Makati

[Engine Driver]

More and more companies and jobs don't care where an employee is physically. Covid has just improved that. Lots of westerners are working in grey jobs I. Asia.

Yes and no.

1. The social stigma associated with being in the Philippines or Thailand is huge. It's negative and it's not going to improve your credibility. Everyone in your office will know why a single person is based in the Philippines (and it's not for doing charity work for poor people in your spare time). Being labelled a monger is the worst label you can get.

2. Time difference is a killer. The 3-hour gap between the Philippines and eastern Australia is probably manageable, but the gap is virtually impossible to bridge if your office is in the US or UK.

3. Remote working is suited to low level IT help desk, code cutting, web design or graphic design type work where you can work solo and as an independent contractor. Ongoing marketing and business development will be hard. Are new clients going to give you work if you're in the Philippines? I wouldn't. Any client facing, managerial or executive positions need real face time.

4. The COVID work from home experiment has had a mixed success rate. The novelty has worn out and most people want the social interaction a real office can provide. Productivity has dropped in many sectors as people need more supervision and better time management skills. No promotion prospects for the young as they can't really prove their worth behind a Zoom screen. Government employees have just abused the system as their jobs are protected.

[Kabul Guy]

The main thing is just don't give people or bureaucrats a reason to make a fuss.

Under the radar is my favourite place.

[Dg8787]

Excellent points. If you are an American, and thinking about marriage, remember to tell them that the social security benefit for spouses starts out small and goes up slowly for each year you are married. Gives them an excellent reason to keep you alive. I think it maxes out after 10 years but they don't need to know that. LOL.

I believe for Americans the wife can't collect even if she is eligible if she resides outside of US, unless she is a US citizen.

[AggieDad1]

BM,

No offense but I find people pouring effort into counter surveillance and asset protection laughable. If someone has transferred significant immovable assets into the country and the girl, family or business partners want him gone then he is gone. If they want to find true identities again that's quick and easy. It's only the guy that thinks otherwise.

The ONLY way to protect residency, assets and life is to be worth more to those people in country than gone (or dead!

Monthly funding of a nice lifestyle from western investments is good. A wad of cash brought into country to buy fixed assets is bad. 😁.

Cheers. G.

Excellent points. If you are an American, and thinking about marriage, remember to tell them that the social security benefit for spouses starts out small and goes up slowly for each year you are married. Gives them an excellent reason to keep you alive. I think it maxes out after 10 years but they don't need to know that. LOL.

[Goferring]

How about this scenario. I work for a large company in the US. Remote work has become the norm, and when things are back to normal, remote work will be much more common. I've thought maybe I could convince them to let me work remotely from PI. Maybe I do a year, maybe two, who knows. Money goes straight into my US bank account. Second scenario. Maybe I quit my job and work there remotely doing freelance. For American companies. I have a tech job where this is a possibility. Not as much money and not as stable an income. But. Things I have thought about. Not even sure about the legality of it but I may look into it.

More and more companies and jobs don't care where an employee is physically. Covid has just improved that. Lots of westerners are working in grey jobs I. Asia.

Technically you would need local work permits, tax declaration yada yada yada. However, stay below the radar, don't advertise what you are getting away with locally and you should be ok.

The main thing is just don't give people or bureaucrats a reason to make a fuss.

[Goferring]

Wasn't there a tale here about a guy sending his girl cash to build a house, she'd send photos of the build, ask for more cash. And when he finally arrived the girl was gone so he went to the house only to find out it was a strangers house she had been taking photos of and he was out all of his cash.

I'd even go so far as to change the password on your laptop frequently so the GF doesn't catch on to it. Install a guest account for her to use on your laptop if she wants to go online as well. Have a hiding place for your passport as well, hard to jump ship if you can't leave the country in a hurry. I watched a youtube video and the guy suggested if you want the girl to move out you take her out to dinner and a movie. And your friends pack up her things and change the locks. You then ditch her and get back to the room before she does. She will most likely call the cops if she thinks she's losing her nest egg, if she's inside the apartment she can claim you hit her and you being the foreigner go to jail.

BM,

No offense but I find people pouring effort into counter surveillance and asset protection laughable. If someone has transferred significant immovable assets into the country and the girl, family or business partners want him gone then he is gone. If they want to find true identities again that's quick and easy. It's only the guy that thinks otherwise.

The ONLY way to protect residency, assets and life is to be worth more to those people in country than gone (or dead!

Monthly funding of a nice lifestyle from western investments is good. A wad of cash brought into country to buy fixed assets is bad. 😁.

Cheers. G.

[Engine Driver]

How about this scenario. I work for a large company in the US. Remote work has become the norm, and when things are back to normal, remote work will be much more common. I've thought maybe I could convince them to let me work remotely from PI. Maybe I do a year, maybe two, who knows. Money goes straight into my US bank account. Second scenario. Maybe I quit my job and work there remotely doing freelance. For American companies. I have a tech job where this is a possibility. Not as much money and not as stable an income. But. Things I have thought about. Not even sure about the legality of it but I may look into it.

