Back in February I wrote about our new neighbors, a call center that had moved into the building behind us. They were noisy, and woke us up three times per night, every night. They really made life difficult, and I went over there and complained several times, hoping to minimize the noise level so that my family could get a decent rest at night. Last week, I told you about how the couple who owns the property had threatened to file charges against me because of my request that they keep the noise level down at night. Well, the case has now been resolved, and I promised to keep all of you up to date with what happened, so I am here today to let you know how it all went.
It all started last Tuesday morning when the owner of the neighboring property came to our house yelling and screaming at Feyma, very angry and threatening to file a case against me. She said that we would have a hearing at the Barangay Hall on Friday. Since I had gotten no “official notice” of any kind of hearing or case, I was a bit unsure if it was really true. I felt that I had done nothing that would justify pressing charges against me. I wrote the article on Tuesday, and still received no notice on Wednesday either. Thursday went by with no notice, until late in the afternoon. At nearly 5pm, somebody from the Barangay came by to serve me with an “Invitation” to appear at the Barangay Hall on Friday at 2 pm to address the charges against me.
My first reaction was to call several of my contacts here in Davao. I first notified our landlord of the situation. The people who own the house where we are renting are well known in the City, and have good standing. They are prominent business people. I wanted them to know what was going on from me, instead of hearing it second hand, and thinking that we might be causing trouble in the neighborhood. Thankfully, as soon as I let them know, they sprang into action. They went and visited the Barangay Hall themselves and let the people there know that I was an upstanding person and would not cause the kind of trouble that I was accused of. As it turned out, this visit that they made to the Barangay Hall helped me out a lot.
In addition to the landlord, I called two friends who are also well known in the community, and were friends of mine. Each of these people agreed to accompany me to the hearing on Friday, and to testify as a character witness for me. This also turned out to be very helpful as things played out.
On Friday, we arrived a bit early for the hearing, at about ten minutes until 2pm. The complaining family arrived shortly after we did, and the hearing started right on time at 2pm, which impressed me. It started with the Barangay Captain explaining what the hearing was about, and the complainants testified to tell what their charges were against me. They said that I had continually trespassed on their property, was loud and unruly and had caused damage at their property. They also said that my behavior had caused their tenants to move out of the building. During this entire time, I sat there silent, never spoke, and simply let them give their story, even though I knew that most of what they were saying was simply untrue. One thing that the people said, which was really the first strike against them in the case was: “we saw none of this, we were not there, but this is what others have told us.” When they said this, one of the people that I brought with me pointed out to the Barangay Captain that the statement they just made showed that there was no case against me, as everything they charged was only hearsay.
When it came my turn to give my side of the story, I was well prepared. Before going to the hearing, I had prepared a written document detailing every time that I had visited the property, why I went there, and what I did while I was there. Each time I went there, it was only to talk to the people and ask them to keep the noise level down, because they had awakened my family in the middle of the night. After I detailed each of my visits to the property, I gave the written document to the Barangay Captain. I could tell that she was impressed with the detail, and the written form of which I gave her my account.
After I finished giving my account, the fireworks got started, and wild charges started coming from the other side. The fact is that every time they spoke, it hurt their case, and actually became rather comedic. First, the gentleman said that the whole case came down to “Filipino against foreigner” and he actually urged Feyma and my two friends to switch to his side so that they could “oppose the foreigner.” Feyma let out a little laugh, and one of my friends became very angry at this and pointed out that this was not about going against foreigners, but looking at the facts of what happened. Even the Barangay Captain seemed to be holding back laughter at this comment. Next, his wife spoke again, and she said that when I came to their house I was very drunk, and that is why I was so out of control. Funny thing is that I do not drink! One of my friends again spoke up and told the Captain that he had known me for 15 years and had never seen me drink alcohol before.
Next, the man spoke again, and he said that the call center workers were “Filipino Teenagers” and as such, they should be allowed to be as loud as they wanted to be. He said that I was “only a foreigner and did not have any rights, even the right to sleep.” I then told him that I had teenagers myself, and they needed to be able to sleep so that they could be alert in school. He laughed.
At this point, the Barangay Captain and the Barangay Secretary could really see what was happening, and decided to put a stop to it. The Barangay Captain told these people that there were laws against making too much noise in the middle of the night, and that they appeared to be in violation of those laws. The Captain then told me that from that point on, I should simply call 911 (the Emergency Police number) any time that the neighbors were causing trouble, making noise, or any other problems. When the complainants heard this, they became quite angry. It was apparent that they did not want me to be calling 911 when they made problems.
Next, the man said that I had caused a great deal of damage to the gate at their building. He said that the metal gate was “mangled” and the paint was chipped off of it from what I did. I told him that I had caused no damage at all, and he insisted that I did. At that point, I told the Barangay Captain that if I caused any damage at all, I would like to pay for any repairs, and I suggested that we should all go to the building so that we could inspect the damage and determine how much I should pay. The man immediately said that we should not go there, because he did not want me to pay for the damage. Right!
