Since January of this year, I have been super busy. Sometimes I feel the whole world's burden on my shoulders, but I must say I have learned much much more from my experiences. One thing though is that if I don't stay focused, I will just go crazy. Talking to people is good, to get some perspectives, but listening too much is not wise. Each one has their own opinions, they say what they want you to hear and some even get mad if you don't take their advise. Then of course, you have to deal with the "infamous" crab mentality of people that other expat blogs have been talking about.

It is a continuous learning curve but I have reached some milestones, and I need to achieve more.

1. January - set up temporary office at Linmarr Apartelle; prepare Agreements and Policies for brokers/agents; prepare for launching advertisements and promotions; wait for advertising permit; wait for Permit to Sell approval
2. February - First Orientation and briefing session inviting brokers/agents to join the Linmarr Towers team; organizing move to new admin office; wait for advertising permit; wait for Permit to Sell approval
3. March - move in to new office at the Linmarr Towers site; organize landscaping of entrance; wait for advertising pemit; Pile driving on site started; started the Real Estate Board seminars; planning a booth showing at the SM mall; planning more billboards to the south; dealing with Philippine taxation rules and reporting requirements; dealing with Real Estate legal documents and requirements; the Permit to Sell and Certificate of Registration from the HLURB have been issued; started the process of subdivision for the issuance of the Condominium Certificate of Titles; study for the Real Estate Board exam in May;
4. April - issued and signed my very first Deed of Absolute Sale documents; still waiting for advertising permit; continue organize the booth showing - April 21- 27 14 - 20 at SM.

I just spent 4 hours last night reading (twice) the Revenue Regulations on VAT (Value-added tax). I had read this last year too, but now it is different as I can relate to it with actual experience. The load of paperwork required is just amazing. I still have to read up the regulations on withholding taxes. The parent company is considered one of the top 10,000 companies in the Philippines. This, by the way, is NOT an honor. To me, it means more paper work and more regulations to collect and withhold taxes from our suppliers.

Anyway, this is Philippines and I just have to go with the flow - slowly but surely. For now, let me share with you a youtube presentation of Linmarr Towers. It will still be fine tuned as we go along, but let me know what you think.

target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxM3u5ktNgU

I would like to feature some more websites so that you will have a broader scope of articles to read about Samal.

First, there is Rancy C, an American, who is dreaming of retiring here someday. His website, Journey to Samal, is featuring his experiences from when he bought land to when he finally moves here in Samal with his Filipina wife. There are several expats already in the island, but Randy C is the only one I know of that has this website about his experiences. If there are others, do let me know.

Then there is the local magazine called Samal Island, a publication of Samal Publishing House. It comes out quarterly for a cost of Php 15.00. This used to be called SamaleNews which came out every 2 months, and I thought it stopped publication a few months back. Now, I see it came back as a new and improved magazine, less wordy, but more pictures about the island. The publisher, Ms. Preciosa J. Kronberg, is married to a German expat Ulli Kronberg who also publishes glossy sailing magazines in Germany. In fact, his magazines has a standard full page about Samal Island in every issue. Recently, he informed me that he has started a website to complement the Samal Magazine. Do check out this site. It will be featured during a boatshow and convention in Germany this spring.

 Congratulations Randy C and the Krongbergs. Hopefully, together we can reach out to every corner of the world about the beauty of Samal Island and put its name "on the map".

SIMPLE LIFE, SIMPLE PLEASURES 

Linmarr Towers - a condomium complex in the heart of Davao City, is gearing up for the new year 2009.

As some of you might already know, I am involved in helping with this exciting project. For somebody who had been away for a long time, it takes time for me to learn the ropes again. This year, I've been busy reading up on tax issues, permits and licenses and real estate laws in the Philippines. Having a business background, I found the concepts are not that much different compared to Canada, but this is Philippines, and I have to learn the Philippine way of doing business. For this, I have made a New Year's resolution - go back to school!! I never thought I would want to start studying again - been there, done that sort of thing.  And frankly, I am not sure my brain's retention power is still there. So in announcing my intentions, it will just give me the extra boost to prove that I CAN DO IT - I am going for the exams in order to get a Real Estate broker's license. Maybe this is easier said than done, but one thing I do know is that nothing gets accomplished in life just sitting around, doing nothing.

For now, let me share with you a video clip of the Linmarr Towers project. You may also visit the website here. Next year, I will share what I will be learning myself.

>video clip

Source: www.youtube.com : Tip: Click "pause" and wait for the whole video is loaded, then click "play".

The Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), is driving to make Davao City the focal retirement destination in Mindanao. In a press conference held on December 17th, PRA chairman Edgar Aglipay announced the intention of the PRA to forge an alliance with Davao's housing, recreational, medical and healthcare developers. This important move will develop an integrated retirement facility in the city, attract more retirees to join the program, and focus Davao as one of the top destination of foreign retirees in Asia.

