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Why the Hell Would you Buy a Lot in the Philippines – Part 6

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While I have a lot to say (complain about) when it comes to building a house in the Philippines, this may not be the right time and place to do it. It’s been an exceedingly difficult, stressful and expensive job. If anybody ever hears me considering doing it again by all means hit me upside the head with the nearest heavy object.

But while I won’t yet reveal all the dirty details (and dirty they are) I can tell you a few tips that we have learned the hard way.

Ordering, Buying, Purchasing or Paying – or the Wet Market Approach

We have had innumerable arguments with our contractor centering around these terms. Here’s a couple of examples. “Sir, I need x amount this month for the concrete, or steel, or iron, or tiles” – you name it. As an American I assume this means he is buying it all. Nope. He would excitedly tell me later. “I bought the X.” The X would arrive and we would be excited; progress was being made. Unfortunately a week later a worker or the foreman would tell us. “We are out of X.” “What do you mean?” I would yell. “We bought all of X.” Um, not quite. I don’t think there was ever a time where all of something was purchased. 25% maybe, 10% possibly, 50% unlikely, 100% never.

I think of this as the Wet Market Approach. Millions of Filipinos shop at the wet market daily, either because they don’t have enough money to buy food for long term or they don’t have enough refrigeration. I discovered our contractor worked similarly. He bought enough to start a portion of the project but never enough to complete it.

The other common scenario was the difference between the terminologies I listed above. Often our contractor would excitedly indicate he had bought something. But often what he really meant is he had ordered it but not paid for it. Sometimes he meant that he’d neither ordered or paid for something but simply talked to someone about an upcoming order.

A few weeks would go by and he would tell me the item in question had arrived. ‘Great,’ I thought. One more thing done. But then the reality would be communicated. “I need X amount of Pesos to pick it up.” “But didn’t you tell me that my last month’s payment was to purchase that?” “Yes,” he’d say. “But I had to use that money for more concrete.”

So if you are foolish enough (like I was) to have your contractor do the purchasing, make sure you understand the difference between what he ordered (or not ordered) and what was actually paid for.

Speaking of purchasing or expenditures in general always question the actual costs you are being quoted. No, I am not talking about lying or cheating, though that can happen too. I am talking about the natural desire to underestimate what things cost so as not to worry you, the excitable foreigner. Of course, eventually you do find out and go ballistic.

Pakyaw

Pakyaw is a term that refers to a fixed price agreement. Most foreigners know the term in reference to trike drivers. If you want to take a trike to a place off the beaten path, the driver will consider it a hire or pakyaw and you will negotiate a flat rate.

In the case of our project several skilled workers were hired on a pakyaw basis to complete a specific part of the project. There are some advantages. If the worker doesn’t work particularly hard or doesn’t work at all on a particular day, no problem; he gets paid a fixed rate for the completion of his piece of the project.

The problem is that the pakyaw person still wants to eat. So if he contracts to do a pakyaw that he estimates will take two weeks to complete, on about the third day he will come to you and ask for an advance on his payment. In several cases long before the pakyaw was done, most of the money had been paid out. The pakyaw guys says “Don’t worry. I am here. I will finish.” But in fact he may not finish till he absolutely has too.

Last week I had just such a situation. A pakyaw worker and his assistant had completed over 3/4 of a job but it still wasn’t finished. The job was to pay him 9000P and I had already advanced him 4000P. It was Saturday afternoon at 3:30. He wanted his pay or at least another advance. I wanted the job completed. “I will only pay you when the job is complete. I can meet you tonight or Sunday morning. when the work is done” After a bit of grumbling the pakyaw guy said, “We can be finished by 5:00.” “OK,” I said. “I will be back at 5:00. If you’re finished I will pay you. If not – not.”

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I preceded to rush Janet to the ferry and then rush back to the lot. All the while I was wondering what I would find at 5:00. I also was nervous about what I might find. I might have a couple of pissed off guys expecting to get paid. But I had dug my heels in and decided I would not pay until completion and that was that.

I arrived at 5:10. The guys were sitting and smoking. They proudly showed me that the work was done. I happily paid the balance and remarked, “Tanduay tonight?” “Red Horse,” was the reply and I breathed a sigh of relief. Yep, I’m a 66 year old, 5’6″ badass lol.

The other problem with pakyaw is the other workers will quickly find out and they too will want a fat juicy pakyaw. So avoid these pakyaw situations if you can.

Plywood Will Save You Money

Since Philippines construction is concrete you rarely see the built-in closets common in the US. Closets (if there are any) are cabinetry separate from the concrete walls. We wanted closets and decided to have them in all four bedrooms, with the master bedroom having the largest. Even though I am a big time wood and woodworking guy, our contractor convinced us that plywood closets would save money and they could be painted to look as good as hardwood. The same reasoning was used for the kitchen cabinetry and we bought into it. It’s nonsense.

First of all marine plywood in the Philippines is not cheap, so you really don’t save that much. Secondly, it took a carpenter two weeks to build the four closets. It is currently taking a painter and his assistant two weeks to paint the closets and they’re not done. And in the end – it’s still plywood and no amount of paint will change that. I don’t even want to know what I paid for these things and the weeks of man hours we lost.

The kitchen situation was worse. The cabinetry would be plywood. The contractor assured us the cabinet doors would look just as good as high end stuff. I told him I doubted that he had any workers skilled enough to make good quality kitchen cabinet doors. In the end we purchased the doors from a Home Depot type store. They will look decent painted, an effort that has not begun yet.

So if your contractor tells you how he will be saving you money, question it! It isn’t just an issue of getting what you want; it may not save you any money at all.

Are Your Workers Getting Paid?