At this point, it seemed that things were winding down. As a final gesture, I told the man that because we were neighbors, I wanted to be his friend and be on good terms with him. I told him that I respected him, and I put my hand out to him. He shook my hand. I gave him my business card and told him to please call me any time that he felt that there was any problem at all. I then asked him if I could have his phone number so that I could also call him if there was a problem. He refused to give me his number. I then put my hand out to his wife and told her I wanted to be her friend. She refused to shake hands with me. I asked her why she did not want to be my friend, and she told me, “because you are a foreigner.” I think that the fact that they refused to give their phone number, and that the lady would not reconcile with me, it really drove home to the Barangay Captain that these people were the ones who had caused problems, and that I was believable and being honest with her.
So, that is what happened last week when I was able to face the charges against me. Honestly, I do not think that I could have even asked for a better outcome. I believe that I have allies in the local Barangay Hall now, and that I can go there for assistance without fear of any problems. I learned through this experience that the system works as it is supposed to. If you go there and tell the truth of what happened, you will get justice. I am very happy with the outcome.
If you ever end up in a situation where you have to go defend yourself, my best advice to you would be to remain calm and quiet. Speak only when it is your turn to speak. Don’t interrupt people and don’t get excited. And, always just tell the truth. Even if you did something wrong, such as the fact that I did get angry there on one occasion, that is not a problem, just tell the truth. Like I said previously, the system works. If you did nothing wrong, just tell what happened, and things will work out in most cases. I know that they worked out well for me.
For me, what this case came down to is that these people are very anti-foreigner. They are very nationalistic. I would estimate that there are maybe 10% or so of Filipinos who are like this, and don’t like foreigners. The vast majority of Filipinos that I have ever met are very friendly, and enjoy meeting foreigners. I am happy to live here, and I am happy to have the friendship of almost every Filipino that I meet. For those who don’t like me because of the color of my skin, well, all I can do is feel sorry for them, and go on with life.
Of course, I am “only a foreigner”!
Hi Bob,You made my day!! Great for you & your Family!
Hi Joe – Thank you!
Hi Bob;
Since I agree with you that the system is fair, and your advice about how to conduct yourself while at a Barangay Hall was on the mark. I had a strong feeling that you would fare well. Plus I’m glad you did. They said “that it caused their tenants to move out of the building”. So you won twice?
Hi Paul – Yeah, that’s what I was thinking… I’m glad that I played a role in getting the people to move out! I did nothing illegal, only asked them to hold the noise down. If that caused them to move out, well it was a win-win situation, and I won both times! 😉
Bravo, Bob! The outcome to this problem was better than expected. Oh, how I wish I was there to see the drama unfold. This situation reminds me of numerous episodes of court television here in the states. To see the opposing party use insane tactics only to have it backfire. I love it! It’s unfortunate that some people seem to subscribe to such behavior. If someone doesn’t like me, I’d at least want to know if it’s something I did. If it’s, like you pointed out, due to skin color, well, that’s a different can of worms best left sealed. You handled it perfectly and this experience will be instrumental for foreigners in similar situations.
Hi Henry – Ha ha… yes, it worked out even better than I hoped for. These folks really shot themselves in the foot. It all came down to the fact that they don’t like foreigners. I’m glad that they are a small minority here.
Hi Bob – Sounds like all turned out well…though these folks may be a source of trouble in the future. They don’t seem to accept you being a neighbor, under any circumstances. Some people are like that.
I spent a few months in the Philippines and only ran into one instance of xenophobia/anti-foreigner sentiment.
My wife’s family lives far out in the country, along the Davao-Bukidnon hiway. Without our own car, the only way to get there is by bus (RTI) or the occasional mini-vans that would ply the route…no jeepneys or tricycles journey that far out of town. The buses don’t really follow any schedule, but the buses are preferable to mini-vans. Many times, if you don’t want to wait along the side of the road for hours, you take what you can get.
We were trying to get back to Maramag, from her parent’s house, one day and after waiting about 2 hours for a bus to come by, a mini-van finally came around the corner and stopped for us. As usual, my wife stuck her head in the door and asked how much. They gave her a price that was usual for that trip (we’d taken the trip by mini-van both ways before and knew the ballpark) and we both climbed in, just happy not to be standing on the roadside anymore. Seemed there was a 4 man team running this van (usually only 2 or 3) and I guess they didn’t notice I was a kano until I got in the van. They were a somewhat shady looking group and started making comments in Bisaya about ‘kano’ and laughing, but I didn’t pay much attention. After a few minutes on the road, the driver told my wife, in Bisaya, that foreigners pay double price. My wife told him no, we agreed to a price before we got in and if he didn’t like it, he could let us out. He kept driving and looking at me in the rear-view mirror…finally he said in english, very loudly, “Foreigners pay double! Understand?” His buddies laughed, but he wasn’t laughing. I didn’t respond in any way, but I was getting quite uncomfortable with these guys. However, I figured it would be OK, since there were about 6 other passengers in the van as well…but the fact that he was trying to provoke something was really annoying. My wife was clearly thinking the same thing I was…as they dropped us at the bus terminal in Maramag, she informed the guy guarding the door, in Bisaya, that we were going to pay only what we agreed to…nothing more. They gave us dirty looks, but that was it. We avoided mini-vans after that.
