Lack of Philippine Education

Education System in Shambles 

Students Heading to School

Last night I watched the premiere telecast of The Philippine Agenda. The program is related to the election. It talks about the present situation of the Philippines, the problems, and the reality bits of every Filipino family life… Their endeavors and struggles for survival in their daily living… Their overly fixated thirst for just supremacy in the land. And their undying hunger for good government policies and strategies.Last night they tackled about the current situation of the Philippine Educational System. Jessica Soho (the host) presented the situation of the public schools in the Greater Manila Area and also in other provinces…

   Some of the schools featured have a lot of problems… Take for example in the provinces like in Masbate (Masbate is known for their rich minerals and lush beaches, but still remains to be one of the poorest province in the land). In Masbate the problem is the lack of teachers, books, and other materials necessary for teaching like blackboards and chalks.  They only have one book for the whole class… (sighs). And it is a must for one student to copy everything in the book to the blackboard so that they can study what was written in the book (They could have had just photocopied the whole book for each student but another problem is, they don't have Photocopy Machines available and the students don't have money for the said expense…). They do have blackboards but a part (maybe 1/8th) of the blackboard they have is torn. And also they lack teachers which makes it hard for the students to cope in their studies… The problems in Greater Manila Area is slightly different from the provinces. One main problem is the number of students enrolled per class. The ratio per class in the Philippine setting should be 1 teacher per 30 students, but the ratio per classroom in Greater Manila is 1 teacher per 120 students! (shocking).

One factor with regards to the increase number of students is of course the lack of teachers and government support which is also the same as in the province, and above all are the trasnferees from private institutions because of yearly increase of tuition fees… And since the ratio per class is too many, hence there will also be problems like lack of tables and chairs for most of the students, and low comprehension skills for the students especially the ones sitting at the back for they can no longer hear the voice of their teacher talking in front of them(not unless they have microphones or megaphones available per classroom…). Also some problems are the lack of books per student, and some of students enrolled in public schools nowadays are malnourished… When a student is malnourished, that greatly effect his level of attentiveness, and comprehensive skills…

   It is just so devastating to know the current Educational System situation of the country. The literacy rate of the Philippines now maybe too low. Yet out of 45 countries, the Philippines ranks number 41st in Mathematics and number 42nd in Science. And the last time I heard, they are the third leading country in SE Asia  that can understand and speak English. Although it is a fact, we cannot help but worry about the current situation that can greatly lessen the number of people who speaks and understands English in the future.

    Let this be a lesson for everybody to vote wisely this coming election… I hope and believe that we can have a good government leaders in the future. Leaders that will help us surpass problems of reality…  Leaders that have dignity and patriotism for their land. Leaders that have dreams and aspirations for the land and for the Filipino people…

Stats from 2008

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Living in Rural Cebu Philippines

My Views and Opinions

Written by Guest writer Tobster Living Cebu Forums

I have been living in rural Barili for about two and a half years now and for the most part I enjoy it. I have gotten used to most of the things that bother other members of this forum. Such as...

Rosters.....We have alot, we breed and fight them. I am not a gambler but I enjoy fighting and breeding. I really dont mind and dont really notice the noise early in the morning.

Brownouts.....Get a bit of a storm and a tree will always take out the power. They are always upgrading here so all day brownouts on Sunday are the norm. We get advance notice so we spend the day at the beach. big picnic and cold beer and the kids love it...

Water supply...Here its not 24 7 its about 12 6 ie 6 days a week we get about 12 hours of supply....You get used to it and keep a days supply on hand.

Living with the inlaws.......Not too bad but it does have its moments. Mother in laws does everything here gets up at 3am and washes, cleans cooks, gardens, looks after the kids etc. Father in law looks after the chickens and spends the rest of the day doing nothing if he is not with his friends. Wifes sister has a kid to a guy who vanished when she got pregnant. She ended up marrying one of my friends and is now processing her visa.

Locals....In our baranguay most of the people are related to my family in one way or another. So there are alot of people watching my back. Most have only very basic English which means they usually speak Bisaya to me which is OK and slowly I am getting the hang of it.

Driving....Its insane sometimes and I alway drive offensively and I always assume that anyone near me will do the most ridiculous and unexpected things. Hate the peddlecabs with a passion not to mention the buses, V hire, dogs and SUV drivers....

