On the Kindness of Strangers

My wife Lydia had quite an adventure a few days ago. While she was en route home from  a mall,  the taxi in which she was riding broke down on a street where empty cabs rarely pass, and the driver was unable to summon a replacement. So she decided to get out and walk to the next intersection about a kilometer down the road while carrying her load and in the pouring rain, hoping to get another taxi. 

Along the way she passed the guard hut outside the entrance of a gated community. She explained her situation to the staff there who also tried to get a taxi for her but to no avail. Finally they flagged down a van  leaving the subdivision and asked the driver to give Lydia a ride which he willingly did. And even though it was very much out of the way of his original destination, he dropped her off  about a 10 minutes walk from our condo. 

As for my own involvement in the matter, I was frantic with worry when Lydia texted me of her situation, but there was nothing  I could do. However, if I'd had my wits about me, I would have immediately contacted Grab (the local counterpart of  Uber). Yet even then, finding  a driver to pick her up would have been iffy due to the foul weather at the time. So naturally, I was very relieved when she finally walked in the door, as well  as amazed and grateful that she'd been rescued by a total stranger. 

Personally, as a senior I've also encountered the kindness of strangers which I appreciate even for such simple acts of holding a door open for me or offering to help me cross the street or navigate the steep steps of pedestrian bridges. Not that I need such assistance, but it's the principle that they literally extended a hand. 

In short, as harsh a place as Metro-Manila can be, there are good folks here willing to help and who expect nothing in return. And it's truly  uplifting to be on the receiving end of such generosity of spirit. 

 

The Annual Report—An Annual Headache

​Yesterday, I made my ​yearly trek to the Bureau of Immigration​​​ to file the annual report.​  This is a requirement that all permanent residents in the Philippines must ​put up with.  ​Admittedly, it's not a complicated procedure. You  go to the BI branch of your choice where you submit your passport and I-card at the designated window to the officer who then gives  you a voucher which you then take to the cashier where you make your payment of P310, get your official receipt, and you're done.  But just having to fulfill this obligation is still an inconvenience. ​ 

 

Further, the BI​ now require​s​​ an appointment​ for just about all services and at all its offices.​ No more walk-ins​.  S​o ​I went  there with an appointment number in hand. Yet it turned out that  filers were once again being processed on first come first serve​ basis​​. ​ 

 

This kind of switch is irritating because when an appointment the system is in place,  then the departments using it should adhere to it accordingly rather than arbitrarily and without notice switching back to FCFS. Fortunately, I was the first one in the door, so I was finished in short order. And of course getting in and out early meant having the rest of the day to enjoy.

 

Yet in this​ digital ​era​, especially with the COVID pandemic still at large, it's beyond me why the annual report can't just be filed and paid online. Considering the  convenience this would extend to the those who have to go through this hassle, not to mention the time and manpower that it would save for the BI, automation would benefit just about everyone concerned. 

For further information regarding the annual report, including setting appointments with the BI, click here.

 

We're Still Standing

This past week marks 16 years since I expatriated from the U.S. to the Philippines  (almost 17 years for my dear wife Lydia who as native of this country preceded me here to pave the way and set things up for us)   Since then, naturally much has changed in our lives.  For one  thing, we are  now  fully-fledged seniors.  But despite that and a couple of serious  health issues we are still alert and  physically active. 

What hasn't changed in all that time is our address. From the very beginning of our time here, Lydia and I have lived primarily at the same residence in Eastwood City, a community in Quezon City which in turn is part of the sprawling megalopolis of Metro-Manila.  I say "primarily" because of one of the changes that we have made is renovation of the house that we have in Quezon Province. Before the COVID pandemic struck,  we had intended to live there  while keeping our condo in Eastwood  as a crash pad for our forays into Metro-Manila. But we have been unable to even leave town for several months due to lockdowns within  Metro-Manila and a government edict against such travel.  And we have no idea when this ban will be lifted.

Yet this hurdle is not as great as some of the other obstacles and challenges that we have experienced. But not for a minute do we regret  our decision to move to the Philippines.  Although we have faced and overcome many hurdles  along the way,, overall we are comfortable. As a matter of fact I doubt that our standard of living here would have been possible in the U.S.  So we have no plans to ever repatriate. 

It's highly questionable that we will be around for another 16 years. But however much time Lydia and I have left, I just hope that we can continue to deal with whatever life throws at us as reasonably well as we have managed up to this point. I think that's about as much as anyone could  ask.

Foreign Residents in the Philippines And the Covid Vaccination: An Update

Since I wrote "Will Expats In The  Philippines Get a Shot at Vaccination?" , quite a lot has taken place personally in relation to the topic.  First, my wife Lydia and I were both infected by COVID in early April, As seniors we are fortunate that it was only a mild case, and we were able to self-isolate at home which is a condominium  unit. The building security was very supportive in seeing to it that we got the supplies that we needed and in otherwise assisting us during  our quarantine. 