In any endeavor, labor is the most important thing. Take care of your workers. A couple weeks ago an acquaintance of mine whose house was also being built by my contractor messaged me. “My workers are not getting paid all of their money and now many want to quit. Are your workers getting paid?” I responded, “No one’s complained so they must be.” The next morning Janet and I went to our lot and asked each worker directly. We found out that each and every worker was owed something. That week we took over all the payroll functions and ended up paying out nearly the equivalent of two weeks worth of pay.

I’m not sure which is weirder; the fact that the contractor hadn’t paid his crew and hid it or the fact that the crew hadn’t even complained about it. Bottom line is we made it clear that everyone would get paid and paid on time from now on.

Like I said at the beginning there’s more to say in the future. But for now if you are considering building a house in the Philippines, think again. If you still want to do it, heed my advise and the advise to come in the next couple of blogs. I estimate our project is 80% done. Hopefully the final 20% won’t kill me 🙂

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Best of Dumaguete Restaurants

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Janet and I have always been restaurant people. For the four years she lived in Portland, Oregon it was our primary form of outside entertainment. We weren’t fancy restauranteurs, spending hundreds of dollars, but we enjoyed our favourite restaurants many many times.

When we moved to Dumaguete we continued our habit. Since I was retired by then and most restaurants in Dumaguete are cheap our habit got even more engrained. We almost always went out for either lunch or dinner, occasionally doing both. So while I don’t want to pretend we know every restaurant in town, we know a lot of them. So here are various categories and our favourites, including comments on price and service. BTW, we are not giant eaters so often share an entree (maybe adding a salad) which keeps prices even lower and our addiction to restaurants higher.

I should also add that we’ve never been ultra sophisticated eaters so things like high end wines, continental cuisine, or $50 steaks are not areas we’re worried about. We target places with good food, good prices and service that doesn’t keep us at the restaurant all night.

Best Italian Restaurant: Pasta King. Kind of an easy one. While many Dumaguete restaurants have some Italian food, and some of it’s good, not many are strictly Italian restaurants. Almost all the pasta dishes I’ve had here have been good to very good. The pizza is decent though not Dumaguete’s best (see below), the service is above average, and the prices are decent. In addition there’s a small parking lot next to the restaurant and at the early times we usually go (I’m an old fart, after all) there is usually available parking. In addition, one of their few non-Italian dishes is one of Dumaguete’s best (see below). https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pasta-King/103534199784843

Best Japanese Restaurant: Mifune. Another slam dunk. There’s a couple Japanese restaurants here and some sushi places and a noodle place (Ichiraku) that’s decent but no one can touch Mifune. A huge menu, very good food, large portions, saki if that’s your need, good miso soup and tempura. They have it all. Two nights a week there’s an all you can eat buffet. We can’t eat enough to justify the buffet, so we stick to the other nights, but the buffet is very good and popular. Besides, the place reminds me of my favourite samurai actor, Toshiro Mifuni. We go monthly and on those occasions when Janet goes to visit the family and leaves me alone, I try to make a stop at Mifune. It’s downtown, a block off the boulevard so parking can be tough. The prices are just a spec higher than Duma average, but it’s a deal for what you get. https://www.facebook.com/mifunedumaguete/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARCnZlwx_2LrwpEBhQqsE3QFyKQ2UxgOU0lvsDpWr61pfT-Kcg9Eo3-Qp4SPKJF87OV1dlyrmA07bs0-

Best Filipino Restaurant: Lantaw Native Restaurant. As a kano, I probably have no right to weigh in on this but we’ve been to Lantaw dozens of times: just the two of us, with friends, for parties, etc. Since the place is always packed I don’t think we are alone in our fondness for Lantaw. The food is strictly Filipino; you’re not gonna find Western food for some finicky tourist. The quality is typically good or better. The prices are very good. There’s a nice view of the beach. Most importantly the San Mig is very cold.

The only negative in our view is that the place is so popular there are many loud tourist groups that come and dominate the restaurant. https://www.facebook.com/Lantaw-Dumaguete-798376510295211/

Two Honorable Mention: Gerrys Restaurant: If Lantaw is cheap, Gerry’s is not. But the food is good. I get the chicken skewers nearly every time I am there.

Mooon Cafe. While the style of the restaurant is Mexican (though the Mexican food is not great) the Filipino food is good. It’s sort of all over the place with pasta (not bad), and several inexpensive steak offerings for when you really want a steak but don’t want to spend the cash for a steak. I mean Filet Mignon for 300P? Mostly stick with the Filipino food, though the onion rings are good (make sure to ask them make them crispy). https://www.facebook.com/moooncafedumaguete/

Best Pan Asian: KRI. A variety of different asian styles; everything I’ve had there is good or better. The portions are not huge so Janet and I need two entrees. The prices are a bit high. But the atmosphere is nice and the food creative and of high quality.

Best Barbecue Ribs: Lord Byron. Lord Byron always had the best ribs in town but they were located in a place that no one knew existed. Since their relocation near Siliman University, they’ve become more popular. The menu is sparse, with only a few items, mostly their ribs and their hamburger. The rib platter is large enough for Janet and I to share happily. https://www.facebook.com/lordbyronsdumaguete/

Honorable Mention: The previously mentioned Pasta King also has a great ribs platter. Janet loves it but there’s no way she can finish it herself, so I happily help.