Women here...When the subject of finding a girl comes up, it is often said that one should look in the provences. I am the last person who should be giving advice on women but from what I have seen here the local girls are very domesticated and hard working, but they seem to get pregnant early. Not always the case but there are many girls here who I consider to be good if you are looking for a wife.

Raising Kids. I didnt marry or have kids until late in life. I have a two and a half year old daughter and I came here so I could raise her in a way that mirrors my own upbringing. She can speak bisaya and English very well. I really try to be there for her and spend all day with her. She even swears very well a habit she picked up from me when I am driving and usually the explaintives fly not good but it makes me laugh and my wife cringe.

Business.....We had one that made money but between staff problems etc etc decided it was more hassel than it was worth. The only people I know that make serious money are in large scale farming or supply goods to businesses or own a Jollybee franchise. Me I buy and sell property......buy cheap, improve the lot so its ready to build on then sell it. The selling part is a real pain but it puts food on the table and lets me indulge in my hobbies..........

Lending money.........DONT.....simplely if you lend you zont see it again. I have in the past and usually never get it back. When asked I just say sorry dont have any now... Now I dont get asked so no problems cos I really hate chasing money owed to me....

Insects.........I have been biten by almost every insect that can bite you. Really hate the tiny red ants.

Geekos...Those small lizards are Ok especially when the termites swarm and invade the house.

Food....I am particular with what I eat and sad to say the food here sux........Luckly you can by most western favourites now in Cebu just gotta know where to go...........


Anyway just my opinions about living here............

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US Credit and Living Abroad

Being a Philippine credit Ghost is not all that fun.

When I first moved to the Philippines I had a few debts and few credit cards.  Which were all paid off and left my credit in ok condition prior to my departure.  That was February of 2007 and though I had ok credit and nothing to scream about I was able to get loans and credit cards.  At that time I also closed my bank accounts and opened a prepaid Master Card from Western Union.   I did this because of the fees they charged for overseas transactions and it was convenient.   These fees can be extremely high as much as 40 dollars per 1,000 dollars you take out.  So read this tip to save money.  Click Here.    So lets flash forward to present day March of 2013.    I am currently in the process of taking my wife and children back to the US.   I have two children and a wife so some of the expenses to this process listed below.

The wife and children need:
NBI and CFO - $160.00
Philippine Passports - $190.00
Certificate Birth Abroad Children - $225.00
US Passports Children  - $240.00
US Visa Process Wife - $850.00
Air Fare for Family - $3500.00

So as you can see this is a situation that would strain many a budgets.  This is not to include the nickle and dime expenses that happen and they seem to happen at every turn.  So getting a line of credit to help cover the expense that come up is important.   Yet here I am the Ghost of Christmas past.   I managed in the last 6 years of zero credit have nothing on my credit report.  I had no Bank reporting and zero updates to my income or my address.   At this point I am Casper and no one would consider me for a credit card or loan.  Mostly it was establish some credit and we will give you some credit.   Now that is an oxymoron.   Plus then you must complicate it I am not living in the US.  So combined all those situations I am a credit risk.   In addition on my return to the US I would also have problems reestablishing credit for housing or other needs that revolve around credit.

So as a warning to others as you move your life overseas.   You should keep some form of revolving credit and always keep a US bank account.  You never know what the future may hold.  I have solved this issue with a line of credit but I must reestablish and relevance to credit worthiness. 

Living off the grid can be fun.  Yet when that sudden emergency or when you need those extras in life it is always necessary to maintain a plan.  When I first came here I never thought I would be here this long.  Nor did I give much creedence to needing of credit cards or banking accounts.

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Philippine Success in Business

Article Written by Guest Writer Matt Wilkie

Matt Wilkie is a expat living in Cebu, Philippines offering advice and help to newcomers to the Philippines.  Check his latest blogs at Tropical PenPal

Expats Can Do Successful Business In The Philippines.

We are already into year six and our most recent edition of businesses has been BPO24hour.com.

But what I find in the Philippines within the expat community is that there is often a looking for failure or negativity in people starting business here in the Philippines.

In reality though its just as hard here as anywhere else, where I see many people fail over the years is down to market conditions and how things are run. For example giving a business to a family member of your wife with no experience is pretty much guaranteed to run aground very quickly. Yet giving the opportunity to develop a business with you with the same person who has been experienced in something particular and unique can actually blossom.

