal meaning the different Brand, colors etc, also you can guess what we had to draw to signify a bull! Once the paperwork was completed it was submitted and stamped at the office and we had our official copy! These copies came in handy a while later when I was doing my permanent residency as I added then into the requirements to show my wealth!

Once the herd was all registered we really had nothing to do with them as the cowboy looked after them, all we had to do was check on them once in a while and we had a couple of relations who worked in the cattle business so they checked up on them also! The Bull did his job well and kept the cows pregnant all the time, any who did not get pregnant was destined for slaughter! We had a couple of young calves run down by trucks on the road but the meat was good so we ate them anyway so It was no real loss!

We had several young Bulls which we were told needed to be castrated so again a day was set, the food and drink prepared and again it was family day at the beach also! Once again I had never seen this done live before and I thought that the cowboy would use a knife on the unwanted parts but I could not have been more wrong! The cowboy had a piece of equipment called a Burdizzo, this looked very much like a Vice Grip for holding pipes, it was designed to go over the testicles and had a flat bar on each end of the vice piece and was clamped onto the poor unsuspecting bull so that the skin, blood supply and nerves were compressed into the thickness of a piece of paper! The testicles then basically died and was reabsorbed into the body leaving the once Bull to be a eunuch! Ouch! One thing, when the Burdizzo was applied, the unlucky animal did not move a muscle or even breath until the clamp was removed a few seconds later, job finished!

All this was the interesting part of being a part of a cattle owner, paying the salary of the cowboy every month, buying medication and inoculations and other stuff cost quite a lot per year! We also had a couple of cows stolen but we kept the herd for several years and it increased in numbers until we had 55 heads but the joy of owning cattle was gone really and after getting a very good offer for the herd we decided to sell it and do something else with the money!

If we had lived out where we had the cattle then I am sure that we would have kept them all but its really not a good idea to have expensive livestock out in a place where you cannot actually keep an eye on them yourself!

Is there opportunity in the Philippines?

Again, today I am sharing with LiP readers my weekly column from SunStar Davao, the biggest local Davao newspaper, where I write every week.  I hope you enjoy the article.

One thing that I really see a lot of here in the Philippines, which makes me feel bad, is the huge rush of Filipinos who want to go abroad.  The crowd of those who want to leave is so huge, it almost seems like everybody you know is on a quest to leave the country.

When you look into this and try to figure out why everybody wants to leave, the reason is almost universally that the people want to find work.  They need jobs that they feel are not available here in the Philippines.  They want to improve their lives, make more money, support their family, etc.  You can’t blame a person who wants to improve their standing in life.

It’s true that when you look around the country, it would seem that there are not a lot of promising jobs to be found.  For somebody without much training, they might get lucky and land a job at a fast food chain, or in a department store as a clerk.  But, how much of a future is there in those kind of jobs?  Well, unfortunately, it seems like most of those jobs are only temporary contract jobs that last for 5 or 6 months.  After that short time passes, the employee is let go, and a whole new staff seems to start working.  I suppose that I also would have a hard time getting excited about only being able to find such a temporary job like that.

However, is it true that there is no opportunity in the Philippines?  In my opinion, that simply is not the case!  I see so many opportunities available and just waiting for the right person to fill the slot.

I am from the United States of America, and I always hear a lot of Filipinos tell me that they want to go to the USA so they can find work and help support their family here in the Philippines.  However, what these people don’t realize is that life is tough in the USA.  The pace of life is fast, and there is little time to rest.  In the States, if you aren’t staying busy, you are losing ground.  Often you won’t have time for your family, you only have time to work!  Believe me, it’s not an enjoyable way to live your life when you have to work all the time like that!

If you want to start up any kind of business in the States you need a few things:

1. Lots of money.  Starting any kind of business in the States takes a ton of money!  If you don’t have that cash, you might as well give up on the goal too.
2. Plenty of time.  If you go into business for yourself, you are signing up for a lot of hours at the job!  No time to do anything but work, it seems!  Especially for those just starting a business, because they often can’t afford to hire an employee or two to assist in carrying the load.  So, the owner of the business must do everything himself!  It’s not an easy life, and it can take years to build your business to the point where you can start sharing the burden with a few employees.
3. Lots of patience.  You have to be patient long enough to make the business successful.  Patient with not having much money too!  You will have to reinvest much of your earnings to make the business grow, and make it a success.

