My Childhood in England! (Part 1)

This is  the first part of my story about my journey which eventually brought me from the mundane existence of Bradford in Northern England a big Industrial City all the way to General Santos City here in the Philippines! There were more than a few diversions on the way!

I was born on the 26 th August 1951 in St Luke’s Hospital in Bradford to non too wealthy parents, my Dad worked in the Textile Industry as a Cloth Dyer and my mum was a Nurse! I had one older sister Christine and one much older half brother David who was the son of my mum from a previous marriage but unfortunately my mum’s first husband was killed in WW2! This was I suppose a bit of good luck for me or I would probably not been born at all! Life as I remember it in my early days was OK, we always had food on the table, some of it courtesy of the Government Food Ration Program from the War but on some items it was still in effect! We lived in a small Terrace House which was rented from the local Council but it was OK! When I was very young the Gas Lighting was replaced by Electricity so we were really modern even though the toilet was still out in the back garden! As I grew up I remember a few landmarks in my life! At the age of about 5 I got an Electric Train Set for Christmas! At around 7 we got a television, BBC only with broadcasts of about 4 hours per day in black and white! We got a Portable Transistor Radio which was much more useful than the huge piece of furniture one that was in the living room! At about 7 years old both of these items were fantastic to me and my sister! I ever got big brother Davids Bicycle and learned rather painfully how to ride it in a single day!

When I was still young, my dad and a friend bought a car between them, an old Wolsey so then we used to go off on Camping Holidays up in the Lake District which was a very picturesque area of Northern England! Also on some weekends we would go to Blackpool which was a famous Beach Resort for our area, it even had a tower like the one in France! With the car we could travel all over and marvel at even the basic sights as we never saw anything like them in Bradford! Eventually my dad got his own car so we were really independent!

When I went to School I was very lucky because St Mathews Church, had Infants and Junior School attached and they were only just across the road about 50 yards from our house but at that school, we had to walk for lunch at another school canteen which was about a mile away so we had a good walk in columns of two under the supervision of at least one teacher both ways every day come rain, snow or shine! I was also Baptized in St Mathews Church, it was as most of England’s Religious Parishes was at that time, Protestant! Up to the age of 11 I went to Church nearly every Sunday but when I changed school to the senior level I stopped attending!

With the family not being too wealthy we got a small weekly allowance from dad but I always had some form of work from a very early age, my first job was a Newspaper Delivery Boy’s Assistant and for about 3 years I did this until I took over the complete paper round as the main paper boy left school and went to work! My sister had a paper round also! Every day after school I would pick up the papers from the Post office and deliver them door to door! It was a heavy job but it gave me some cash in pocket and I could buy things that I wanted or needed without having to ask my parents! When I was about 12 I got a better job offer working on the Chicken Farm of one of my dads friends looking after about 2,000 egg laying chickens kept in Battery Cages, each day I would feed and water them, collect and record the eggs and clean out in general! I tried to keep both jobs going but It was too much so I quit the Newspaper Round! Also on the Chicken Farm I learned how to kill, pluck and dress chickens and turkeys for which I got paid extra especially at Christmas time so I had lots of money, maybe on a good week I would clear over a pound which was a lot at that time for a kid! I could even keep the cracked, miss shaped or soft shelled eggs so this was an extra bonus in the family kitchen!

When I went to Wyke Manor High School I had to travel about 4 miles each way by bus and at the beginning as it was a new school there were only 2 Indian Boys, Singh 1 and Singh 2 there and unfortunately they got a very hard time from the English pupils! Some 4 years later when I left that school there were more like 600 Indian and Pakistani Students to less than 100 English Students but they were all good students and very decent people unlike most of the English Students! When it came to Language Class I was interested in Learning German but I was put into the French Class so I took no interest in it what so ever and a few years later when I was in the Army I was posted to Germany! My main interests at school were Wood and Metal Work and Rugby and Swimming, I was never good at sports but I was enthusiastic and made the Rugby team on a Saturday! I also spent a lot of evenings at the swimming pool as I was in the Swimming Club and earned myself a lot of medals for my effort, not as many as my sister though as she was a much better swimmer than me! School for me was not an important part of my life at that time unfortunately as I enjoyed making my small amounts of money working so I was very happy when at the age of 14 I left school and secured an apprenticeship in a motor works as an Apprentice Panel Beater or Car Body Repairer and was looking forward to making the big bucks! Looking back now I think that this was partially a mistake to leave school so soon but not a total mistake! I left school at 14 but could not officially start work until I was 15 so I enjoyed most of the summer break from school with all my mates who had all finished school also!