Understanding where people make money in the Philippines is part and parcel of this and for me its about looking at not only what they do but how they do it. Because getting things like new rack mount servers into Cebu is something that can run aground with corrupt customs officials. At the same time knowing a family member who works at customs or is a regular importer can deal with your headaches. But isn’t that corruption? Actually its the opposite! Because we have already paid all the fees associated with goods but you will often find that “extras” are added in what seems almost random costing. Which in some cases can see a $100 item getting $100 of taxes added to it for no apparent reason. These are part of the problems of doing business in the Philippines.

But doesn’t mean you have to be defeated! Instead look at where these things are and how to fix them, get round them, work with them. Which for me what should be the easiest route is finding an IT company in Cebu who will sell me a rack mount rather than importing my own. Not as easy as it sounds as most computer companies don’t seem to supply them. But workable! Just time consuming in sourcing. Last resort will be a direct import and crossing my fingers with relatives help.

But that gets me onto BPO24hour.com as this venture is blossoming rather quickly and expanding well. It was not a business I had looked to get into as although I know the inside of an office very well from my surveying background I am not telesales orientated. But this gets back to the expats around me and also the local market. There are call center’s all over the place and we seem to be the one furthest South we have come across.

Understanding the local market that if people don’t have to take 2 – 3 bus rides into the city and can earn the same money at a business within 10mins of their house, who will they work for? Because what has happened is initially it took a bit of canvassing for trainees to get people to try us. But once people became aware that we are here the experienced people started arriving.

Now we see that we have both experienced and trainees working side by side. The trainees are learning quickly as they have good coaches and our most recent additions have seen us recruit Quality Controllers with over 3 years experience in the industry from a major Call Center in the city.

For us we see the business is going to continue to grow and with it I am hoping to share the expansion with others who can manage other call center’s under our umbrella. But right now this is one Expat business that is expanding quickly and successful in the Philippines. Oddly enough its not hard to find other call center’s owned by foreigners or foreign backed around Cebu.

Because lets face it who knows your home market best, you who lived there and as a previous consumer or someone who has only seen your country in the movies? Adding this edge is why we openly look to get skilled staff from the expat community but also OFW’s. Having knowledge they can share as well as help develop people’s accents are all part and parcel of developing the business.

Which gets me back to the title Expats can do successful business in the Philippines, but often they don’t advertise it and often take a back seat. There are many reasons people do that here and some are for safety others could be that they simply don’t see the advantage of the limelight. Privacy is often something people like to have and as one of the biggest money spinners in Asia at the moment is technology related either via call centre’s, web design, SEO and other’s one thing they don’t need is a person. As most are based on results and internet trading. Not Joe Blogg’s from Kentucky which is what gets me back to negativity on business.

The fact is many expats come here and decide to open a small business with high expectations and little business knowledge. In reality though those with business knowledge and experience generally don’t talk too much about what they are doing. Quite simply they don’t need to they just get on with it.

After several years in the Philippines I can honestly say that most people would fail in business in their home country never mind here. The emphasis comes about by many looking to expand their pension income or looking to keep idle family members busy (idle as in available). Throwing money at idea’s doesn’t work especially if its then given to someone else to deal with. But even worse when no figures or planning has gone into it, which is often the case with businesses in the Philippines that expats do.

Which in conversations with talking to people who have already been here over a decade and are very successful in business you find they did exactly what we do. Initially they chipped away at things on a small scale until something clicked. Some of our businesses make good money others broke even, but its all been about logging the information and experienced gained. Not all projects will be successful but they won’t all fail either.

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NBI Clearance Experience Cebu

Today my wife Zol and I visited Philippine National Bureau of Investigation. (NBI)

We had a plan when we headed out of the house that we we would get her NBI clearance and the head over to Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas.   Now both of these office are required prior to getting a Philippine passport.  So this is a must have for Filipinos to immigrate to another country.  Well to say the least we only managed to get the NBI completed.

So we arrived at Robinson's Cyber Gate Mall Cebu City Philippines at 9:00am and received a number to wait in line.  The office opens at 9:00am sharp.   Well we got our number and it was 210 for the day and we were informed to come back at 1:00pm as they would begin the process of clearing the numbers for the day.  Well it is not worth a trip home and back to the mall so we strolled around the mall for next 4 hours waiting and waiting.  Then at 1:00pm we arrived back and were instructed to take a seat.  Now this may not seem to bad.  There was about 10 of us waiting.  However little did we know that there was another 100 people in another area that had not been cleared from the morning session.  So as NBI feverishly worked to clear those from the morning we sat on the benches with the other 130 other people waiting to get cleared.

