Do you ever dream of owning your own island? Imagine living out in the middle of the ocean with no neighbors within earshot! Of course, any person who has a love for the island, for the tropics and such have all had this thought at one time or another in their lives, right? I know that I have, and I bet that you have as well! Well, it indeed can come true! If you have the money to do so, that is.
While browsing the net, I came upon an article at GMANews.tv and found it quite interesting!
Do you want to own your own piece of paradise?
If you have 20 million pesos to spare, you can start looking among the 7,107 islands of the Philippines and buy yourself your own private island!
I-Witness’ Sandra Aguinaldo looks into the business of buying and selling the islands of Palawan… and the impact this has had on the province’s indigenous peoples.
Sandra meets the people behind a popular website whose business is to “sell” islands to foreign buyers and investors. Despite Philippine law prohibiting this trade, the internet offers ways for foreigners to go around the rules and buy prime pieces of property.
In Busuanga in northern Palawan, Sandra meets Gilberto Mago, a retired government employee who got his private paradise for only 5,000 pesos!
As these precious islands are being snapped up by rich buyers, the Tagbanua tribe of Palawan is losing its ancestral islands and burial sites. Some have allegedly been forcibly occupied by private owners, while others have been sold by the indigenous people themselves because of extreme poverty.
This Monday, explore the hidden islands of Palawan before they become private in “Philippine Islands For Sale!,” Sandra Aguinaldo’s I-Witness documentary airing late night over GMA-7.
Wow, so I can own that island paradise after all? If I only had an extre P20 Million sitting around. Maybe we could all pitch in and have our own little community on the island! Ha ha…. If you look closely, you will note that the Island that I posted a photo of has a nice swimming pool too!
We can always dream… right?
Hello Bob….Bill Huff again. I am not really sure where in your blog that i should ask you this question..???……as i told you earlier, i will be moving to Butaun City in Sept……..i will be marring a Filipina just weeks later, after the 10 day waiting period. I have read everything about your Visa info….but still find myself confused. I have been told that i need to apply for the 13a visa….after the wedding, i want to become a perminent resident…..can you please tell me exactly what i will nee to take with me, proof of birth and the such. I have told if i forget to bring the proper paper work, that i would have to fly back to the US to obtain these items. Thanks again Bob for your time & efforts…..yours is the best info on the net…….Pluss, i just thought of this, what is the custom in the Phili regaurding weddings…???……who ends up with bill…hehehe….who is oblicated and incharge..????
Hi Bill – well… let's see… you will need your birth certificate, passport, police clearances from anyplace where you have lived in the past 5 years, if you have been married in the past you will need the divorce paperwork or death certificates of your previous wife(s). Any kinds of official paperwork like this will be needed. You will need also medical certificates and such, but you can have an exam here to get those. This will all be needed for your resident visa (13a).
As for the wedding… it follows life, Bill. You pay everything – she is in charge! Ha ha…. 🙂
Hi Bob. I used to be very much into sailing (yachts 30 feet and above) and used to keep up with the sailboat chartering business in the Bahamas and South Pacific. I've always wanted to run my own yacht chartering business (monohulls and catamaran sailboat only) in the Philippines where you can make landfalls on most of the 7, 107 islands, without having to own them. All you need is convince each provinces and island owners to create little marinas where one is not in place yet.
I don't think it's a farfetched idea. Yacht chartering business could work because there are already hundreds of yachts lining up Manila harbor and the Subic Bay Yacht Club. Most of those yachts came from other parts of the world. By far, I think the Philippines has much more to offer than the Bahamas as far as islans are concerned, and these sailing yachts could be your portable little islands and visit all of the 7,107 islands without having to own them. Till next time….
Hi Bob,
Don't know where else to post this question under. My husband & I will be visiting Visayas/Mindanao from June thru Aug. Will be in Davao sometime in August. I have just started my blog here recently and I would love to do a series on expats' wife's point of view. If its not an imposition, I would love to do a short interview with Feyma to get my series going.
Thanks!
speedbump (AKA joy) http://retire2pi.blogspot.com
Hi Julius – I do believe that such a business could be viable. The only drawback is that the investment required would be quite large. I also don't know about the insurance, it could be high too. It is something that I believe could fly though.
Hi Bob- I think I saw it in Sport Unlimited where they had these german yachtmen who sailed their 60 foot catamaran to Boracay and we're chartering it to the Boracay tourist. Yacht chartering is also growing in popularity in Thailand. I think they have 1 or 2 chartering companies there now. There's also a growing trend for yachtbuilders in the Philippines and they sell to foreigners. I can't remember the site, but I think when i googled it, I typed Philippine boatbuilder, and the site came up. There's definitely potentials in that area, but it's going to take some time. I'm still working on getting the Jimmy Buffet "Parrot Head" and "Margaritaville" mentality in the Filipino mindset. Somehow it's not clicking. I think it's going to forever remain a South Florida and Bahamian Theme. Till next time….
Hi Julius – are you a Jimmy Buffett fan? I am really a parrothead! I own every album that JB has ever recorded! Even the few that are quite rare!
Yes I am, Bob. I didn't realize it until about 7 years ago, when my wife and I went to Margaritaville in Key West. I've been hooked ever since. I guess I've always had the Jimmy Buffet mentality: Sailing and a pirate lifestyle, island hopping, relaxing and getting away from stress. Here in the Philippines, people are stressing to make a living; in America, people are stressing to get a life. I guess you and I fall in-between. We're just a couple of "Cheeseburger(s) in Paradise". Till next time….
Hi Julius – I think that a big part of my moving here was because of my "Buffett Mentality".
Same here, Bob. I think most people fantasize of living on a tropical isle. We just made it a reality for ourselves and loved ones. So we have to share our "ParrotHead" mentality with our blog readers to encourage them to do the same. Till next time….
Thanks for being included in your blog community, Bob. Till next time….