Live in the Philippines

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I never really moved to the Philippines

How to Move to the Philippines, Language Learning / by

Over the years, I have talked and written a lot about moving to the Philippines.  Over the past few days, though, I have been doing some reflection, and I came to the conclusion that I never really moved to the Philippines, at least I never intended to.  You see, when I moved to General Santos City in May 2000, I was not moving to the Philippines, I was moving to Mindanao.

But, Bob, Mindanao is part of the Philippines, so by moving to Mindanao, that means you moved to the Philippines!

Yes, of course you are right. But, in my mind, it was not the Philippines where I was wanting to live, it was Mindanao.  When I got the itch to move, in about 1996 or 1997, in my mind, I always thought of moving to Mindanao.

The other day, I wrote a little teaser on my Facebook status (if you are not my friend on Facebook, why not?  Go invite me to be your friend, and I will certainly approve you!) saying:

I’m coming out with a new and improved ****something**** in the next few days… keep an eye out for it! Any guesses?

Well, this article is related to that, and it’s also related to my love of Mindanao.  You see, indeed, over the weekend, I came out with something new and improved.  I have completely reformatted my Mindanao Magazine.  If you are interested in Mindanao and events on the island, go have a look.  I hope you like it.  But, this article is about so much more than just announcing a rebirth of a website.  Read on and learn more about my love affair with Mindanao.

No, this article is not fully about my Mindanao Magazine, really it is about my 20 year love affair with the island of Mindanao.  I first came to love Mindanao before I even set foot on the island.  I was on an airplane flying from Cebu to General Santos City in July 1990.  As we were approaching General Santos, I peered out the windows and saw a spectacular view.  This was my first time to see Mindanao, and I was awestruck by the simple beauty of the place.  It was so much different from Cebu or Manila – the only other places I had visited in the Philippines at that point.  So, before I even set foot on the soil of Mindanao, I loved the place.

In 1996, when the Internet was still young, and good domain names were still easy to get, I bought the name “Mindanao.com”.  I was not fully certain what I wanted to do with it, but I knew that I wanted it, and it was still available.  At that time, a domain name cost $70, much more expensive than now, but it was a good investment.  Over the years, I have had dozens of offers from people wanting to buy the name, and some of the offers have been well into the 5 figure range, but I have not been interested in selling.  Maybe someday I will, but it’s not on the horizon.

Since moving to Mindanao, I have had some of the best times of my life.  Of course, my Mindanaoan wife and my family have been the biggest blessing.  I’ve had some wonderful adventures here too, though.  Probably the highlight for me, when it comes to adventure was my 2007 trip to Tawi-Tawi and Basilan, via Zamboanga.  Both Tawi-Tawi and Basilan are places where foreigners are “not supposed to go”.  I am certainly glad that I visited both places, though.  When it comes to visiting areas around Mindanao, I’ve nearly seen it all.  There are 27 Provinces on the Island of Mindanao, and I have been to 25 of them.  I am only missing Sulu and Camiguin.  I have yet to visit Sulu because of the Peace and Order situation there, and on Camiguin, I just have not made it yet.  I hope and plan to visit both places and complete my complete tour of Mindanao, though.  Camiguin is easy and I can visit anytime.  Sulu, though, is a place where I have to wait for the timing to be right.  It could take a while, but I am determined to go there.

I have seen places of great beauty here in Mindanao.  I have also seen places of war torn poverty and a lack of hope.  In either instance, the journey has been interesting and informative.  I have been a student of Mindanao history, and I’ve learned the language most widely spoken on the island, Cebuano.  Pretty much, when it comes to things Mindanao, I try to keep myself well informed.  It’s funny because a lot of times Filipinos come to me with questions when they want to know something about Mindanao.  It kind of makes me uneasy, but the fact is that I usually have the answer.

Not only have I seen interesting places in Mindanao, I have met a lot of very interesting people here.  I have met some of the poorest of the poor people in the world living right here in Mindanao.  I have also literally met Royalty here in Mindanao.  Meeting and sharing some time with truly poor people has been humbling to me, and also has taught me a thing or two about life.  It has helped me better appreciate the things that so many of us take for granted.  Meeting Royalty here has been interesting, and kind of cool, but has had a smaller impact on my life than meeting people of humbler resources.  But, in either case, it’s been an interesting life for me here on the Island of Mindanao.  I could never say otherwise.