How this works is they take you 50 at a time up stairs to the third floor.   Where they finger print you and take a photo.  So 2:00pm passed us by and then it was pushing 3:00pm and finally it was our turn to head up the stairs.   Once you arrive up the stairs theu go over the form and how to fill out the form.  They instruct you of every single block.  They cover what IDs are acceptable and such. (CLICK HERE for FAQ)  After that process they line up for station one where you go and pay.  After you pay you are instructed to take a seat back in the same order.  Then one by one they encode all your information into the computer.  They take a picture and all 10 finger prints digitally.  Now it is just a process of waiting this out till the print the final sheet.   This process took about 90 mins and we headed back out the door and NBI complete at 4:30pm today.

Silly me for even considering I could actually complete CFO and NBI in the same day.   So tomorrow we are off to the CFO office at 630 am to get a number as there are only 27 seats for the entire Philippines.  They open at 9:00 am.  Report to come tomorrow.

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Pulled Pork Philippine Style

No Philippine home is complete without a Bottle of Swan Sauce Vinegar.

So I decided I would attempt to make some North Carolina BBQ.   Now I was not able to cook my Pork Tenderloin on a open pit of hickory.  So I just did the best I could with a few Coconut Husks and some sticks from behind my home.   Once the meat was cooked to perfection.
 I needed the sauce which is the overall flavor for this dish in the making.

So I just had to guess and go with what my taste remembered it being like.  

So here is what I added to my Philippine NC BBQ sauce

I then had one cup of Vinegar
Ground red pepper enough to cover the top of the vinger in my measuring cup.
5 good dashes of tobasco sauce
2 chopped very fine banana peppers
3 dashes of liquid smoke
3 table spoons of honey ( would prefer molasses yet none to be had)
2 table spoons of brown sugar
3 Table spoons ketchup
Small dash of mustard (very small)
Couple of shakes of salt and pepper

I then put that in a sauce pan and brought it to a very slow boil.  Once it began to bubble it was off to the fridge.  Now back to my tenderloin.  I cut the meat length wise with the grain of the meat and took a fork then pulled it making it just ever so stringy.    After my bottle of sauce was chilled and the meat sufficiently pulled.  I was off to give this a try.   Well lets just say it was as good as I remember and was excellent on  bread.  Now the wife was intrigued  by this wild looking sauce and pork.  Yet she loved it as she mixed it with her rice.  Tangy, Sweet, Spicy, and the meat was smokey.  What more for dinner on a budget.

When in the Philippines you have to give it a go.  As King;s North Carolina BBQ is not just around the corner.

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Philippine Variety TV

Cover of Sonny & Cher

Is the Philippines TV stuck in early 1970's

I am child of the television and I love to watch TV.  I enjoy the good dramas that the US has produced in recent years.  I love shows that get your juices flowing and suspense packed drama.  I also enjoy some of the reality shows of late. Such as American idol however the part I enjoy more then anything are the auditions to the show.   They seem to capture a funny side of people and the funny side of life.  

This is where the Philippines seems to be stuck.

I watch daytime TV and it is one uneducated person after another on TV not realizing the world is laughing not really with them but at them.  Then you have daytime TV where they glamorize poverty.  They are always going to the homes of the poor and giving away free food and gifts.  It never ends there it always has grandma crying about how she missed that or other tragedy that be fall on their life.  It is not stop variety from that to amateur hour where they have some of the worse singers and dancer come on stage.   This is a country of 90 million people.  I have see the talent in the streets, clubs and on youtube.  Yet these shows can never seem to find them.  It is not only that but they are just plumb full of advertising from Rexona, Whisper, or some hair product you should try. It seems to take me back to the Gong Show, Greatest American Hero, Sonny and Cher and The Newlywed Game.   Where they would have a diamond in the rough but more then not it was comical entertainment to laugh at these people.  