Foreigners have to be aware that there are people in the Philippines like that. Not many, but I think a calm approach can save you money or your life, depending on the circumstances.
Hi rc – Good story there, and one that people can learn from. There are a fair number of people who want foreigners to pay more, and mostly it is not out of hatred, but they just think we can afford it. The ones you were dealing with, though, sounded mean, and sounds like they just did not like foreigners at all.
“The ones you were dealing with, though, sounded mean, and sounds like they just did not like foreigners at all.”
Yeah, I was very used to the foreigner tax by then. This incident had a very different vibe. We were somewhat trapped and the driver was going out of their way to be obnoxious. It was very troubling. I had never before or after experienced anything like it.
Hi rc – Perhaps I am just lucky, but it is quite rare that I run into the “foreigner tax” thing. I hear about it a lot, but after living here ten years, I don’t think I have experienced it even ten times! 😀
ngay, would have been nice, while at the barangay hall, to ask their permission to record on tape or on video every time they make trouble at night, to settle things. 😀 but i guess the barangay officials can already see who’s telling the truth. here, we also have a neighbor, an old lady who just steals neighbors’ plants. don’t know what to do with her. maybe i’d take pictures one of these days. tsk tsk…
Hi ngay – Ha ha… we have thought about videotaping when there is such a problem. Now, though, the call center already moved out anyway, so things are OK. Also, I’m pretty happy with the suggestion from the Barangay Captain to just call 911 whenever there is a problem.
I never hade any doubts about your case. However, Bob I would disagree about the percentage of Filipinos that hate Foreigners. I feel it is much higher and nostly shows its ugly face when there are conflicts such as yours. It truly digusts me and and is probably the thing I detest most about the Philipines only after corruption. I look forward to the day I get my citizenship when I can tell a Filipino who might challenge me on this #%%&#$#@ just where to go LOL
Hi richard – I actually felt that I was going quite high by saying that 10% of Filipinos don’t like foreigners. I don’t think it is any higher than that at all. We can certainly have different opinions, though.
Too true mate. 10% i think is conservative and the dislike of foreigners becomes really apparent in disputes especially to do with money hence the line “you’re a foreigner” which would not be used in any other country in the world without serious anti-discrimination charges being laid. I guess that’s the only issue i have with the place with issues such as “filipino time” not even a concern to me. One has to wonder whether “kano prices” is due to poverty or if a sinister message is being imparted to the foreigner considering the fact that forcing a foreigner to pay double for a mini-van would barely buy you a rice meal at a karenderia.
I also had a big win over an incident which was quite satisfying and of course minus the dignity of Bob but being nice doesn’t always get you anywhere. The police were great about it, the family connections i called upon including a manila prosecutor which probably gave the police no choice but to to things above board were very helpful and that trike driver had no hope in hell. The terms “bastos na foreigner”, “akala niya kung sino siya”, “yabang niya”, “wag siyang pumunta dito sa filipinas kung hindi siya magbibigay” and how “damot” i am for not wanting to give extra and blah blah blah all in front of the PNP and barangay officials. Needless to say he’s not driving trikes in Angeles no longer. I agree though with the poster that the average joe would not have seen justice.
To the mini-van rider and anyone else who experiences a local trying to take them for a ride this is all you need to say,
“Wala kang hiya” or “mukhang pera ka” LoL
Hey Bob,
Ahh, The old “He’s a foreigner” defense. Makes you wonder if that ever works for them. Congrats on your win Bob…Justice prevailed.
Hi hudson – Ha ha… yep, the “he’s a foreigner” defense didn’t seem to work this time!
Great to hear, Bob! I’ve been checking the site several times per day, for the last couple of days, very curious as to how things turned out. I was going to refer you to our lawyer in Davao, but that would have cost you more than the result you have achieved.
Though I sincerely hope that this is not the case, as “rc” said, there may still be some form of retribution, especially if the situation has cost those landlords rental income. Having been through a couple of clashes with Filipinos who did not like foreigners – one incident which was almost the end of me – though you are probably wanting to take a “wait & see” approach, because you have kids, I would strongly recommend that you consider re-locating. Sorry, not trying to fear-monger, just concerned.