Who is PRA? It is a government owned and controlled corporation, under the jurisdiction of the Board of Investments (BOI) from the Office of the President. Its mandate is to attract foreign nationals and former Filipino citizens to invest, reside and retire in the Philippines thereby contributing to the foreign currency reserve of the economy. Its mission is  to provide excellent and world class services centered towards customer-valued quality of life that is easy, pleasant and beneficial to foreign retirees and global Filipinos, as a channel of accelerating the socio-economic development of the country.

By becoming a member, one can access several of the services and facilities the PRA provides, such as:

• SRRV program - read my related post.
• Active Living facilities - their member's accredited retirement facilities is the only retirement program in the world that have nine components integrating housing, healthcare, insurance, lifestyle services, transportation, safety and security, finance, human resources and management. International standards were given ample consideration in the accreditation process.
• Assisted Living Residences - provide accommodation, varying levels of care and supportive services in a home-like, residential setting. Services typically include meals, social and recreational programs, 24-hour supervision, laundry and housekeeping services, supervision or administration of medications and varying degrees of assistance with the activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing. Nursing services may or may not be provided.
• Retiree Services and Assistance - this includes:
  • Meets and greets - the PRA provides airport shuttles on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  • 24/7 hotline
  • Assistance in obtaining basic government documents/requirements
  • Merchant discounts
  • List of hospitals and doctors

The satellite office in Davao City will serve as a conduit between PRA and its members, it will bring the PRA much closer to its members.

Mr. Jaime B. Llames
Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Davao Satellite Office
Address: DTI-NERBAC, Monteverde st., Davao City
Cellphone No. :                +63928.551.0954        
Email : davao@pra.gov.ph

PRA is poised to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with directly concerned sectors in Davao to come up with integrated facilities that can provide basic services to both foreign and local retirees in terms of housing, health, entertainment, sports and tourism. In a move to match other countries in offering a "one-stop-shop" integrated sercvies to foreign retirees, Aglipay has noted that their strategy is to first declare focal areas for the development of these services and Davao will be the focal area for the Mindanao region.  "If we are not ready to provide the services which the retirees' need, then they will not come to us," he added.

For more information about the PRA, click

These are the buzz words these days - Global Economic Crisis. I really yearn for the days that I am out at sea, away from the TV, internet, radio or even group talks about ANY crisis.  Now, being land-locked, that is all I am hearing, everywhere I go. Even if I don't like it, I force myself to listen to the somber news. I have family in Canada and in USA, so I try to stay updated. I do feel for them, but on the other hand, I also know this will pass and the economic vicious cycle will start again. I went through this in the early 1980s in Canada and still remember paying a 21% mortgage rate. Ouch! In hindsight, I am thankful for this because I learnt a very important lesson then. It happened again in the 1987 - 1990s, but this time it affected my employer company in Norway. Norwegian banks had to be bailed out by the government at that time, and real estate if I recall right was to blame. Then you have the Asian crisis in 1997, also involving real estate greed. Now - this global economic crisis. Don't people ever learn?

But, I read that Philippines has learned from the Asian crisis. I really hope so. I started checking on economic indicators and so far, not too bad. According to The Economist, Philippine Real GDP in 2008 is 4.5%. Not bad, at least it is not negative. It is forecasted to drop to 3.9% in 2009 before it starts growing again in 2010. Consumer price Inflation rate is very high though. In 2008, it is at 9.7 but is forecasted to start dropping in 2009 to 7.0. In line with the inflation rate, the lending rate is forecasted to remain high 2008 to 2010. The Peso exchange rate to US$ is expected to be 47.18 at year end 2008, 48.50 end of 2009 and 46.25 end of 2010 (looks stable enough).

Then I checked the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The core inflation rate started at 3.4 in January and was at 7.8 in October this year. This seems to be in in line with the report of The Economist, so I would naturally assume that inflation will remain high to 2009. But inspite of the major increase in inflation rate, the increase in bank lending rates has been slight due to BSP's conservative policy of maintaining price stability.

What I was really more curious about is how the Global Economic Crisis is affecting the remitances of the Overseas Filipino Workers to the Philippines. I only found information to the end of August. It seems like from January to August of this year, the total remittances peaked in May/June and has started to fall slightly. I am not sure if this is season related or not. But overall, compared to the same period last year (2007), the TOTAL remittances increased by 17.16%. Canada had a whopping increase of 123.61%, USA = 15.29%, Europe = 13.3%, Middle East = 5.34%, Asia = 14.24% (but China showed a negative of 41.95%).