Then a few weeks ago we were finally vaccinated.  My worries that this might not happen due to my being a non-citizen turned out to be baseless.(This matter was never an issue for Lydia as she's a dual citizen).

Here's how it happened. In Quezon City where I reside, one sure way for inclusion in the vaccination program is to register for the Quezon City Identification Card ("Q-Citizen") At first I tried doing this online but couldn't complete that application due to technical problems. Fortunately, thanks to our  barangay, we were able to do so manually. The form does inquire about the applicant's  nationality but includes a field for non-Filipinos to just list their country of origin. In other words, being a foreigner does not disqualify  one from Q-Citizenship and the "perks" that come with it, including the COVID vaccination. And there must be a similar accessibility for non-citizens in other local government units as well. For example a friend of mine who's also a permanent resident and living in Parañaquae  was also vaccinated and  several weeks at that before I was inoculated. 

On the evening of May 14, Lydia and I received texts inviting us to get vaccinated the next day at the nearby venue that our barangay had set up for this purpose. The paperwork processing at the site was disorderly, but once we got to the area where the shots were being administered things went quite smoothly. As for reaction to the vaccine, which for us was AstraZenica, the only discomfort that we experienced was a sore arm.

In addition to the protection given by the jab itself, even though it was just the first one , it  also gave us a psychological boost in that we now feel reasonably safe from recurrence of  the disease.  Our second  dose is set for August. And we look forward to getting it.  We likewise  hope that all  citizens and non-citizens alike here who are eligible for  vaccination will avail of it, That will be a huge step towards in getting the Philippines back on track towards recovery from the social and economic devastation that the pandemic has wrought across the country.

Will Expats In The Philippines Get a Shot at Vaccination?

 (Formerly titled "What About Us Expats")

At this writing, a vaccine (or vaccines if more than one pharmaceutical  company will furnish them) for COVID-19 may soon arrive the Philippines.  When the inoculation program here begins, it will be administered  to  the citizens on a priority basis  which is to be expected.  However, note that the key word here is "citizens." Are we foreigners who live in this country omitted from coverage?

As a long time permanent resident  and a senior, I find the possibility of  such an exclusion very disturbing. And until recently I didn't know where to turn for recourse. Moreover, there are thousands of us non-citizens who make the Philippines our home, and it would be unconscionable for the authorities to shut us out from the vaccination program. So I'm not alone in this concern.

Fortunately, newspaper columnist, Cito Beltran of the "Philippine Star" recently graciously devoted a couple columns to this topic, and he came up with an answer:  According to  an  undersecretary of the Department  of Health, foreign residents have not been overlooked or excluded from the national vaccination  coverage after all. It's just a matter of coordinating with other government agencies as to where to fit us into the mix of categories who will be receiving the jab.

Mr. Beltran also pointed out the absurdity of the notion held by some Filipinos that foreigners who live here  ought to just return to their home countries for their vaccinations. But that would make as much (or as little) sense as expecting Filipinos living abroad to return here for their inoculations. After all, isn't turn about fair play?

As I mentioned, I think it would be inhumane for the Philippine government--or for that matter, for any host country--to deny access to the COVID vaccination to its non-citizen residents. For those who can't think beyond the idea that if such a refusal were implemented, aliens would only infect each other, they'd better think again,  Unvaccinated  non-citizens would also spread the disease to  Filipinos with whom they come in contact as well. And as it turns out the latter is a large number. Almost  half the population refuses to get the injections. (So forget about herd immunity). If anything, these "skeptics" are the ones who pose a health threat to everyone--native or permanent resident--who wants to be vaccinated but is denied that protection.

That said, all COVID vaccines are not created equal. Some makes offer better protection than others.  And I for one would not  want Sinovac for example, which has an efficacy rate of only about 50.4%'.  But this is not the same as rejecting COVID vaccines as a whole.  Quezon CiIty where I reside may be utilizing AstraZeneca instead.    

In short, for  those of us fortunate enough to have not caught the coronavirus,  the pandemic has still brought about  a great deal of mental and emotional distress.. Now that there's a vaccine which will eventually reach this country--possibly tomorrow, better days may be ahead for the people, including us expats. 

Not So Fine Dining

On Saturday night for the first time since the local COVID-19 quarantine was eased in Metro-Manila, my wife and I went out to dinner, our first such outing since March. . We went to a nearby middle-range Italian restaurant which had been one of our favorite spots B.C. (before corona).  Unfortunately, however,even though the food was good, the occasion was still a disappointment.