I have to ask; how did you convince Feyma to stay calm in the hearing? lol I have never met a Filipina whom doesn’t turn into a bulldog when her family is being attacked, verbally, or otherwise. In fact, my wife’s nickname in her family is “Ka Jenny”, as she fears no one when defending a family member and has a tendency to “get wild”, though you wouldn’t think so when meeting her.
Mike
Hi Mike – We have no plans of moving anytime soon. In fact, our lease is up in October, and Feyma and I discussed it there other day. Previously, we had planned to look around and possibly move when our lease is up. After our experience, and considering how good our landlord is, our inclination is to sign for a longer rental here.
I do have a bit of a fear that they will try to make more problem. My feeling is that they will be looking for any reason to call 911 on me. I am a pretty quiet and calm guy, so finding a reason would be very hard. But, they will also get in trouble if they abuse 911 like that. So, overall, I’m not very worried about them.
Hi Bob! Hopefully, that will teach them a lesson not to bug you again. Good! that everything was settled, even though they don’t like foreigners. take care! say hi to Martin family.
Hi Willy and Emee – Thanks very much, nice to hear from you! I hope you are doing well! I’ll be sure to pass along your greetings to Feyma and the kids!
Funny that your neighbors verbally dislike foreigners but are making a living off them. They have only the obvious to draw resentment …your kano…and your meddling in thier affairs.
Hi brian – I was telling Feyma the same thing….. the people utilizing that call center are sure foreigners! That’s OK, as long as there is money to be made, right? 😆
Funny thing also… they are Filipino and meddling with my sleep, but I don’t dislike Filipinos! 😉
Bob- congrats on the outcome. One thing about the situation i find really really scary. Even tho you have lived here for 10 years and are well connected you felt compelled to contact prominent business people and other well connected people for you to feel that you had any chance at all for a fair hearing. Imagine if the person being complained about was just an average foreigner- with no important well connected friends ??? S I get the feeling from your posts that such person would have had NO chance at all for justice- never mind in getting a fair hearing. Its the same everywhere- well connected people with well established or prominent or rich friends find life much easier than average joes. Its just that here in the philippines it is even more so . And that I think is something that everyone who lives here should consider.
Hi ian – Sorry, but I disagree with your assessment. I believe that a “regular” person has every chance to prevail, if he is in the right. Just go tell the truth, and the truth will prevail. That is my opinion, and my experience. Why did I bring these two friends with me? Two reasons… firstly, because as a foreigner I do not have the best understanding of how the system works, I do not know the laws, etc. My friends were there to help me with things like that. Second reason, indeed, because they are prominent (note, I did not say rich, because they are not). Yes, it helps, and you might as well take advantage of what you can. But, I believe I would have easily prevailed even if my friends could not come.
Hi Bob- I think you were lucky in this case in that the opposition basically shot themselves in the foot.
And I would hope that you were correct= that all you have to do in court is ” tell the truth-and the truth will prevail” Unfortunately i dont think that your assessment is correct- in any other country, and particularly in this country . But I will keep on hoping. I do believe that in the philippines WHO you are and WHO you know and WHO you pay off are much more important than the truth. Maybe thats the definition of corruption?? lol
[ note- I didn not say your friends were rich! lol].
Hi Ian – I took this as referring to my friends, perhaps I interpreted what you said differently than you intended:
Fact is, this is my second time to deal with being taken to Barangay Court. I wrote about my other experience a couple of years ago. The event actually happened somewhere around 7 years ago. In that case, I took nobody with me, just Feyma and myself. We prevailed easily.
My feeling of how it works is based on two experiences when it did work. I don’t know if you have experiences to base your opinion on or not. But, I do know that in two times that I have been there for a hearing, it worked flawlessly each time.
Its the same everywhere- well connected people with well established or prominent or rich friends find life much easier than average joes.
thats what all the “ors” were there for !! hehe To show I didnt mean that your friends are necessarily rich [ since i wdnt have a clue about that!]
I have had NO experience in Barangay court. Only as an attorney in many other courts- in Canada, in the usa, in mexico. I would say that in about 90% of all court cases at least one person is lying. And it has never been my experience that the mere fact of telling the truth is ever enough to win! Connections, or how good an attorney you can afford, or how experienced or prominent your witnesses are, or how bad your opponent is as a witness- all these things are more important than telling the truth .
Hi ian – Attorneys are not allowed in Barangay Hearings. The hearings are more of a mediation process between the parties. They are informal, very informal. Not really much like going to court, to be honest. Of course, I agree that things like your credibility and ability to present your side play a huge part in how the outcome is. But, telling lies would tend to impact on your credibility, as it should be.