However, here in the Philippines, it is still possible to start your own business on a low budget!  Hiring employees is inexpensive too.  Families here are close knit, so you can get some of your family to help out too!  Nieces, Nephews and such are always looking for work, and would be happy to help you get your business up and running!

The other great thing in the Philippines is that there are a lot of business niches that are still unfilled.  In the USA, it seems like no matter what kind of business you want to get into, there are many others already doing it here!  No so here in the Philippines, though!  If you can “think outside the box” or be creative in your thinking, you an still find plenty of opportunities here in the Philippines.

Another great thing about finding a business niche here in the Philippines is that if you stay here you can still enjoy your family here, the Philippines foods, culture and such!  If you leave the country you will soon find that you are missing these very basic things in life, and you will long for these things for many years!

So, next time you think that you want to go abroad, try to spend a little time thinking about what your best option is!  I firmly believe that there is plenty of opportunity to be had right here in the Philippines!  If you keep an open mind, and do some creative thinking, I think you will find that I’m right too!

Dear Feyma: I need a house!

Time for another edition of Dear Feyma, where I try to help readers with Philippine related issues that they may be facing.

If you have a question you wish to have featured here on my “Dear Feyma” column, please contact me through the “Contact Us” link at the top of each page here on the Live in the Philippines Web Magazine.

This week, I have heard from a number of people looking to buy or rent property here in the Philippines.  I have combined several of their e-mails into a single e-mail that will answer all of them at once.  I hope they don’t mind, it just makes it easier this way, and they will each get their answer.  Also, it makes it where they will remain more anonymous.

Dear Feyma,

“I am interested in buying a house and lot in Davao. A member of my wife’s family bought a house and lot up North. I like to be in Davao since I’ve heard a lot of good things about the place. I want a place in the city proper. Is there a 4-5 bedroom house in Davao City? Is it safe there?”

I received an email regarding buying a house here in Davao City. A guy wrote to me asking for it. Of course I told him that I saw some places here in Davao that’s for sale with the specification that he is asking for. In around Davao and in the gated area too. I told him that Davao really is the safest city right now in the Philippines. Thanks to the Mayor of Davao City, Mayor Duterte.

Somehow he has to convince his wife first before moving back here to the Philippines. One of his wife’s family members bought a house somewhere in the Northern part of the Philippines. The house that was bought there had the specifications that he wanted. So he really is itching to purchase here if only his wife will say the big yes. I think she will agree to him in buying  a house if its near to the family member that just purchased.

He had problem buying up North because the house that just bought by the family member was hit by the typhoon “Ondoy”. The house got damaged. And this guy doesn’t want to be there in Luzon after hearing from the family that the got hit and upon seeing on TV of what happened. But somehow the wife still wants to be there to be near to her family. I can’t blame her for wanting to be near the family. I am hoping that the couple can resolved their issues with the place they will retire later. I can see the point of the husband, but I can’t blame the wife for her decision too. Personally for this couple I think they should just put the moving to the Philippines on hold for a long awhile until both of them can agree a 100% where they want to stay here in the Philippines.

My advice to the couple to really decide tightly so that at the end no one will have the resentment. Moving here is not easy, the Filipina had to readjust again here with the culture and the weather.  The husband he has to adjust being here and seeing the poor people all over the place which is not easy at first. It took us like 3-4 years to really adjust being here. Culturally for me I had to relearned being in the States for 10 years, with Bob he had to rom me, the people and from his Bisaya teacher Bebe Metillo, thank God for her.  She taught me a lot too.

Good luck to you and your wife. You can email me anytime!

TWO in a Row

This almost never happens.  How and why is it now?  I am so very lucky to be here to experience it.  Yet, I’m a little saddened by the notion that I may not have a similar experience again (at least in the near future).

Faces around me are smiling broader smiles than smiled before.  Tempers are non-existent.  A sense of cheerfulness and celebration permeates the air.  Even farmers harvesting the damp, heavy rice in their moisture-laden fields appear to be enjoying their most difficult labors.

Okay, Paul, get to the point!  Just what is it that’s appears to be so marvelous?

It’s TWO IN A ROW!

No, it’s not two typhoons in a row, though another approaches us from the direction of Guam.  Two different and welcome commodities – between two such devastating weather systems – are here.  They are two COOL but BRIGHT and SUNNY DAYS in a row (and it’s, like, “totally cool,” too!).   Two picture postcard, travel magazine, Live in the Philippines, b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l days.