Getting back to the Website, yes, I have reinvented and relaunched Mindanao Magazine.  I worked hard on it, along with my assistant in the task, my niece Bebe.  Bebe lives with us, and works for me in our business.  She specializes in doing work on the Internet for me, while her sister, Glenda handles work in some of our other businesses.  Bebe did a lot of work on Mindanao Magazine, and I want to offer her my sincere thanks for that.  She has begun to become quite a wizard when it comes to Internet stuff, and particularly when it comes to WordPress software, the software that nearly all of my websites are based upon.  Bebe wants to get into the IT industry, and with the education she is receiving through her work for me, I believe that she can be quite successful in her future employment in the industry.  I have actually been encouraging her to not go work for somebody else, but rather to be self-employed and outsource IT jobs for others.  I think she might be starting to lean that way.  I believe it is a path to great success for her.

So, anyway, I hope that you will visit my newly relaunched site!  Yes, I love Mindanao.  We all have our own special places that are meaningful to us.  Not all of us can say that is Mindanao, and that is fine for me.  I hope that you have found your special place in the Philippines, and that you are passionate about it.  It makes living there all that much more interesting and fun.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob
    Congratulations on the revamped website. Also, kudos to Bebe for her great work and her willingness to learn about computers and the internet publishing business. She may just out do you one day (haha).
    One comment I have wanted to make, Do you think you have too many projects going at once, and that some suffer? I was a fan of your Auctiontopia website, but have not seen a new entry in ages. I know diversity is essential to meet the desires of many, but I think you may be over extending yourself, and some of your projects are suffering. Maybe that website was not a producer, and you let it fall by the wayside. I am interested in bringing in items found at a discount in the USA for resale in the Philippines. I am going to give laptops a try. My target is college students and selling affordable used laptops. I have an unlimited source for Dell D610’s, that are almost new condition. I can get them for about $185 and hopefully resell them at a price to make a profit. What do you think? I know you did an article on laptops at one time.

    • Hi Lloyd – Thanks for your comment. No, I don’t think that I have too many things going on, I think that I do the things that interest me. Sometimes all of us a project and later decide to move on, that’s the nature of life. With the Auctiontopia thing, I had planned to get into an eBay business again, but a few things transpired that made it impossible for me to do so, so I moved on.

      I think that the laptop thing could be a real winner. Biggest problem I see is how to get the laptops into the Philippines without having to pay huge duties on them, and thus spoiling your ability to make money on the project.

  3. Bob
    I just checked out the Mindanao site, to be honest with you this is the first I knew about it.
    Its just because of my tunnel vision, when I come here to LIP I read the post and comment if I think anyone wants to hear what I have to say then check out the LIP Forum.

      • As homer would say “DOH”
        UPS Tracking says they sandals were delivered to the porch on Fri Sept 10.

        • Hi Neal – I was just sitting here thinking “I should have told Neal that the sandals were already delivered”… but you beat me to it! Yes, our friend told us yesterday that the sandals were received. Thank you very much for your kindness and generosity, my friend! 😉

  4. Hi Bob;
    I went and checked out the revamped site “Mindanao Magazine” this was my first visit, so I’ve nothing to compare it to, but found it very interesting. Like many others, I had a preconceived negative view of Mindanao. And realize now how very wrong I was. By following your comments and others on LiP I’ve come to understand your love of your Island. I’ll not be leaving Bataan, for this is my small piece of happiness. But I will take the time now to educate those who would disparage Mindanao. I will state in writing that “I WILL COME TO MINDANAO TO VISIT!” During the year 2011. You’ve made a believer out of me.

    • Hi Paul – The widely held perception of Mindanao is very negative indeed. There are small pockets of Mindanao that are dangerous and deserve the negative perception, but 95% of the island is peaceful and a beautiful place!