Nice to hear that justice prevailed. The baranggay system works it seems. Nationalists? duh…just because they mouth off that you’re a foreigner? I bet you they’ve got relatives in the US. They were testing you and you came out smelling like a rose. They’re just not the kind of people you want to have for neightbours anyhere in the world. They lost a client serves them right the twits…he he he
Hi AlexB – Ha ha… you are probably right about the relatives in the States! 😉 Well, I’m just glad with the way that things worked out.
Good deal, glad of the outcome. We’ve had a case with Barangay system & I too think it was fair.
This is somewhat off topic so if you ignore that’s ok. One of the things that bothers me about the call center biz is the enormous amounts of personal information floating around.
Hi Gary – I never had thought about the fact that these companies who use outsourcing are making private info available to these call centers all over the world. That is a bit scary!
Yes, and it’s not just call centers. Business processes are also off-shored, such as mortgage processing.
Seems there should be some laws about this, Gary… do you know if there are?
Absolutely, in the US many of the data privacy / security laws fall under SOX, HIPAA, GLBA and PCI-DSS. Ensuring compliance is difficult, costly and often illusive.
Hi Gary – And, I bet, if the violations are overseas, then enforcement could be a nightmare!
I’m leery of anyone to whom I provide “information.” Knowledge that there are more incidents of identity theft, unauthorized credit usage, and similar fraudulent activities that target US citizens occurring within the USA than without keeps me on my toes.
As to the laws – they are reactive: only useful after a crime occurs and not really effective, proactive deterrents. Unlike 100 years ago, the inner guilt of breaking the law just doesn’t stop or affect perpetrators anymore.
Hi Paul – My days of giving out information are pretty much over… I love living here where it seems that nobody ever asks for private information. I just go about my life and don’t worry about all that stuff!
Morning Bob,
My wife and I are very pleased by the unfolding events at the barangay hall. Justice does work and I am very glad that filipino justice worked in a fair and just manner! Talk to you soon 🙂
Jason Dance
Thanks, Jason! I was also happy with the outcome! 😉
😉 😉 😉 Triple wink alert 😉 😉 😉
“Oh, you Americans are all alike. You’re overpaid, over-sexed and over here!”
Nope, never heard that in The Philippines. I was told that in London, England by a few folks who also explained to me how the Tommies “pulled our fat out of the fire” in WWII. 😉 😉 😉
We’ve enjoyed using the barangay system a few times – always honest and fair – and even the municipal system when the Kapitan escalated the case. We don’t have a beautiful Barangay Hall like yours, but what goes on inside is just as beautiful!
Next time trouble with your “neighbor” arises, send the husband a case of San Miguel – he’s your friend, after all – and an unspecific apology to his wife – let her figure out it’s purpose! 😀
Ha ha… Yep, I’ve heard that saying too, Paul.
Our Barangay Hall was just built about 3 years ago, maybe even a bit less. It still needs to be painted, but hey, we aren’t fancy here! 😆
I just was at the grocery store, Paul, and I saw the wife there! She would not talk to me, though! 😉
HI Bob
I think the fact that in addition to being honest and telling the truth, in keeping cool, calm and collected got your neighbors even more excited and vocal that they could not get a rise out of you and Feyma and turn the whole thing into a two way shouting match.
It is intereresting to speculate why the call center moved out ? If the building owners live in that same building maybe they were having difficulty sleeping too, LOL.
I think it was good that you had local and knowledgeable Filipino friends familiar with ” the system ” there with you to verify correct procedure took place. If it were me I would do the same thing.
A disliking ( I don’t really want to use the word hatred ) of foriegners I think is something that can be found just about anyplace on the planet to one degree or another. As a visitor to The Philippines I can say without any reservation that I have never felt as welcomed to anyplace as I did on my first visit to Iligan City and for that matter on additional visits as well. If I lived there maybe things would be different, maybe not.
I am glad things worked out favorably for you Bob ! Thanks for sharing this most recent ” adventure ” with the rest of us.
Hi Bob – The neighbors don’t actually live in the building, they live elsewhere. It is my understanding that the call center really moved out because they outgrew the space available.
I suspect you are right, the fact that these folks could not anger me probably set them off even more!
Hi Bob,
You’re right! There are only few of those people and you did the right thing. My family and I have the same experiences in our lot in Antipolo but we are not foreigners, we are Filipinos like them and we did the same thing… to keep calm and quiet and wait for the turn. I’m glad it’s done and it turned out well at your end. To be frank, if I were there, I will laugh out loud. he he he
Best regards! Mabuhay!
Hi Lar – Thank you very much! I’m glad that I was able to make sure that I just stayed cool and calm, I believe it really gives you a lot more credibility if you can do that. Mabuhay!
Bob: Glad you prevailed. I’ve also found the Captains to be very fair… It is in their best interest to do so. As to Filipinos not liking foreigners, Your 10% may be a little high, but is probably spot on. Those who complain about it should think for a second how much anti-immigrant and other garbage is spewed out in the States! Far more than here.