Somehow, we found ourselves in an uncommon weather pattern:  one that limits temperatures to the mid- to upper-20s C (low-80s F) with humidity in the low- to mid-40% range.  It also provides cool breezes via some errant trade winds while allowing the only visible clouds to be off in the distance of the South China Sea.  No one cares about the how and the why.  It’s just a time to enjoy it no matter what you are doing.

Even the mountains of Cagayan and Apayao provinces are shedding their usual haze and joining us.  They hide during this time of year, pelted with daily rains that, in turn, keep our rivers and irrigation systems full.  Yesterday and today, however, they threw off their humid veils and joined us.  I should have known that something was up.

This is a day to celebrate – maybe with a picnic or an impromptu party, or just a pleasurable merienda on a nice, soft chair in the shade.  Today (and yesterday), there are no cares in this world that deserve our direct attention.

Not all is wonderful, however.  Often heard this time of year is the cry of “Awan curriente!” [There's no power - brownout].  That cry sounded this morning at 6:10 AM.  Some electrical grid preventive maintenance needs doing before the next set of stormy days attacks us.  To me, though, that’s even more justification to take a break from one’s burdens and enjoy this surrounding life.

Of course, for me, that celebration will include another pair – two of my favorite “party favors” – an ice-cold bottle of San Miguel Beer and a delightful Tabacalera Corona.  Many, both in the islands and abroad, consider these to be among some of the best products that The Philippines has to offer the world.

Many of you, dear readers, have enjoyed pleasurable moments with San Miguel Beer (even you “Red Horse” lovers).  SMB is sort of the unofficial ambassador of good taste, introduced to guests and friends whenever and wherever they meet or gather.  It has become a modern-day (albeit a 20^th Century) cultural expression or gesture of friendship, as well as an all-around thirst quencher and “doggone good beer.”  I need not go further into its story – almost everyone has his or her own San Miguel tale or secret to tell.

The flavor-rich offering by Tabacalera, on the other hand, is probably unknown among our readership as well as others around the world.  A Philippine tobacco product at its finest, it is helping bring about resurgence in the popularity and desire for a “Manila Cigar” (enjoyed mostly in Manila and surrounding areas just prior to and at the beginning of the 20^th Century by the Spanish population, U.S. Servicemen and the Pinoy/Pinay well to do and hoi polloi).  For me, the flavors of both complement each other.

The tobacco company, La Flor de La Isabela, has owned the Tabacalera brand and has been hand rolling its various sizes of cigars in Manila since 1881.  The brand itself is a bit older, with origins in the province of Pampanga.

The tobaccos used, as the company’s name implies, are from the province of Isabela.  Augustinian friars, realizing the similarities between this province and the tobacco growing regions of Cuba, brought Cuban tobacco seeds to the area and began what is now a centuries’ old industry.

Other provinces on the island of Luzon, including those in the Ilocos region, grow tobacco as well.  Their tobacco, however, is more of a burley or Virginia type for use in cigarettes, and “un-taste-worthy” for cigars.  I’ve seen these varieties grown by neighbors for the commercial cigarette companies.  Those neighbors will also grow a section of “Habano” tobacco plants for personal use – rolling them into huge cigars that are popular among elderly Ilocanos.

Daylight is ending as we end this story.  We’re still with “awan curriente,” but who cares?  Lanterns and candles are now the order of the day (or should I say evening) as relatives and friends gather on the veranda for chitchat with light (weight not brilliance) refreshments.  The skies are star-lit, and the breezes remain ever so cool.  It’s the perfect end to a perfect day – the second in a row.  The norm at this time of year, provided it’s not raining, is a hot, muggy evening.

The festive air remains and voices are all lilting with pleasure.  This is life worth living.  Even with the brownout, there’s personal reason for joy.  If we had power, an over-night karaoke session would be about to start!

(SEASONAL UPDATE:  My salute and my heartiest (but belated) best wishes go out to all of my fellow veterans for this Veterans’ Day, 11/11/2009.  You can best believe that the above mentioned “pair” that “beats a full house anytime” was dealt and played in your honor quite a few times.  My suggestion to all today:  Give a Veteran a belated holiday hug & kiss in gratitude for your freedoms.)

(Note:  No one received any money or payment in kind for the mention of the commercial products discussed above.  This is not an advertisement.  Outside of the ringing personal endorsement of the author alone, this magazine does not endorse or sponsor said products.  The author, however, does remain open to any reimbursement – preferably “in kind’!)

