# decision made



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

Finally decided to make the move so applied for my 59 visa and have rented a house in San Pablo City and make the move Jan 10th.

I hope to use this house as a base while I look for a coastal location just wondered if there were any Ex Pats near my new location that might help me through the culture shock.

And any recommendations of a coastal location appreciated , so far Palawan my 1st choice


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

printman said:


> Finally decided to make the move so applied for my 59 visa and have rented a house in San Pablo City and make the move Jan 10th.
> 
> I hope to use this house as a base while I look for a coastal location just wondered if there were any Ex Pats near my new location that might help me through the culture shock.
> 
> And any recommendations of a coastal location appreciated , so far Palawan my 1st choice


Coastal is great until typhoons. I lived thru yolanda


----------



## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

Any background with that decision? Been here before married, kids, retired? Requirements needed. Trips will be time consuming to Manila when and if needed. I find things hard to get here there is a thread about things to bring


----------



## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

Palawan could be a good choice. I visited there 2 times............quiet, peaceful, not many problems...........kinda like a small town environment. BUT, depending on your needs and desires, you might find yourself travelling to Manila for many things and services. Good luck


----------



## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

*Services and Other Needs*

Another alternative to traveling to Manila is to travel to Cebu City. There is a British Embassy office there. Services are also available there as well.


----------



## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

JimnNila143 said:


> Another alternative to traveling to Manila is to travel to Cebu City. There should be a British Embassy office there. Services are also available there as well.


Good luck to you.


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

JimnNila143 said:


> Another alternative to traveling to Manila is to travel to Cebu City. There is a British Embassy office there. Services are also available there as well.


I thought I read somewhere that the Cebu office is closed although the wedsite hasn't been updated.


----------



## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

*Response*



Gary D said:


> I thought I read somewhere that the Cebu office is closed although the wedsite hasn't been updated.


It may be, Gary, it is probably best that he does travel to Manila. He can, however, use the PBI in Cebu and save some time.


----------



## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

Philippines Bureau of Immigration Satellite Office Locations - Passports, Visas, Permits & Immigration Information - Living In Cebu Forums


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

JimnNila143 said:


> It may be, Gary, it is probably best that he does travel to Manila. He can, however, use the PBI in Cebu and save some time.


Further to that the word is the the Cebu consulate has retired and not been replaced.


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

JimnNila143 said:


> Another alternative to traveling to Manila is to travel to Cebu City. There is a British Embassy office there. Services are also available there as well.


There is an office in San Pablo City also; was in Cebu last week Monsoon hit did not put me off have very few needs as retiring after loss of partner just need a quiet retirement nice climate and relax


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

c_acton98 said:


> Any background with that decision? Been here before married, kids, retired? Requirements needed. Trips will be time consuming to Manila when and if needed. I find things hard to get here there is a thread about things to bring


Background been visiting there over past year since loss of partner so far found it a friendly place with already some good friends who thankfully have a driver so Manila not a problem not that I have the need to go there yet apart from airport.

I am retired so just want a nice relaxed life style' warm wetaher ( ok Typhoons a risk) have a really nice bungalow in San Pablo at a small rent 7000 a month and will use that as my base while coast hunting.

Guess I have learnt life is to short so why not take the risk


----------



## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

Plenty of expats in San Pablo. A few of us meet up on the first Sunday of the month and on other occasions. Let me know when you arrive.

Do you have British friends in San Pablo? Over the last 5 years the population of expats in our area has increased sharply. A few of these folks have moved from other parts of the Philippines (even coastal), as they say its a much safer/cleaner and convenient place to live.


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

magsasaja said:


> Plenty of expats in San Pablo. A few of us meet up on the first Sunday of the month and on other occasions. Let me know when you arrive.
> 
> Do you have British friends in San Pablo? Over the last 5 years the population of expats in our area has increased sharply. A few of these folks have moved from other parts of the Philippines (even coastal), as they say its a much safer/cleaner and convenient place to live.


Ok thanks for that I fly over mid Jan so will contact you after that.

I am going to ne in San Pablo City for a min of one year as have rented a house there so you might be right I might find it more convenient.