The first problem is the now-required restaurant seating protocol, which for two people is either alongside each other but  with an empty chair in between them or one party on each side of the table but positioned diagonally. This  resulted in awkwardness in our communicating with each other.   Next, the menus we were given  no longer included descriptions and in some places even pictures of the food and beverage choices printed on special laminated stock  Instead, they were disposable sheets of paper with little more than laundry lists of the available selections and their prices. Then after the meal they are discarded so that they are  not touched by more than one customer.

There was also the matter of the bar's confusion with my wife's cocktail order. But that was a function of service, not the result of post lockdown operational changes.

In addition, there was a problem with the ventilation. There was  no  air conditioning and little air circulation at all  throughout the dining area. Maybe the this was done purposely in order to minimize aerosolization of customers' respiratory droplets, considering that eating requires masklessness. To that end there was even a sign posted  requesting patrons to minimize unnecessary talking. This is because speaking also spreads microbes. Yet dinner without an  opportunity for lively conversation  makes for a very dull  occasion.  Still another possible purpose in  management's creation of such an airless environment  is to discourage customers, any one  of whom might be a COVID-19 carrier, from lingering over their meals and to clear out when they're done.

Dining out used to be one of our few and infrequent indulgences. Whether the discomfort that we encountered  was confined to this particular establishment or is really par for the course  under the "new normal" for restaurant patrons remains to be seen. Obviously, it will be just too bad if the latter is what we and other diners will now have to deal with.

An Expat's Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Like everywhere else in the world that was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,  when the virus struck the Philippines, it was a frightening experience not only  due to the disease itself and the resulting casualties, but also the severe impact that it's had on society as a whole.

As for the latter, there was a two month  period beginning mid-March  of a  government-ordered "enhanced community quarantine" that was imposed in Metro-Manila, and for a while on the entire island of Luzon, in order to fight this disease. It was a very difficult time for almost all of the area's 12 million inhabitants who  experienced the lockdown. This was especially  the case not only for victims of the disease and their families but also  for besieged hospitals and the frontliners who heroically manned them.

Then there was the economic repercussions for  the millions of workers and employers who were forced to stay home and so were  a deprived of their income (and many still are).  For almost everyone there was a also psychological upheaval in addition to the confinement such as dealing  with such unsettling phenomena  as looking out on formerly busy but now deserted streets that  looked  like something out of "The Walking Dead" (minus the  zombies), and initially the panic buying of the dwindling  essentials in the few businesses that weren't already shuttered.  Also through now throughout the area there are vehicle and pedestrian checkpoints,  police enforcement of  frontier-like bounderies between cities and even barangays (districts),  quarantine passes, curfews(!), social distancing, and  the mandatory face masks to be worn when out in public. And to  create even more anxiety, the establishments whose operations were suspended included  such basic services as medical clinics, laundries, and hardware stores  And for the poor there was a delay in furnishing much needed aid  All this upended millions of lives in Metro-Manila..  Overall, it was a nightmare from which there was no awakening.  But despite all these difficulties, it was important to keep in mind  that the alternative was even worse: a likely runaway number of new coronavirus cases and deaths here like that in Italy and America.

So it was a great relief in mid-May when the authorities deemed conditions were safe enough to  relax the ECQ to  a modified status, under which specified  business and industrial sectors  that had been prohibited to operate could finally do so. That order  included certain types of stores in shopping  malls, which themselves  had been completely shut down.  When I visited the mall here in Eastwood City a few days after it re-opened, I expected to see a surge of customers eager to seize the long awaited opportunity to address their pent up  shopping needs.  But to my surprise the place was nearly empty.  In fact it seemed that there were more security personnel  than the mallgoers..  Now, if the reason that there  was so little business is the result of  the financial impact from  the lockdown, then that's a sign that the local economy is in deep trouble. . .

Then there's the challenge of the new but not improved mall experience itself. As part of the new normal, in addition to the obligatory face masks, arriving mall customers are now also required to  present their quarantine passes, and undergo a thermal scan.  Once inside they are  discouraged  from lingering on the premises by the new policy of quick turnover. This is enforced by a warmer air tempetature and the discontinuance of free wi-fi.  What a change this is from just a few months ago when these centers were places where folks could leisurely shop or just hang out. Now customers are prompted to  enter, hurry up and do their  thing, and leave.

So this is the brave new world in these  COVID-19 times  and after, at least for the foreseeable future. Many of the customs  and traditions that Filipinos and foreigners alike took for granted have been upended.  So we will  all  have to cope with adjustments and radical changes to our lives that we had never even dreamed of. vs. the alternative of becoming another pandemic statistic. . And for the elderly, the risk of contracting the disease along with a fatal outcome is even greater.

Hopefully, if the number of new coronavirus cases here doesn't spike within the next few weeks , the current modified ECQ will be relaxed even further. But as I mentioned it's unlikely that the Philippines or the world for that matter will ever be the same as it was. Plus there's always the possibility of further waves of the virus making a return.  And even if a vaccine is eventually discovered.it will  probably not be available for public use for several months or even  a couple years afterwards. By that time, restoration of life  BCE. (before coronavirus existed ) will no longer be an option. The new normal will  have  taken hold of society,  and a future that we never would have imagined will be upon us.