I’m Still Not Him, circa 2001

This is to prove that even I had trouble getting my ACR card.

Last week I told you about how I had to prove I was me to the U.S. Government, the time before that in 2001, I had to prove to the Philippine Government that I’m not him. This time I go to Manila because I had to finish up the paperwork’s on my application, for a permanent ACR, this was a few years ago. I received my temporary ACR, which was good for one year, on probation. I assumed that since I received all these official papers from the Department of Immigration that I had jumped all over all the hurdles, slipped between all the cracks, and was on the road to easy times.

Wrong again! The next year I had to prove for the second time that I was not someone else. How would one do that? Can you prove a negative? Yes by using the “Affidavit of Not Same Name” unlike the “Affidavit of Loss” (To prove a lost car tag) which I submitted to the LTO that same month.

Mr. Computer man informed me that my name was on the bad list in their computer. (I was hoping it was listed in the big book, no such luck. There was a name somewhat (note “somewhat”) like mine, belonging to a man from Great Britain.

I smiled and explained that this came up last year and the year before and we’d solved the problem. How could I be standing here with a valid ACR if this had not been solved? I was informed that I had to speak with the “Director” of the records section to solve this dilemma. Now again, the quest begins anew! Down the yellow brick road to see the Wizard! The wizard informed me that I must return to Olongapo City and visit the local office of the NBI to clear my name or the name of the guy from Great Britain. Thinking fast and working to inflate the wizard’s ego I smiled and said that I fully understood his need to insure that the Republic of the Philippines be protected from these nefarious types of people, and I for one agreed, and would help to the limits of my abilities! (Hey! It sounded real good to me.) Then I showed him my new plus old passports, which I hoped, would prove that I was never been a citizen of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island. Then I showed my U.S. Merchant Seaman’s Card, my retired U.S. Military ID Card, and then told him I had visited Great Britain and that Pub Grub is good. I felt the food comment was the winner.

He waived the NBI stuff, and all I had to do was cross the street, see one of the shade tree Lawyers and type up my “Affidavit Not Same Name.” And of course pay 500 Pesos! Set to go? Oh ye of little faith! I now have a valid ACR good for one year, and then was then informed that we are now going to the “I-Card or E-Card” or whatever was in style that year. So let’s start again. I choose to live here, and it’s still good.

Continued next week, oh yes there is more.

What about expats?

Before I start writing on my topic for today, let me say in advance that this is a real hot button issue for Americans.  I want to remind all readers and participants on LiP to please keep the discussion civil.  No name calling.  Please, let’s just focus in on how expats are affected, and not the debate of the issue itself.

Health care. It has been a major issue in the United States for decades now.  There was a big rush of activity in the early 90’s when President Bill Clinton tried to push through a National Health Care plan, with the effort being headed up by his wife, Hillary.  After the proposal was shot down in the early 90’s, the issue of a nationalized health care system kind of faded for a while, although issues like the cost of health care and such continued to be ever present.

With the new administration of President Obama, there has been a renewed push to get a National Health Care system in place in the United States.  In the past 24 hours, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed their Health Care Plan by a very slim 220-215 vote.  One Republican crossed to vote with the Democrats, so it can hardly be called a bipartisan effort.  The debate over health care now shifts to the U.S. Senate, where a bill has yet to be passed.  If the Senate passes Health Care legislation, the next step will be for the two houses to meet in a conference session to wrangle out the differences in the two bills that are passed.  After that, the final bill would be presented to the President for his signature.

I know what you are thinking…

But, Bob, you don’t live in the United States, why would you really care, and what does it have to do with Living in the Philippines?  Why are you writing about this?

Well, as the bill sits right now, it would seem that it might have an impact on expats living anywhere in the world, even in the Philippines.  Why?  How?

Under the House version of the bill, there is language that says that every American must have health care coverage.  In fact, if you do not purchase a health insurance plan, you are subject to a fine of $15,000, and if you do not pay that fine, you can be put in jail.  Yes, if the Health Care plan is signed into law as it is now written, you may be put in jail if you do not have Health Insurance.

What about expats?

The bill does not say “All Americans who live in the United States must have coverage.”  It says that “All Americans must have health insurance.”  So, what if you do not live in the United States?  I am an American, but I have not been in the United States for nearly a decade.  I do not have any kind of US Health Insurance coverage, because I have no plans to go to the USA for any kind of health care treatment.  I feel perfectly safe with the health care that is available to me in the Philippines.