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Best High End Restaurant: Casablanca Restaurant. Yes, by Dumaguete standards it’s expensive. You can easily drop 1000P or more for a couple; if you want a steak double or triple that price. As I mentioned before, Janet and I often share an entree which at Casablanca is typically enough for the two of us. Because of cost we probably treat ourselves 4 or 5 times a year. They are also well known for holiday specials: we’ve gone there for Thanksgiving dinner the last two years. It’s spendy but the liver pate they had two years ago reminded me of home! On the boulevard the view is nice as well. Treat yourself once in a while. It’s worth it! https://www.facebook.com/dumaguete.casablanca/

Best Pizza: Esturya Tapas and Bar. I’m a pizza lover, particularly fond of New York style pizza. There is no New York pizza in Dumaguete, and possibly none to speak of in the entire country. However, there are places that make West Coast brick oven style pizza. Esturya is an up and coming restaurant with a varied menu but they are perhaps best know for their pizza. We love the 4 topping variety: no not 4 toppings all over the pizza but 4 varieties all on the same pie. It’s the West Coast thin crust pizza, so I am still jonesing for thicker New York style, but for what it is, it is very good. The prices are decent, the restaurant atmosphere is upscale (by Dumaguete standards) and there are a few parking spaces in front. The service is typically excellent. https://www.facebook.com/esturyabarandrestaurant/

Honorable Mention: This one’s a surprise but the brick oven pizza at Bambulo Resort is nearly as good as Esturya. That may be because we swim there and after a dip in the pool a pizza and beer tastes great. Prices are good, as is the push a button service. https://www.facebook.com/BambuloBacong/

Update: I forgot South Beach Grill, which has a good brick oven pizza and other fine items.

Best Bagel: Rolling Pin.There are few options in this category but Rolling Pin makes a decent bagel. No, it’s not a New York water bagel, but it’s far better than just a piece of bread with a hole in the middle. Their other breads and pastries are also good. Prices are excellent, and service is good. They sometimes sell on Sundays in the Valencia Market, though usually by the time I get there the bagels are gone. https://www.facebook.com/RollinPinDumaguete/

Best Breads: The bakery at Octagon Sports Bar. In Bacong it’s a bit out of the way for us but whenever we are close we try to stop by. Very good breads and pastries.

Honorable Mention: The previously mentioned Rolling Pin.

Best Submarine/Steak Sandwiches: Gie Gies Sports Bar. A simple sports bar, Gie Gies has basic and mostly good bar food. But their hoagies/heros/subs (or whatever you call them in your part of the world) are good and large. The fries used to be excellent but recently changed to shoe string types – not quite as good. But to make up for it, try the potato salad. https://www.facebook.com/giegiessportsbar/

Best Bar Food: Grumpy’s. I’ve just started eating there and 3 or 4 times would typically not be enough to list a restaurant, but everything we’ve had there has been good. It’s a simple bar with a popular Open Mike on Saturdays but the food is basic, plentiful and good.https://www.facebook.com/Grumpys-Tavern-309845783047448/

Best Fried Chicken: Sunburst Restaurant. Another surprise because behind Robinsons it doesn’t look like much . But the fried chicken is very good; certainly a step or two above fast food fried chicken. The prices are not bad. It comes with a strange cole slaw which I kinda like and three (count ’em) three french fries. Janet gives me her fries; nice asawa! https://www.facebook.com/Sunburst.Dgte/

Best Tacos/Burritos: Paco’s Tacos. People just know it as the taco cart in Valencia but this is your best chance to get American style Mexican food: tacos, burritos, nachos, fajitas, breakfast burritos, etc. All are very good and the prices are good too. Seating is outdoors and limited; it is a cart after all. https://www.facebook.com/pacos.ph/

Honorable Mention: I don’t know how I can give out an Honorable Mention to a place I haven’t been to but everyone says Senoritas at the airport is excellent. Damn, I have to get there!

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Accepting the Fact that Filipinos Help me

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It’s been about seven years since I first met Janet in person. We’d been chatting online for about a year. I had already visited the Philippines twice but hadn’t met her. She’d refused to meet since she wasn’t interested in my “collecting and selecting,” but that’s another story.

Finally we met and traveled to Southern Cebu to meet her family. I arrived with a large, heavy camera bag, crammed with camera gear and anything else I could manage to stuff into it. Janet’s younger brother, Leo, approached me to take my camera bag. I refused. Oh, I tried to be nice about it saying something like, “That’s OK. I can carry it. Thanks.” But the truth is I’m an American; we’re independent; we carry our own shit; we don’t need help from anyone!

The more I travelled in the Philippines the more I realised that people actually do want to help. The cynic in me assumed there were ulterior motives but my experience is that it ain’t necessarily so. A couple years after the incident with Leo, Janet, who I was by then married to admitted that Leo asked her why I wouldn’t allow him to carry my bag. She probably gave him some line about “crazy foreigners” but I learned my lesson and from then on allowed him or anyone else to help me when I visited the family.

Since I moved to the Philippines this has continued to be an issue for me, not because I don’t like to be helped but because I have a lifetime of American experience at how I never got helped. The benefit of growing up in such a culture is independence, self-reliance, and the ability to develop skills that I was forced to develop. The negative is it’s hard sometimes and that damn camera bag is getting heavier as I age.

But I’m learning. A few weeks ago we were in Southern Cebu visiting the family. Janet had to travel for the day north to Cebu City and I decided I would return to Dumaguete. She left at 3:00AM. I got up at 6:00, got myself ready and prepared to walk the ten minutes to the national highway from where I would get a bus. As I said my goodbyes Janet’s youngest brother and a cousin jumped up to accompany me to the road. I am experienced enough now not to say as I would have in the past, “I know the way to the road. You don’t need to get up.” One boy grabbed my backpack and off we went. When we arrived at the highway I did say, “You can go home and get back to sleep now. I can wait for the bus.” “No,” I was told. We all waited. The bus came about ten minutes later and I said goodbye to the teens and thanked them.