When My real work started I had to stop working on the Chicken Farm as my work was over a 30 minute bus ride away and I just could not manage to two jobs at the same time! The work was good but unfortunately being the youngest apprentice it was my job to serve up the tea and go shopping for lunch etc so more than half of my working day was spent this way but not being put down I spent as much time as I could not only repairing cars and trucks but learning how to Weld, Repair Engines and Hydraulic Systems, Auto Electrics, Paint Spraying and any other thing that I could learn and get paid for learning! I did well at my work and even changed companies a couple of times but was getting very disillusioned with this kind of work as to be an apprentice for 5 years means that you are a very low paid and over worked individual and even with 3 years under my belt and with a lot of overtime I was only taking home 8 pounds a week which for about 80 hours work was not very good pay to say the least! In order to get to work easier than using public transport I bought myself a Norton Jubilee 250 Twin Cylinder Motor Cycle which as it turned out was OK but I was never really too interested in Bikes and the winter weather in Northern England really put me off Motor Bikes for good and I soon sold it again preferring the warmth of the bus rather than face the elements of the winter on the bike!

My parents were pretty good to me as I was never charged anything from my salary towards the food even so all on my money was for me! My last job was working in a small company not far from where I lived, it was better paid but still poor and conditions in the old workshop were pretty grim!  After about a week of going to work in the snow, sometimes walking as the bus could not get down the road and having arrived at work I had to get under damage snow packed cars and repair the damage was really getting on my nerves so one morning I set off for work as I usually did but for some reason not even known to myself  on that day, I took another bus which was traveling in the opposite direction and went into Bradford and joined the British Army, Corps of Royal Engineers but that’s another story!

And Now For Something Completely Different…

I can’t write about cooking all the time, even I get tired of sitting in front of a stove all day especially in the heat over here in the Philippines.  What I have really been thinking about lately is a house.  My wife and I have our eye on a piece of property, 168sqm at a good price in a very nice subdivision.  Not one of those guarded and gated subdivisions mind you, just a normal middle class neighborhood.  Once we acquire this property I’m going to have the daunting task of building a house on it.

We decided long ago that it was better for us to just build a house, that way we could get what really wanted and not what someone else built.   If you plan on living over here it’s something you will have to think about as well.  The real estate market is very slow over here since the banks keep a tight reign on credit.  Plus the standard 30 year mortgage is nonexistant here.  So most houses are bought and paid for on a cash basis.

We looked at houses for sale but most suffered from “Pinoy House Syndrome” as I call it. In other words, the house was built then nothing was ever done to it for upkeep.  The tropical environment is very harsh to houses, and regular maintenance is needed to keep them from falling apart.  I had to laugh at a couple of people who offered us houses that were 10 years old and looked a wreck and they still asked over P4 million for it!

So here we are waiting to design and build our house.  Luckily I have a friend who was an architect in the States so I already have someone that can put my rough design into paper reality.  I really don’t want the standard house that is built here these days.  Hollow block and concrete with metal or wood frame casement windows.  That type of house builds up heat in the afternoon sun and it takes days for it to radiate out.  So, for me it’s time for a little historical research.

How did they do it in the old days before air conditioning?  The answer is simple, the Bahay ng Bato or house of stone.  To be sure only the first floor is made of stone with and upstairs made of wood.  The stone gives a stable foundation and keeps the termites from getting into the wood upstairs.  This design dates back to the early 1800’s and originally the downstairs was the carraige house, offices or family store and the wooden upstairs was the living area.  The windows were large wooden sliding panels with capiz shell instead of glass and the whole design of the living area was open to allow for breezes to cool naturally.  Wood also doesn’t have the heat retention problems of stone or concrete.

Even though I am in love with this design it may be hard to put into reality.  In my research I found only one manufacturer of Capiz Shell windows in the Philippines and it’s “price on request” or as my grandmother used to say “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.”  For now the cost of building will be in the future so I can dream on about having a house that needs little or aircon.