      I’m looking forward to seeing you in 2011, Paul! 😀

      • Hey Bob. thanks so much for the info you give. you are right about Mindanao. there alot of misconceptions about mindanao. i live in the states now, but hope to move to the philippines when i retire hopefully in 4 years. I have several friends i’ve met on the internet from all parts of the Philiippines and i have learned alot by surfing the net for info. Most of the preconceptions about Mindanao are incorrect and your right it is a very beautiful place. you live in Davao City right, which is the safest city in the PI. Well thanks so much for all the info i’ve read on here and continued success there for you and your family. i’ll be hitting you up for info in the future. please be safe Randy

  9. I have really enjoyed doing some exploring of the Philippines, Maynard, particularly Mindanao. Get out there and have an adventure! I don’t think you’ll ever regret it!

    • Thanks, Alex. You are so right that the Philippines is very diverse. I was recently having a conversation with a friend about this, and his experiences and mine, living in the Philippines, have been so very different, but we are living in two completely different parts of the country. No wonder!

  12. Last year I flew from Davao to Manila, bought a vehicle and drove it back to Davao [ along the western roro route ]. Had a great time. Never had a moments concern for my wellbeing

    • Hi Ian – I have long wanted to drive via the sea highway from Luzon to Mindanao. In truth, I would like to travel from the northernmost part of Ilocos all the way to Tawi Tawi via the highways and seaways. It would be a fascinating trip!

  13. Hi Bob,
    Mindanao.com was one of the first websites I found when a few years ago I began researching Iligan City, after accidentially comming across it on the internet. When I learned Iligan was on Mindanao ( I had never heard of that either prior to finding Iligan ) It was a no brainer, I tried Mindanao dot Com to see what would appear and there you were.

    Much later when I found the link to this site, on Mindanao.com I have spent more time on this website and have enjoyed reading the experiences of those that actually live in Mindanao and other areas.

    Yes, there are many nice things in Mindanao, I have certainly found and experienced some of them for myself and always look forward to future visits. For a place that at first would appear to have a lot of dark clouds hanging over it, there really is a silver lining, I found one, you have found many of them and have shared your experiences with the rest of the world.

    Nice re-vamp on Mindanao Dot Com Bob. There are a lot of websites out there that become stale after a period of time but not yours.

  14. HI BOB…….

    Your heart is where your home is mate when u get marred to a filippina u just dont get marred to the girl but to the Philippines, too mate and for years i have felt the same way as u wonting to live there and be there and now that we canot get
    my wife vica for here in australia my heart is no long here in australia but there in the lovely philippines and at last i will be there with someone that love me and can have a new life to the one i am liveing here in australia mate so god bless u all there as i soon will be over there in the inland off love that will soon be my new home…….
    from peter martin tassie

  20. Well I lived in Mindanao since this past April 2010. So peaceful and such kind people. I have been to GenSan to CDO. Just wait until I can get a car! Let me know when you go to Sulu. I will see if I can join you.

    Cheers,
    Gary

  21. It’s really true, Neilz, that Mindanao is much more and much different than what they say on the news! The people who say that stuff usually have never been here. I’ve lived here 10 years, and I’ve been visiting for 20 years… I know what it is like here.. and you do too!

  22. Hi Bob,
    I wonder how good your memory is. About 3 years ago I said that I was coming to Mindanao and I would be living in Kidapawan City. I am a Kiwi from New Zealand. Well I arrived in the Philippines back in February 2008 and have been living there ever since with my Filipino wife. I too have fallen in love with Mindanao, although I have only so far visited a fraction of the places you have seen. I love the people and their friendliness and in the time I have been here I have made many friends. Add to that the wonderful food which we always eat fresh from the local fruit/vegetable markets. My wife and I run a sari sari store and through this I have been given a fast track to learning the local dialects which in Kidapawan are Cebuano and also Ilongo. People often go out of their way to visit the store so that they can practice their English, so both myself and the “locals” learn something of each others culture. New Zealand English is vastly different from American English which Filipino/a people learn in school. New Zealand English is based on English English plus many local colloquialisms spoken only in NZ/Australia.
    Incidentally I am currently in New Zealand making a trip to visit my 82 year old mother.
    There is much I would like to say about the positive side of Mindanao but space prevents that. But one thing I’m convinced of. This place is a paradise that also has become my home and I’m missing it and its people very much.

    • Hi Richard – It sounds like things are going well in Kidapawan for you, and I am happy for that! Are you trying to learn both Cebuano and Ilonggo, or just one? I personally would find it hard to learn two languages at the same time like that! 😆

      Keep up the nice life there! Maybe we’ll get a chance to meet someday.