Yesterday I was preparing for a mini-trip on my own. I laid out my clothes and backpack. Before I knew it Janet had packed the backpack. She also added a few items I’d forgotten. I was ready to tell her that “Hey I’m an independent American. I can pack my own backpack.” Instead I just thanked her. It’s nice to be taken care of but it’s been seven years and I’m still learning to appreciate it and not resist.

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Frankly one of the delights about living in the Philippines is that many Filipinos want to help you; people you don’t know at all. I like it and have tried to stop being an Independent American and just accept it.

I know what some expats think. “They” all have an ulterior motive and want something from you. In this theory the “something” probably involves money. I’m sure that happens from time to time but in my experience the desire to help is genuine.

A couple months ago I was getting ready to meet a buddy to play golf. I got a call. He’d had a flat and could I come and help. I left immediately. By the time I got there I found my friend with three Filipinos changing his tire. After they’d finished he tried to give the lead guy some money but the man refused.

You know – I think I could get used to this being helped thing!

OK, the pic I selected has nothing to do with Filipinos helping, but it’s my Goddaughter, Mia, and she’s cute!

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The Philippines allows you to do Anything – Including Screw Up!

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Both before I moved here and since, it always struck me as odd watching guys fail in the Philippines. I mean you’re given nearly everything here, how is it possible to fail? Let’s count the potential benefits, shall we. An inexpensive cost of living, so that even retirees on small pensions can more than survive. Cheap entertainment. Sun, sand, ocean and more islands than you can ever explore. Friendly people. Very friendly women. A laissez faire attitude toward most things, including most things legal.

And then it occurred to me that the very options we are given here are themselves the reasons for failure. Having options in life is wonderful but sometimes they’re a pain in the ass.

The retiree who can barely pay his rent in his own country, now can use his new found wealth to get into a bit of trouble. In his own country he’s considered nearly a bum; here he’s considered rich, with all the plusses and minuses that entails.

Are you poor at managing money? In your native country there’s enough social services to survive. Here if you piss away your cash, you’re out on the street.

The guy who likes a couple beers at night can now afford a 6-pack (to chase down his Tanduay). The guy who smokes a pack a day is up to two; cigarettes are dirt cheap. In other words alcohol and smoking addiction among expats is huge here.

The guy who used to drive a motorcycle in his youth or maybe had one for the occasional weekend trip now can ride a bike to his heart’s content; and tear his ass up in the process. The guy who always resented “the man” for his Western rules and regulations can throw his helmet aside here. Not many others (Filipino or expat) in Dumaguete wear them.

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Are you a lousy driver? This ain’t the place to drive. Are you an excellent driver? Expect your perfect record to not remain perfect.

Women probably are the biggest benefit and the biggest pitfall in the Philippines. Marry her, live with her, just date, just date five girls, date a different girl every week, don’t even bother dating. You can do it all, but each option has its possible disasters. Because of the options guys actual think when it comes to women in the Philippines, “I can do whatever I want.” Yeah that’ll work. I’m married; let’s ask Janet what she thinks of that 🙂

I could go on and on but you get the idea. While getting ready to retire and move to the Philippines, if you’re like me you’re making that list of all the benefits of moving here. And all those benefits are real and true. But let’s remember our high school physics; for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. IOW, every benefit can cause an equal and opposite disaster.

And one more thing. Guys move to the Philippines to reduce the stress of their Western lives and it is true there can be less stress here. That is unless you’re building your own house!

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A Tale of Two ER Trips

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A few years ago while in Portland, Janet was sick with a strong case of the flu. Lots of coughing and fever. As always she took it in stride with good humour. But one night she announced that she’d coughed up a bit of blood. “Then we’re going to the ER,” I said. Janet resisted but I insisted and off we went.

I’d never in my life been to the ER and it was an interesting experience. About 20 people were in the waiting room. We filled out lots of forms and it was quickly apparent that we were probably the only people there who were on a paying basic (had our own insurance).

Janet waited 4 hours to see a doctor. They did draw blood while we waited. By now she was a little scared. There were TVs in the waiting room and it was the night of the 2016 election and I got to watch all the CNN guys grow more and more panicked. I love watching pundits squirm.

Eventually Janet saw the doctor and he said her blood work was fine and she had the flu. He wrote a couple of prescriptions and off we went.

A couple weeks later I got the bill – $1700. My insurance company did pay most of it but I was on the hook for about $500. I thought, ‘this is the beauty of the American medical system – the finest in the world – $1700 to diagnose the flu!’

A few days ago I got a pretty strong bug here in Dumaguete. High fever and body aches. Janet asked if I wanted to go the ER and I said no; it was just the flu. But by the 2nd night my fever hit 103 and I got a little scared. I haven’t had a fever that high since I was a kid. So at 10:30 off we went to the ER.

We arrived at Holy Child Hospital ER in downtown Dumaguete. There were no throngs in the waiting room; there was only one patient ahead of me. Within a couple minutes a nurse had taken my temp and BP. Within a few more minutes the doctor came over. He was appropriately surly as I would expect a competent doctor to be. He asked a few questions and then ordered some blood work. In the Philippines high fever means to test for Dengue Fever so that was one of the ordered tests. The nurse asked for 2300 pesos ($40) for the tests, which Janet paid.

We were directed to the lab in the building next door. Again there was only one patient ahead of me and they quickly and professionally took my blood and told us to come back in an hour. They were prompt and an hour later we had the results and returned to the ER.