Musings on Leaving Home

Today marks 54 years since I left home for California at the age of 19. When I think back on that trip and the early days after my arrival in L.A., so many changes have taken place in my life since then, it's as though that early me was someone else.

Of course I suppose almost all adults experience that kind of realization.  Yet, in my wildest dreams back then  I never thought I'd wind up spending my twilight years living abroad, let alone in the Philippines,  a place which at that time  I knew very little about. Naturally, I had even less of an inkling that I would eventually meet and marry someone from there and that we would wind up   leaving the U.S. to live in that country. 

Contrast all that with some of my high school classmates with whom I've reconnected on Facebook who've  never left my home town, except maybe for college but which was also in the same state. I sometimes reflect on what life must be like to stay in the same city from childhood through  old age. And I have to wonder whether those who do so ever fully mature for not having engaged in the real world outside their comfort zone. 

How about you, fellow expats? Do you ever ask yourself how you would have turned out if you hadn't left the place where you spent your childhood years, and for that matter your country of origin?

Digging In For the Long Haul

When my wife Lydia and I retired  and relocated from the U.S.  to the Philippines, in 2005  it was mainly for financial considerations. I didn't expect that we would ever return to the States. Yet despite my eagerness for us to start a new life In Lydia's native country I  was sorry to have to leave America and wished that it weren't necessary to take that step..

Now It so happened that at that time George W. Bush had recently begun his second term as  POTUS, and I really considered  him a dumb incompetent and that  his political and economic policies, especially the ones  that eventually  resulted in the Great Recession in 2007 were abhorrent. Then there was his mishandling  of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.

Yet as bumbling and inept as Bush was through all his missteps, one thing I never considered him to  be was malicious and demagogic. Donald Trump of course is these and more. He has  unleashed a climate of bigotry among his base of supporters that has turned the U.S. into an ideological cesspool by among other recent actions lending support including  a pardon for a federal conviction to right wing extremist and ant-Semite  Dinesh D'Souza.   Further, Trump has disgraced  the office of the presidency with his narcissistic erratic behavior and destructive discourse. He lies like a rug almost daily and should have already impeached based on his violation of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause .  I shudder at the prospect of ever having  to  repatriate to a country with this sad excuse of a human being as its leader.  

Life  in the Philippines is often frustrating. But  the difficulties that we've  encountered in living here for the past 13 years pale in comparison to the hardships we would likely face if we were to repatriate. And those in turn would be compounded by the constant awareness  that it's Trump and his fellow Republicans who are largely responsible  for growing economic difficulties that elderly and other Americans of modest means are experiencing. 

So Lydia and I are content with the life that we've made here. In fact when people often ask whether I ever wish I could go home, my reply is that I'm already there. And with the state of affairs  in the U.S.as they are now, that's more  the case than ever.

Philippine Poverty and Overpopulation: Dire But Not Hopeless

In a given society where the majority of its members live in poverty, this condition is usually structural. And you can really see that  in the Philippines where there's not much upward mobility from the lower ranks because the odds are stacked against them. What rigs the game of course is their sheer numbers and their percentage of the total population. So under these circumstances in a supply and demand setting, naturally the lowest bidder will get the job. This is despite a national minimum wage law which is not very effective because it's base is too low, has many exemptions, and it's is not well enforced anyway, especially outside of Metro-Manila.

So it's no wonder that members of the middle class and above here are often too lazy to wash their own dishes or raise their own children. They can--and do--get live-in domestic help for a song. Recent legislation has required that these employers pay into SSS (the counterpart  of U.S.social security) for their helpers. But it's questionable as to how many will really comply with this law .

On the other hand, Filipinos on the whole do value higher education (or at least the prestige in having a degree) Formerly,  primary and secondary public schooling was limited to a combined total of 10 years. With  with the recent addition of seventh and eighth grades it's  now 12 years. And starting next year tuition-free college education at public colleges and universities will become available.

But all these reforms will be for naught if the people here, especially the poor,   don't start practicing birth control on a wide scale,  Now that the Reproductive Health act is in effect, it will be easier for them to do so despite  the Catholic Church's pressure to keep them barefoot and pregnant. But they need to be shown how limiting family size will work to their advantage. If this happens, a positive response may well  finally break the cycle of poverty that has stranded the Philippines in a third world economy and may also ameliorate the damaged culture that has accompanied it as well. 