There are only a few (actually I know of only one) Health Insurance plans available in the USA that will cover you for treatment in the Philippines.  The one that I am aware of is Tri Care, a plan for US Military Personnel and Retirees.  Other plans will cover you for emergency care in the Philippines, but not for regular health care for those who live here.  I am not saying that there are no such plans, only that I know of none.

Now, there are health care plans that you can avail of here.  If you have a Philippine spouse, you can get PhilHealth, the Philippine Government Insurance plan for your health.  It is very inexpensive (P1,200 per year!), but the coverage is also limited.  If I have PhilHealth Coverage, I wonder if the US would consider me to be in compliance with the proposed law?  I sort of doubt it.

So, will I, and others like me, be required to purchase Health Care Insurance coverage from a US company, even though we don’t live there?  If we don’t buy it, will we face a stiff fine, or jail time?  Frankly, I think that is crazy.  I also think that it is something that has not been considered by those who are considering the law.  There are tens of thousands (possibly hundreds of thousands, I’m not sure) of Americans who do not live in the USA, so this is a real issue that needs to be checked out.

So, what do you think?  When or if you move to the Philippines, what are your Health Insurance plans?  Do you have any plans?  Do you plan to self-insure, since health care costs here are actually quite low?

Give me your thoughts, but please remember, let’s only talk about how this legislation affects expats.  No name calling, it’s just now what we do here!

Cambridge as an Actual Farm!

In 1990 Ellie moved back to General Santos City from England, I was still employed in Africa at the time so I could only join her during my break periods! Once she had renovated the existing dilapidated house into a livable domicile she moved onto the land so that she could be on top of the construction all the time!

Some of the local people asked her if she would like to continue with the Rice Farm and if so they would assist her, for a price of course so she agreed as the land was doing nothing anyway so she decided to try to make a little extra cash from it! The local Farmers moved in with their Carabao Powered Equipment and started plowing the land, removing the weeds, constructing the Dyke’s, flooding the rice fields and plowing and leveling until they were satisfied that all was good and once they were happy they sewed the rice seed into the prepared fields! It did not take very long for the new rice shoots to break the surface of the water and when they did the color of green was really fantastic, it was a new life green and very satisfying to see!

As the Rice grew there were other thing to do as fertilizer had to be applied to the plants to make them grow healthy and commercial pesticide were added in order to stop the insects from eating the shoots! Weeds were also a problem as they would strangle the plants if they were not removed so periodically we would hire the traveling gang of female weeders who were very hard working and skillful at what they did! They also captured plenty of Rice Frogs as they worked and they would cook them up for their snacks! These Rice Frogs were only small but very delicious!

The only real problem that we had with growing rice came from a very mean Farmer who lived near by, his nick name was Saddam and it was a very suitable name for him! He would cut off our irrigation water and divert it to his own rice fields even if they were over flowing, he had no consideration for anybody else and was not very popular with anyone in the community! His action was a pain in the butt really but we would just keep on sending one man to stand by the irrigation to make sure that he did not dry us out!

Once the rice was fully grown, the irrigation water was stopped and the fields allowed to dry out, this was the cause of the next problem which was totally natural! As the rice dried, swarms of small sparrows arrived in order to get their share of the harvest but this was a problem I was expecting as even back in England I made ready for a bit of farming and purchased a state of the art electronic machine which was guaranteed to keep birds away for an area of 10 Hectares and more but unfortunately no body told the local birds about this, it did not work on them at all so really it was a complete waste of money so we reverted to the local time tested method of getting a gang of kids with tin cans on a strings to scare the birds away! Strangely enough, the stupid bird eliminating machine worked very well on swarms of grasshopper! They never mentioned that in the handbook!

When the rice was dry and ready to harvest it was all hands on deck to get the harvest in before the birds got too much but once it was all in along came a man with the machine towed by his carabao which separated the rice from the stalks! For this service it was a share deal, for every so many cans of Rice or Palai as it is called his share would be one can of rice! I cannot remember the share but it was OK! Once the machine guy and the harvesters each got their share we took our rice to a nearby mill to have the hulls removed and the rice polished, once again the payment for this was a share and at last we could actually see our total share of the harvest which was good for us as we did not have to buy rice for quite some time!

