I opened a bank account with BPI and progressivly transfer between trips. Keep a check on account with internet access.
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I opened a bank account with BPI and progressivly transfer between trips. Keep a check on account with internet access.
[QUOTE=Volpone]Hello guys,
Just as information, would it be interesting in going to Manila and to date girls to have sex with them?
Would it be easy to have sex with them after 2-3 meetings? Or are girls in Manila very conservative and would like to wait till the marriage?
I am less than 40 years old, white, and I will stay there about 1-3 months....[/QUOTE]
So you're younger than most of us! Not that most girls care all that much, other than generally they like someone "mature" vrs some kid. At 40 you should have them falling all over you.
I presume you're asking about dating ordinary girls, not bar girls. Good choice if you have the time to court them, they do require a modicum of effort and investment. If you can talk to them before you meet them and already have an established rapport by the time you're close enough to touch, then chances are good for you that touching will be what you're doing when you meet. Depending on the girl, you might be "touching" all night and for as long as you let her be in love with you - because if you pick a nice girl that's *exactly* what will happen - she will fall in love with you. With that of course go all the trappings, so expect to be taking the "family" to dinner, helping her with the rent, buying new glasses for Papang, etc.
Depending on her current financial situation and needs, she will at some point be asking you to help her with some of those needs. For example, one (ordinary girl) friend recently asked me if I could help her get her tooth fixed (she showed me and it really did need fixing). Actually she was going to have it pulled and I said nononono you will get it fixed. I asked how much she needed and she guessed 300 (pesos), which I know is too low, so I gave her 1000. In this case, that was our 3rd date. We did make love the first two dates too, which wasn't surprising since she got my cell# from a mutual friend and it was she who asked me for that first date.
If she's not in your bed (or you in hers) by the third date then you got really unluky picking the wrong girl. Though most ordinary girls are conservative (Phils is ostensibly a conservative country) girls especially between 18 and 40 are just dying to fall in love with a foreigner (who can support them and their extended family). Don't be surprised if by the 3rd date she brings along her kids to meet you and enjoy the Jollibee blowup you're going to treat them to.
Nuff said, by the time you get to that point you'll be well on your way to figuring out the rest.
Enjoy!
[QUOTE=Asiafloyd]I opened a bank account with BPI and progressivly transfer between trips. Keep a check on account with internet access.[/QUOTE]
Yes, in my experience, BPI is an excellent choice for a foreigner. They will want you to produce your "ACR" (Alien Certificate of Registration), but if you have the right account manager you can open an account with just your passport and a second piece of picture ID. Other banks are stricter.
There will be a required minimum deposit to open the account, and if you keep over that minimum then there are *no* services charges!!!! (Unlike North America where they service-charge you to death). The only thing you wind up paying for is your checkbook, which last time I think was about 115 pesos or somesuch. The minimum opening amount requirement can be as low as 500 pesos now, and that includes your ATM card. However, unlike NorthAmerican banks, don't ever expect to be in and out of there in 5 minutes. I prefer to send my wife or an employee to make local deposits, since I have on many occasions stood in line for over an hour to make a simple deposit.
Mondays, Fridays, and the day after a holiday are bad days to attend at the bank.
I've done several wire-transfers from my foreign accounts to my BPI account, and the exchange rate is very reasonable (better than a lot of others), and they've been ultra-reliable. They also have a US$ account if you prefer that to a Peso account.
Their web site is slow, but functional and handy, especially if you want to pay PLDT or Meralco or reload your cellfone in the middle of Sunday night.
[QUOTE=CanContrib]if you pick a nice girl that's *exactly* what will happen - she will fall in love with you.[/QUOTE]
You mentioned you're planning on visiting Phils for 1 to 3 months. Okay! Nice plan.
I neglected to mention but should, that if you pick a girl really worth having (or permit one to chose you as more often happens), there's a significant danger that as she falls in love with you, you might fall in love with her. Five years ago I never expected to have a Pinay wife and live in the Philippines for the rest of my life!
One key is that he married a pinay and lived in the PI with her. He did not make the common, and serious, mistake of bringing one to the US. I was not so smart.
Youu see lawyers in the PI make 1% of what we make in the US-the ONLY reason I am still living in the GWL (Great Wasteland)). So I did not really having the option of moving there to be with her. 5 years later, she is living in the house and I paid a divorce lawyer $25,000 to get rid of her. Filipinas become Americanized at an alarming rate. For every success story of a couple living happily in the US for decades, there are dozens of bitter divorces where the yankee got cleaned. While my evidence is anecdotal, it is irrefutable. You've been warned.
BPI is great for sending piso to your honeyko in the PI. $7 per remittance, unless it went up again (been a few years).
[QUOTE=Surfer]One key is that he married a pinay and lived in the PI with her. He did not make the common, and serious, mistake of bringing one to the US. I was not so smart.
Youu see lawyers in the PI make 1% of what we make in the US-the ONLY reason I am still living in the GWL (Great Wasteland)). So I did not really having the option of moving there to be with her. 5 years later, she is living in the house and I paid a divorce lawyer $25,000 to get rid of her. Filipinas become Americanized at an alarming rate. For every success story of a couple living happily in the US for decades, there are dozens of bitter divorces where the yankee got cleaned. While my evidence is anecdotal, it is irrefutable. You've been warned.
BPI is great for sending piso to your honeyko in the PI. $7 per remittance, unless it went up again (been a few years).[/QUOTE]
... that a divorce (usually) takes place after 'she' finally got the US- (or Canadian, Swiss, British ... you name it) passport!
What a big surprise if the girl is more than 20 years younger than you!? Wow, the jackpot was hit, big money comes in and the entire world is open now (no travel restrictions anymore). So, why not to bring the former coeval pinoy-lover into the promised land as well?