Gimme (A Tax) Shelter

For various reasons including poor service I had planned to rollover my 401(k) account form my present custodian to a new financial institution. In  doing so, I have discovered a serious problem that potentially affects all American expatriates who also  have retirement accounts in U.S.based financial firms.  The door is closing or has already closed against American citizens living abroad who  hold such assets. And many of these companies are not only refusing to accept rollovers or other fund transfers, some are kicking existing account holders to the curb by unilaterally closing and paying off their accounts, possible  tax repercussions to these customers notwithstanding.

Why are they doing this? The reason is explained very well in an article in "International Advisor: us institutions to expats take your retirement''.  Briefly, since the early 2000's security has  become a paramount issue with banks and other financial  institutions. So they want to know whom they're dealing with in their  customer base, which they really can't for account holders who live abroad. But it's only recently that they've intensifying this campaign and at the expense of us expats. Further, partly thanks to FATCA, foreign governments have started reciprocally creating unnecessary red tape for U.S. financial custodians firms whose expat customers. reside in their jurisdictions. So these firms just don't feel that dealing with overseas Americans is worth all this hassle. They are taking the easy way out, and there are no federal regulations to stop them.

A few days ago I contacted a financial consultant who was mentioned in the above ''International Advisor''piece, He suggested Charles Schwab as a possible option for stranded expats, and according to their website  ''Explore Schwab’s services for U.S. Expats''  they do indeed accept accounts for Americans living abroad. However a responder in the ''International Advisor'' comment section said that's not so, Charles Schwab is also giving their expat customers the boot. Sure enough I found a site that confirms this policy  ''Charles Schwab Announces Account Closures For US Citizens In Five Countries, More Expected''.

The Trump administration favors deregulation of  the finance industry. Hence  it it's unlikely that  Americans residing outside the country will get any relief for our predicament in the near future from that government  branch. However the legislative branch may be a different story when it comes to recourse. So today I sent a message regarding this issue to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren who as a political and economic progressive and member  the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs may be of  assistance in correcting this state of affairs.  Whether that actually happens of course remains to be seen. So at least for the time being,  limited options may be a brick in the wall that we expats, despite our being American citizens, will just have to put up with.

Brewocracy

My wife Lydia recently had some matters to take care of at the Bureau of Immigration, but she arrived  early and the office was still closed. So she went to a nearby Starbucks to kill time and have a refreshment until the the doors opened.  This got me to thinking: What if Starbucks operated like the BI or for that matter like most government offices in the Philippines that serve the public. I suppose the procedure for,  say, getting a cup of coffee would go something like this:


Upon entering Starbucks, proceed to Window 1. Submit  two pieces of identification plus two  1x1 photos, and request Application Form SBA in duplicate.

Complete the original SBA and file it at  Window 6.

Present  the completed SBA duplicate copy at Window 4 and request order form SBO in triplicate. If you want cream and sugar, complete Form SBCS and attach it to the SBO.

Present the completed SBO forms A,B, and C to the Cashier and pay the required amount along with a P50  Express Lane fee. Retain the duplicate copies along with your payment receipt.

Present your SBO duplicate copies B and C and your payment receipt at Window 3 for approval and  validation of your order.

To complete your purchase return to Window 4 and submit your validated SBO duplicate copy B.  Retain Copy C.

Allow 7 working days for preparation and completion of your purchase.

To receive your order, present SBO Copy C plus two forms of identification at Window 2. Your purchase will then be released.

Now wouldn't it be great instead if  Government offices were run like Starbucks? To this  end here's what President-Elect had this to say as per an article  'No Queues Please'' in the Malaya Business Insight: ''I hate seeing people queueing (sic). My proposal is that clearances and business permits will be processed within 72 hours''.  If he can institute these kinds of reform when  he takes office, imagine walking up to the counter (no more windows) of a government agency and hearing the clerk  say "Good morning, may I take your order?''

Retired But Not Retiring

Until the early 2000's when I was still living and working in California, I never would have dreamed that I would be spending my "golden years" in the Philippines. Yet as a result of my wife Lydia's persuasiveness and careful planning, it's been more than 10 years now since we retired and expatriated to this country.And as I have mentioned in previous posts, it was one of the smartest moves we ever made.In February I will celebrate my 71st birthday. This puts me well into the senior range, which in the Philippines officially begins at age 60.

As a foreigner,  with the exception  of  20% senior citizens discount on certain goods and services,  I still receive many of the perks and privileges that come with advanced age in this country, such as access to the senior checkout and lanes  in supermarkets and priority service at government offices. Another is the option to use the senior section on the MRT and LRT commuter trains here in Metro-Manila.That is a benefit which I very much appreciate. It's not much fun to have to ride in the other rail cars which are often jam packed with passengers, face to armpit and where I was pick-pocketed not just once but twice. 

