General Info

[GoodEnough]

You're gonna get milked. You won't live there and trust your in-laws to manage money? My suggestion to you is to join the Army. Get paid well to travel, visit the PI on your leave time, retire early at 40+, and then you will may have the experience to handle these things.

Ask about the issues with Filipino families and investment money on boards more populated by residents: livingingcebu dot com and theworldoffilipinas dot com.

They are gonna pluck you like a chicken...

Trusting inlaws/family/close friends is roughly equivalent to tossing your money down a toilet and bidding it adieu. This mantra cannot be chanted often enough. They will screw you in every way imaginable. I've heard too many guys, in my six years here, insist that: "Oh no, my inlaws are different than all the others," only to admit, several months and several thousand dollars later, that they wished they had listened to all the warnings. Unless you're perfectly willing to lose whatever money you send, DO NOT SEND IT.

GE

[Jambo]

We will pay them from here in the USA of course.

You're gonna get milked. You won't live there and trust your in-laws to manage money? My suggestion to you is to join the Army. Get paid well to travel, visit the PI on your leave time, retire early at 40+, and then you will may have the experience to handle these things.

Ask about the issues with Filipino families and investment money on boards more populated by residents: livingingcebu dot com and theworldoffilipinas dot com.

They are gonna pluck you like a chicken...

[GoodEnough]

I'll give you an idea. Something that a lot of people want and would pay for: a decent steak. Seems most of the beef there is that grass-fed Aussie stuff and tough as hell.

Granted that the local beef is pretty putrid, but here in Davao, I can buy US Angus beef that's delicious and at least the equal of anything I would get at home. It's expensive, but it's delicious.

GE

[Robbaf]

You also told us that your wife is a US reared Filipina. If this is correct if she finds out about your activities and she will in one way or the other. Be prepared for an expensive and potentially dangerous divorce.

Unlike the Philippine based and reared Filipina she won't need to stay aboard a sinking ship for financial or "face" reasons.

No worries WB, she will just take half of his military retirement and then he will really live off the land:D

Robb

[Laylow3]

Could we start talking about things currently happening...

I think we've been living in your fantasy dream a little too long....

it's up to you guys. There's so much to discuss about this. I get excited about talking about it and I could go on and on but yeah i guess this isn't a farm board. I just like getting all the help I can get. So much knowledge/experience here. Maybe I'll update you all when we actually have some nice big acreage of land with animals and this "dream" actually starts to come to fruition which it will eventually.

[Member #3428]

For the animals, my wife said as soon as we purchase the land, we are going to purchase all or a lot of the animals and she is going to have her friends and/or family take care of them to get things started. We will pay them from here in the USA of course. They will pretty much get the entire farm started since they are all farmers. I am starting a program in agriculture in August if my I get accepted to the college.

From a famous old American TV show...

DANGER WILL ROGERS!!! DANGER WILL ROGERS!!!

I am starting a program in agriculture in August if my I get accepted to the college.

Just apply to college now???? Could we start talking about things currently happening...

I think we've been living in your fantasy dream a little too long....

[Laylow3]

@Jambo - Good idea but I don't want to go into business if I don't have to. Nevertheless great idea. I was going to put cows, bulls, horses, and pigs etc. on my farm anyway but your plan sounds good. That is waayy down the line for me though. I have to get the land and put the house there first. My wife doesn't want me focusing on anything else yet but that. She has been in the Philippines for a couple of days already to see about her family. But she is also doing some research for our family. She is talking to people there about cheap land prices in good areas away from bad weather, getting her dual citizenship stuff taken care of, and among other things finding out the price of animals to put on our land as you speak about.

Going with that though, I should add that I plan to put all different kinds of animals on my future land there. Like the usual cows/bulls, pigs, horses, dogs, cats, goats, chickens, birds/ducks, but also ostriches, mongooses, sheep, lambs, alpacas, and other exotic animals. I just thought I should throw that out there since there is so much useful information circulating here now. I'll have a huge garden of course which will include all the food. (veggies, nut & fruit trees, herbs etc.) But I also plan to put wood trees there. (mahogany, etc.) For the animals, my wife said as soon as we purchase the land, we are going to purchase all or a lot of the animals and she is going to have her friends and/or family take care of them to get things started. We will pay them from here in the USA of course. They will pretty much get the entire farm started since they are all farmers. I am starting a program in agriculture in August if my I get accepted to the college.

[Member #3428]

I'll give you an idea. Something that a lot of people want and would pay for: a decent steak. Seems most of the beef there is that grass-fed Aussie stuff and tough as hell.

Also do you think Filipino's would know what to do with a decent steak? To me that's like giving a bum on the street a fine wine...

[Member #3428]

Heck the King ranch is in Hawaii, if they can do it there, why not the PI? (except its a lot cooler in Hawaii)

King ranch gets a crap load of money for movies, commercials, and tours to suppliment it's income in today's day and age...

[Jambo]

Keep the options coming! excellent!

I'll give you an idea. Something that a lot of people want and would pay for: a decent steak. Seems most of the beef there is that grass-fed Aussie stuff and tough as hell.

I know you can get corn there, but I don't know if anyone grows field corn which you should feed to cattle. Maybe you could commission it to be grown for your ranch. You may have lots of "leakage" at night, so keep the steers up in a barn. And if you are doing that, then why not go the whole-hog Kobe beef thing. Keep the steers confined and feed them beer and such. You could get cheap labor to clean out the barns, and you can sell the manure.

But to be sustainable, you will need a yearly supply of yearlings, so you will need cows and at least one bull.

I know Delmonte imported some cattle to Bukidnon in an experiment to see if the cows would help eat up the normal waste from pineapple harvesting. I don't think they are happy with the result, maybe they will sell you some. They have horses to punch the cows also.