      • Learning two dialects has been confusing at times. Especially when bong bong in Cebuano is wall and in Ilongo means ceiling (or is that the other way around :). One of the cultural differences I have noticed is that in the “west” people will talk about the weather as a conversation opener where as in the Philippines people’s conversation opener is where your family is from and that way they know which dialect you will be conversing in. The people in our household also have a few Tagalog words thrown into the conversation which helps the confusion even further.
        Yes I hope we can catch up with a meeting sometime. I’ve been to Davao City a number of times but often the trip is at short notice. I’ll strive to plan a trip in advance so that I can make contact with you and possibly hook up a meeting.

        • Hi Richard – I hear you on the language thing! It can be confusing when multiple languages are mixed together. When that happens to me, I just tell them that I can only speak Bisaya or English, and can’t understand Tagalog. They quickly get the message!

  24. Hi Shawn – I’m glad that you have found it peaceful and not dangerous. I’ve lived in both cities that you mentioned, and have never had a real safety problem in either.

  25. congratulations to you and your family on the relaunch. looks and feels great. already filed in my favourites

  26. We found a taxi driver we could trust who always shows quickly when we call, and we dont go around shady looking areas. My fiancée is very safety conscious. I did however ride on the back of her fathers motorcycle around town and that was a blast. He knows everyone it seems so I didnt feel unsafe at anytime

  27. Hi Bob – Truly, we are kindred spirits! Substitute the name “Ilocandia” for “Mindanao” and you have my deep attachment for northwestern Luzon described to a “T”!

    Time for a soul searcher: Would you support a separate Mindanao – a political entity much further removed from the central government than the provinces currently enjoy?

    I’ve often wondered just how our individual paradises would have progressed through time without the external political influences that affected them. Only the political influences – not the advances in technology or other steps mankind has taken in a forward direction. Would Mindanao be the “fruit basket” of the Pacific; etc.?

    (One of the benefits of being a puti observer – being able to make such comments without threat of sedition charges!)
    😉

    • Hi Paul – I felt that we probably had similar feelings for our respective homes.

      As for your question about Independence for Mindanao… maybe I would not be liable for sedition charges, but I would certainly be eligible for deportation if I answer that question. I will opt to remain silent. Sometimes, though, you can figure out a person’s position even when they are silent! 😉

    • “Time for a soul searcher: Would you support a separate Mindanao – a political entity much further removed from the central government than the provinces currently enjoy?” – Paul Keating

      Careful, careful, Apo Paul. You don’t want to start a flaming thread on this, do you? 🙂
      I know some people who can talk freely about this without their having to worry about getting deported, or be liable for sedition charges. This is what the Moros have been agitating for for ages – long before Colonel John (Blackjack) Pershing mounted an offensive at Bud Bagsak where the Krag-Jorgenson rifle did battle with the Kris and the Moros, for whom, btw, the .45 caliber pistol was invented in a grudging tribute to the ferocity of the unstoppable Moro warrior, to the birth of the MNLF, the MILF, and to a certain extent, the renegade ASG. Some things, however, are better left unsaid. :))

      • John R- you bring up something which I have wondered about. Several times people tell me that the BIR etc monitor posts on forums here and deport anyone who says anything that they consider to be too anti-filipino or seditious . Are they just being paranoid? or does anyone have any first hand knowledge of such things happening?
        [ uhh- just in case anyone is listening- I was just joking when I said whatever it is you didnt like!! lol]

        • Hi ian – Firstly, the BIR is the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the people who collect taxes. They would have no interest in such matters, and I would think it is very doubtful that the BIR would monitor such things. I, however, do know of people who have been exported for things they have said that were considered anti-Filipino. I do not know if forums like this are monitored by the government, or if such writings were reported and then checked. It would not surprise me if there were monitoring to some extent, though.

        • Ian, I wasn’t really alluding to any Philippine government agency “eavesdropping” on the conversations going on in LiP , but since you mentioned it, I do know that certain U.S. government agencies and defense contractors DO monitor the internet constantly as a safeguard to possible threats to national security. Some of these defense contractors have special units whose staffers are charged with the specific responsibility of monitoring employee conduct – especially those with high security clearances – to ensure conformance to company policies with regard to national security. Anytime a defense contractor’s name is mentioned in a forum like this, a red flag is raised via a software they employ, and they check whether a violation has occurred. They don’t need to google the circumstances surrounding the mentioning of their company’s name; their software does it all. I am not going to mention company names here for the reason already stated.

