Filipinas - Opinions and Advice

[QUOTE=Red Kilt; 1257387]Hey Sammon and Tanglin: if you are going to give advice make sure it is accurate.

Cebu Pacific uses Terminal THREE (3) in Manila in case some poor soul gets lost in Terminal 2 which is the Centennial Terminal used by PAL.

Cebu Pacific's HOME port was originally Cebu in case the name didn't give you a hint. Wherever did anyone get the idea that Cebu Pacific doesn't fly between Cebu and Manila?

As was posted earlier. Only an average of 10 flights every day and some days even more![/QUOTE]Good post that contains valuable corrected info. Hard to fathom the Philippines largest airline would leave MNL-CEB (the most important domestic route) off the schedule.

[QUOTE=Tanglin;1257312]Cebu Pacific doesn't fly between Cebu and Manila, and out of Bangkok they only fly to Manila.[/QUOTE]Tanglin has been corrected on the first part of his sentence. We should also correct him on the second part. Cebu Pacific flies not only Bangkok to Manila but also Bangkok to Clark (Angeles City).

[QUOTE=Sammon;1257390]In Manila take your GF to baclaran street market or better yet give her money and ask her to go alone. My gf insisted I do not go with her because she says if I am with her it is hard to bargain.[/QUOTE]I use [url=http://www.smgiftcard.com.ph]SM giftcards[/url] for gifts, the girls feel less prostitute if you give them cards instead of money. Technically its almost the same, it just feels like a gift cause its a GIFTcard haha. I also give these out to employees as a bonus, and for small office related expenses.

[QUOTE=Keen Eye Joe;1257379]I just returned from my annual visit to the Phils. One day I took the LRT from Ermita to Cubao, Manila and went shopping at the Araneta Center Mall. I was wearing a nice Under Armour polo shirt with "Arizona State" embroidered on it, which for you non-Americans refers to Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.[/QUOTE]Nice story. Just as a matter of interest, why make the long journey from Ermita to Cubao? Just to go to a shopping mall? There are many malls much more conveniently situated closer to your base than Cubao. Plus you would have gone right past Mega Mall on you way up to Cubao.

You were either in Farmers Plaza or Gateway Mall. The former is the older, smaller mall adjacent to Cubao Station. Reason that I ask is that I have noticed that freelancers hang out in Farmers Plaza and they would view a single foreigner wandering about as a belated Christmas present!

I'm not suggesting that your girl was a freelancer but I think that it was highly likely. In which case, you should really have paid her something, despite her protestations. She was probably a part-timer doing a bit of moonlighting and would have expected something other than a couple of Hershey bars. This is also possibly why she did not keep in contact with you and attempt to repeat the experience. If you had pressed a thousand or two on her, you would have been inundated with text messages, requesting reprises, for the remainder of your time in Manila.

So, well done, you scored a freebie. But to be honest, it would not have left a sweet taste in my mouth (although she undoubtedly had one in hers....lol!).

To make a long story short, the previous week I had traveled 5 hours on a Victory Liner bus from near Alaminos, Pangasinan to the Cubao bus terminal. I was so tired when I arrived that I didn't want to sit in a taxi and fight the rush hour traffic to get to my preferred hotel. So I decided to stay in a Sogo Hotel which was pretty much adjacent to the mall complex. I had never stayed in a Sogo before. They advertise their hotels as being "So Clean And So Good". Well it wasn't clean and it wasn't good. But they did have free western and asian porno channels, haha.

After taking a short nap and shower I was reenergized so I headed over to the mall. While in the Farmers Plaza, I found a kiosk vendor on the top floor who was selling some American football jerseys. I vacillated back and forth about buying a throwback Pittsburgh Steelers Rocky Bleier jersey but didn't pull the trigger. The next day I flew to Iloilo and hugely regretted my indecision. So when I arrived back in MNL a week later, I decided to make the long trip back to Cubao from Ermita. And dang it all, some bestard football fan got to the jersey before me! I was so bummed.

I met her in the new section of the mall complex. It probably was the Gateway Mall, but the name doesn't ring a bell. I do recall taking a sky bridge across from the Farmers Plaza to the newer mall area, where I met the lady the'jour in a mall wing with fancy schmancy stores. I recall we met in front of an Ecco shoe store, if that helps. As to whether she was a freelancer, it's hard to say. I just attributed the whole event as one of those "two ships passing in the night" kind of things, so my conscience is clean, haha. Actually I'm not a big fan of repeat sessions. I like variety and get bored easily, so I wasn't too disappointed when I didn't hear from her again.

I guess I should be posting this information in the Manila thread instead of here, but speaking of freelancers in the Cubao area, I did encounter some late night activity. A couple of girls hanging out on the overpass that leads across EDSA from the Sogo side to the Farmers Plaza, as well a couple standing on the mall sidewalk near the corner at the base of the overpass (near the mall Jollibee).