If you are going to have cows and calves, you will need something like grassland.

Heck the King ranch is in Hawaii, if they can do it there, why not the PI? (except its a lot cooler in Hawaii)

[Blackangst]

Well, good luck laylow. At least its nice to see your story is changing somewhat as to your goals as others have given input. I think the bottom line is you are a ways away. And I dont know about the whole wife and kid thing. American women are far less forgiving, and the possibility of this backfiring and becoming very expensive, especially if she has family in the PI, is very high. As others have said, there are no secrets in the Phils. I hope you get what Im saying...

I would also suggest you spend some time in the residency/visa thread to get some wisom there.

Good luck~

[Sammon]

@Ratzo & Finrod - Regarding fucking the girls in my area. I guess I should have been more detailed somewhat. I didn’t mean I’d be having sex with girls in my own area where I live but rather banging bargirls in the P.I. in general. You see, my idea is this. As long as I’m in the P.I. getting to where I can bang bar girls or even regular girls is much easier than it is from here. Even if I’m in some province in the boonies, hoping on a Cebu pacific flight to AC or wherever is about $20-30 bucks so nothing really. That’s not much. Hell, I could do a weekly or monthly sex trip for a couple of days to keep me grounded and focused.

On top of that, I do know retired military who live there and also I know the relatives of my wife and the relatives of my close filipino friends here. And I have visited the P.I. before. I posted my reports of it here on the forum right after the trip. :)

@GoodEnough - yeah the legal system issue is one I’d probably have wherever I go overseas so nothing I can do about that.

@Robbaf - hmm, I’ll have to check on that one. I thought she could own land there. You see, she was born here in the USA only. Almost immediately after her birth, she was raised in the Philippines until she was 18 afterwhich she returned to the USA. So, I think she CAN own land but I’ll check to be sure since I’m not 100% certain.

@Blackangst - I think there are places that have cheap farmland but I just have to find them. (at least I’m hoping so)

keep the good advice flowing. I’m taking notes and talking to my local filipino friends here where I live about the advice I read here.

I do feel I kinda get what the deal is generally now. Basically I'll need a bit more than $70K. If, in fact, my wife can own land then all I need to do is find cheap land and I'm set. Other than that, I'll need some kind of monthly income coming in even if it is small as long as it is something. To remedy this, #1. I could stay in the military for 20 years and use my pension there OR #2. move to the P.I., establish the farm, and let my wife continue to work here in the USA while I take care of the kids and the farm (my wife is a pediatric MD if you're curious) or #3. as a last option I could just let my mother finance the whole thing only if I get into trouble financially. My parents financially are extremely stable. so in short:

1. find a way to buy the land and put a house on it
2. have a monthly income even if small

P.S. - I wonder how many of you guys have successful filipina wives not girlfriends that are taking care you...? i mean that seriously too. mine isn't taking care of me entirely but she sure does make waayy more than I do. I only ask this because I wonder does that fact change anything regarding the continual discussion of trusting one's filipina wife...?

My previous GF from Leyte showed me a nice house built by a german who also owns some farmland and has couple of stores. I guess he makes some money. He leases the farmland to locals so that they can cultivate rice and pay him rent.
It is not unheard of for foreigners to invest money and earn a living in PHI if they are married to a local. Once again the age old question is are you going to be fleeced? Can you trust a local girl? Do you have enough protection from the corrupt system? What I heard is kidnapping for ransom is a real threat all over PHI.

[GoodEnough]

well I speak Tagalog and one provincial dialect which is Ilocano. I'm not sure what area in the Philippines I'll be in permanently so Tagalog will have to suffice for now. but when I finalize the area plans, I will definitely get to work on learning the local dialect.

aide organizations promoting village farmers. that's a good idea! I'm googling that now but any top notch ones off the topic of your head? Keep the options coming! excellent!

There are lots of organizations promoting and working with small farmers, several of them supported by donor organizations. Norminveggies (headquartered in CDO) is one of the largest, but there are several, similar organizations all over Mindanao. Most of these organizations help farmers negotiate higher, bulk prices with exporters or out-shippers, and teach farmers how to respond to market needs through "cluster farming." This is not an Aggie board, but if you want more information on some of these organizations, PM me and I'll send it to you.

GE

[Laylow3]

You mention speak to a local farmer... which makes me think do you even speak the local dialects? If you are serious get into language classes ASAP if you are moving to a different country. Also you seem to say you know about farming... one thing to do is to work for an aide organization that works to promote / help village farmers while you are setting up your operation.

well I speak Tagalog and one provincial dialect which is Ilocano. I'm not sure what area in the Philippines I'll be in permanently so Tagalog will have to suffice for now. but when I finalize the area plans, I will definitely get to work on learning the local dialect.

aide organizations promoting village farmers. that's a good idea! I'm googling that now but any top notch ones off the topic of your head? Keep the options coming! excellent!

[Member #3428]

you know I was joking about the hogging all the girls, right? ok, just checking. Yeah, I won't risk everything. Just chatting openly about my plans with you all has given me better insight from people on the ground there. Among other things I mentioned, I know now I need to speak with a foreigner that's a farmer in P.I. and Africa also as an alternative.

yeah things will probably change in a couple of years but no need to fret over the inevitable unknown, right? :)

Mate, for one thing there is NEVER a shortage of girls in SEA. When a 22 year old shoots me down there are thousands of 20 and 21 year old's waiting in the wings (and even younger then that).... And same for all of us. I've actually never been jealous over another guy and his girl as there are just too many choices.

You mention speak to a local farmer... which makes me think do you even speak the local dialects? If you are serious get into language classes ASAP if you are moving to a different country. Also you seem to say you know about farming... one thing to do is to work for an aide organization that works to promote / help village farmers while you are setting up your operation.

Too many options to think about...