General Info

[Wicked Roger]

My contacts in province, mainly Cebu, Palawan, Bohol, sais that lockdown is still very strict, they can go out for food, even long distance, one in Cebu says she walk 3 hours to find vegetables in a wide field where guards authorize them to collect a few, limited quantity by person, and when she return all neighbours who didn't want to walk, want her to give to them. And she is quite obliged to give or she can be at risk..

Cebu is considered the worst case at the moment with the President calling them and saying Cebuanos were stupid in the local press. My contacts say the Cebu commuters as infecting the outlying province and towns such as Baybay and Ormoc in Leyte.

Best avoid Cebu as according those I know and am told the Cebaunos are 'hard headed and ignorant' (and she lives there).

[Steve Nash]

The whole month of June here in the province of Negros Occidental has been pretty good with the MGCQ.

Bars are open, restaurants are open, malls are fully open, not need to have a pass if you are traveling to different cities within Negros Occidental, taxi / grab, jeepney, tricycle and all type of transportation is back to normal, transportation and mass have their social distance seating of course. Bars at first (first week of June) they asked me to fill up a form with my name / address / phone number, but then starting the second week of June they stop asking for that. The only thing about bars is that they have to close by 10 pm, I was in a bar last Saturday and they let us stay until 1 am but of course they close the doors so they won't notice it was open, they suppose to have a curfew from 10 pm to 4 am here in Negros but twice now I walk after midnight and nobody stop me. I heard they are trying to push the curfew starting midnight soon, maybe on July 1st.

Anyways I guess the province where I am is getting back to normal because Negros Occidental has only 47 cases in total until yesterday (but the last 5 days has been bad with 19 new cases, mostly from Cebu commuters).

To be honest for me this whole month has been almost back to normal, like it was back in February and March, the same routine I had back then I'm doing it now (with the exception of business been open after 10 pm of course). Well malls and supermarket are close earlier than before (before it was 9 pm now is 7 pm), and cinemas are still close, which I have not idea why, since most cinemas are always empty so no need for social distance, I guess my routine of going to the movies once a week with my GF has been the one thing not back to normal.

But good thing the short hotels have been open the whole month, so I continue my 3 times a week short hotel visits this month. I'm glad that they have at least 4 short hotels that I know here in the city where I am that I can take turns. They should have a deal like for every 9 visits you get the 10th visit free, so I would get more than 3 free visits by now, but well, not everything is perfect in this world.

[Issaquah]

Can't speak as to other locations but there are some bars in Makati where if you know the owner they are having "private" parties most days of the week. Not open to the general public but if you get in through your connections full drink and food menus are on the table. Also lots of girls working who may or may not be available. I'm assuming if this is going on in Makati it is also happening in other places in the Philippines.

[Dg8787]

AC girls I chat with say they are still locked down. Rules have eased a little to go outside. Some barangays still require passes to go about. People under 20 and over 60 are not allowed to go out. Some over 60 with no one to buy food for them are allowed Out to shop.

One girl was allowed to fly home from Clark to province. Once in the province she was required to stay 14 days in the barangay quarantine center. Prior to travel she had to go around getting health certificate, barangay travel pass and other requirements.

Massage girls I chat with are allowed to work in spas now. But very slow with customers.

Trikes and jeepney are operating with social distancing.

Hotels have not opened up yet.

Bars are rumored to open soon after passing an inspection.

Haven't heard about anyone out drinking and partying.

[Dg8787]

AC girls I chat with say they are still locked down. Rules have eased a little to go outside. Some barangays still require passes to go about. People under 20 and over 60 are not allowed to go out. Some over 60 with no one to buy food for them are allowed Out to shop.

One girl was allowed to fly home to province. Once in the province she was required to stay 14 days in the barangay quarantine center.

Massage girls I chat with are allowed to work in spas now. But very slow with customers.

Haven't heard about anyone out drinking and partying.

[Albert9989]

My contacts in province, mainly Cebu, Palawan, Bohol, sais that lockdown is still very strict, they can go out for food, even long distance, one in Cebu says she walk 3 hours to find vegetables in a wide field where guards authorize them to collect a few, limited quantity by person, and when she return all neighbours who didn't want to walk, want her to give to them. And she is quite obliged to give or she can be at risk.

In Palawan, a cruise ship has arrived with many cases on board, but now they have disembarqued so they are in the city. And the number of cases is raising.

But in Makati, my contact says that situation, today, is quite good, they are able to go out, even if she don't go often, traffic is far from being normal, but situation seems less critical than in thoses provinces.

That's what is heard in these past days.

[Mr Enternational]

Pretty much all the girls I've been chatting to (and these are in "safer" provincial areas) have commented that quarantines are getting worse not better.

My girl said that many areas were not following the restrictions to begin with. They were out partying and shit.

[Goferring]

Today's virus cases is 1150，about double of the norm 5-600's.

How to ease the restrictions even if they wanted to being unable to keep the virus numbers under control ?

They may even go stricter to ECQ if these numbers persists.

I just got informed my Manila-Jakarta flight in July is cancelled.
Really bleak outlook for tourist entry for quite sometime.

Pretty much all the girls I've been chatting to (and these are in "safer" provincial areas) have commented that quarantines are getting worse not better.

Many blame the recent opening up of cebu to allow people to leave that city and return home.

Without being alarmist, I'm extending my expectations even further of when I'll actually be willing and able to return.

Cheers G.

[Datiao]

I've been seeing a ton of coverage on the Philippines not easing these lockdowns and retracting verbiage that implies this is temporary.

It seems as if they are digging in and making this more permanent than I had previously anticipated. Smh. Horrible news imo.