As for Davao, I look around and see a lot of developments going on, and read of more due to start soon. More malls, more condominiums, more subdivisions. Makes you wonder if anybody here is reading the news on what's happening out there. But based on the statistics above, I really do not think that we are affected much like it is elsewhere in the world. I actually think the crisis happening there is helping the boom here. For one thing, when Filipinos suffer the pinch, they end up wanting to repatriate. Why? Because of the low costs of living. The peso goes a long way compared to the US$ or Euro in purchasing power. Secondly, it is the Filipino trait to invest in real properties as a hedge. Wanting to own their own homes for themselves or for their families is well embedded in them. If they save money, it is geared for that dream of owning their own house. Lastly, the aging OFWs. They are starting to think of retirement and retiring back home or having a second home here as a back up may be their dream.

So, what do you think?

Sailing is not really all wine and roses. But I am not one to complain. The minute I made the decision to do this, I knew it is not the "sailing-into-the-sunset" romantic notion that one envisions. For starters, I stand pat with whatever I have decided, and take responsibility for whatever comes my way. Some choose to complain on everything and find all the negatives of each place visited. What for? I don't undertand it at all. It is like you are doomed to be miserable your whole life. In this article, I will lay out some of the "negatives" if you want to choose that word, but for me, I will call them experiences, part and parcel of sailing.

First, the fear factor. I admit, there were some instances I feared for our lives. I have even prayed that we will get out safe and alive.  Whenever I see a line of gray, low lying clouds in the horizon, my heart starts to pump faster. I actually have a name for this - I call it the GATES OF HELL. Usually there is no way around it, but to enter the zone. We prepare in advance, but this is not a fun feeling once you are in.

Wiskun has no roof over the helm. We face the elements that come our way, we just have to dress up accordingly. Sometimes, with so many layers, it is a chore for me to go to the washroom. Taking off the layers one by one while doing the balancing act takes some skills, I would think.

Very wet.

Very cold.

Very hot.

Sometimes, it is quite boring and there is nothing to do. We just have to find anything to pass the time away.

Lots of work. At times you feel that boat repairs and maintenance will never end. Wiskun, after only one year in the tropics, looked very tired. Rust stains, leaks, worn varnish, chipped paint, you name it.

Sail repairs.

Cooking and preserving food for long term storage.

Courtesy flags are very expensive so I make our own. I have an inventory of different colored materials to work with, and I use hand stitching plus some fabric paints. I don't have to be very particular on the design. When it is high up there, no one will really notice I drew the emblem wrong.

I don't really drink beer, but I also brew our own beer in the boat. I learned all this from our German friends, and I still have to try making our own wine. Another thing which fell into my lap, is washing clothes. I do it by hand, on deck. Sometimes, when I get tired, I just stomp on it using my feet. Eventually one learns the "techniques" to make it more efficient, fast and easy.

I also do all the provisioning, navigation work, the logbook and communication. Kjartan takes care of all the rest - the difficult ones are his. During passages, we take turns doing "watches" so the other can sleep. Some couples take this seriously, for example, 3 hour watches. For us, we are easy. Kjartan is very kind to me, and takes most of it. Normally, we each take 5 hours in the evenings and naps during the day. We found that 3 hours is just not enough rest. It takes a few minutes to try and fall asleep, a few minutes to try and wake up and a few more minutes to dress up, prepare coffee and get ready. With 3 hours, it just doesn't leave enough time for a real rest. Of course, when there is bad weather, both of us are on deck the whole time.

I hope I am able to give a clearer picture of our way of life. It is not all hunky-dory, but if we were living on land, we still face similar situations. The important thing is to look at it as part of life. Do them and enjoy the rest of your time - not sulk over them.

In a dog-eat-dog world, we dream of a place where our daily grind is left behind and we think of nothing else, but eat, drink and be merry. For sailors, we dream of sailing into the sunset, leaving everything and not looking back.

For me, this was not an easy decision to make. I had this thing at the back of my mind that I need a solid ground to stand on, have some place permanent and live a "normal" life.  Being an accountant, I need everything to balance, numbers have to be accurate and every entry posted to the right account. I could not handle the unknown and I needed to have answers to the what-ifs. On the other hand, I am good in making 5 year plans and staying focused on that. In fact, I would say my past life is easily divided into 5 year segments. I am glad of this too, because by the time I was introduced to sailing and the idea of sailing-into-the-sunset dangled in front of my nose, I was almost ready - not to take off, but to start dreaming. It was within our reach, but we still had responsibilities - my son, our home, our work. Certain events came into place, but the main thing that really made us seriously think about taking off was our health. We were under so much stress managing the business and both of us were so drained out. I still remember the constant twitch in both my cheeks which was quite annoying, but it was a sure sign of being "stressed out and demotivated". Once the decision was made, we both started being alive again. The excitement, the preparations, the practice run, all the readings and research work - it was wonderful. It was like a chance of a new life was bestowed on us. I didn't even think of my own fears and my inexperience. Maybe this is the typical Filipino attitude of "bahala na" - meaning, come what may. Gone is the accountant in me - nothing has to fit. Bahala na! We will deal with it when it comes.