The Newlywed Game (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Watching Prime Time not all that much better

Last night I watch Pinoys Got Talent.  This was the audition round and there just was not anything good about it.  There were three Gay Men dressed as women that actually looked like women.  Then they sang like men.  It was more shocking and alarming then entertaining.  They could sing yet I was lost in the whole appearance.  Besides that you had a guy with a big hulu hoop that danced with it.  He was found to be very talented.  Yet I found it just average and actually would have never made it through on America or Britian Got Talent.  So where is all the talent because I have seen it and I know they are out there.  Why in this the country of the Philippines do they not show up for these shows.  It is not the first time I have watched the show and the winner Jovan a few seasons ago could really sing.  

More on the Prime TV

There is an absence of any dramas on TV.  They are either Korean dramas (soap opera) or some sorta mystical creature type show.  They have Captain Barbell and Dwarfina though both have ended and replaced by another similar show.  These shows run daily and are not once a week shows.   What are lacking are Dramas and Sitcoms.  They all evolve around being a soap opera with very bad acting.  They should be able to escape the duldrums of the 1970s and enter the new age.   TV has evolved since then and shows have also.  Yet not here in the Philippines.  

Enjoy

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Valentines with the Wife

Valentines day here in the Philippines.

Tim Potter and Zol

Tim Potter

Thought I (Tim Potter) would share the story of my wife and I.  So many people come to the Philippines in a hurry kind of way and get married.  Yet that is not the way it all came to be for my wife and I.  I (Tim Potter) was getting ready to leave the country and head back to Sugar Land Texas after few bad decisions and a little bad luck. I was hopping around on Facebook and Shelia who was a friend hit me up for a chat.  She was telling about this girl in Toledo Philippines and how I really needed to meet her.  At this point I was really not in a meeting kind of mood but agreed to meet her.  The date was Jan 10th and I drove over the mountain to Toledo to meet Zol.  The thing was I did not catch on to the nickname of Zol for a very long time.  So I just called her Marisol.  I wondered at first why every one looked at me strange.  Yet after meeting her I decided I need to spend a little more time with Zol.  So we dated for a month with me traveling back and forth over the Mountain.   After a 21 days of this traveling back and forth I decided that I should just move to the other side of the Mountain.  So I moved to Balamban which is about 14 Km from Toledo. However every single day I would travel that distance to see her and spend time with her.  We spent the next 4 months together as I traveled  back and forth.  We got engaged to be married at the beginning of April and were married on May 6th.  There is even a story to that.  We were suppose to get married a week earlier however the paper from the Philippine Government was delayed.  They somehow forgot to submit it.  So it pushed out our date.  Now this seems to be a wonderful date to get married as on that day this year my parents would have been married for 46 years.
  Three years ago today I got Zol a stuff animal and two chocolate lollipops.  However I love her more today then I ever did back then.  It seems to grow with every passing day.  Lot has changed in those three years and we both seem to grow.  But one this for sure I love her more now then I could have ever imagined the day I first said it.

So happy Valentines day to one and all.

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Philippine Drug issue

Photo credit

Does the Philippines have a drug issue?

It is almost impossible to sit and compare one country to the next.  I am from Sugar Land Texas and currently live in Cebu.  Yet the problems with drugs face both of these countries differently.  Poverty in the Philippines has led it down a path of abuse of drugs and alcohol.  Yet not the designer recreational drugs that plague the US.

The penalties for drug possession in the Philippines

   The law prescribes the death penalty for drug traffickers caught with at least 0.3 ounce of opium, morphine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana resin, or at least 17 ounces of marijuana. The Philippines has imposed a moratorium on the death penalty, but drug offenders are still punished harshly if caught – the minimum sentence is 12 years in prison for possession of .17 ounce of illegal drugs.

These laws are harsh and possession of drugs in the Philippines is not a joke.  The prisons are a far cry from the luxury accommodation the west provides for criminals.  Yet this keeps these types of drugs out of the system and prevent a vast majority of the drugs from the streets of the Philippines.

So what is plaguing the nation?

The Philippines has a population explosion and there are children roaming the streets at all hours of the day and night.   They have a name for these kids "Rugby Boys" no that is not a sports accolade but a type of contact cement that is inhaled.  They inhale this contact cement for the instant high and for the properties to take away hunger.   The effects of this inhalant abuse can suffer brain damage, kidney and liver failure, sight and hearing loss, muscle weakness, leukemia  and death. Recently the Philippines has been attacking the issue with adding mustard oil to the contact cement to counter act the aroma of toluene which is the product that gives the high.  Yet even with the additives they have just moved on to other inhalants to  vice using Rugby.  Many paint products contain the same active ingredients and have the same long last effects on the youth of the Philippines.  It is a cheap high that you see to often on the streets of Cebu Philippines.