But aside from  necessary excursions outside the home where they might avail of the above services, traditionally, the elderly in the Philippines often just  stay indoors where they are encouraged to spend their remaining years in a sedentary manner while family members and / or house help take care of them. And if they do go out, it's usually with  assistance.In that regard, as seniors my wife and I are anomalies. We don't live with family members and don't have hired help. For despite our ages,  we are fortunately able to maintain an independent lifestyle.  Lydia is a few years older than I am but still moves like a teenager and does extensive housework daily. And despite an acute and occasionally painful medical condition, I still have the stamina to run errands and manage personal affairs for both of us that occasionally require day trips outside local community. Lydia also does this as well, and in addition she travels to her home province at least once a month where she is following up on a complicated legal case, and which is one that requires the  energy and knowledge that would exhaust a person half her age. To that end, I spend much of my time acting as her "gofer" to ease her burden in this matter, which of course is  the least I can do.

However,  for us as seniors,  circumstances such as physical and mental fitness can turn on a dime for the worse. So  the question is whether there will come a time when our years catch up to us and we are no longer capable of conducting our present autonomous lifestyle. Lydia's response is not to pretend that scenario can't happen but rather to enjoy life in the present while taking appropriate precautions for the future.  I  think that's sage advice which is as reasonably optimistic as it sensible—at any age.

Jac Liner: Unsafe and Insincere?

I suppose that by now I should be used to the overall substandard quality of customer service that businesses in the Philippines provide. Still  it's really irritating when companies and government offices as well give the impression of concern  for consumer satisfaction by furnishing  a page in their website for receiving complaints but then ignore the comments or correspondence placed therein. Such were two experiences that I had with the bus company Jac Liner Inc.

In order to register one complaint (regarding lack of rest stops on a particular route)  I completed their "Contact Us" page but received no response. So in the matter of my second problem, which involved personal safety, this time I sent a letter via email attachment directly  to the Customer Service Manager. Here's what generated this correspondence: A few weeks ago, when I boarded a Jac Liner bus in Lucena City, Quezon, I arranged with both the driver and the conductor to let me off at the SM Megamall stop in Mandaulyong City, Metro-Mla. Instead  with no warning the driver passed up that location and dropped me further upon Edsa into the middle of the busy intersection with Ortigas that had no access to the curb, and it was only with great difficulty that I extricated myself out of that hazardous situation.

When I didn't get a reply to my letter, I then followed up by contacting a government regulatory agency that oversees the operations of public transportation companies, the LTFRB,  via their website contact page and (not surprisingly)  did not get a response.

In my letter to Jac Liner, I gave notice that if they chose to ignore my concern that I would take the matter public. So if nothing else, I hope that this post will alert those who utilize this transportation company's services or are otherwise  interested about this company's  apparent negligence and indifference to passenger safety.

In short there's no excuse for  such companies to disregard the concerns of the very public who after all keep them in business in the first place.

A Milestone

August 27 marked the 10th anniversary of my arrival in the Philippines. Overall despite some bumps in the road, my wife Lydia and I have had a good life here as expatriate retirees.  How this all began was that Lydia had  dreamed of and had actually planned for us to make this move a few years before she  told me about her desire for us to relocate to her native land. Initially I was reluctant to go along with what I considered to be an outlandish idea. But the more I thought about it, the more  I realized how in many ways it made sense. After a while, I was totally on board.

However, we had no guarantee that our plans would succeed. And in order to accomplish our goal, this meant taking risks from which there was no turning back.  Giving up our materially comfortable lives in California and starting over in a foreign environment was not an easy consideration. And dissatisfied as I was with my work, leaving my job with its steady paycheck was a daunting prospect. But once we took these giant leaps and began our lives anew in Metro-Manila, everything more or less fell into place.One thing I will always remember about that time is that  thanks to Lydia, who arrived here nine months earlier in order to pave the way and get us settled in, we were able to establish our lives in this country rather smoothly. And to that end, Lydia's family members were also--and still are very supportive--for which I am most grateful.

Adjusting to retirement itself was no problem at all, even  to the much smaller income that we are now receiving than when we were working. This is because living expenses in the Philippines are for the most part less than that in the U.S. So the  dollar goes a lot further here. And even after all this time, hardly a day goes by that I'm not thankful for the freedom of no longer having to toil for a living.  I've never understood those who dread the prospect of hanging it up because they think they will be condemned to a life of boredom. Personally, during  these last 10 years my life has been much more meaningful  and productive than it was while I was  employed.

And speaking of adjustments, relocating to a different country of course entails challenges such as adapting to cultural differences. One of these in our case was giving up driving and becoming totally dependent on public transpiration to get around. We have not been behind the wheel once in all the time that we've been here.  Motorists in the Philippines, especially  here in Metro-Manila where we reside, are extremely undisciplined. and traffic is chaotic. Lydia and I spent many years driving in California which has more than its share of crazy drivers and traffic problems, but these are not nearly as nightmarish as local conditions.