After a couple of harvests of rice we were advised to grow Corn or Maize as its locally known by so once again, in came the Carabao guys to plow the fields, remove any weeds and get the land ready to plant! The planting was done by everyone in order to make it quick so even children followed the men who made holes with sticks for the seeds to be dropped into then the soil was pushed back into the hole with a workers foot to cover the seeds! As the Maize sprouted and was growing, Fertilizer and Pesticides were applied as required and plowing was done in between the rows by Carabao Plow without destroying a single plant! Growing maize was much easier than Rice as it was much less labor intensive and also the water requirements for Maize was much less than Rice!

When it came to harvesting the Maize there was a group of people who specialized in this work and would clear the whole field on a share basis as usual so we did not really have much to do with the harvest except to keep an eye on the people doing the harvest! Once all the heads were gathered in, all the outer leaves were stripped off by hand and the heads and seeds were dried out in the sun! Once dry, the machine guy once again appeared and removed the seeds from the head and again got paid by share! One thing with a Maize Harvest was the fact that you could see your harvest immediately unlike Rice where there was still another step to finishing the final product! Some of the harvest we kept for animal feeds and some for our own use while the rest we sold in the market! The stalks were cut down and taken away by by people to feed their livestock then Cattle and Carabau were put into the fields to clear the stubble a bit more and also do a bit of organic fertilization for free!

The problem in a way for growing both Rice and Maize was that we had to pay people to do every step of the work which reduced our profit quite considerably, also our land was a bit small having only about 1.5 hectares to farm where 4 hectares would have been much better! For a local farming family who does all the work themselves the profits are larger but usually after they have paid off their credit to everyone they are really no better of than we managed!

As this was going on, Ellie was playing with the seeds which we had shipped out in our container from England but this was not too successful! The Tulips and Daffodils we brought out were planted but without a bit of cold weather to activate them they never woke up! The other flowers grew but were not at all like they should have been! Short border type flowers grew about 3 feet high and had tiny flowers and the taller flowers grew normally but again with tiny flowers! Even Roses produced only small flowers! The vegetables fared no better as the local insects had a field day with them so we gave up on the imported seeds and tried the local varieties which grew no problem but unfortunately when ours were ripe for the picking so was the harvest of everyone else in the area so the bottom fell out of the market and there was no profit to be made!

One thing that did grow easily was Aubergine or Egg Plant! Ellie grew a lot of this to feed the workers so we all had Egg Plant fried in egg with breakfast, also for lunch and dinner was an Egg Plant recipe, even at break times many times we had an Egg Plant something or other! After a while of the Egg Plant diet something mysterious happened and many of the mother plants died off, I am sure that the workers contributed to this problem somewhere along the line!

Also on our farm we had a mixture of Animals and Birds: Cows, Carabao, Pigs, Goats, Sheep, Rabbits, Turkeys, Geese, Ducks, Chickens, Fighting Cocks, Bantams plus Dogs and Cats, even a pet Crow! These were mostly to make it look more like a working farm and were not really for profit but many of them made very good eating! Unfortunately, once the Hotel business got going we had to remove most of our livestock as the guests did not appreciate being woken up by the squealing of hungry Pigs or the Fighting Cocks going off at any time of day or night! The Geese used to chase people around the car park and Toto the Billy Goat found great amusement by sneaking up behind people and butting them from behind! I will tell you more about the Cambridge Livestock but that’s another story!

Now we do not attempt any form of farming now as the area was officially changed from Agricultural to Residential and the land we have is now pretty well covered with things like the Hotel, Dive Shop, Pool, Cottages, Car Park while all other areas are covered with Plants and Trees! We do get good Seasonal Fruits as we do have trees and plants which give edible foods like: Mango, Avocado, Jack-Fruit, Papaya, Star Apple, Calabash, Noni, Cami-as both sweet and sour, Malungai, Banana’s, Giobano, Coconuts, Chico, Cashew, Breadfruit, Chillies and of course Aubergine! Please excuse my local spelling of some of these fruits if it is not correct!

All in all we had a good time playing at being farmers but when you have to pay for every aspect then the profits which could be made are cut back considerably but it was fun doing it! I will recommend anyone to try to do a bit of Farming if you have a bit of spare cash but if you have to employ people to do all the work for you then do not expect to make a fortune at it but rest assured, you will have fun!

Up North: UPDATE

So very much can and does happen in three months time.  Has it been three months already?  Let’s check the calendar and see.  We arrived home in mid-July and November is replacing October on the calendars.