Today's virus cases is 1150，about double of the norm 5-600's.

How to ease the restrictions even if they wanted to being unable to keep the virus numbers under control ?

They may even go stricter to ECQ if these numbers persists.

I just got informed my Manila-Jakarta flight in July is cancelled.
Really bleak outlook for tourist entry for quite sometime.

[Member #4794]

I've been seeing a ton of coverage on the Philippines not easing these lockdowns and retracting verbiage that implies this is temporary.

It seems as if they are digging in and making this more permanent than I had previously anticipated. Smh. Horrible news imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vd-wH9r4jw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NsOQjyq2UU

[BaddHabbit]

Totally agree. That is why I do not get it. I asked my wife how she wanted to divide everything. I drew up the paperwork for her to sign. Instead, she decided to get a lawyer. We went to court and the judge gave me more than the original agreement.

The shit would have cost me only $35 to file the original agreement. Because she went to get a lawyer, ended up costing me the same $35 to file and an extra $15 to serve, and cost her $1500 for the lawyer plus the stuff the judge decided to give to me instead of her. Easier and cheaper to work shit out on your own, type that shit up, and file it yourself. Hundreds of examples to follow on the internet, but greed is a mf.

My ex managed to shaft us both. I offered to pretty much walk away, just with control of my companies, which meant giving her a house (and everything in it) worth $2,400,000 free and clear. She said no. $200,000 in lawyers fees and better part of 2 years later and she had to give me $250,000 in cash (and of course I had control of the companies). So she ended up down $350 k down after 2 years of stress and bitterness. Sigh. You would have thought the value calculation wasn't that hard to make, but I guess it all comes down to emotion rather than intellect for some.

[WestCoast1]

However this being the Philippines, enforcement will be highly variable. I am in Cebu province and other than most places closed, have had very little restriction on my movements, only asked for my pass at one mall, not the other and never while moving around. However with everything closed, I have not been moving that much.

Every business here requires you show your brgy exit pass when entering the front door (hardware store even). No mask, no exit pass, no entry (excluding businesses inside malls; the pass must be shown at the mall entrance). Only curfew restricts movement.

Once places open up, I doubt if they will be asking me for my ID thinking I am over 60 when it will be the businesses doing the checking and they need the income. I also look younger than 60 so they have some deniability.

Few have asked my age, as I also look younger, and maybe they just don't care to ask. When asked, I've been honest (I am over 59), but nobody cared, nobody told me that I could not go inside.

They will deal with any further outbreaks by contact tracing etc before undergoing another severe shutdown.

There is a lot of trace-back documentation going on at restos and coffee shops suddenly. Every coffee shop I enter now makes me fill out a form with my name, residence, and phone number, right at the front door, before entering.

[Kabul Guy]

RK, is the restriction indefinite because you are over 60 or will you be allowed out of your home .....

There are 4 levels of quarantine, from strictest to least restrictive.

ECQ Enhanced Community quarantine.

MECQ Modified Enhanced Community quarantine.

GCQ Modified General Community quarantine.

MGCQ Modified General Community quarantine.

Under all of these over 60 cannot go out except for essential reasons, Over 60 can go to work in allowed businesses.

The over 60 will not be able to move freely until we get to the new normal.

However this being the Philippines, enforcement will be highly variable. I am in Cebu province and other than most places closed, have had very little restriction on my movements, only asked for my pass at one mall, not the other and never while moving around. However with everything closed, I have not been moving that much.

Once places open up, I doubt if they will be asking me for my ID thinking I am over 60 when it will be the businesses doing the checking and they need the income. I also look younger than 60 so they have some deniability.

The government is under a lot of pressure to reopen the economy so I am thinking that at the end of the current restrictions, most of the country will go to MGCQ and movement will gradually return to normal. They will deal with any further outbreaks by contact tracing etc before undergoing another severe shutdown.

[Datiao]

I just came across this post in the Sao Paulo thread and I find it very meaningful to share some parts of it.

Quote:
Every man, based on his personal circumstances and desires, has his own limits and that's fine. You don't call a man a cheapskate just because he goes for the Buick every single time. But you don't call him a snob either just because he prefers a BMW, and can tell the difference between the two. I personally won't be going for any Bentley's! I could, but for me that's too much to be paying for "a car" (a piece of ass). But I do accept that there is a difference in value between a Buick and a BMW and a Bentley, and I know how to recognize each one when I see it. What price I want to pay, that's up to me, without passing negative judgments upon others and what they are willing to pay for.

[Amanut]

I was able to get a last-minute seat on a special flight into Manila for OFWs at 0040 h on June 11.


My test results came back within 46 hours.

I was free to go home immediately.

Now confined in my own condo and not permitted outside because I am over 60. The condo security have reminded me of this.

If you don't have a 13 A visa and are expecting things to ease up soon then don't hold your breath. Cannot see tourist visas being issued for the PH for a long time yet because cases of Covid are still increasing in various parts of Manila and elsewhere.

I am not sure why anyone would be desperate to come here as the virus is still all over and I sure as hell don't want to get it. A family friend from Makati (48 yo, non-smoker, fit and healthy), got it a month ago and died 3 weeks later. His wife said he died in agony from lung failure. It can hit anyone.

RK, is the restriction indefinite because you are over 60 or will you be allowed out of your home and circulate after you are virus free after 14 days. My more direct question is are you under an indefinite house arrest? Are there any loosening of restrictions for things like buying groceries, shopping, or meeting friends? Getting laid?

For us sixty plus year old visitors there, I can't imagine anything more fun than a 30 day vacation of being locked in my hotel up indefinitely regardless of whether it is a 1 star or 5 star.

Nut.