Only you will know if that's possible. Quitting your job to chase Pinay pussy full time never makes any sense.

[FuriousGeorge]

How about this scenario. I work for a large company in the US. Remote work has become the norm, and when things are back to normal, remote work will be much more common. I've thought maybe I could convince them to let me work remotely from PI. Maybe I do a year, maybe two, who knows. Money goes straight into my US bank account. Second scenario. Maybe I quit my job and work there remotely doing freelance. For American companies. I have a tech job where this is a possibility. Not as much money and not as stable an income. But. Things I have thought about. Not even sure about the legality of it but I may look into it.

[Breadman]

You will not have any recourse because in court the foreigner is obviously wrong and because he has the most money needs to give a pile of it to the local. If you are selling to locals, expect to have to extend credit and a huge default rate..

Wasn't there a tale here about a guy sending his girl cash to build a house, she'd send photos of the build, ask for more cash. And when he finally arrived the girl was gone so he went to the house only to find out it was a strangers house she had been taking photos of and he was out all of his cash.

I'd even go so far as to change the password on your laptop frequently so the GF doesn't catch on to it. Install a guest account for her to use on your laptop if she wants to go online as well. Have a hiding place for your passport as well, hard to jump ship if you can't leave the country in a hurry. I watched a youtube video and the guy suggested if you want the girl to move out you take her out to dinner and a movie. And your friends pack up her things and change the locks. You then ditch her and get back to the room before she does. She will most likely call the cops if she thinks she's losing her nest egg, if she's inside the apartment she can claim you hit her and you being the foreigner go to jail.

[Wicked Roger]

If you want to incorporate, you can only own 40%, locals have to own 60%. You can never own land. Try to get around these limits and the anti dummy laws will come into play.

The most I would ever do here is if I had a long term GF who already had a successful business but needed a capital infusion to expand, and had a solid business plan, I might invest some in it. I would look at that as paying for pussy, not as a business investment.

Never invest more than you are willing to walk away from. Yes I have a car but if the fecal material hits the rotating air moving device, I will just drive to the airport double park it in the drop off zone and leave the keys in it before boarding a flight out of here.

Nope no business here for me.

Solid advice KG. I know people with business but they let the pinay run it, the pinay gets all the licenses etc and it is quick but still frustrating (her words) but for a foreigner we can spend months and get nowhere (I know people who this happened to).

A mate set up business in Cebu and used an old friend (pinay) as the front and she did everything, worked like a dream as she knew all the knobs to press, all the people in Capitol to see and arrange the BIR, the fire inspections etc. She even got cheap office furniture, sorted out the lease of the photocopiers and servers etc all in a fraction of the time it would have taken him doing it.

She has helped others as well as she is reliable and trusted (an old friend of over 10 years) but I am with KG on me having a business in the Philippines.

One example of where it can go wrong. Another friend, good business, but when started to make real profit the pinoy partners (he had to have 60% pinoy) forced him out claiming 'estafa' using the Marcos law (version of I was told) and he fled the country with debts, left behind a condo etc, never returned as he would be thrown in jail. Friend who tried to intervene / mediate including a priest from his local church told same (ie shut up, leave alone or same fate).

He landed in his home country with $600 and one suitcase. All he had to show for 10 years of building the brand etc.

Now the business is no more. Go figure! 22 people lost their jobs (all pinoy).

(Side note: I also knew (and met) his pinoy partners and some had very high profile connections).

[Issaquah]

I've been in the process for the last two years of starting a 100% foreign owned business in the Philippines. I do not recommend this to anyone that doesn't have strong local ties with the government, a good law firm, and deep pockets. You can have a 100% foreign owned company if you register as an SEC company and open in one of the many Philippine economic zones (PEZA). The requirement is you need a Philippine citizen as Registered Representative and Secretary but they don't need to be shareholders. Three of your shareholders must have local Philippine addresses but can all be foreigners. You are also restricted to selling a maximum of 40% of your goods in country, the rest must be exported. We expect our licensing to be completed shortly at which time we'll be issued Business Visas and can start traveling to the Philippines during the pandemic as long as there aren't any country restriction in place like there are now with the new strain of virus.

Not this retired old fart. Lol.

I have, on behalf of others, looked into the requirements of opening a business here. You can never get a full and complete answer on what licenses and permits are required and how to go about getting them. A local woman, never met her but we are chatting on line every couple of days, was about 2 months getting everything in place for a sari sari type of store. I have seen 10 different permits in a laundromat.

If you want to incorporate, you can only own 40%, locals have to own 60%. You can never own land. Try to get around these limits and the anti dummy laws will come into play.

Nope no business here for me.

[Engine Driver]

KG. I wanted to be in Manila for few years to enjoy life, and was thinking the best way to be there. I thought of starting a small business. Your message making me rethink the options. Looks like you have done good amount of research, and it would be great to get your insights.

Si.

Unless a monger has successfully owned and operated businesses in his own country, there is no way he is going to do this well in the Philippines. A country he knows nothing about. Where do they get these hare brained ideas from? Too much chatting with barely literate nincompoops on the dating sites? That's what happens when you appoint a hooker as your Chief Investment Officer and who's idea of big time entrepreneurial success is opening a fucking sari sari store.