Just my personal observation, of course!
Cheers
Hesekiels
As stated they allow people to open accounts outside of the Philippines. I am in the process of opening one now. I want to open a checking, savings and possibly a time deposit account. How do people here make deposits to their accounts from overseas? Do you wire the money or send checks or both? Do you send personal checks or some other kind? I have never wired money before and read on another forum that the charges there can be very high. Which branch did you guys open yours at? Any and all advise would be appreciated.
[QUOTE=Fred C Dobbs]As stated they allow people to open accounts outside of the Philippines. I am in the process of opening one now. I want to open a checking, savings and possibly a time deposit account. How do people here make deposits to their accounts from overseas? Do you wire the money or send checks or both? Do you send personal checks or some other kind? I have never wired money before and read on another forum that the charges there can be very high. Which branch did you guys open yours at? Any and all advise would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]Fred,
Are you resident in PI or USA ( or Oz, UK, etc)?
I tried to open a BPI account from the USA and got the following email from them:
Dear Mr. Davis:
Greetings from BPI Express Online!
We received your e-mail regarding your wish to open a checking account with
us. Thank you for your interest in opening your account with us. However,
we regret to inform you that your request cannot be accommodated at the
moment because you need to go to a branch to sign the necessary papers and to make an initial deposit. As such, may we suggest that you just open your account upon your visit to the Philippines.
Thank you for choosing to bank with us online!
Gary
Actually, it is in Daly City (AKA Filipino Town USA) just outside SF. If you live in the Midwest I guess it is not so easy though.
Somebody asked for more detail in the directions to the moneychanger. If you walk out of Malate Pension and turn LEFT (North, away from Remedios Circle) turn LEFT again at the first alley then walk about 20 yards until there is a corner where the alley spilts. The place is in the building on that cornewr which is on your right.
I never have any problem changing in manila , You need to use your common
sense I only use agent that have alot of people use by local , There are so
many of them in malate , never take offer in the st or accept small bill only use agent have 1000 peso bill , I think manila is easier place in the world to
change US bill or even US traveler check and china is the worst .
fast eddie 48
I applied on line Thursday night and immediately received an e-mail advising me as being a non-Philippine resident to go to one of ther BPI Express Remittance Centers (BERC) which they said they listed below but didn't. The email also asked me to reply to their email and they would proceed with processing my application. I responded to their email but have not heard back from but it is the weekend there. I'll let you know what happens next.
I live in the Los Angeles, California area.
Here is a pic of the Mabini st. ripoff money changer. The name is MACKY. The guy in the foreground has nothing to do with the place.
Lot of posts on this subject, but could you guys please give us some facts so that we know how you came to your conclusions.
Why accept only 1000 bills? I find the damn things nearly impossible to get rid of and much prefer the 500s. Of course 1000 is a lot easier to count, less easy to do slight of hand, but is there any other reason.
Someone says avoid Mabini st. I've changed thousands of dollars there and never had a problem until earlier this month. Why avoid Mabini st.?
X
I thought I'd add some background information from my research.
Where I currently live in Korea, there are MetroBank branches. So, I asked around if I can have an account. I can, but only with the local branch. Huh?
I inquired a local Filipina bargirl about her accounts. She states that she has two accounts. One here in Korea (in US$) and one back home in PI (in Pesos). Hmmm... Ok...
However, the two accounts are not linked. She cannot transfer money easily. She sends money to her own account in PI (via a wire transfer). She showed me her remittance form. Yep, it has the appropriate charges.
I stated that it doesn't make sense for her to pay such fees for a simple transfer, especially for her own accounts in the same bank. (I am thinking of the ACH [Automatic Clearing House] transfer for US bank accounts.) She said that that's the only way. Hmmm... need verfication...
Anyway, recently, I went to Manila. And, took time out to check with the MetroBank there. The new-accounts manager explains to me that I cannot open an account in Manila without being a resident (i.e. proper IDs/Visa), but if I do have an account with the branch in Korea, then, she may be able to bypass the red tapes and give me an account there. Ok, sounds good.
So, I asked about money transfer. Same story. The two accounts are not linked, so I'd have to pay wire transfer fees to deposit money into the PI account from overseas. Ouch...
This is similar to the local Korean banks. The branches are independent of each other and compete for customers. So, when I had to make a deposit to someone's account, I had to pay a service charge if I am not at the branch where the account was opened. The teller explains to me that they have to send money to the other branch. Wow, totally different from US banks where your account is accessible from all branches, and the bank's money is linked to all branches.
Anyway, I recommend that before you open with the local accounts in your own country, check to see if it is separate from the branches in PI. Or, will there be a respective/linked PI account? Will there be any deposit fees? Or, will there be wire transfer/remittance fees?
Based on emails below, it appears that the online banking forms are linked to BPI in Philippines. Does anyone know if there is similar online service for US branches?
Seeko
Thanks for the research Seeko,
For the record, I found the exact same thing US/Japan. Japanese banks which had branches in the US, and US banks in Japan (citibank) won't/don't allow you to move money between "branches".
My research is many years old so I don't know if it still applies. I think it has to do with national banking laws.
X
Great work.
This is what this board should be all about.
[QUOTE=X Man]Here is a pic of the Mabini st. ripoff money changer. The name is MACKY. The guy in the foreground has nothing to do with the place.
Lot of posts on this subject, but could you guys please give us some facts so that we know how you came to your conclusions.
Why accept only 1000 bills? I find the damn things nearly impossible to get rid of and much prefer the 500s. Of course 1000 is a lot easier to count, less easy to do slight of hand, but is there any other reason.
Someone says avoid Mabini st. I've changed thousands of dollars there and never had a problem until earlier this month. Why avoid Mabini st.?
X[/QUOTE]