No British friends there but have Filipino friends.

Look forward to meeting in the new year


----------



## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

printman said:


> Ok thanks for that I fly over mid Jan so will contact you after that.
> 
> I am going to ne in San Pablo City for a min of one year as have rented a house there so you might be right I might find it more convenient.
> 
> ...


Your more than welcome to join us. 

Most of the chaps i meet up with are Brits, however we have a couple of mad Americans and a Kiwi who join us.

I will send you my mobile number, nearer the time.

Cheers


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

magsasaja said:


> Your more than welcome to join us.
> 
> Most of the chaps i meet up with are Brits, however we have a couple of mad Americans and a Kiwi who join us.
> 
> ...


Hi agian
Well made the move came here to my nice rented house with nothing but 2 suitcases of clothes bought everything for house here ( was very popular with store staff) cant believe I have furnished the bungalow for £3000 pounds maybe less

Hope to meet some ex pats in San Pablo City maybe in March if i get an invite 

I am om a 59 day visa but told by Embassy no problem to renew hope thats true 

Be grateful for any advice from you guys but already made contact with Filipino friends who I have chatted to and met for many years so feel ok about this big change in my life

Hope to meet with a few of you

Thanks for advice in the past

Wayne


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*San Pablo Laguna?*



printman said:


> Finally decided to make the move so applied for my 59 visa and have rented a house in San Pablo City and make the move Jan 10th.
> 
> I hope to use this house as a base while I look for a coastal location just wondered if there were any Ex Pats near my new location that might help me through the culture shock.
> 
> And any recommendations of a coastal location appreciated , so far Palawan my 1st choice


If your in San Pablo Laguna? Well your just East of me and in a very good area, Batangas is just south of you and I think access to SLEX is on the north end. Your also up at a higher latitude and minutes away (SLEX) to San Pedro, Sta Rosa and Manila, I think you are already set. 

Don't forgot about all the Pool resorts and Laguna de Bay View, running out of fresh water isn't a problem here but can be and has been an issue in Manila and surrounding cities, no fun getting stuck with water rationing and low water pressures.

Sta Rosa has a PBI satellite office, I'm going there shortly to get things done.


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

mcalleyboy said:


> If your in San Pablo Laguna? Well your just East of me and in a very good area, Batangas is just south of you and I think access to SLEX is on the north end. Your also up at a higher latitude and minutes away (SLEX) to San Pedro, Sta Rosa and Manila, I think you are already set.
> 
> Don't forgot about all the Pool resorts and Laguna de Bay View, running out of fresh water isn't a problem here but can be and has been an issue in Manila and surrounding cities, no fun getting stuck with water rationing and low water pressures.
> 
> Sta Rosa has a PBI satellite office, I'm going there shortly to get things done.


Thank you for the useful information yes I am in laguna and so far best decision I ever made never been so relaxed after a difficult year in Uk ( loss of partner) wake up when I want enjoy the sun but I am sure there will be downsides always are.

Water advice welcome but my Filipino friend insisted I bought this huge water filter thing so would be ok for at least two day.
Any other advice most welcome from any of the guys here


----------



## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

printman said:


> Hi agian
> Well made the move came here to my nice rented house with nothing but 2 suitcases of clothes bought everything for house here ( was very popular with store staff) cant believe I have furnished the bungalow for £3000 pounds maybe less
> 
> Hope to meet some ex pats in San Pablo City maybe in March if i get an invite
> ...


Welcome to paradise Printman, Sorry about the loss of your companion. See, now you're down south of Manila and we feel neglected up here by Angeles-Hahaha.
Seriously, you've picked a good area to stay or live. Yea, you'll notice lots of stuff ya don't like or have a hard time with but still better than back in our home countries for sure.

If like the US, you just need to have a travel agent take your passport to immigration prior to the end of your 59 days and ALSO every two months after to have your visa extended. Unless it's different for UK passport holders from the US, you do not even have to go there yourself.

Use caution with any water you drink even if it goes through a purification unit you own. Same goes with any ice or sauces made with water.
Loads of bacteria in water here that can make ya good and sick. I'd recommend use of a name brand purified or distilled water only.