Yes, I guess we have been here for about three and a half months – time for an update on what could and did happen.   There have been dry, sunny days as well as typhoon-induced windy and rainy days.  There have been good days, great days, and days better left to history alone.  

I’ll highlight the better-known (and reported) incidents.  They are, however, just the tip of this tropical iceberg called Live in the Philippines, Up North.

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HEADLINE:  Katulong – Lost and Found!

As you may know, the katulong who had taken care of our house in our absence, greeted us when we arrived, and helped us unpack is no longer in our employ.  She left us for that “higher calling” of love and marriage, and appears to be getting along well in that endeavor.  After what felt like an eternity of searching, we employed a new, part-time katulong.

An Ilocano proverb fits our situation pretty well:  “Ti napíli makapíli ti kuggangí.”  [He who is choosy often picks the worst.]

So far, so good:  our new katulong is learning the ins and outs of the job and of our expectations.  Sure, as with all new employees, there have been a few hiccups.  We solved those with improved communications, explaining the job’s requirements and limits.  You can’t do well if you don’t know what it is you are to do! 

Progress was positive, then what I believe was the inevitable happened.  You see, our katulong is a fisherman’s wife and has lived in poor fishing sitios and puroks all her life.  Not only was she learning how to keep house for us, she was learning how to keep house, period.  (It’s the often-observed result of a culturally pleasing affirmative answer whenever most pinoys/pinays are asked if they can do something.  “Can you do the work of a katulong?”  “Oh, yes!”)  She now says that we “may not be seeing her for a little while.”  (Translation:  “I give up; I’m quitting!”)

So, it will be back to “search mode” for baket ko (asawa ko) [my wife].  She still has some prospects lined up, and I’m still partial to fried Spam & rice, so things will work out.  (A little cuter this time, honey!)

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HEADLINE:  “The ‘BRO” & Internet Connectivity

Another search, this one a little more adventurous, resulted in putting us “on-line” and connecting us with the world via the Internet.  We sought out, found and obtained “broadband” service through SMART Bro.  Though fate stymied my further search for the “Share It” router and its 2Mbyte service, I remain happy with what service I have.  After all, I have “The ‘BRO’s” word that this higher speed service, which has yet to make its way to the smaller municipalities of outlying provinces, will be available next year.  In addition, I’m sure I could say that my current service is faster than “dial-up” if I had landline telephone service for comparison.

Sure, as with all new systems, there have been a few hiccups.  (I’m getting a sense of déjà vu – seems I’ve seen that somewhere before.)  Ever since the seven-day brown-out that accompanied and followed the show-stopping, three-time appearance of Typhoon Peping in early October, my connectivity has been spotty at best.  (Okay, Paul, enough with all of those hyphenated-words . . . now stop that!)  Service finally came to a halt some nights ago.  A call on the SMART Bro Hot Line resulted in the scheduling of a visit by a crack SMART Bro Tech Team on Saturday, same week.  (The little truck appeared at noon.  Manolito, Mo-Mo and Jackie-Boy had returned and they repaired a bad connection to the feed-cable inside the antenna unit.  THANK YOU, SMART Bro.) Coincidently, the LBC courier showed up the day before the “halt” with the SMART Bro bill that is due in two days’ time.  Do I detect an adventure (”turn over the money and will give you back your service”) story here somewhere?

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HEADLINE:  Rainy Season Nixes Movement

Wet weather continues to keep us close to home though, as reported here, we managed to venture out a couple of times.  This past week has been a little drier than most.  What that really means is that the rains start a little later in the day.  Planning trips or outings that will take longer than half a day is not yet possible, as, by the time you know the weather will hold for the day, there isn’t much time left in the day for the outing.

Sure, as with all . . . (insert your favorite “hiccup” déjà vu line here).  A few outings started out dry but ended up with our damp turn around for home.  There are plenty of dry days ahead of us, so those trips and outings (and their resulting articles and reports) will be on the back burner for the not so dry now.

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HEADLINE:  Wee Hour Wee Visitors

It appears that we had another visit from the “small people,” as our nephew refers to them.  I’ll refrain from saying the name “Aeta,” as I’ve since learned that they don’t really enjoy that label (ditto for “Negritos” or “Pugot”).  For lack of their proper tribal name, then, I’ll borrow on our nephew’s diplomacy and refer to them as “small people,” too.  The chronicler for this visit was our Auntie, the mother of the nephew who related the first visit.  Auntie was more forthcoming and timely in her report.