American arrested in Surigao City

November 18, 2009
by: striker_jem (Published with permission)

Butuan –Authorities arrested an American National for estafa and large scale illegal recruitment on November 15 at 12:35 afternoon at Gateway Hotel, Kilometer 2, Brgy Luna, Surigao City.

PNP elements of Surigao City Police Station apprehended the suspect Michael David Hollomon, 46 yrs old, married of Indiana, U.S.A. and his wife identified as Armin Degrano Hollomon, alias Fe Lipao, 30 years old, both residing in Bantayan Island, Cebu.

Surigao police apprehended the couple after receiving complaints from several victims who claimed they were lured with their illegal activities.

Police identified the alleged victims as Ellan Joy Cortes Camporedondo, Genevieve Guerra Camporedondo, both of legal age and businessmen, Ederio Sulapas Rendon, Gerlie Ablos Puyales, Frechie Catin Sendiong, Charisse Mae Gesta Gerona, private employees and all residents of Surigao City.

Police reports further revealed that Armin Hollomon has three standing warrant of arrests.

One was issued by MTC Branch 2, Surigao City for estafa with recommended bail bond amounting to 6,000 pesos issued in the year 2000, another warrant of arrest was issued by MTCC Branch 145, Makati City for illegal recruitment with no bail bond recommended dated May 21, 2001.

A third warrant was issued by MTCC Branch 66, Makati City for estafa, with recommended bail bond amounting to 80,000 pesos.

After the arrest, a case for violation of paragraph 6 of R.A. 8042 otherwise known as Large Scale Illegal Recruitment was filed against Michael David Hollomon and his wife Armin Degrano Hollomon at Surigao City Prosecutor’s Office.

Suspects now detained at Surigao City Police Station and requested for preliminary investigation assisted by Atty. Jose Begil.

Upon further verification conducted by Surigao City Police Station, it was learned that said American National has standing Warrant of Arrest at Madison County, USA.

Whatta Pizza!

Today’s Guest Article is from Bob in New York.  Bob is a regular reader and participant on the Live in the Philippines Web Magazine.  I have actually known Bob for several years now, since he first started considering making a trip to the Philippines.  Bob and I first touched base through my Mindanao Magazine Website, because Bob wanted to get the “straight scoop” about the safety of a foreigner visiting Mindanao.  Take it away, Bob!

It has been said by many people, those that live in New York City and many tourists and visitors say  ” you just can’t beat a New York Pizza .”  Well, in many respects that may be true, although I think I had my best Pizza Experience in Iligan City, Philippines.

Several months ago  by Internet I learned of a new Pizza place in Iligan that offers  (among many other varieties)  a  36 inch diameter Pizza!  One look at the preview pics of the place and that was near the top of my list of places to visit this year.  I got some of my friends together and we went to  Calda Pizza in Barangay Pala-O on a Saturday night during my visit.  The tables are outdoors on a large lot.  Picnic type tables with umbrellas over them and wide enough to accomodate at 36 inch pizza.   Being a Saturday night the place was full although it only took a few minutes for a table to become available.

I placed the order  for the ” Hawaain Style ” Pizza as that is what my friends agreed upon and for myself just about any variety would please me.  I just had to have one of those 36 inch Pizzas!   This was the largest pizza  (regularly on a menu)  I had ever experienced!

The cost of the pizza was 1000.10  pesos for the one that I ordered.  It was freshly prepared and brought to our table in about 25 minutes.  Too big to be sliced in a more traditional way,  the slices are squared. It was well prepared and attractively served and tasted good.  Calda Pizza, a great place for Pizza lovers,  for those on a  ” Weight Loss Diet ” be forwarned!  LOL

A resto-bar in Iligan I had seen pictures of many times but had not had the chance to enjoy is a place called  “ The Iliganon. I went there one afternoon with some of my Iligan friends and upon arrival I noticed something I had not seen in pictures taken previously and posted on the internet.  The Iliganon resto-bar had added Pizza to their menu.  After my pleasurable pizza experience at Calda Pizza,  I really wanted to try something more traditional at The Iliganon.