Jet Lag


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Hot and Cold Water Dispenser*



printman said:


> Thank you for the useful information yes I am in laguna and so far best decision I ever made never been so relaxed after a difficult year in Uk ( loss of partner) wake up when I want enjoy the sun but I am sure there will be downsides always are.
> 
> Water advice welcome but my Filipino friend insisted I bought this huge water filter thing so would be ok for at least two day.
> Any other advice most welcome from any of the guys here


We have a Hot and Cold water dispenser and with those large 5 gallon bottles, the bottles run 20 peso's and with deliver it's 25 peso's. I'm with Jet Lag when it comes to drinking clean filtered water, the two issue's that hit me very hard when I first arrived were loose bowls Lol....actually it's not funny and watch out for the small butter clam shells from the lake... to make a long story short the normal over the counter stuff wouldn't work and I had to get the good stuff, it was some sort of large round pill forgot the name but not the price they run 50 peso's each and taken 3 times a day, only thing that would stop the diarrhea. There was a female expat that took her vacation and died because of this, she didn't get the right stuff and probably didn't go to a doctor.


----------



## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Palawan is a nice location but there are several other islands right around Palawan that you may want to consider also...

I just returned from a two week trip to Palawan, (doing some scuba diving), and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen was Lagan Island off the western coast of Palawan but a part of the Palawan Province. It is a very simple and easy one hour flight direct from Manila to El Nido airport and there were a lot of really nice coastal properties for sale there. Many are not listed for sale but after talking with many of the native property owners...everything is for sale and everything has a price.

The best part is that this is a resort area and the resort builders/developers have run the land prices sky high but to your advantage, these very small, (to the resort developers...but large to someone like you and I), local native land owners will sell at a much lower price. Their little pieces of property are way to small to develop a new vacation resort or condo resort but they are just the right size for a nice family home and maybe a barn or workshop nestled right on the coast. So, resort developers are not interested in these little parcels of land...they are looking for larger pieces to develop the next resort property on...leaving these prime small parcels for people like you and I to consider buying at a very reasonable price.

I saw a couple of really nice pieces of beachfront property, nestled between two huge mountains, giving you the most perfectly isolated home site with the steep mountains to the back, left and right and only the ocean to your front. A good boat will get you to town for supplies because it would be a major expense to even try to cut a road through these steep mountain peaks. If you wanted a vehicle, you can buy a small garage or parking space in town to store your vehicle for accessing the rest of Palawan Island and the airport is right there if you need to fly to CDO or Cebu or Manila and there is also a large Ferry Port there that can take you to other islands as well.

As far as typhoons go, you do not have much to worry about. Go to the PAGASA web site, (PAGASA | Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), and take a look at the long range historical tracking for typhoons. #1, Palawan RARELY ever gets hit with a typhoon...and #2 buy land on the western side of any island because typhoons become weaker after passing over land and typhoons ALWAYS come from the east! Also there are very high, steep mountains here in this part of the Philippine Islands which also contributes to the weaker typhoon storms after they are forced to try and pass over these rugged mountains. So a nice little piece of property on the western coast of Palawan or someplace like Lagan Island would be perfect for a coastal retirement.

PAGASA'a Typhoon tracking records every typhoon that has ever entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility and will give you a pretty clear picture when and where the bulk of the typhoons hit. But regardless of where they do hit...it is "ALWAYS safer on the western side of any island and history shows that all the worst damaging storms are recorded when they first make landfall on the eastern coast lines as Yolanda did in November 2013 in Tacloban, Leyte.


----------



## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

Gary D said:


> Further to that the word is the the Cebu consulate has retired and not been replaced.


He seems awfully young to retire... I wonder if they would give me the job! :juggle:


----------



## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> leaving these prime small parcels for people like you and I to consider buying at a very reasonable price.


Cebu, what kind of ballpark prices were those owners asking?


----------



## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

*Reasonable beachfront property*



HondaGuy said:


> Cebu, what kind of ballpark prices were those owners asking?