Another important matter is health care which for seniors like Lydia and me  is an especially important issue. On the whole, we are satisfied with the quality of medical and dental treatment which we've received here . But  a problem  is the attendant expenses which can really mount up. Overall these costs are a lot less than that in the U.S. However, as a percent  to our retirement income, they have had a serious impact. We do carry private health insurance, but its premiums are steep and its benefits inadequate, leaving us to cover a lot of bills out of our pocket. There is a government healthcare program in the Philippines to which we subscribe called Philhealth, but its coverage is also limited. And speaking of government health care, there's talk that that eventually Medicare from the U.S. will become available for American senior citizens living abroad, which of course would be wonderful. However,  I don't see this happening soon.

The biggest and most time consuming issue that we've encountered is an emotionally bruising and ongoing encounter with the  Philippine legal  system which grinds slowly and inefficiently and like other government branches here has a problem with corruption.  Lydia is a plaintiff in three pending civil  cases, involving personal and /or  family land and title matters. The oldest of these has been dragging on since 2009! 

But regardless of the above shortcomings and hassles, my attachment to and Lydia's roots in the Philippines run deep. In fact we  plan to spend the rest of our lives here. And despite our advanced ages, we still  have projects in the works. For example we are currently  in the midst of renovating  a property  that we own in Lydia's hometown for our visits there. Whether eventually this will become more than just an occasional place to crash remains to be seen.

Lydia and I have come a long way since 2005. Through a continuation of the careful planning and good fortune that has brought us this far, we can only hope that we will be able to sustain the same  modest but comfortable lifestyle that we have enjoyed here for the future as well.

Shaking Off an Illusion

What would happen if a 7.2 earthquake were to strike Metro-Manila? Recently, the  MMDA (Metro-Manila Development Authority)  held an area-wide drill that included officials and  the public as well in order to address this concern and prepare people here for such an event. But was this goal accomplished?

Well first of all, according to official estimates in the event of such a quake casualties and property damage would be as follows: 38,000 fatalities and 100,000 injured. Out of 170,000 residences, 22,000 will collapse and 1,200, 000 people will be left homeless.

Yet even as an average person with no training in engineering , I can't help but wonder if these figures are a  serious underestimation. Here's why. For one thing, Residences here are overcrowded due to large families and widespread poverty. In turn the structures that they live in are likely to be unsafe  (which also describes many business buildings in Metro-Manila) due to  overworked, underpaid and hence  sometimes corrupt building inspectors--and many of the buildings may have never been inspected in the first place). So for example when a house collapses, it will likely fall on more than just a few occupants. Imagine that scenario involving thousands of such homes and of course businesses such as malls and highrise office buildings and condos.

Then there is the culture issue. Most Filipinos are not safety conscious. Instead the predominant mentality here is one of fatalism and which is expressed in the popular phrase bahala na. Loosely translated, this maeans "leave it to God". And as a country with a very high rate of observant theists, mainly Roman Catholics,  the tendency here is for people to pray for a favorable outcome through divine intervention, rather than take action to achieve it themselves.  For the most part it seems that they would rather pray than plan.

Another issue is the  the possibility of  panic and stampedes  in crowded venues during this strong temblor, and the looting that would likely follow it.The  MMDA Chairman, Francis Tolentino claims  that thanks to instructions and practice given in the earthquake drill, people would now automatically know to drop, cover, and hold. But will most of them really do that when the time comes?  A national trait in the Philippines  is ningas cogon which is a tendency of people here to be stirred up into feeling a strong interest in or enthusiasm for something today (such as earthquake preparedness) only for it to fade away tomorrow. So whatever lessons or advice those who participated in the quake exercise might have so eagerly learned that day may well have been forgotten or disregarded when it's "go" time.

And what is the status of preparedness  by the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to address looting and other forms of lawlessness following a catastrophic quake?  Are they prepared to enforce a possible executive declaration of martial law if necessary? 

The time of day and day of the week make a difference in this kind of disaster. Obviously, it's going to be a lot worse if it happens at high noon on a weekday than on an early Sunday morning. But a night time quake of this magnitude also has its own hazards e.g. when the lights go out from a likely power interruption. Imagine trying to locate casualties in collapsed buildings under these conditions. And digging them out even in daylight will be difficult given the state of the  art of search and rescue equipment in this third world country.  However, to its credit, Pasig City did conduct their drill at night complete with a blackout of street lights and street closures in some areas to simulate difficult conditions.

In the aftermath of intense seismic activity, providing assistance including shelter, food,and water to millions of displaced survivors could be a nightmare, even though post-quake evacuation sites have already been designated.. Look what happened in Typhoon Yolanda. That was over two years ago and some victims still haven't been adequately cared for. And unlike typhoons and other natural disasters, earthquakes give no warning before they occur. There would be no chance for lowering the casualty rate by taking cover,  preemptive evacuation, or running for high ground.