Hi John – Yes, in the States, there is a lot of anti-immigrant feeling, and I am happy that it is not so prevalent here. I have to say that Filipinos are among the most welcoming and friendly people I’ve ever encountered.
Anti-immigrant or anti-illegal immigrant. You’re comparing apples and oranges. Foreigners do not go to Philippines and expect any financial entitlements. Of course you notice it more in the states. You speak the bloody language there. At the end of the day the west is alot more educated on the issue of race than South East Asia.
I’m glad to hear everything turned out well. 🙂 The justice system should apply fairly to foreigners and nationals alike. 🙂
Thank you, Claudette. I was very happy with how it all was handled. I think it was very fair, and I could not ask for better treatment.
Hi bob,
The irony is…. the call center owner hates the “foreigner” I wonder who are their call center client? I hope not from a “foreign” land???
Manyt foreigner in the philippine think they do not have a rights or they can not get a justice in the philippines… until you experience it yourself.
Hi dans – I haven’t heard from you in a while! Great to see your comment today! I would agree that the statement is ironic. I do believe that on matters like Barangay level issues, justice is available for foreigners. When it comes to Immigration matters… well, there is still more to be desired, IMHO, though.
Hi bob did i mot say that the call centre may have moved out and these people would lose the income generated from said call centre ,when willl these people realize that if they welcomed foreighners and promoted there city aas a tourist destintion the flow on effects may well be enormous ,anyway well done on your victory but i would beware as these people may be a bit pi===== off at losing and looking foolish in the barangy hall at least you were the bigger man (no pun intended)and offered the hand of friendship to your accusers congrats and peacefull sleeping
chris
Hi chris – Thank you. Indeed, the loss of the rental income was what got them upset at me to begin with. I knew this before, but did not want to publish that I knew about it, so I was quiet. I have heard that they already found another renter for the space, but I am not certain. We will see…
I’m putting my combination Videoke & Mahjong Parlor in there. Grand opening in two weeks. You’re most welcome to come and enjoy our opening – especially our 2:00 AM happy hour merienda. 😉 😉 😉
Do I get the “good neighbor discount” Paul? 😯
kamusta bob
hmmm very interesting article here..as you say the truth will prevail,,and also to note that you kind of look like a mobster with sunglasses and your arms folded together…hehehe joke
salamat bob
Hi Ron – Ha ha… I tried to look mean for that picture! 😆
Hi Bob- After reading the whole sorry episode and particularlly the conclusion and behaviour of your neighbours who levelled the charges at you.I honestly think its time you looked for another place to stay.After all your only a foreigner as you pointed out yourself.
Kind regards.
Jim.
Hi Jim – We don’t have any intention of moving, we are very happy here. These people, I would guess, are in their 80’s. I don’t really think they are a threat.
In their 80s! Most of us get more mellow as we age, but not these two.
Was the Barangay Captain still the same person mentioned in your earlier post (the barber)?
If this had occured after your Philippine citizenship, you could have responded to their “Filipino against foreigner” statement by saying “But I’m a Filipino.”
Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared in these situations. Considering you got the papers at 5 pm the day before a 2 pm hearing, you got things together quickly.
A good story, Bob, and I like a happy ending.
Hi Peter – Yes, it really surprises me that these folks, at their age have the trouble-causing tendencies that they do! Unbelievable!
Hi Bob,
Just learned of your troubles. If I’d known you were looking for witnesses to attest to the fact that you are only a “drinker” of the finest coffee in mindanao I would gladly have provided evidence!
Seriously though, I am very glad everything worked out for you and the family.
Dave
Hi Dave – Nice to hear from you! Where are you hanging your hat these days?
Whenever you are ready for another cup of coffee, just let me know! 😀
Hi Bob,
Congratulations! I think the Brgy. Captain is fair and kudos to him too.
Thumbs down to the ignorant and ill-informed persons that had filed the complain out of spite and used the foreigner card. I will call them PINOY THRASH!!
It is very unfortunate that these people gave the Filipinos a bad name. I agree and hope that less 10% of Filipinos are against foreigner basing to the fact that there are many OFW.
Toting
Hi Toting – Thank you for your comment. Well, I don’t think that these people gave all Filipinos a bad name… only themselves.
good for you , you prevailed.
Hi mike – Yes, very good for me! It made me happy! 😆
again, congratulations on the win. at first you had 2 wins (the ruling AND the complainants looking like fools). I even said this was the best outcome.
i was wrong. you won 3 times! the call center group moved out! well, now we’ve got a hat trick in our hands. fantastic.
who knows, maybe that’s one less Philippine call center breaking privacy rules and calling my US number to bug me late at night HERE IN DAVAO. yes, i get that random 3am call once a week. if they only knew that i may be sharing the same zip code with them.