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“Your Dengue test is negative,” the doctor said and I breathed a sigh of relief. Dengue can be a very unpleasant experience and takes lots of time to recover from and let’s face it, I’m not a kid. The doctor added, “It’s probably the flu. You could come back tomorrow for a urine and stool sample, in case it’s a UTI.” He wrote a couple prescriptions including one for a pain reliever that I recognised as common in the Philippines. The Ugly American kicked in. “I’m taking Advil. Is this better than Advil?” He replied to the idiot kano, “Advil’s better for pain. This is better for fever reduction.” Case closed.

The nurse asked for 900 pesos ($18) for the ER visit and we were on our way. The next day we got the two prescriptions filled for $3.

I’m on the mend now and hopefully will be fully recovered for Valentines Day. Janet deserves a nice one.

You can come to your own conclusions about the difference between a $1700 and a $58 diagnosis of the flu.

Post Script: Here’s a humorous side note. In addition to the high fever and body aches I had a strong case of diarrhea. I didn’t have my reading glasses with me and didn’t want to make a mistake with a medicine bottle so the next morning I asked Janet if she’d get me the anti-diarreal meds. She grabbed two and some water and brought them to me and I quickly downed both. She suddenly spurted out. “OMG. I gave you the wrong medicine!” “What did you give me?” “Laxatives!”

It’s been an active day 🙂

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I’M Here – You don’t need to Follow :)

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It’s deja vu all over again. 44 years ago I moved to Portland, Oregon. At the time Portland was a hot bed, a hub. Young people from all over the US were moving there. Middle aged Californians were selling their overpriced houses and with the profit, buying a Portland house with cash. It was a flood of humanity that everyone assumed would end – but it never did.

The first few years I was there I assumed I would move “back home.” Back home was the East Coast. But after 2 or 3 years in Portland I stopped thinking about moving “back home.” In fact an interesting thing happened; after those 2 or 3 years I started thinking of Portland as “home.”

The next step was even more interesting. I started to resent the throngs that kept moving to Portland, ruining “our home.” In the 70s there was a popular bumper sticker in Oregon that read, “Don’t Californicate Oregon,” and I was a big proponent of that philosophy. I had my Oregon dream; the rest of you could go somewhere else (hell, came to mind).

So what does this all have to do with Dumaguete and Valencia where we now live. About a week ago were were waiting for the ferry to take us from Cebu back “home” to Dumaguete. We were tired and wanted to get home. The port was mobbed and Janet was told that one ferry was broken and so the other ferry was taking people back and forth and therefore we had to wait for the next trip. The wait would easily be an hour. I looked around at my fellow waiters – and sneered. There were back packers all over. What the hell do backpackers want to come to Dumaguete for, I wondered. There aren’t any white sand beaches where a backpacker can pitch a tent. The place, while not expensive, is not a cheap backpacker haven. And Filipinos here are pretty cleanly and even use deodorant. So what the hell are backpackers doing coming to spoil my lovely little city?

And then I spied a group of Chinese tourists. Each wheeled a piece of luggage the size of a small boat. Why would they leave the more metropolitan Cebu for our sleepy little city? Again no white sand beaches to sun bathe on. There’s not even a decent Chinese restaurant; no offence to one of our faves, Chin Loong, which can’t decide whether it’s a Chinese or Filipino restaurant.

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They all loaded on the ferry and those of us without a ticket (waiting for the next ferry run) watched them sail away. Again I sneered. I’m usually a fairly nice guy but I imagined the ferry in those choppy waters, might well, sink. Then I amended my fantasy. I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to my fellow residents of Dumaguete. Perhaps, I thought, the ferry could sink only on the side carrying the backpackers and tourists.

And then I realised it was official; Dumaguete was our home. We made it here, we are settled here and building a house. I suppose the expats that were already here when we arrived a year and a half ago can stay. But for anyone new? The place it a shithole and you don’t want to come. Stay away! You have been warned.

Now just as with Portland 44 years ago I know my fantasy will not happen. How could it, when magazines and websites declare Dumaguete to be the best place to retire in the Philippines. They should check out Portland, Oregon. I hear it’s a pretty nice place to retire.

I’m not a bad person – really I’m not. But perhaps those magazine and website writers could take a ferry ride and have just a little accident.

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We “Poisoned” Our Workers :)

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It was the beginning of November and our house (or at least the wall) was being built. Janet and I discussed what if anything we should do for our crew for Christmas.

I asked the question, “Should we give them a little cash?” Other suggestions included a bag of simple groceries. Janet proposed that she cook them lunch.

As the date approached we confirmed with our contractor that we would provide lunch for the crew on Friday December 21st. At the same time our friend, Kevin, was having construction done on his lot using the same contractor. In fact it was he who recommended his contractor, Romil, to us. I asked him what if anything he was intending to do for his crew for Christmas. A bag of food – rice and canned goods was his response. We both agreed that food was probably wiser than giving out cash. We then agreed to combine the crews and have the shindig on our lot.

I asked our contractor, Romil, how many we should expect and was surprised that the answer was 30. Romil explained that many of the crew work 3-4 days a week and so while we rarely see 15 men working, all told between the two crews, the grand total was 30.

Janet knew that her youngest sister, Miaca, would be with us the week before Christmas, as well as two young nieces, Hannah, and Juliana. So it was agreed that our girls would prepare the meal, while Kevin would handle the food bags.

Now what to feed the crew? Menu planning is practically a sport in the Philippines. You’re not just going into the supermarket and grabbing whatever is on sale. OK, that’s what I would do but not Janet and not any other Filipina around here.