Not being familiar with the names of many of the traditional menu items, I saw something which I pictured in my mind as being some kind of steak (a nice jucy tenderloin, Sirloin etc.).  We also looked at the Pizza Menu.  When our food was served, I found the item I ordered looked like small strips of beef, coated in something like bread crumbs along with some kind of buttery sauce to dip the strips in.   I realize that portions of food there may appear much smaller than you would get at a USA Restaurant or Diner and I also knew that this item would leave me hungry.  I suggested to my friends that maybe we should try Pizza at  The iliganon too so we ordered a large one just to try it.

I had finished the beef item I had ordered just in time for the pizza to be placed at our table. I picked up the first slice, took one bite out of it and then another.  Without hesitation I said to my friends  “I think we better order another one of these Pizzas!”  I had not tasted pizza like this in decades,  yes it was  THAT  Good!

By the time the second pizza was brought to our table the first one had been devoured by myself and my friends, along with the other food we had ordered.  This is sure a place I will visit each time I go to Iligan!

So there you have it,  my Iligan Pizza Experience.  The  Biggest  (Calda Pizza)  and the very best  (Iliganon Resto-Bar).

For me,  yes, Iligan City can beat a New York Pizza!

I’m still not Him (Continued from Last week)

Five years, copious amounts of money, many trip into Mega Manila, and I receive my big yellow ACR card with my picture on it back in 2001. I’m a self satisfied man, the stars are in the heavens were aligned and all in the world is well. Hell no, the next year they change to the “I” card and I start again!

All the paperworks are lost in Manila, so no card shows up in Olongapo. I go to Manila for two days and “I” found the paperwork’s they must by now think I work there and that they were never informed, or was I ever paid for that matter. Three months later my “I Card” falls from the Manila sky, and it’s good for only one year.

After paying my head tax at the Olongapo Office in 2007, they sit me in front of the computer fill out all the info and take my picture for a new “I Card”, and inform me for an extra 500.00 Pesos they will expedite my application, what the heck, I’ll go for that. After all this new “I Card” is now good for five years.

It’s been two years so far and I still don’t have the card. They think it was sent to another office somewhere here in the Philippines or other parts of Asia, or Europe for all I know.

I asked if I could get my 500.00 Pesos refunded, since if was not expedited very well? Well, that set them into a panic, in the history of this country, a refund has never been asked for before, or received, I calmed them down and asked what could be done, the answer made sense, just wait until the card, I don’t have, expires and apply for a new one! You can’t makeup stuff like this!

Ok, I’m not going anywhere but am I legal? Well it happens that my receipt is legal and binding; you just can’t show it at the airport. So I’ll “just wait” three years and start again, but next time, I won’t pay the 500.00 Pesos extra, that’ll show em’.

Chose to live here? Sounds like without the card I have lost that choice.

Addendum:

March 2009 again while paying my yearly head tax, the “I-card” had arrived in Olongapo City, oh happy days! It was in the office manager’s desk all the time, it was not lost.

But, she’s not family…

For Americans, and I dare say, for people from most every Western Country, we really are not used to having full time maids, or for that matter, we are not used to having maids at all.

Maybe 50 years ago, having a maid in the house was a little more common than it is today, although even at that time it was somewhat rare.   When I was young, and still living with my parents, I remember one time when we had a maid.  It was a time when my mother was sick, she had recently undergone some rather serious surgery, and because she was still recovering, my Dad arranged for a maid to come in around 3 days per week or so, to help keep up with the household chores.  But, that only lasted for a month or two, then it was back to normal.

Because of the fact that most of us expats really have little experience in dealing with a maid, I believe we are not very good at it.  I know that I had to learn a lot about having a maid when we moved here, and it took me a few years.

One thing that I hear from a lot of expats, especially newly arrived expats, when they talk about their maid is this:

“We treat her just like a member of the family…”

Well, my friends, that can be a bit of a problem.  Why?  Well, she really is not part of the family.

When we moved here, I also really believed in that too.  Treat her just like we treat the family!  But, I’ve learned a lot since then.

Some of the things that I hear from other expats is that they take the maid out with them when they go out and eat at a restaurant.  They take her to the mall for a nice day.  They take her to the movies.  I know one expat who has his maid give him massages (this particular one, I feel is very dangerous and could lead to charges of him making sexual advances toward her).  Sure, many of these are things that you wouldn’t think twice about doing with the family (not the massage, perhaps).