I saw several places for sale during my trip, (maybe 15 or 20 parcels), but I only stopped and talked seriously with one particular property owner...and...because I was a foreigner, I am sure the guy jacked up his price because I saw a small rice farm for sale near El Nido and it was only priced at 1.3 million pesos and this rice farm produces tangible assets and generates income and other revenue sources and they were only asking 1.3 million.

The beach front property I stopped and asked about on Lagan Island was the exact same size as the small rice farm, 2 Hectares, which is 20,000 square meters, or in western terms...almost five acres, (4.96 acres), and the guy was asking 800,000php for it. My wife was sure a Filipino could buy it for much less. Only about half of this parcel was suitable for building.

I heard through the grape vine in the town of El Nido that you can easily pick up 10,000 to 15,000 square meters of beach front property on the out lying islands for about 250,000 to 400,000php. Most of this beach front land is classified as agriculture land but is not suitable for growing any crops and it is way too small a piece of land for the resort developers to consider buying, so it is really negotiable to buy at a decent price.

This particular piece was flanked on the back and both sides with huge, steep mountains covered in a rich, thick tropical jungle canopy, (complete with a few monkeys and some large monitor lizards four to five feet long), and a nice clean sandy beach in front with an awesome view of the sunset. The land sloped gently up to an elevation of about 6 or 7 meters above sea level with a great flat area for building, which made it a perfect place to build a nice home without the fear of any coastal flooding.

Keeping in mind that most of these parcels are not accessible by land and you will certainly need a good boat...but the town of El Nido has anything you might want to buy and anything else can be ordered and delivered. Most of these beach front residents are either fishermen by trade or they operate boats, laundry services or snorkeling services to the local resort facilities.

I am certainly going back again for a closer look, gathering info but acting disinterested and then have my wife do some hard core negotiating for a firm cash price.

Something else to consider is to hire a very good real estate attorney because I also heard that a lot of these outlying parcels are handed down from generation to generation and property records are not the most accurate and reliable. I know if I buy a piece of land, (in my Filipina wife's name), and build a home there, I want to be sure the land is definitely ours!


----------



## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

Cebu, thats great information! Thanks for taking the time to share


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Something else to consider is to hire a very good real estate attorney because I also heard that a lot of these outlying parcels are handed down from generation to generation and property records are not the most accurate and reliable. I know if I buy a piece of land, (in my Filipina wife's name), and build a home there, I want to be sure the land is definitely ours!


Be especially careful here. The property we bought to build on was last registered in 1919 & a couple generations have passed on since then making for some interesting negotiations. My Wife, being a retired realtor, knew what to expect and how to deal, so I just stayed in the background.

Fred


----------



## edward222 (Jan 30, 2015)

printman said:


> Finally decided to make the move so applied for my 59 visa and have rented a house in San Pablo City and make the move Jan 10th.
> 
> I hope to use this house as a base while I look for a coastal location just wondered if there were any Ex Pats near my new location that might help me through the culture shock.
> 
> And any recommendations of a coastal location appreciated , so far Palawan my 1st choice


Hello there, Palawan is a great choice, there are lots of business there so there must be some expats you can find . Good luck.


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Palawan is a nice location but there are several other islands right around Palawan that you may want to consider also...
> 
> I just returned from a two week trip to Palawan, (doing some scuba diving), and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen was Lagan Island off the western coast of Palawan but a part of the Palawan Province. It is a very simple and easy one hour flight direct from Manila to El Nido airport and there were a lot of really nice coastal properties for sale there. Many are not listed for sale but after talking with many of the native property owners...everything is for sale and everything has a price.
> 
> ...


Great info thank you and sounds great so wiil try tha location I dont want to buy to be honest 61 years of age and no one to leave my humble savings to ( no requests please) so will rent but def my next hol .

So who I contact for the next meet in San Pablo City about monthly meet?

Cant make Sun mut March def


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

fmartin_gila said:


> Be especially careful here. The property we bought to build on was last registered in 1919 & a couple generations have passed on since then making for some interesting negotiations. My Wife, being a retired realtor, knew what to expect and how to deal, so I just stayed in the background.
> 
> Fred


Thanks but as stated in previous post no intent to buy happy to rent my my nice place no for around 6-7k peso


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

edward222 said:


> Hello there, Palawan is a great choice, there are lots of business there so there must be some expats you can find . Good luck.