 The other problem that faces this nation is the use of alcohol.  A recent world health report said that 5 million Filipinos are regular drinkers.  That is out of country that has only 90 million people.  With the relative low cost of alcohol and spirits'   It provide an escape from the realities that surround the country.   The government has again stepped into try and curb this with a new sin tax.  This tax has raised the prices on tobacco and alcohol by about a third.  So only time will tell if this has a dramatic effect on the country. 

The Good and Bad 

The good is the Philippine Government has taken action to control this and the effects of these action will be seen in the future.  They have implemented plans and action recognizing the issue of drugs in the country as a whole.  This seems to take care of the result of the problem but fails to address the causes of the problem.  There still are little social welfare programs and programs to help the nearly 1.5 million street children in the Philippines.   These issues should be addressed and need immediate attention.  So yes steps in the right direction but more should and could be done to help the children of this country.  A country with all the potential in the world can not destroy its youth which are the future.  

Raising Children in Philippines

Philippines very non-child friendly country

One of my main reasons for wanting to return Sugar Land Texas is the children.  The Philippines is just not a friendly place when you have children.

Everything in the Philippines takes all that much longer to accomplish.  

Nothing is done in a hurry and there never seems to be a rush.  However when you have children there is always a rush to get things. done. I will give you just a few examples:

We were traveling from Elizabeth Mall Cebu to our home in Bulacao Philippines.  Now this journey is about 12 miles or 20 Km.  This little trip took just over an hour to complete in a taxi.  There was a funeral in the middle of the road at 4pm on Tuesday.  So all the traffic was dead stopped.  A trip that was in and out of a store and only suppose to be one bottle.  Turns into a camp out on the South Road.  The main through fare through Cebu Philippines.

Now Grocery shopping is always fun when you have children.  Yet in the Philippines the "F" in fun stands for frustrating.  You have a shopping buggy that does not fit down the aisles.  See instead of what normal stores do and stock at night.  They do this during all times of the day.  So your choice is to leave the buggy at the start of the aisle with your two young children or skip the aisle.  Additionally they make zero consideration for buggies and the aisles are packed with promo items and displays.  So making this a one way affair to begin with.   

The next issue is the school system here and how poorly children are taught.

Just to make this very clear.  The Philippines has just under 100 Million people and has a population one third the size of the USA.   Despite this they have zero universities in the top 500 in the world.  That should start as an alarming figure.  Lets look at the schools; They only attend school for 10 years not the normal 12 years.  The recent change which will be fully implemented by 2016 unless (which of course there will be) will be 12 years of school.  Also lets consider a few things about the schools.  1. No lunch or breakfast is served 2. 50 students per class is the average size 3. Student go to school either 7am - 3pm or 3pm-10pm. 4. Books are shared between 3 and 4 students. 5. School session is 180 days a year take out the holidays and celebrations and time off amounts to less then 120 days a year.  I could go on and on about the educational programs.  However the point is made.

Sports and children recreational activities

There are very few if any depending on where you live.  There are no sports leagues for soccer baseball or any other leagues for children.  It is a just not a priority in a country that lives hand to mouth.  Additionally there are no parks for the children to play and just be children.  You will children playing in the streets.  You will see marching bands practicing in the street or small parking lots.  There is nothing for children to do.  It is a society where children stay home and play.  This lack of extra activity is hard on parents and there should be things to do and see for children.  Yet there is very little for them.  

So for this alone has given me enough to decide that I need to pack my bags from Cebu Philippines and head back to Sugar Land Texas.  

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Gun Control in the Philippines

 (Photo credit: publik16)

Gun Control is it really preventing murders

With the recent events unfolding in the US concerning gun control I thought I would weigh in on my thoughts.  First let me explain I am all for the second amendment.  I believe that an individual has the right to bear and carry a firearm.  The current background checks and other checks to prevent ownership of weapons should if enforced properly be enough.  I do draw my limit on size and quantity of ammunition a weapon can hold but not on the style of weapon.  As a weapon of any style can do the same damage.  So where does that leave us.  With having to make back ground checks and other internal checks work.  The Government is so dysfunctional that agency A does not talk to agency B during these checks.  So it does not work.

