Manila

[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.

[Hesekiels]

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).

... 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

[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).

[CanContrib]

if you pick a nice girl that's *exactly* what will happen - she will fall in love with you.

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!

[CanContrib]

I opened a bank account with BPI and progressivly transfer between trips. Keep a check on account with internet access.

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.

[CanContrib]

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....

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!

[AsiaFloyd]

I opened a bank account with BPI and progressivly transfer between trips. Keep a check on account with internet access.

[Sugoi]

I always change my money at malls and have found very competitive rates. I don't go to the ones with the digital boards--the ones where they are written on a white board. I have exchanged at Robinson's Galleria, Green Hills, Glorietta, and Greenbelt1 that I can recall. I once exchanged at a SM but they have a long line, need ID and the rates are usually a little lower than at the malls.

I've heard so many stories about the small places that it's worth it to me to go to reputable places in malls where you know you won't get ripped off. I am sure that Robinson's in Ermita has one also.

[Surfer]

scrupuoulsly honest operation run by Chinese who have been doing it since my first visit (1994). It is in the small alley just NORTH of the Malate Pension (on same side of street-WEST). 1 block North of Remedios Cicle in Malate. Hours can be irregular as they take breaks. You push the button and they buzz you past 2 security gates as you walk up the stairs to the counters. Best rates in town, big bills, you get a per strip from adding machine showing payout. Never a single piso short.

Change with the criminals on Mabini Street and you get what you deserve. Nowadays, I use my ATM too but the rate these people give is better than ATM rate (and no fees!). Great bulgogi at the Korean Palace restaurant on Remedios Circle too so I used to go change money at lunchtime.

[GoodEnough]

This is one of the reasons that I always advise people not to bring much cash and to rely on ATM cards, which are reasonably foolproof. Also, the exchange rate is invariably better.

CL: DS will be in town tomorrow. When are you coming?

:D

GE

[Cebu Local]

That's really interesting news and I highly appreciate this post! I had, however, never encountered such kind of a problem (knock on wood!)! What I would like to know is, was it an 'authorized money changer' who tried to rip you off, or somebody from the street?

Cheers

Hesekiels

Sad to say,Even among authorized money changers,This scam is quite common.Recently the Central Bank closed down 20 of these for precisely doing this scam

[Hesekiels]

I should have posted this right away so the word gets out, but been terribly busy since I got back to reality.

There is a money changer on Mabini that is cheating customers and I caught the *****.

Usually, they'll count the money out and lay it in front of you. You pick up the money and count it and then go on your way. Never had problems until last week.

First, she said if I changed more money, she would give me a better rate. OK. Then she counted out ten 500 notes for 5000 pesos and set it in a pile and told me to count it. Then she had her hands on the pile I had already counted. She counted out another pile and had me count it. Again, she put her hands on the pile, which naturally set of warning signals for me.

At the end she picks up the whole pile and hands it to me all the while talking and telling me to come back again. When I grabbed the pile I squeezed it tightly and sure enough, I felt a very slight tug as she pulled away her hand. I was looking at her hand the whole time and didn't see anything. I think she had folded a few of the bills inside the pile and pulled them out as she pulled her hand away. The folded bill(s) would have been on her half, not my half, which is why the tug was barely noticeable.

I said, "Let's count again..." She immediatetly took the money out of my hands and took it down to her side of the counter out of my eye sight. She brought the money back up, counted it out in one pile, and handed it over. It was the correct amount. I said, "Don't you ever do that to me again you *****.". She kept silent.

I took a photo of the place and will give the name a bit later, but I don't have access to my camera at the moment. I'll send that along soon.

Be careful gentlemen.

****** = female dog

X

That's really interesting news and I highly appreciate this post! I had, however, never encountered such kind of a problem (knock on wood!)! What I would like to know is, was it an 'authorized money changer' who tried to rip you off, or somebody from the street?

Cheers

Hesekiels

[X Man]

I should have posted this right away so the word gets out, but been terribly busy since I got back to reality.

There is a money changer on Mabini that is cheating customers and I caught the *****.

Usually, they'll count the money out and lay it in front of you. You pick up the money and count it and then go on your way. Never had problems until last week.

First, she said if I changed more money, she would give me a better rate. OK. Then she counted out ten 500 notes for 5000 pesos and set it in a pile and told me to count it. Then she had her hands on the pile I had already counted. She counted out another pile and had me count it. Again, she put her hands on the pile, which naturally set of warning signals for me.

At the end she picks up the whole pile and hands it to me all the while talking and telling me to come back again. When I grabbed the pile I squeezed it tightly and sure enough, I felt a very slight tug as she pulled away her hand. I was looking at her hand the whole time and didn't see anything. I think she had folded a few of the bills inside the pile and pulled them out as she pulled her hand away. The folded bill(s) would have been on her half, not my half, which is why the tug was barely noticeable.

I said, "Let's count again..." She immediatetly took the money out of my hands and took it down to her side of the counter out of my eye sight. She brought the money back up, counted it out in one pile, and handed it over. It was the correct amount. I said, "Don't you ever do that to me again you *****.". She kept silent.

I took a photo of the place and will give the name a bit later, but I don't have access to my camera at the moment. I'll send that along soon.

Be careful gentlemen.

****** = female dog

X

[Sandman]

Anyone going to be in the Philippines May and June?

I will be there.

[Pinga]

Pinga obviously enjoyed himself...but may have a few facts mixed up. This happens after late night drinking and early morning sexercise...

I've never seen the 2nd floor dominated by "Koreans" or any other Asians. This is where the band plays and there is a cover charge of 100 pesos. It is the back room that tends to be Japanese/ Korean dominated. That never stopped me from going back there though.

As for quality, it varies just like it does in the bars. Any kind of review you read is probably irrelevant. Just go see for yourself. Once I found LACafe full of sweet stuff in the late afternoon and full of battle-hardened single mothers in the evening. Friday night I pulled a real sweet thing ...pictures coming soon.

**side note: EDSA Entertainment Complex is increasingly East Asian. Although I don't like to over generalize, I've heard over and over from the girls themselves that "it's smaller". In one case girl A said "smaller" and then girl B added, "and quicker". I suspect more lucrative as well, but I try to avoid money talk with my "girlfriends".

X

Oops. Yes ,you are right I should have said that the back room sitting area was dominated by Koreans. I guess I just lucked out cause the night that I was there the majority of the girls were young and cute. If you say you were there on friday night then that was the same night that I was there. Sorry, I could not say hello but I must have definitely seen you.