This episode involved only two small individuals for whom all of the neighborhood dogs barked as before (déjà vu for two?).  One of the two peered in through the gate while the other sat and enjoyed a smoke (Auntie believes it was a hand-rolled cigarette, or something of that nature, as this person’s hands were a bit busy prior to the smoke).  They stayed around for the duration of the latter’s moment of pleasure, only to hasten off again when they detected Auntie watchfully eying them.  She described them as short, stout, very dark almost black, very curly short hair, wearing shirts, shorts and slippers, and being very fleet of foot.  Having a longer look at the “small people” than her son had previously, Auntie was able to provide more detail in her descriptions of everything she witnessed.

Where was your humble columnist during this episode, you ask?  As before, here was a chance for a nocturnal, cultural adventure, AND I SLEPT RIGHT THROUGH IT!  Baket ko (Asawa ko) [My wife] now makes sure that any dog barking at night is answered by my sleepy-eyed gaze and investigation.

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HEADLINE:  Three Strikes & You’re Out!

I guess this is the major story of our first three months.  Typhoon Peping took three good strikes at us, and then was out to sea for good.  It was very similar to my going through the same typhoon three times in five day’s time while stationed in Okinawa during the early seventies.  (What is it with all of this déjà vu stuff, anyway?  Am I repeating unlearnt history?)

My “Fascination with Rice” took a new turn.  The beautiful rice crop that was in the paddies took it kind of tough during those three passes.  Early estimated reports of damage were high, but farmers are replacing those estimates with lower ones.  There were three or four different plantings of the rice crop, with the most damage suffered by the youngest crop (last planted).  Its “flowering” is doubtful and it will most likely end up as just straw.

The first planted crop was close to harvest time, so it suffered “field loss” damage – some of the grains were blown off the plant, leaving others still attached a little weaker and prone to drop off “in the field.”  The result will be fewer grains harvested and marketed.

Damage to crops planted between the first and last is extremely hard to compute.  All crops planted were a hybrid version formulated to withstand excess water and storms.  Though some of these crops were “laid down” by the high winds, signs of resurrection are hopeful.  The worries here are just how long will standing water remain in the fields, will the rice grains fill out properly, will disease or pests infect the crop, etc.

No one will really know the total damage until after the final harvest.  Prices at the market for harvested, un-milled rice may go up a little and help offset the losses a little, but profit may still be a big squeeze for the farmers, not to mention the effects of rice availability, etc.

Personally, my “banana crop” loss is approximately 75%.  I lost one entire fruiting tree and half of the fruit of another.  The remaining fruit on the latter is yet to approach harvest time, so who knows what could happen.  The three typhoon passes also eliminated 100% of the eggplant that was almost ready for harvest.  Three of four malunggay trees snapped in half with most of the remaining leaves being lost to the wind as well (good thing we harvested leaves before the storm).  I still have five calamansi fruits on one bush, and a second bush is trying to recover from storm damage.

(Note:  At the time I am drafting this acticle, Typhoon Lupit [Ramil] is threatening to finish up the damage started by Peping, and throw in some of its own for good measure.  We can only hope it decides to wend its way north an miss The Philippines all together.   We’ll find out later this week just what are Lupit’s (Ramil’s) intentions.  You have to love living here and put up with its storms, or else leave.

Further update:  After snaking around the Philippine Sea for a week, it appears that Lupit had made an abrupt turn to the ENE, lost some of its power – being downgraded to Tropical Storm – and is headed for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands.  For this storm, waiting seems to be its worst aspect.  While six international weather services have amended their projections for Lupit to coincide with its current movements, they still warn that “the snake” could turn for us again as well as intensify prior to visiting.  That won’t happen as Lupit was last seen skirting up the coast of Japan, having lost a lot of its intensity and dispersing in cooler, northern sea waters as a low pressure area. 

Harvesting rice has become very hard work.  The fields are still flooded from all the rains, the rice plants are all soaked and heavily laden with moisture; and the cutting, carrying, threshing, etc. is more back-breaking than ever.  Reminds me of shovelling “wet” snow is winters past.

Oh yes:  Lupit hasn’t affected the remaining banana crop.  For the “Bananaphiles” out there, eight hands remain, each averaging between 14-16 fingers.)

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That’s the UPDATE from Up North.  All in all, I make a poor farmer and a merely average resident.  I just hope my article writing is a little better.

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