So we did. First, our finances - we arranged a power of attorney for my sister to access and manage our accounts and bills. Then our medical insurance - we had to cut off from Canada's medical services plan and arranged for a private expats' medical insurance. We also had all our vaccinations done specially Hepatitis A and B, anti-tetanus, polio, etc. We went to see our doctors to get prescriptions for our firstaid kit. Next came our house. We gave away to Salvation Army as much as we can, but had to leave some behind in the house. We were able to move most of it to a couple of rooms, and allowed a caretaker to live in it using the rest of the house. Luckily our friend, a police constable, found another constable to stay there. Our neighbors love it when a police car is parked in the neighborhood. My son - we made sure he has settled into university life in Calgary for a couple of years before we departed. Our wills were also updated and stored in a secure place. Meanwhile, we prepared the boat for offshore sailing as mentioned in previous articles. My one dilemma was how to fit all the things I wanted to bring with us, into the boat - our personal items, our files, provisioning, parts and supplies, tools, more tools, more parts. Our waterline went down a couple of inches.

To those who are still dreaming, I can only say - DO IT!

One of the readers here has emailed me and told me of his dreams. I take this opportunity to post it as the first comment and hopefully, others will add on  - what their dreams are, or if they've already done it, how and what they had to do to achieve their dreams. Learning from each other is important. We certainly didn't have anyone to talk to during our preparations. It would have been much easier if we had.

For those who are planning to stay or retire in the Philippines indefinitely, there is a special visa program for you to avail of - The Special Retiree Resident Visa or SRRV. It is a special non-immigrant visa issued by the Bureau of Immigration through the retirement program of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA). It is available to foreigners and former Filipino citizens. It entitles the holder to multiple-entry privileges with the option to reside permanently in the Philippines.



If you are at least 35 years old and wish to stay in the Philippines without securing extensions of your stay from the Immigration office, you are entitled to apply for a Special Retiree Resident Visa. Your spouse and an unmarried child under 21 may be given an indefinite status if they are accompanying or joining you soon after your admission into the country. After 10 years of continuous residence in the Philippines, you may apply for Naturalized Philippine citizenship. This may be reduced to 5 years provided certain conditions apply.

There is a required Time Deposit in US$ (or Peso equivalent) in a bank accredited by the PRA.  Additional deposits may be required for additional children under 21 years old.  After 6 months, the retiree's Dollar Time Deposit under the PRA may be converted to any other acceptable foreign currency time deposit. The interest, however, is subject to 20% withholding tax. Or, after one month from the date of issuance of the SRRV, it can be converted into investment, such as:

• Purchase of condominium unit(s)
• Long term lease of a house and lot, condominium or townhouse unit(s)
• Construction of a residential unit on a leased parcel of land
• Purchase of Proprietary Membership/Golf shares in golf clubs
• For former Filipinos, purchase of a lot not exceeding 5,000 square meters in urban areas or 3 hectares rural areas to be used for business or other purposes.

Note: A retiree who has converted his dollar deposit into an active investment may opt to substitute the same with another form of investment that is allowed under the PRA program.

Eligibility 

Former Filipino citizens and foreign nationals except those classified as restricted by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration are eligible to apply for the SRRV. Also, he or she should be:

• At least 35 years old
• Without criminal record
• Meeting medical standards
• Meeting the investment requirement

In order to process your SRRV application, you must personally appear at the PRA office located at the 29th floor Citibank Tower, Paseo de Roxas in Makati City.

Benefits

Once you are an SRRV holder, it opens the door to vast opportunities and benefits, including:

1. Option to retire permanently - you may live, work and study in the Philippines
2. Multiple entry priviledges - you may travel outside the Philippines and re-enter anytime
3. Exemptions from:

•  
  • Income tax over your pension and annuities,
  • Exit and re-entry permits of the Bureau of Immigration,
  • Annual registration requirement of the Bureau of Immigration,
  • Customs duties and taxes with regards to the importation of household goods and personal effects up to US$7,000
  • Travel tax, if your stay in the Philippines is less than 1 year from the last entry date,
  • I-card

As an SRRV holder, the PRA can assist you in obtaining basic documents from other government agencies. These include, but are not limited to: Alien Employment Permit, driver's license, tax exemption/extension certificate, tax identification number, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance.

For further information, check their website: http://www.pra.gov.ph/