          Now, about the Moros, to have a movie made about them and their political struggle is one of my ultimate fantasies.

          • John R- I actually didnt think you were alluding to any filipino surveilance- just that your comment reminded me of a question that i had meant to ask for some time.
            I was aware of Carnivore- but I didnt know it had been replaced until I just read the following .
            Carnivore was a system implemented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that was designed to monitor email and electronic communications. It used a customizable packet sniffer that can monitor all of a target user’s Internet traffic. Carnivore was implemented during the Clinton administration with the approval of the Attorney General.

            The Carnivore program was canceled, and replaced with improved commercial software such as NarusInsight
            Big Brother is watching! no lol this time !!

            • As they say, you can run but not hide from the U.S. government. If they want to, they have the resources to find out exactly what you had for breakfast AND what you are planning to have for dinner. Hahahaha

              Jokes aside, what I told you about that software is REAL.

              • Yes, but can they tell me what happened to all the socks i put in the dryer??
                Now thats the kind of software I would really be interested in lol

              • Btw, the software I am talking about does not need a to have a “target” in order to monitor internet communication/traffic to detect possible threats to U.S. national security. I am not privy to the exact functions of this software, I just happen to know that if a defense contractor’s name is mentioned in the internet, the special unit within the company that is tasked with the responsibility for surveillance WILL know via the software that their company’s name has been mentioned, and they check to find out why it was mentioned.

                You can mention a company’s name as long as there is nothing in what you said can be considered a security violation or compromising company policies.

              • it is called a CCC (call content connection) and it has to be calea certified, LEA need to have a direct access to isp routers or server in order to collect data, in the u.s. isp router must be a calea compliant, if the webserver or the forum is hosted in the US, any sniffing software can be used to retrieve all collected data by the router. If the hosting service is located other than the US and if the ISP do not have a ccc capability. US LEA cannot track user’s activity. I know this because i employ a CCC which is a calea compliant.

              • The CCC you speak of may not be the same software being discussed here. As previously stated, I am not privy to the exact functions of this particular software, nor do I know what the software is called. All I know is that when a defense contractor’s name is mentioned in the internet, the special surveillance/monitoring unit within that company that is equipped with this software is alerted to the fact. As far as I know, they don’t have to have a “target” to track the user’s activity, or whether the hosting service or forum is located in the U.S. or overseas, or whether the software is Calea certified, or whether the isp router is Calea compliant. Come to think of it now, the software may be just as simple as being linked to the all the most powerful search engines of the internet.

              • the CCC is not a software name nor a hardware it is a generic term to describe the ability to collect the data of any end-user and not necessarily to target a particular user, it can be a hardware based or purely a software, carnivore is a CCC so as the NarusInsight.

                ” Come to think of it now, the software may be just as simple as being linked to the all the most powerful search engines of the internet.”

                true, google adsense is an example of CCC to some extent as it collects data of the website and counts the number of particular word and associate it with an ads.

                US isp must comply with the calea law as it gives the LEA a better way to conduct an electronic surveillance.

              • Ah, I see. But that doesn’t identify the software I’m talking about. I had thought of it as being linked to the powerful search engines because of the fact that when the defense contractor’s name was mentioned right here in LiP – that’s right, here in LiP – the staffers at this special monitoring unit within the company knew about it right away and they checked the source. Of course, the company’s name was mentioned in passing during the course of a routine conversation here in LiP, and there was was nothing in what was said about the company that could be considered detrimental to the national security of the U.S., nor compromising company confidentiality.

  29. Hi Shawn – Glad that you didn’t feel unsafe. In my 10 years of living in Mindanao, I can’t remember more than a couple of times when I felt slightly unsafe, but I was in areas where it was probably good to feel unsafe! 🙂

  30. They say when Jobs went back to Apple, the past became the future, a phrase I just love. And so it is with Lip and Mindanao.com and your “new” retro look. Very nice; I like the menu style. Do you find that the views originate in the Phils mainly for that site?