Now getting to the Philippines.  Which has some of the harshest gun laws.  I am providing a list of things you will need to get a gun:

First you need 7 2"x2" photos and 1 1"x1"

Then you need all these supporting documents 

Supporting Documents

a. Income Tax Return

b. Residence Certificate 

c. Any valid ID

d. Proof of Citizenship (for foreign sounding names)

e. Local clearances (Police, Court, Mayor)

f. Directorate of Intelligence Clearance (can be obtained from the local or provincial Police)

g. Drug test

h. Neuro test ( Mental Test)

i. Must have undergone Gun Safety Seminar – usually conducted by the National Range Officer Institute, the PNP, or any registered Gun club

j. Gun Club Certificate

This is just to get a hand gun.   

maguindanao massacre

Now this type of registration of weapons did not stop the Massacre of journalist in Mindanao.  Where 58 people lost their life. Nor has it prevented the senseless killing here in the Philippines.   Currently their are 88 guns for every 100 citizens of the US.  In the Philippines there are 4.7 guns per every 100.  Yet despite that the homicide rate in the Philippines is much higher related to gun violence. This is not to including the insurgency problem in Mindanao   Reference 

So why is this the case?  There are less guns there should be less gun violence.  It goes back to my entire premise that you can create a million laws.  The only people that will follow are law abiding citizens.  Criminals will always find a way to get a weapon to commit an act of violence.   You can not solve the problem by looking at the result.  You need to look at the why and the why is not the laws but the people.  

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Low Value Of Life in the Philippines

Another horrific accident in Talisay Philippines

As I read the paper today, again I am horrified by another death that was senseless and could have been prevented.  This one happen in the city of Talisay.  They are expanding the road that travels between Talisay and Toledo when a boulder fell from the expansion project and killed a lady riding a motorcycle.  Now this was not the first incident where it has injured or killed someone.   Earlier in the month a boulder fell on a vehicle and injured the passengers inside.     The response of the officials was " they are on a tight schedule" and the contractor "advised to come up with preventive measure".   One person died and two were injured and this is the best that can be done for these people.

So is there a lower value of life placed on people here in the Philippines.

Are these companies held accountable and made to pay damages that are equal to the life that is lost.  With the court system backlog most of these companies offer settlements that are lower then what should be paid.  The courts are notoriously slow and may take decades to get a settlement.  The people that live in poverty can not afford such a long drawn out court case.  So there is very little to protect them in regards to loss of life when neglect on the part of a company or private party.  In 2008 a ship called the Princess star sunk and killed  828 people.  The shipping line offered to pay 25,000 pesos (about $500) to each  of the families.  Barely enough to cover the funeral expenses of those families.  Several families (64) refused and took the case to court.  Today going on 5 years after the incident they have not been settled.  

Workers placed at risk

I so many times see workers welding without glasses or dangling from a high rise construction site as they complete work on these towers.  I lived in Corona Del Mar a nice subdivision in Talisay Philippines.  They were constructing a home.  While the worker was placing the roof truss on the second floor he touched the 33 KW  power line.  This sent his body into convulsions and sounded like a cannon went off.  He fell from the second floor and landed on the ground.  We rushed him to the hospital and he survived.  Though a simple call to the power company and placing caps on this line would have prevented it.  Is it the cost to have them come out and do this simple procedure or is it just neglect on the part of the contractor.   

These types of accidents occur daily from traffic accidents to construction accidents.  People just not taking the time to prevent tragedy.  Though in many cases they are preventable.   Is it the money that prevents it or greed or is it a slow court system.  Maybe there are no repercussions to these acts that kill so many.  Is it also the court system that takes years and decades to decide a case.  I think it is all of the above.  There is not one thing that causes this as there are many.  Filipinos do not place a lower value on life they are just caught in a system that fails to work for them.   

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Double Tragedy strikes

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Funeral in the Philippines

Been a little absent from my regular blogs and thought I would tell you about the events that unfolded the last few day.  My wife's Aunt passed away after a long illness with a heart condition.  She was a lovely lady.  She wanted to see the children prior to her death and we were unable to visit.  A huge regret on our part.  We headed over the mountain to Toledo Philippines about a 90 min bus ride.  The trip over was relatively uneventful and struggle as we trekked the kids down the 1 Km hill to the south road and flagged down the bus.   In typical Philippine fashion and Catholic tradition the body lie in wake for a period of 5 days.  We were treated with the best Filipino courtesy   They of course had plenty of food and even gave a very nice room to stay the night.   The Priest was there and he gave a traditional mass and condolences to the family and loved ones.   The ceremony was just awesome and gave a lot of comfort to those that were grieving.