But, it’s important to remember… she is the maid, she is not family.

When we moved here, we did a lot of this kind of thing with the maid too.  Over the years, though, I have had several experiences where we treated the maid as family, and over time the maid came to feel herself that she was family.  She didn’t want to do the duties of a maid, because she was already family, after all!

Let me put it like this… in general, treating a maid as family just doesn’t tend to work.

Now, don’t take me wrong, I do not believe in mis-treating a maid.  I believe that a maid should be treated in a humane way, in a friendly way, with respect, and certainly not as a slave.  In our family, with maids, we still do treat them better than most local people do.  As an example, we usually pay a bit more than the local average wages for a maid.  In addition, for a live in maid, we also pay for her personal needs, things like deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, that kind of thing.  Most local people do not pay for this stuff, it comes from the maid’s salary.

We treat our maids in a friendly way too.  We are kind to them.  We feed them well.  But, they don’t get the same things that family gets.  I am sorry, but from what I have experienced, this is how it should be.

But, why, Bob?  Why shouldn’t I treat my maid just the same way I would treat a daughter?

Well, my experience is that if you do that, she will come to expect more and more.  She will also lose some respect for you as well.  Why?  I don’t know, but I do know that I have seen it happen many times.

So, my advice to you is that if you want to have a maid in your home, treat her well.  Pay her fairly.  Be nice to her.  Give her adequate food.  But, remember… she is not family.

The death of a friend

One of the things we try to put at the back of our minds is that a sudden severe illness could result in death. This I think is true for most of us, but its even more important when you are not in your home country.

I am not going to state the obvious things like medical insurances and regular check ups, but rather what happened to my good friend and business partner last week. He is no longer with us, so he can not tell the story.

After a successful business meeting on the Friday, he got a Bus home, a three hour trip into a place called Matalam, remote, beautiful and friendly where he and Bing shared a house with their children and other relatives, where he grew his herbs and salads too.

Some of my facts from now on may be a little inaccurate, but having been to Matalam this week I am sure its as accurate as can be, without being there with him at the time.

Ian, that’s my friend, complained of a bad stomach ache on Sunday, but was still out jogging at 2pm waving to the locals, where he is so well known as the only white face for many, many miles. Later in the afternoon his pain became unbearable (and Ian never complained about pain) never in all the long years that he has lived and loved the Philippines.

After a 30 minute trip to the nearest hospital in Kidapawan, the staff noted that his blood pressure was already dangerously low, and his severe pain was not being helped by the pain killers. The hospital was apparently not well equipped, but that’s all Ian had, and there was not going to be time to transfer him from one place to another, and nor could they send him to Davao, which is three hours away.

Whatever was to be done had to be done immediately, as he was slipping away, and with the fear that trying to induce sleep through medication would take his BP too low, the hospital decided they had to operate on his stomach as he lay there, awake, they saw no other option in the moments left.

So my poor friend had to endure, what none of us can dream of in his last few minutes of consciousness, he did not scream or moan he was a strong 64 year old guy who would never let age slow him down. The examination and the full details are not known to me, except to say his organs were already closing down following an initial diagnosis of  a nodule on the stomach exploding, caused by lack of Fiber or infection. This was poisoning his whole body, and despite everything they tried, Ian lost his battle nearly two days later.

His condition shows the danger of not being near a major hospital, if he had been in Davao he may have had a better fighting chance as you need treatment within a few hours, and that assumes they can locate it straight away. No guarantees, but more doctors are around, more experience, and more chance of a quick diagnosis.

Ian  never complained about pain, he would tolerate it and try to exercise it off, as related by the fact he was jogging only a few hours before. We men hate going to the doctors, and unlike most of us expats Ian could talk the local dialect, even as he lay there, so he was able to communicate fully.

Ian was my friend, and even stayed in my house three days a week, and the shock of his death felt by his family and friends underlines  the respect people had for his ability to organize a successful expat group, to be a dad, a partner to Bing and friend to many.

His funeral is on the day of writing this article, and no medical insurance would have saved Ian, it was quick and decisive. He died in his adopted country, that he SO loved.

Goodbye Ian.

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!

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!

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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