But during my daytime mall excursion trip, I didn't see any activity at all either inside or outside the mall. On both trips I spent a few hours strolling on all levels of the malls and not one woman initiated any verbal or "come hither" eye contact other than the girl I ultimately ended up with. Much different from the Ayala Center in Cebu where I routinely encounter at least one girl offering services.

The women that were obvious providers were either old, ugly, or a combination of both. They offered "massage" but we all know what that entails. The best looking one out there was a 28 year old being pimped out by an old toothless hag. When I tried to converse with the girl, she didn't respond to me. The hag said she had just arrived from Samar and knew very little English. I would rate her looks to be a 5 out of 10, nothing too special. 500 pesos for all night. There are a few small KTVs in the area around the Sogo Hotel, and I had a drink at each one. I am not much of a KTV person because if I'm going to pay for a girl's time, I want her waxing my weenie instead of just sitting pretty next to me for her 160 peso ladies drink. And besides, I was really tired and wanted to save my strength and stamina for the next day's trip to Barrio Barretto in Olongopo, so I didn't partake.

[QUOTE=KongKing;1257436]Tanglin has been corrected on the first part of his sentence. We should also correct him on the second part. Cebu Pacific flies not only Bangkok to Manila but also Bangkok to Clark (Angeles City).[/QUOTE]OK, ok. Consider me properly whipped with wet noodle. I was looking at their on-line route map, and I didn't realize that they had both an international one as well as a domestic one.

[QUOTE=Keen Eye Joe;1257586]So I decided to stay in a Sogo Hotel which was pretty much adjacent to the mall complex. I had never stayed in a Sogo before. They advertise their hotels as being "So Clean And So Good". Well it wasn't clean and it wasn't good. But they did have free western and asian porno channels, haha.[/QUOTE]If you had popped around the corner from Farmers Plaza, there is a branch of Eurotel, which is exponentially better than Sogo at almost the same price. And you get 4 hours instead of 3.

Hey guys,

I've had a situation come up that I'm sure many of you have gone through. 30yr old educated filipina I've been in contact with for nearly 3 years, never met because we had only just met online 2 months before my last trip, didn't want to travel to meet her, just friends, etc.

She has been in SG for the last month looking for a job, she found something and needs to pay an (agency) finders fee. 1/2 through paycheck deductions and 1/2 upfront. The amount is irrelevant, I can afford it, and promised her I would help.

Now I'm not one to make loans to my friends. I would be giving it to her with no expectation or timeframe for return, it would be her choice to give it back.

But, I have some conditions in mind that I want to bring up with her. At the risk of being offensive.

I want to deal directly with the agency, communication, research, $$ transaction etc.

I have no reason not to trust her, she has never said anything that didn't "add up" with me, or given me any reason to pity her, ask for money, unlike every nearly every other filipina I've ever met online, eventually some obvious lies come out. I made the offer.

How do I tell her I want to deal directly with her agency? If she gets defensive is that a big red flag that I'm being scammed? If you've read this far you probably think my gut is telling me not to do it, and that is why I'm posting, but that is not the case. I just want opinions.

Thanks!

[QUOTE=Busdood; 1276422]Hey guys,

I've had a situation come up that I'm sure many of you have gone through. 30yr old educated filipina I've been in contact with for nearly 3 years, never met because we had only just met online 2 months before my last trip, didn't want to travel to meet her, just friends, etc.

She has been in SG for the last month looking for a job, she found something and needs to pay an (agency) finders fee. 1/2 through paycheck deductions and 1/2 upfront. The amount is irrelevant, I can afford it, and promised her I would help.[/QUOTE]Well I cut it off at this point without even reading the rest of the post. It has been said time and time again in the forum that your money and a chick you have never met does NOT go together. So this chick is 30 years old, educated, and the only way she can get the money that she needs is from a person she has never met. As they say in PI: Bolla Bolla.

If you are giving money away, I'll take some. If you give her money, you will deserve whats coming.

[QUOTE=Busdood; 1276422]How do I tell her I want to deal directly with her agency? If she gets defensive is that a big red flag that I'm being scammed? If you've read this far you probably think my gut is telling me not to do it, and that is why I'm posting, but that is not the case. I just want opinions.

Thanks![/QUOTE]I suggest you write "I want to deal directly with your agency". But what difference does it make, if you decided to flush that money out of your system? Will that extra little bit of experienced control make any real difference other than adding distrust to your friendship? Or is it more a matter of testing her story? If you want to help her, just send her the money. I would never do it, but in cases where I do decide to share some wealth, I always reason that it is best done in a way that makes everyone happier and not more uncomfortable. Either you give or you do not give. Money comes and money goes. Karma remains.