After much discussion, Janet decided that the girls would prepare a pork and vegetable dish, we would buy a bunch of lechon manoks (chicken) from the largest retail seller of such chickens around, and then each worker would get a large serving of rice and a Coke Sakto. There’s been lots of debate on the Philippines forum I frequent about the meaning of the word sakto. Janet says it means “good enough.” The Coke Sakto size is I believe about 6 ounces. Now giving an American a 6 ounce drink at a party would at the very least lose you a friend for life, but here in the Philippines it’s an economical and reasonable thirst quencher for a snack or lunch. In short, it’s “good enough!”

I suggested to Janet that we go to the chicken place the day before and order the chickens to be picked up before lunch on Friday, The man there said, “I’m sorry but I cannot guarantee it.” He would not be working on Friday. “Can you call the guy who will be working on Friday?” “He can’t be reached,” I was told. “How about leaving him a note?” “Yes, but I can’t guarantee, Sir.” Perplexed, I looked for a solution. “When do you close tonight?” After being told they closed at 9:00 I asked whether he could prepare the chickens tonight and we would pick them up just before closing. The deal was made.

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At 8:30 we arrived. The chickens were cut, wrapped in aluminium foil and plastic and boxed up. Janet put them in the fridge when we got home. The next morning we heated up the pork dish Janet had made, as well as the chickens. We set up a small assembly line where Janet, the kids and I filled small lunch containers with pork, chicken and rice. In all we made 40 meals, packed everything into the car and drove to the work site.

A rudimentary table had already been set up for the food, which we laid out. At 12:00 the workers took their lunch break and fell in line to receive their lunches. They were very appreciative, equally so when they got their food gift bags from Kevin and his family.

We felt like we had done a really good thing for the hard working crew; well that is until late that night. Janet woke up in the middle of the night complaining of stomach pain. When I got up that morning I was told that she and two of the three girls had spent much of their night on the toilet.

Janet hadn’t eaten the pork so determined “it must have been the chicken.” Later I received a message from Kevin that much of the crew had stomach problems. He did not but he also had not eaten the chicken.

I felt fine and bragged about my cast iron stomach, since I had eaten a lot of the chicken. Unfortunately cast iron only lasts so long and a few hours later the bug hit me as well.

I messaged our contractor and apologised; he confirmed that he too had stomach problems.

At the end of the day, as we usually do, we visited our job site. The workers confirmed that they too had had problems. Janet thoughtfully had brought a few Immodium tablets and passed them out. What was unusual, though not unusual here in the Philippines, was that the men all were laughing and joking, had worked well that day, and continued to thank us for our efforts, despite having been “poisoned” by those efforts. In the U.S. they’d have already hired attorneys.

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How Much Cash for a House in the Philippines?

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Here’s an addendum to my interminable series, Why the Hell Would You Buy a Lot in the Philippines. The most common question I get asked is – how much?

Now, if you’ve followed this blog much you will notice that I try very hard not to talk specifics about money. I suppose it’s the generation in which I was raised, where you weren’t supposed to talk about money. When my son was a kid and even as a teenager, he frequently tried to find out how much I earned.  I never told him. He’s a young software/hardware engineer now and I suspect it won’t be long before he earns more than I ever did. I will continue not to tell him what I made – but now out of embarrassment!

But I understand why people are asking how much. Maybe you are considering building a house for your retirement in the Philippines, or a house for your wife’s family, or a shack on the beach. Maybe you already live here and are genuinely curious what it would cost. And maybe you’re looking for a loan from me lol!

While Janet and I still won’t be telling you exactly what we spent, I will try here to give you some details to help you make a determination of what it might cost you.

The overall theme here is that range of home costs are determined in ways not dissimilar from the way you might determine it in your home country. The old saying “location, location, location” applies to the Philippines, just as it does to your Western country.

Property: Everything is priced per square meter. I’ve seen lots in the provinces go for 200P/sq. meter and even less. I have also seen lots here in Valencia go for 6000P/sq. meter and more. The cost difference rationales are similar to your home countries. Factors include town or city, lot location, size of lot, beach property, overlooking property, and are the sellers desperate or not, etc.  Additional factors to consider include road location. We found a number of cheap lots in Valencia where there was no direct access to a road, but a contracted right of way. While these lots were invariably much cheaper, in the end we decided we had to have direct road access. So the conclusion is that you can get a cheap lot in the provinces with right of way access or a luxury beach front lot for big bucks.

House Construction: There are many variables here including size, construction style (native, Western or luxury Western), number of stories, and where you are building. Just as with the lot, house building is generally priced based on a price per square meter.  Construction ranges here from about 10k pesos/square meter – 25k pesos/square meter. I’ve known some guys who have done it for less than 10k, but assume that the houses at that price were very simple. Realistically in the Dumaguete area I would estimate 14k and up for a “foreigner home.” There are certainly luxury houses here over the 25k peso range but those probably include items I can’t imagine or high end Western fixtures and finishing.

When calculating the number of square meters for a house in the Philippines, understand that things like patios, balconies, car ports, etc. will be considered part of the total square meters here. In our case, the house we are building in Valencia is 180 square meters plus a 10 square meter balcony on the 2nd floor. So that equals 190 square meters of house. So don’t be surprised when the 180 sq. meter house you designed is priced based on over 200 sq. meters because you have a car port, balcony, etc.

When talking about a “foreigner” house the biggest cost factor (and possibly the biggest headache factor) may well be the finishing. Finishing work in the Philippines is generally considered everything but the actual structure. This means doors, windows, bathroom fixtures, kitchen fixtures and appliances, tile, paint, air conditioners, lighting, etc. The finishing work on a higher end “foreigner” house can be 50% of the project. So you can therefore save money or spend lots more depending on the type and quality of interior finishing you want.

One other factor is whether you hire a contractor or do the job yourself. As I’ve mentioned often, Janet functioned as her own contractor for the house in Alcoy but for our house in Valencia we have a contractor.