After the this they began the celebration of her life.  

People talking and just enjoying the memories of her.     Again plenty of food and drinks for all that attended.  Later as the party was winding down a disagreement between my Wife's cousin and another man turned into a fight that resulted in a trip to the emergency room.  The emergency room discharged him after a brief exam.  Where her cousin then went to the Police.  While at the police station he collapsed and died from internal injuries a result of the fight.

Why do I talk about this.

Because I have believed that the hospital care is inadequate here in the Philippines.  It is based on greed and not actual care.  He was allowed to leave and was not examined properly by the emergency room.  This is a problem for the poor here in this country.  If they arrive without money to the hospital your fate is then beyond your control.  Just a sad event for all and a tragedy that could and should have been prevented.  If you think being an expat will prevent this tragedy or assumptions of wealth are made.  Think again and read my topic on health care system.

So my prayers are with those families tonight, may God bless them all.

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It is not cheaper to live in the Philippines

I here so many people try and say it is cheaper to live in the Philippines.  That is a huge myth and misunderstanding.  

When people try and say that they forget to mention the sacrifices that are made and what is given up.

What I found is you spend less money in the Philippines compared to Sugar land Texas.  There are very few 24 hour stores ad very few 24 hour food places.  When you go shopping you are not flooded with impulse items.  They are not marketed to  make you purchase that item you do not need.  So that brings on a savings all its own.  Lets also look at the population and look at the money people have to spend when they do shop.  The selection on the higher price items becomes more limited.  Looking for a selection of cheese or a good bottle of wine.  Well they just might not have it.  So here again you pass and do not throw that in the cart.  Another unseen savings.

Moving forward to housing.  How many cities in the US could you rent a  900 sqf town home for $375.00 a month?  There are not many and really this seems like a huge bargain   Yet lets look at what you get for your $375.00.  Most 90% or better that you rent will not come with Hot and cold running water.  The also will not have a stove or range to cook on.  The restrooms generally do not come with a shower and are also very small in size.  Each room in the house generally only come with 1 outlet for the entire room.  They also will not be equipped with Air conditioning.  The homes are not well insulated if insulated at all.  So you will use more electricity to run the air conditioning if you choose.  Most people do at one point or another.  So yes you will see a saving there yet there is a price to pay for this savings.  

Most things you purchase in life are a commodity and traded on the open market through out the world.  Those things are going to be equal in price and higher if they need to be imported.  Additional most things here are charged a 15% value added tax.  So it causes those things to be higher in price. So items that are in these categories are generally higher.

Where there does seem to be a huge savings is on services.  The average daily wage in Cebu Philippines is right at $9.00.  So there is a huge saving with labor, taxis and anything that is service related.  You will save huge money.  Example day for the wife at a top of the line beauty salon, Hair, Nails, and toes.  Would be around $30.00.  Because it is all service related so you can save huge money on these they of things.  

All in all what I have found is not that Philippines is cheaper.  It just allows you to live a cheaper lifestyle.  It affords you an opportunity to live less expensive.  Yet you can not move from X to Z and expect it to be cheaper without some sacrifice.   

Enjoy

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In-laws farm everything.

I live in what is a Big City of Cebu Philippines.  Much different then where I grew up though it has changed over the years as Houston has encroached on Sugar Land. I have said before in my other posts about Filipinos take nothing for granted.  Today's plants are tomorrows food.

Well it can be said even when living in the big city you can plant.  My father in-law has a green thumb and has planted on what little land we have surrounding our home.  They actually grow much to my surprise though I have a black thumb.  I remember when I was kid we had this plant that hung in the kitchen above the sink.  It was some type of spider fern.  Mom used say it only grew because she
threaten to throw it in the garbage disposal weekly. It actually happen to be a very good looking fern I must say.

Just surrounding my home here in Cebu Philippines we have the following plants now added:

Spinach
Squash
Okra
String beans
Palya
papaya
bananas
Pepper hot
Pepper red

Now there is just not much land and the soil well lets just say it is less then ideal.  Yet when I am looking for some fresh veggies we always have something growing.  I would have never thought to plant a garden and never would thought we had room.  Yet where there is a will there is a way.

Enjoy

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