B.

[QUOTE=Busdood; 1276422]Hey guys,

I've had a situation come up that I'm sure many of you have gone through. 30yr old educated filipina I've been in contact with for nearly 3 years, never met because we had only just met online 2 months before my last trip, didn't want to travel to meet her, just friends, etc.

She has been in SG for the last month looking for a job, she found something and needs to pay an (agency) finders fee. 1/2 through paycheck deductions and 1/2 upfront. The amount is irrelevant, I can afford it, and promised her I would help.[/QUOTE]Almost all legitimate agents get their money from the hiring company, not the employee. Sometimes it's through payroll deductions, and other times it's directly as a fee paid by the company.

[QUOTE]Now I'm not one to make loans to my friends. I would be giving it to her with no expectation or timeframe for return, it would be her choice to give it back.

But, I have some conditions in mind that I want to bring up with her. At the risk of being offensive.

I want to deal directly with the agency, communication, research, $$ transaction etc.[/QUOTE]She'll be offended, and even if there really is an agency, they won't want to deal with an outside party like you.

Personally, Enternational's advice is well considered. Otherwise, if you want to give her a gift of the money, then consider it a gift and let it go at that.

[quote=tanglin;1276899]almost all legitimate agents get their money from the hiring company, not the employee. sometimes it's through payroll deductions, and other times it's directly as a fee paid by the company.[/quote]hold your horses my friend. not so fast.

why do you see loads and loads of filipinos here, from kfc, mac, even indian restaurants?

well, the filipinos are conditioned to not find a job without an agency, or they will rot in hell. and that's why a lot of agents love filipinos.

for filipinos, a rule of thumb is 200$ registration fee to agency, and upon securing the job. 3000 $ or equivalent (all s$). and the agents are smart enough not to refuse dealing with third parties.

i know enough girls in universal studios here, as well as in some entertainment spots, working as waitresses / front desk in hotels, all of whom paid agents and religiously pay the agent when their contract gets renewed and will get mad it you tell them it is ok to go minus an agent and then they are also highly educated but dumb enough to believe the agents words that getting pr will reduce their chance of a job (actually the agent means he / she will loose our a source of income.)

primarily the agent speeds up the poea process, bribes the employers hr people and all and secures a job.

for me, i done it once. though getting back half the money was tough, since once she started, her priority shifted to taking care of her family and i recovered 50% and then i felt bad too, when i realised that the agents were still screwing her and her colleagues right royally by declaring a pay of 2, 200 and only paying them 1, 200. on top of the agency fees etc.

now, if i am an agent, and i have like 30 people in my payroll and on top of their agency fee, i still deduct anything between 300$ to 500$ per month for the whole contract period. well, does it take a lot of time to figure out the reason why local unscrupuluous employers and agents love filipino workers?

they may be educated by they are street smart. zero and refuse to reason that they are all being taken for a ride en-masse. a relative of mine runs an agency here, and her requirements are always clear. "i need two filipino architects" and when i say if i can refer indonesians or others she will go like "no, the employer only prefer filipinos". in other words, she cannot milk others like she can do with filipinos.

oh, and the fact that the govt insists that if you go without an agent you are a trafficking victim and may end up as working girl and all. and the natives meekly accept all that. and go only makes it fun for the agents.

oh, above also applies to guys who come in with higher paying jobs too and any attempt to get some common sense into their brain will make they vent their anger and fury at foreigners trying to deprive the good people of poea / dole out of jobs.

busdood: does above make some good reading? haha

[QUOTE=Mr Enternational;1276465]Well I cut it off at this point without even reading the rest of the post. It has been said time and time again in the forum that your money and a chick you have never met does NOT go together. So this chick is 30 years old, educated, and the only way she can get the money that she needs is from a person she has never met. As they say in PI: Bolla Bolla.[/QUOTE]Yes I agree the girl or what ever it is, is a scam at 30 and is in SG sounds like a bloke to me. Busdood Send me the money I will send you photos of my gfs they can tell you how much they love your money

[QUOTE=Busdood; 127]I have no reason not to trust her, she has never said anything that didn't "add up" with me, or given me any reason to pity her, ask for money, unlike every nearly every other filipina I've ever met online, eventually some obvious lies come out. I made the offer.

How do I tell her I want to deal directly with her agency? If she gets defensive is that a big red flag that I'm being scammed? If you've read this far you probably think my gut is telling me not to do it, and that is why I'm posting, but that is not the case. I just want opinions.

Thanks![/QUOTE]You are being scammed but you already know that. You have made up your mind to be scammed. You want opinions? Take the money roll around in it, rub one out the old mutton dart then set the cash on fire. It will be more satisfying.