Ah, macky, so I scored a hat trick on this one! Wow, I had not even considered it. Only downside is that while the call center moved out, a new call center moved in! Time for retraining? 😯
Well done Bob,perhaps you could ask them to donate to your christmas fund for the kids.lol.
Thank you, john.j. 😀 Christmas fun? Hmm… if I let them know about that, they may try to follow me and take the goodies from the kids! 😯
Hi Bob;
The Barangay court system is akin to the U.S. Militaries, “Uniform Code of Military Justice” Article 93 (Non-Judicial Punishment). This goes somewhat like this. Paul (me never Paul K.) messes up on the beach, Shore patrol reports him to the Ship. Charges are filed, I report to the man with my hat in my right hand (Navy Joke). First stop is the Executive Officer (On Star Trek that’s Number Two) The XO has the power to dismiss charges if of a lesser nature. Or he could ask the offender to “Volunteer to not leave the ship for a week” and nothing is placed in Paul T’s Service Record. Second option is to be Called before the Mast, (From the British Navy) or Captains Mast. The Captain may find for you or against you, or refer you to a Courts Marshall, (Never a good thing) His ability to render punishment is limited, yet binding or subject to an appeal. My first Barangay court appearance years ago I thought to myself, “I’ve done this before, albeit was in the Navy. Both worked the same way, my mouth was shut, I was respectful, and only spoke the truth.
Hi Paul – I do detect a similarity there! Maybe the US Navy based it’s entire system on how Philippine Society works! 😯
Hi Bob;
Can’t say as the UCMJ replaced the old system which came from the British Navy. USMJ came into being in the late 1940’s early 1950’s. Both are good systems, if you stay out of trouble (lol)
Bob, let me join all your legions of friends in wishing you congratulations.
Having said this, you may, underline MAY, have misinterpreted what went on in this situation and hence you may have given incorrect or misleading advice in what we should do in a similar situation.
1. You should ask yourself WHY these people went after you, especially with such a nothing case. The call center left them and used your actions as the reason. They were shamed by your frequent visits to their house to tell the call center what to do – and they retaliated in true Filipino fashion. My experience has been that maybe you could have avoided the whole thing if oyu had used an intermediary to tell them that there was a problem without confronting them directly might have been better than going over at 2am to tell the call center manager that he’s wrong. This approach has worked for me in Indonesia and Thailand as well as here.
2. When you had exposed each of their charges as lies (abusive behavior, being drunk, damaging the gate), the only charge they had left to preserve their position was playing the “foreigner card.” Undeniably you are guilty of being a foreigner. Even if this did not work (as it did not), they could preserve their self image by saying to their friends, “Well, the Captain was just pandering to foreigners.” As many have written, if anything Filipinos are pro-foreigner – and anti-Filipino. Think of the provocations they have: tens of thousands of us coming here, marrying their young, beautiful women, and living high off the hog. Also further tens of thousands of their women marrying “penpals” and going abroad. And NOTHING you could do to stop it happening. Wouldn’t you be mad?
3. You did exactly the correct thing: calm, cool and rational. But you also had “influencial” Filipinos with you. So you really cannot know what did the trick with the Captain: reason or influence. My suggestion to everyone is to do what you have done: cultivate influencial Filipinos who can back you when the chips are down.
4. My wife (and I and some of your readers) thinks that you are at risk. The home owners are furious with you. You have shamed them in front of the call center people (since they could not control you) and now in front of the Captain (and in a day the whole neighborhood will know). Yes, they may be in their 80s, but they have sons and grandsons and/or the money to hire someone to do you damage. So I’d suggest you watch your back and the backs of your children for a while.
Anyway, congratulations once again – and good luck.
Hi ProfDon – Thanks for your take on the situation. I personally believe that you have over-analyzed things this time. I admit, though, that I could be wrong and you could be right. We shall see.
Would not be the first time I over-analyzed something. A cost/danger of my pat profession.
Would you and your readers have interest in other musings and thoughts about life here in a more extended form? If so, how to do it?
Don
Hi ProfDon – If you would like to write on the site, I would sure welcome you. I ask for a commitment to one article per week. If that is agreeable to you, let’s talk! Just send me a note through the “Contact Us” link that you will find on the top of the page.
Bob,
Glad to hear everything turned out fair and honest in your case. Thank you also for posting the article I sent.
Hi Steve – Thank you for taking the time to write your article! A lot of people enjoyed reading it!
Hi Bob:
Glad to hear of the outcome of this whole assorted affair. The thing I want to know is how much you paid the Barangay Captain Thursday night so you would come out on top on Friday???
Remember it is only a joke.