If you have a contractor, the finishing work is generally negotiated into the price, but we did interview one contractor who split the job between the basic building of the structure (which the contractor handled) and the finishing work (which the owner took care of). If the contractor is handling everything, you will want to be very specific about your requirements. Don’t expect him to understand that you need 3 AC units and all Moen fixtures.

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Also remember that there are some additional costs that either you will pay or that you may factor into your contract. These costs include blueprints and permitting costs. And of course most people in the Philippines want some sort of fence or wall surrounded their property and a gate to enter. This can add considerably to your cost, depending on the size of your lot.

There’s one other factor to mention, although I am reticent to do so. We all have different notions of what is acceptable housing. I know guys who brag about how inexpensive their house was to build or what a cheap rent they have. I go into the house, look around and think, “you couldn’t pay me to live here.” On the flip side I’ve seen 15-20 million peso mansions and I again shake my head. In short you have to know yourself well enough to know what is necessary for you to have, nice to have, or unnecessary and price and build a home accordingly.

So there you have it. The lot can cost nearly any price and so can the house. It’s the Philippines and you have many options.

BTW, I have been posting videos of the construction process in Valencia. For those interested in following the progress, you can see the videos starting here.

Addendum to the Addendum: While I covered some of the specifics of the two houses being built in other posts in the series, they aren’t here, so I thought I would capture them.

House #1 (Family house): Location – Alcoy, Cebu. Lot size – 500 sq. meters. House size – 70 sq. meters. 4 small bedrooms, 1 bathroom, small porch, 1 small kitchen. The family built a dirty kitchen outside the interior kitchen.

House #2 (Our House): Location – Valencia, Negros Oriental. Lot size – 1355 sq. meters. House size – 180 sq. meters + 10 sq. meter deck on 2nd floor (yes, it’s a 2 story house). 4 bedrooms (including master), 3 bathrooms (including master), living room, dining room, kitchen, sala area on 2nd floor. Concrete and iron wall around the perimeter of the property. In addition there will be a 20 sq. meter shop at the back of the property.

I should add that we agreed with our contractor that all fixtures and amenities should be purchasable in the Dumaguete area. This is significant because I know guys who used imported tiles, plumbing and fixtures. If you require all Western brands or the best there is, you have to realistically expect the price to go up – way up. Now, we will end up with nice tile, bathroom fixtures, etc. but I’m not expecting my contractor to pay for imported Italian marble lol.

2nd Addendum to the Addendum: For those genuinely interested or beginning the process of building a home who need more information or details, feel free to email me through the contact page on this blog or through Facebook, if we’re FB friends.

 

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Why the Hell Would You Buy a Lot in the Philippines – Part 5

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Here’s an update on the two lots we purchased in the Philippines! You can see the previous posts on this series here:

https://www.marriedafilipina.com/2018/07/why-the-hell-would-you-buy-property-in-the-philippines-part-1/

https://www.marriedafilipina.com/2018/07/why-the-hell-would-you-buy-a-lot-in-the-philippines-part-2/

https://www.marriedafilipina.com/2018/08/why-the-hell-would-you-want-to-buy-a-lot-in-the-philippines-part-3/

https://www.marriedafilipina.com/2018/08/why-the-hell-would-you-buy-a-lot-in-the-philippines-part-4/

The house that Janet built for her family in Alcoy, Cebu is complete! The project started about a year ago with the purchase of the lot. The building of the house itself took about 3 1/2-4 months, which is pretty damn good in the Philippines. As other blogs in this series detailed, Janet functioned as her own contractor, hiring an architect (mostly just a guy who drew up the blueprints), a foreman named “Boy” who hired and oversaw the crew. She purchased all the materials herself from the few sources available in the area, always complaining to me, “I could have gotten this cheaper in Dumaguete!”

As for me, I visited occasionally, inspecting the work and nodding wisely, as if I knew anything about construction, let alone construction in the Philippines. The Foreman, crew and Janet’s family acted as if I was the big cheese, despite the fact that I insisted that it was funded mostly by Janet. Members of the family worked very hard to assist the crew. Her father was there everyday, all the while still managing to work his farm. I have no idea how he does it; he’s not that much younger than me and I have barely enough energy in the day to go to the mall.

Janet’s brothers all pitched in and the sisters and kids worked every weekend. I mostly sat and watched and nodded approvingly.

Several brothers and sisters kicked in cash for some things that were not in the budget, like tile and bedroom doors and we really appreciated their efforts.

Yet still, our original budget turned up pretty short of the goal. Janet ended up kicking in some extra cash from her personal bank account. I managed to kick in some extra cash without touching our bank accounts which I was determined not to touch. I can make a snide remark about my heritage and upbringing but the truth is I have always been pretty good at this finding extra money business. And for all you wiseasses, the means I employed were completely legal!

The building process was frustrating. Janet went to Southern Cebu every weekend to inspect progress, meet with “Boy” and purchase the next week’s materials as instructed by Boy. Invariably his estimates were wrong. If he asked for 20 bags of cement, you could bet that by Wednesday, Janet was receiving a message that they needed another 10. Yells and curses would ensue. Finally Janet starting to leave a little cash with her mother for these weekly emergencies.

When it was all finally done Janet asked her mother how soon they would move in. “We can’t move in. There’s no kitchen.” “Of course there was a kitchen,” Janet replied, including a new gas cooktop donated by sister, Jonna. “But there’s no dirty kitchen,” a near necessity in the Philippines. So the men took up the task to build a dirty kitchen, behind the interior kitchen.

In the end the local Alcoy priest was brought in for a house blessing and a party was held, including two pigs that Janet had raised for just such an event. We think that at least 200 people were fed.