I posit all the above scenarios as one who like millions of others in the world  has experienced numerous earthquakes under varying conditions. Personally, I've never become accustomed to them and likely never will.  But I do want a realistic assessment from government  authorities of what will likely happen  in the event that a strong one should occur. Unfortunately, for those of us here in Metro-Manila, such a convincing scenario has yet to be presented.

And She's Got To Get Herself Back to the Garden

For over four years I have been unable to accompany my wife Lydia on her monthly visits to her home province of Quezon in Southern Luzon. This week I  finally did so. Our destination was the  town of Gumaca which is about 6 1/2 hours by bus from Metro Manila.  The scenery along the way in the countryside between towns is lush and verdant,.  which combined with the fact that there were no major delays made the ride fairly pleasant.

This was a special trip for me not just due to the length of time since my last visit, but mainly because this is first time that I've seen the work that has been done on a special project that Lydia started several months ago: renovation of our old house that we had built there many years ago, but which had fallen into ruin as it had not been occupied or properly attended to after we returned to the U.S. and subsequent occupants failed to properly maintain the property. Finally, it was abandoned altogether. and thieves stripped away many of the furnishings. 

Initially, when we returned to the Philippines 10 years ago,  we had planned to sell the property. However,  it turns out that all along  Lydia had really wanted us to have a house in the barrio, a place that we could call our own  no matter how modest and to which we could escape every so often from the urban jungle of Metro-Manila. to the very type of green countryside environment that I saw en route to Gumaca. Importantly, she wanted us to have a place to which we could also permanently relocate if for whatever reason life in the city should become unbearable.

Moreover, she wanted to be able  fulfill her passion for gardening  and landscaping as well as for interior design.  Lydia has done a beautiful job with the latter here in our leased condominium in Eastwood City.  Yet in her mind it's just not the same as decorating one's own home. Now she will be able to indulge her passion for both inside and outside artistry  to her heart's content. In fact she is well on her way to realizing her vision via the unique style in which she is having our house rebuilt. The design  that Lydia created is what she calls   "Hobbit House" and as such is rather whimsical. The roof is a burgundy red;  the front door which is oval shaped(!) will be painted blue-gray; the living room window is circular; and the back door has flower carvings. The cottage itself  is surrounded by a garden with flowers in splashing colors, and right behind the house is a mountain which completes the storybook-like setting. 

And now that I've finally seen the results for myself, I'm totally onboard and couldn't be more proud of her dreams and the  steps that she taken to fulfill them.

Globe Telecom's Failure to Connect

Until the late 1990's there was only one telephone company in the Philippines, Philippine Long Distance Teleophone aka PLDT, which controlled all phone services both local and long distance here . As a result of this monopoly, phone communications in the this country were abysmal. Just obtaining a land line usually meant a wait of several months. Phone use itself was beset with problems such as dial tones outages, poor
reception,dropped calls, and obsolete equipment.

When the market for this utility was opened up to other players, telephone availability and service improved  especially with the explosive growth in popularity of cell phones. However  mobile phone service providers themselves can also often be unresponsive to or inept in addressing customer complaints, or they make promotion offers that they don't keep. In both these areas, I've had unresolved issues, specifically with Globe Telecom through whom my wife Lydia and I have prepaid service for our mobile phones.

A few months ago I received a message from Globe requesting my participation in a  customer survey, the reward for which was supposed to be  one day of unlimited free calls. But when I completed the survey questionnaire, Globe failed to live up to its end of the deal. I pursued the issue for some time and out of frustration finally settled for a P25 addition to my prepaid load.

However, the biggest problem with Globe was their inability to fix a loss of the load status retrieval service on Lydia's phone. This function is normally a simple process of creating the message "Bal"and then sending to 222 or alternatively to *143#. But she could no longer get a reply when entering these codes.

So as per Globe's recommendation, through a process of elimination she determined that there was no problem with her SIM card which was originally thought to be the source of the malfunction, and therefore the cause must be either the phone itself or  with the Globe network. As it turned out, it was the latter:  When we placed a SIM card from another service provider, SMART Communications, into her phone and executed the load amount request function from that network, it worked just fine. I apprised Globe of this outcome, and they promised to resolve the matter once and for all within one week but after several weeks and more of their unfulfilled assurances, we gave up. Lydia permanently switched her unit to SMART. However, In doing so, of course this meant a change in phone number and all the inconveniences and hassles which accompany that process. But the alternative of using a prepaid  cellphone without knowing the remaining load balance means the likelihood of an unexpected zero balance service cutoff in the middle of a call or text. And who needs that kind of stress?   

Perhaps Globe was just telling us what we wanted to hear all along , which is a practice in Philippine culture,  and had no intention of taking care of our complaint.  At any rate, their claim of advanced state of the art prowess is meaningless  hype if at the end of the day they cannot deliver reliable customer service to their subscribers.