What makes septuagenarian mongers think they're suddenly going to acquire business acumen and the necessary political contacts the minute they arrive at NAIA? Commercial nous does not instantly materialize through osmosis, by popping a 100 MG Viagra pill or BBFSCIP with a 20 year old MILF from Eastern Samar.

The best a monger can hope to do is remotely manage his share portfolio on line and live off the dividends. Or manage his property portfolio through his realtor back home and live off the rent. These can be achieved successfully if the monger has used his formative years to build wealth in his own country instead of squandering it on chasing Pinay hookers full time.

A $1 million dollar stock portfolio would conservatively yield $35 k a year in dividends. That's 150,000 peso a month. According to the reports here, that amount is enough to retire well in the Philippines. And no need to touch the capital.

[Si6798]

KG. I wanted to be in Manila for few years to enjoy life, and was thinking the best way to be there. I thought of starting a small business. Your message making me rethink the options. Looks like you have done good amount of research, and it would be great to get your insights.

Si.

Not this retired old fart. Lol.

I ran a business back home, it was profitable but my income was highly variable. Some years less than minimum wages, some years well into the top 1%.

I have, on behalf of others, looked into the requirements of opening a business here. You can never get a full and complete answer on what licenses and permits are required and how to go about getting them. A local woman, never met her but we are chatting on line every couple of days, was about 2 months getting everything in place for a sari sari type of store. I have seen 10 different permits in a laundromat.

There was a news story pre-pandemic about a woman who was ecstatic that it only took her 45 days to get all permits to open a home based alterations business, just her and a sewing machine.

Barangy level Municipality level and provincial level to operate, health hygiene, fire inspection plus tax permits.

A local can get away with missing one but a foreigner will not only need every permit that they have thought of, as well as every permit that they will think of plus the necessary visa and work permits to work here. They will invent a permit this morning and shut you down this afternoon..

[Kabul Guy]

All retired people want to keep busy and run a business. .....

Not this retired old fart. Lol.

I ran a business back home, it was profitable but my income was highly variable. Some years less than minimum wages, some years well into the top 1%.

I have, on behalf of others, looked into the requirements of opening a business here. You can never get a full and complete answer on what licenses and permits are required and how to go about getting them. A local woman, never met her but we are chatting on line every couple of days, was about 2 months getting everything in place for a sari sari type of store. I have seen 10 different permits in a laundromat.

There was a news story pre-pandemic about a woman who was ecstatic that it only took her 45 days to get all permits to open a home based alterations business, just her and a sewing machine.

Barangy level Municipality level and provincial level to operate, health hygiene, fire inspection plus tax permits.

A local can get away with missing one but a foreigner will not only need every permit that they have thought of, as well as every permit that they will think of plus the necessary visa and work permits to work here. They will invent a permit this morning and shut you down this afternoon.

A dive buddy built a high end airbnb rental unit. He was short one permit, all the fire department had to do was come and confirm that he had the required size of fire extinguisher, he had a smaller one according to the regulations but was told he needed a bigger one because. Reasons. He immediately went and got the larger extinguisher, asked for a re inspection the same day but was told that the inspector just left on 2 week holiday and no one else could issue the permit.

He lost a 60 k p rental because of that.

Miss one required permit and you will either get a healthy fine (cash no receipt option available of course) or shut down and possibly deported or all of these. If you are deported, don't worry about your investment, someone will be happy to steal it and operate it, they will just want all the profits and will steal the fixtures as well.

If you do get all the permits in place and can open, expect employee theft and misbehavior to be rampant, You will not have any recourse because in court the foreigner is obviously wrong and because he has the most money needs to give a pile of it to the local. If you are selling to locals, expect to have to extend credit and a huge default rate.

If you want to incorporate, you can only own 40%, locals have to own 60%. You can never own land. Try to get around these limits and the anti dummy laws will come into play.

The most I would ever do here is if I had a long term GF who already had a successful business but needed a capital infusion to expand, and had a solid business plan, I might invest some in it. I would look at that as paying for pussy, not as a business investment.

Never invest more than you are willing to walk away from. Yes I have a car but if the fecal material hits the rotating air moving device, I will just drive to the airport double park it in the drop off zone and leave the keys in it before boarding a flight out of here.

Nope no business here for me.

[Lost Refugee]

Happy New Year God of Mongers aka Jackson and fellow mongers! I hope that ya' all doing well with this ongoing pandemic, probably most of you are in your own country taking a break from hunting. I wonder if there is any of you still fighting here and how you find your ways of getting some fresh fish in this delicate situation. I came across a website a while ago called Locanto, some of you are aware of it, and tried to get some information about the ongoing prices nowadays on different services. I was quoted between 5 k to 10 k for ST and most of them they just want cam show. They just try to sell their pictures or some videos. When the internet it's full of them. Now, I know that some guys back in their countries will pay the money for all those cam shows or just support them financially. Let's hope for a better mongering in 2021, what can be worse than 2020, and stay safe wherever you are!

L. R.