Hi Wayne – Joke or not… I paid nothing. 😀
Hi Bob,
Congratulations on getting your justice, you deserve it, I am happy to hear about it. The way I see it, those people knew that they have no/hopeless case against you and so what they were trying to do was to try to win sympathy from the people present, including your wife, asserting that that was a case of a rich foreigner maltreating a filipino. But, I think barangay captains are too smart to fall for that. A barangay is a small community and most elected capitans are well known locally for their good measure of decency. I’m glad the system worked. Those people better be doing good in their barangay, otherwise, it will be difficult for them to get a barangay clearance which is a pre-requisite to many dealings.
Thank you, Lito! I appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Hey Bob! It’s Junior.
Congratulations to both you and Feyma for bringing this matter to a close with dignity and respect for your accuser. It takes a higher level of maturity to reach out to the people causing sleepless nights for so long. When one in the opposing party refused to shake your hand after dragging you before the barangay captain on frivolous charges, you and Feyma handled it with grace.
The barangay captain should be recognized also for sending a message to both foreigners and locals that justice is blind in his hall and everyone is welcome.
My only hope is the landlord of the neighboring property will come to realize that shame does not come from being reasonable.
Before I close, I got a good laugh about you being drunk. If I were awaken at 1 AM, 3 AM, and couldn’t get back to sleep because of more noise at 5 AM, it isn’t intoxication, it’s sleep deprivation.
Congrats again!
Hi Junior – Thanks for your comment. I found what you said to be spot on, and I was also happy that the Captain kept things level for both parties!
Hey Bob. It’s Junior again.
I forgot to mention you were in an article last week. The article was about foreigners living in Davao. Here’s the link:
http://www.positivenewsmedia.net/am2/publish/Article_Features_22/Expats_find_their_havens_in_Davao.shtml
Junior
Hi Junior – Thanks! I knew nothing about that!
Hi Bob! (did not comment for a long time) but I am so proud of what you did! Inspires people when they read this article! Regards to Feyma!
Hi Marygrace! I thought you already left us, and didn’t read this anymore! Glad to hear from you!
Hi Bob,
I know this post is a little old but I have recently had several similar experiences. To make a long story short, over the last three years we have been dealing with situations in our homeowners association.
The first Barangay case was done 3 years ago December where they filed false charges against me and another American because we happened to be in the office at the same time and they were trying to keep him from running for the board. One of the complaints is married to an American also. I happen to see them at MacDo one day and she was petrified that I was going to tell her husband. Of course I did not say anything, even though I certainly felt like it. It was similar during the hearing; my wife and I were polite and told the truth. Several times they burst out, yelling at us and had strange looks from the Lupons and Barangay Secretary. They also used the race card of an American against a Filipina. The week before Christmas, I dropped my counter complaints and apologized if there were any misunderstandings. They said it wasn’t sincere and refused to drop their charges but they never pushed through with a case. But the fact that I did this got the Barangay as well as several of their supporters on our side.
Because of this the other American and I became friends and we both ran for board last year and won with the highest number of votes ever received. Unfortunately we thought we had a majority but one on our side switched because “foreigners are too strict.” Soon after this they started a campaign with their majority to get the other guy deported. I won’t go into all the details since it would take a book but I of course got pulled into this once he started defending himself.
They filed 9 cases at the Barangay and one at immigration. They lost with the housing board (HLURB) to move the last December election so we had the election on time and won in a landslide. They immediately called for failure of election and finally took back the office by force when they lost that request from HLURB. They have repeatedly threatened us (I have security guards at my house after someone fired a 38 five times while ripping down the election banner), called us undesirable aliens, said we have no right to be here, we are not wanted, and should go back to the US. They continue to say that foreigners should remain quiet, enjoy the hospitality of the Philippine people and let the Filipinos run the subdivision.
The irony of this second round is that once of the loudest voices at a meeting they called to take over is a Fil-Am, who is part owner of one of the large call centers in the Philippines and he told me that we will get all you Americans out of here. He didn’t expound on whether that included himself, his American partners, or all of his American customers (which is the majority of his customer base.)
Sorry for the long reply but I tried to weed down 3 years of activity into this short post. I would agree with you that it perhaps about 10% of the people that fall into the truly hate foreigners but unfortunately when they get going they are the loudest. I think it also depends on where you live. Most places I have felt more than welcome.
Mike
Hi Mike – What an experience. Reading it certainly does bring back memories for me of our hearing in Barangay Court over our dispute with the neighbors. In our case, I am glad that it did not escalate to violence. I am also happy that we have since moved from that location and are now living in a completely different part of town.
BTW, one thing I should add is for any foreigners thinking about running for the Board on a homeowners association, unless that association has had foreigners on their Board for a long time already and they are well received, don’t do it! Even then I would consider it hard. If you think that by joining the Board you can make a difference and stomp out corruption and other things going on that you don’t like, you will have a long fight ahead of you. Once this fight is over and my term is up, I certainly will stay out of the politics from here on out.
Personally, I would tend to agree with that bit of advice, Mike.