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To see a video of the house and blessing party, go here.

Now that we’ve gotten the Alcoy house out of the way, let’s talk about our house, in Valencia, Negros Oriental.

It’s taken about three months to prep the property, get the permits and build the wall around the perimeter. Now, while this isn’t quite the size of Trump’s wall, it’s a big wall surrounding a 1355 sq. meter property. The wall is roughly completed; the gate should be done soon. In the meantime the house has been laid out and the crew is struggling to dig the holes for the 16 concrete posts. I say struggling because the property is filled with huge rocks bordering on boulder size. Our contractor is considering renting a jack hammer to break up the rocks, an extreme measure for house construction in the Philippines.

The local power company visited the property this week and told the contractor he had to construct a permanent concrete pole for electricity. Everyone else in our area has falling apart temporary wooden poles (more like sticks) to hold up their power lines. But the crew is now building the steel reinforced concrete pole and hope to have the electricity installed early next week. We’ll see!

The estimate is that it will take three months to complete the basic concrete structure of the house, which would be about the end of February. Again, we’ll see.

In the meantime Janet gets to spend lots of time looking at tile and colors, and appliances, and all the things that go along with building a dream house.

Although I know nothing about home construction and construction in the Philippines I am having fun watching the process. For those who would like to see videos about the building process, please go to my vlog and subscribe: https://youtu.be/_OwI88GeZpo

 

 

 

 

 

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Stinking Rich in the Philippines

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It should come as no surprise that most Americans, Europeans, Australians, or UKians (sorry – I know that’s not a real word) – aka most white guys – aka most kanos, are considered rich in the Philippines. And the assumption is right. Even the guy who makes the proverbial $1000/month in a pension or Social Security check is by Philippines standards well into the middle class.

When I first met Janet’s family (just days after I’d first met Janet) I was seated in the family home explaining to 50 relatives, friends, neighbors, and hangers on, what Janet and I were planning to do with our vacation time together. Everyone knew this was serious stuff. I asked her parents whether they had any questions. Her father quietly asked (translated by Janet) what problems I foresaw since I was rich and Janet was poor. I tried to explain to him that by American standards I was not rich. I realized halfway through my diatribe that my rant was ridiculous. Of course I was rich. I had flown halfway around the world. I was carrying a camera, tablet, and iphone worth more than they could imagine. I gracefully got out of my soliloquy and just stated that I foresaw no problems.

Now that we live in the Philippines it’s no different. OK, I take that back. It’s a little different; now everyone thinks that Janet is rich too. The family says it, not as criticism or even as envy, but just as a statement of fact: “Uncle Dave and Yaya Janet are rich.”

After all, we have a car, and a new one at that. There’s no point in saying that if I drove my Ford into the parking lot where I formerly worked, loaded with Bimmers and Teslas, my little Ford would make me appear like I was borderline homeless.

I have found myself a time or two trying to explain to someone that by American standards we are not rich. Janet has told family members how high our bills were in the U.S. Looking back on it, such explanations seem silly. By the standards of where we now live – we are rich – stinking rich. I never thought I’d be able to say that in my lifetime.

What’s my point in all this? I have a few. First off, accept your “wealth” as a reality. I know several guys who kid themselves by saying, “They know I am not rich. I live simply and drive a motorcycle.” Nonsense – everyone still thinks you’re rich – just kuriput!

Another thing that I hear a lot of foreigners rail about is the fact that Filipinos don’t seem to know the difference between Americans, Europeans, Australians, and those Brits and often just lump us together as kanos, and non-Americans flip out. It’s not that they don’t know the differences; they don’t have any reason to care about the difference. Rich is rich. What difference does it make if you’re a rich American or rich Canadian?

Doing things right viagra brand 100mg in the beginning will boost your success later. The prolonged use of these products discount bulk viagra doesn’t have any side effect. All a few medication are in a lot of stress due to levitra online this. Not only men, but their partner who is caring and sensitive enough to take you to the best of their ability, they will need to make find out that pharmacy cheap viagra the right choice. And my final (and possibly most important) point is that overall, being considered rich is good. This is true the world over. A quick story. Back in the US I had the same bank for over 20 years. For about half that time I ran a small business. I rarely had enough in the account to even pay a month’s bills. The bank people were polite but no more. Years later, working for a higher paying job at a Fortune 500 and throwing all the money I could manage into my account in preparation for retirement – well let’s just say their attitude changed. They’d pull up my account, look at the balance and kowtow to me and Janet with more ass kissing skills than you’d expect bankers to have. Pretty soon the bank manager was our personal banker.

The same is true in the Philippines except the amount you have to transact anywhere to be viewed as rich is about 1/10th of what you’d have to do in the US. The Bank Manager here says hello when we come into the bank. She always remembers the last issue we spoke about and questions whether it got resolved for me.

When I go into a mall every Filipino (including Janet) is searched. They rarely do more than pat me on the ass; no comments on that! Now you might think that’s because I am Caucasian, American, and old. I think it’s more likely the false perception that I am rich and the notion that a rich old, white guy’s not a thief or terrorist.

Now contrary to constant complaints about the Philippines on a variety of forums, I get excellent service here. I’m not talking about the competence of those serving me, which can be hit and miss. I’m talking about the fact that 95% of the time, people want to help or take care of me. Of course, part of that is general Filipino friendliness, but part is the notion that they’re helping the rich kano.

Now I do my part as well. I’m polite, I try not to act like an Ugly American, I don’t condescend, and I do tip, if modestly.

I find nothing wrong with taking advantage of advantages you have in life. Hell, there’s enough things that I have going against me, that I might as well enjoy being perceived as different – and so should you!