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Posted
1 minute ago, ExpatPH said:

 

Thanks for the questions, some already just posted, more will be answered within days.

 

 

I didn't mean all at once, of course... I just meant, perhaps eventually!  :biggrin:

 

And some details you might consider addressing when you follow through on your own plans for posts and topics for them....

 

Cheers!

 

  • Thanks 1
Posted

Receive Direct Pension is available here IF your country of origin already have an agreement with PH.

Im not from USA but from Europe, so I can only answer from my own experience. Will ask US expats for you, when i meet them.

 

My country already have agreement with PH so I can choose to get my pension in either country, directly.

 

Bank online transfer have improved last years, so I can now transfer my pension from home, and receive it in my local bank the next working day. I pay 6$ for the bank transfer from my country.

 

If I choose direct payment to my account here in PH, its possible, but SS and bank in origin country warns 'transfer time will be longer'.

If that mean 1 week or 1 month, I have no answer to that.

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted

Kind of interesting.... Living in TH, I've found, there are any number of things that are easier to find and better to buy for quality, price or other reasons in my home country and have sent by mail to TH.

 

So I figured I'd mock up sending a 2 lbs package from California to both Cebu and BKK with exactly the same dimensions and details using my preferred re-shipper, Planet Express... And interestingly, the quoted prices for both PE's own airmail service and their USPS Priority and Express services were IDENTICAL going to either Cebu or BKK, right down to the cent.

 

Now, that doesn't address how reliable or secure the PH mail/package delivery system is compared to what occurs in Thailand, but at least it shows the package delivery rates can be comparable.

 

In my long experience in BKK, my international package delivery experience for things coming into BKK has been excellent via ThaiPost, with very few problems. If I buy it and send it, I expect to receive it. And usually with no customs fees or tax whatsoever as long as the declared value per package is under $50 U.S. or so.

 

Local mail and package delivery experience, customs duties, hassles, restrictions might be another topic to touch on....

 

 

  • Like 2
Posted

Years ago I went to the Philippines for an exploratory trip. I focused on Cebu City. I thought it was OK, I could live there, but didn't feel a need to. The OP's impressions even though much more recent have the ring of truth to me. 

 

I have wondered about Davao City and Baguio as alternatives though. 

  • Like 2
Posted
50 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Years ago I went to the Philippines for an exploratory trip. I focused on Cebu City. I thought it was OK, I could live there, but didn't feel a need to. The OP's impressions even though much more recent have the ring of truth to me. 

 

I have wondered about Davao City and Baguio as alternatives though. 

 Hi Jingthing.

 

Livingincebu forum have a member named Davaoeno who live in Davao.

He could be helpful with info about Davao.  I heard good things about Davao,  good apartments and internet.

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Posted
1 hour ago, ExpatPH said:

7000 taxis here in Cebu, still at rush hour I wait 20-30 minutes for a taxi.

When it rains, taxi lanes in city can be 2 hour long waiting. Grab doing big business thanks to this.

Grab app is obligatory.

 

Off rush hour, vacant taxis everywhere in numbers.

Start 0.80$

0.25$ per km

Outside rush hour a typical taxi ride cost 2$

Taxi meter use the meter, although they try a fixed amount to foreigners. Just say No, use meter.

Trip out of city, rate are negotiated ahead.

2 hours taxi trip 15-20$

 

 

So, of all the things listed above, what's your primary method of getting around in town, for things/places that are not within walking distance of your home?

Posted

I was looking at air quality data, and specifically PM2.5, and it seems to be much more limited for the PH compared to Thailand. Several of the primary sources I rely on don't seem to list any current data for the PH at all.

 

But it does seem that because of its island and coastal locations, the air quality is likely to be better in the PH and Cebu in particular than in many areas of Thailand, including BKK.  On the top line for AQI measuring air pollution, green is good, yellow is OK, and red is bad....

 

The 3 Day Forecast charts below also seem to show about a 10 degree F lower high temperature for these days for Cebu vs BKK, mid 90s vs mid 80s.