Well all the guys here have been very helpful and now been here 6 weeks no regrets and spending below budget Phew.

I here there is an Ex pats meet in San Pablo City once a month can someone advise if they know I would like to attend the next one Cheers


----------



## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

printman said:


> Well all the guys here have been very helpful and now been here 6 weeks no regrets and spending below budget Phew.
> 
> I here there is an Ex pats meet in San Pablo City once a month can someone advise if they know I would like to attend the next one Cheers




Printman, I have heard the same thing from one of my ExPat friends but he is currently back in the US right now. I will try to contact him and find out about this group and when they meet next.


----------



## edward222 (Jan 30, 2015)

printman said:


> Well all the guys here have been very helpful and now been here 6 weeks no regrets and spending below budget Phew.
> 
> I here there is an Ex pats meet in San Pablo City once a month can someone advise if they know I would like to attend the next one Cheers


Cool! I didn't hear that, I would love to attend that meet up if it is really true.


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

edward222 said:


> Cool! I didn't hear that, I would love to attend that meet up if it is really true.


I have heard its held in SM first Sunday of the month have been given a name of one of the ex pats but so far not managed a contact to confirm


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

unggoy said:


> What is a 59 visa? Is that new? Do you have any links?
> 
> Contrary to the other posters, and all due respect, not all coats are hit with typhoon. We have a norther track and a southern track. Central pinas does not usually get it too bad. San Pablo should be free of typhoon. But what in the world will you do for work there?
> 
> ...


A 59 day visa is the visa you receive if you apply in your home country before you travel to the Philippines.


----------



## kenslvr (Aug 21, 2013)

Good luck to you Pitman. I've just retired and will be leaving the frozen Northeast US next week. I'm searching for the right place. Palawan is on the top of my list. El Nido looks like paradise. If there are any ex-pats living there please chime in! 
It seems like most of the bloggers live in Subic. Good luck to you, but Subic seems like Detroit with a suntan to me. There are so many other places to be.


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

kenslvr said:


> Good luck to you Pitman. I've just retired and will be leaving the frozen Northeast US next week. I'm searching for the right place. Palawan is on the top of my list. El Nido looks like paradise. If there are any ex-pats living there please chime in!
> It seems like most of the bloggers live in Subic. Good luck to you, but Subic seems like Detroit with a suntan to me. There are so many other places to be.


Not even close


----------



## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

Printman, Edward and anybody else who may be interested. 
There are a group of expats who meet on the first Sunday of every month at SM food court. We met last Sunday and the next meeting will be on the 5th of April if you wish to attend. I'm not always there due to work commitments, however you are more than welcome to attend.
The group is very friendly bunch and we also meet at each others houses during special occasion. If you enjoy a drink there is also a group that meet for a few lunchtime beers most Wednesdays in San Pablo.


----------



## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

kenslvr said:


> Good luck to you Pitman. I've just retired and will be leaving the frozen Northeast US next week. I'm searching for the right place. Palawan is on the top of my list. El Nido looks like paradise.


Palawan and El Nido are nice places ... until a Super Typhoon wipes out everything in its path ... 

And that happens quite regularly like every 3 to 4 years ...


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

unggoy said:


> What is a 59 visa? Is that new? Do you have any links?
> 
> Contrary to the other posters, and all due respect, not all coats are hit with typhoon. We have a norther track and a southern track. Central pinas does not usually get it too bad. San Pablo should be free of typhoon. But what in the world will you do for work there?
> 
> ...


Not sure I understand any of that lol


----------



## printman (Apr 4, 2014)

not seen and muggings kidnappers here in San Pablo yet on the whole people have accepted me well and wrong about Typhoon as last one bought down quite a lot of the SM mall here.

Still happy with my decision to move to the Philippines and did my first 59 day Visa extension did it in Lucena and was so shocked as was expecting to be there most of the day and was in and out within 20mins and the staff were most helpful and was lucky as did not realise that visa started day I landed and not date on the visa so I made it with a day to spare.

So far for me Philippines 10 UK 0


----------