    Regards,

    Jim

    • Hi Jim – Yeah, the majority of views on Mindanao Magazine are from the Philippines. There are views from all over the world, but most from the Philippines.

  33. Here’s another guy who has also fallen in love with Mindanao; Davao in particular, before ever having set foot there. I have read all there is to be found regarding this piece of Paradise, have seen all the vids and all the pics so in my mind I know it all. Now all that remains is the experience of actually going there to live. 😀

  38. Hi Bob

    Well done on the relaunch of Mindanao News. Thanks again for featuring Bethany Christian Home for Children (Talakag) in 2006. Through your Mindanao Blog, Jim and I were able to meet interesting people like Father Franco (in BUDA) and Rue Ramas (in GenSan). Following your blog also inspired us to visit places like Roadhouse Café in Valencia, Bukidnon (where we actually first met you and Feyma by coincidence); Chemas Resort in Samal Island; Sarangani Highlands and Isla Parilla Resort in GenSan; and Eden Eco Park in Davao.

    By the way, you can now do a day trip to Camiguin from Cagayan de Oro Port by taking the Paraseacat. It leaves at 8:00am and you’ll be in Camiguin by 10:00am. Once you arrive Camiguin you can either continue your trip to Jagna, Bohol at 12:00 noon arriving there by 2:00pm or just spend the day in Camiguin, take an early lunch and a quick tour then depart for CDO at 3:00pm. By the way, Paraseacat only takes passengers – no vehicles allowed I’m afraid!

    • Thanks, Marilou! Yes, I remember that day when we met in Valencia, such a coincidence! I am glad that you have enjoyed my Mindanao Magazine, and I think you for your past contributions to it!

  39. HI Bob,

    I hope one day we can meet, my wife is from Mandug village, just north of buhagin, I try and learn as much of the philippines as i can, and especially of my wifes niebhorhood, I to want to be able to move there, before i turn 50, i am now 44, we bought my wifes parents house so they would not lose it, plus, my wifes younger sister has an american husband who has lived there for almost 4 years now, I want to buy some farm land the next time we come home, oh by the way she is home right now, till the 12th of oct, I think of her home all the time, how we can have a life there and take care of her family too, so i have come with an idea of buying some farm land in her village area and opening a piggery for grow out, and to raise chickens, and eggs, i will rent out my home here in the u.s. so some income will be steady, i am a simple person not looking to be rich, just that i feel in love with philippines when i was first stationed there in 87, my wife wants to be able to help some of her people too, we are sending her nephwew to college, and will send her youngest niece to college when the time comes, sorry if this story is so lone, just wanted to get your opinion.

    • Hi Tim – I would enjoy meeting you, and I am very familiar with Mandug, I have been out there many, many times. In fact, we did our Christmas Giveaway last year in that area.

      I can’t say that I know much about farming in the Philippines, raising pigs, chickens and such. My feeling is that it is hard to make money at that, but I could be wrong. I would say that the more people you want to assist, the more you need to earn to do so, without a doubt. But, it can be done. I moved here at the age of 38, Tim, so I am sure you can do it by the time you are 50! Just keep plugging away and making plans! You will make it!

  40. Bob,

    I’m not as seasoned of a traveler as you but I can tell you once you go to Camiguin you will have wished you went there many years ago. They say its called Camiguin because people “Come Again”. It’s absolutely true. Out of all the places I’ve visited in PH, I’ve been to Camiguin 4 times and still have the urge to go back. Definitely a place to take the whole family!

  41. Hello Bob, I’m Maynard of Municipality of Pikit, North Cotabato Province and near to Datu Montawal municipality. Actually you can find many great places in mindanao especially North Cot., South Cot., Sultan Kudarat province as many natures view.. You can see many caves, wild animals and peaceful communities and if other really wanted to visits then just find a person that you can trust to guide you with these areas. For more just email me at [email protected]

    • Thank you Maynard, I appreciate your offer very much. I have been to Pikit many times, and also to Datu Montawal and many other places in Mindanao. In fact, I have visited every Province in Mindanao except for Camiguin and Sulu. It’s been a great adventure. Perhaps next time I’m coming to Pikit, I’ll look you up. Mangape ta!