 

203820826_2019-04-0416_42_52.jpg.62b09a499cea0f279db82740f5c9b6ac.jpg

 

Three Day Forecast by hours:

1336708354_2019-04-0416_52_36.jpg.ae154ef870ca6e46ee560128dce6bb4a.jpg

 

Today seems to be an unusually good day in BKK. It's not normally this good, even in the good times.

 

118349176_2019-04-0416_43_27.jpg.d164896d2659624ed636d6ddbc2f49e4.jpg

 

The 3 Day Forecast by hours shows a more representative sampling that's more typical:

 

1974761795_2019-04-0416_55_16.jpg.9fd9e26ee2544e83d329e59f631f674b.jpg

Posted
17 minutes ago, ExpatPH said:

 

Grab taxi or my motorcycle.

Advanced planning.

Avoid rush hours.

Postpone anything when it rains. City goes to standstill (shutdown)  

when in rains.

Not as easy as TH.

 

 

Sounds like a recipe for wanting to find a residence that's at least within walking distance of the places you'd want to go commonly -- a mall, department store, supermarket, bank branch, etc....

Posted
18 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I was looking at air quality data, and specifically PM2.5, and it seems to be much more limited for the PH compared to Thailand. Several of the primary sources I rely on don't seem to list any current data for the PH at all.

 

But it does seem that because of its island and coastal locations, the air quality is likely to be better in the PH and Cebu in particular than in many areas of Thailand, including BKK.  On the top line for AQI measuring air pollution, green is good, yellow is OK, and red is bad....

 

The 3 Day Forecast charts below also seem to show about a 10 degree F lower high temperature for these days for Cebu vs BKK, mid 90s vs mid 80s.

 

203820826_2019-04-0416_42_52.jpg.62b09a499cea0f279db82740f5c9b6ac.jpg

 

Three Day Forecast by hours:

1336708354_2019-04-0416_52_36.jpg.ae154ef870ca6e46ee560128dce6bb4a.jpg

 

Today seems to be an unusually good day in BKK. It's not normally this good, even in the good times.

 

118349176_2019-04-0416_43_27.jpg.d164896d2659624ed636d6ddbc2f49e4.jpg

 

The 3 Day Forecast by hours shows a more representative sampling that's more typical:

 

1974761795_2019-04-0416_55_16.jpg.9fd9e26ee2544e83d329e59f631f674b.jpg

 

Excellent point and post.

Sadly, I must report that because of dust and exhaust from trucks and jeepneys, air quality in Cebu is horrible.

 

Smokers and non smokers alike, many get breathing problems, bad long lasting cough and bronchitus (spelling). Lung and airway problem, is a problem here.

 

Regards

ExpatPH

  • Like 1
Posted
18 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Sounds like a recipe for wanting to find a residence that's at least within walking distance of the places you'd want to go commonly -- a mall, department store, supermarket, bank branch, etc....

 

You are right. Most choose to live in walking distance to their prefered mall, for a reason. Traffic jam and frequent rain.

 

Live near Ayala center, its also the safest area in the whole city, so it minimize personal safety problem as well.

 

Regards

ExpatPH

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Posted
8 minutes ago, ExpatPH said:

 

Excellent point and post.

Sadly, I must report that because of dust and exhaust from trucks and jeepneys, air quality in Cebu is horrible.

 

Smokers and non smokers alike, many get breathing problems, bad long lasting cough and bronchitus (spelling). Lung and airway problem, is a problem here.

 

 

Wow... that's interesting... The PM2.5 data for these current days doesn't seem to show that for Cebu. But PM2.5 is only one particular kind of air pollution, and it's looking to me that the Phils doesn't have a broad government-sponsored air sensors monitoring and reporting system, that would show the full picture.

 

Meanwhile, to be fair, I should have included comparable data for Manila in my original post, since it's a more comparable city to BKK, and in that comparison, there may not be any advantage. The Manila data below is not very good.

 

2081663576_2019-04-0417_35_51.jpg.23f823b884f47592bce3b7af3c4d7235.jpg

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