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[QUOTE=Stroker Ace88;1309306]The time you passed through immigration is not normally noted. Usually only the arrival and departure flight numbers and airline codes are writen in pen next to the stamp.[/QUOTE]I wrote a totally different thing. Read my post again.
[QUOTE=Wicked Roger;1309499]Immigration also scan the passport etc of the guy as well.[/QUOTE]I wonder where all of that information goes. With the number of people moving in / out of the country it would be some interesting software that would be needed for anything meaningful.
I was recently in Cambodia where they match the arriving person, their finger prints and their on arrival photograph. Upon exiting the country they then match my fingerprints with my passport to make sure I was the same physical person carrying the document and leaving. I can see that they had the software and were actively working to reduce [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord908][CodeWord908][/url].
The Phils BI approach just seems half-hearted.
[QUOTE=Stroker Ace88;1309304]The day you arrive in the Philippines is not counted and included in the 21 day tourist visa no matter what time you arrive. So for example you arrive 12:45am on August 1st, your 21 day tourist visa would start on August 2nd and the visa would be valid until August 22nd. It's also common for some BI agents to grant you an extra day making your total stay 23 days if your International flight arrives later in the evening.[/QUOTE]"The reckoning of the 21 days begins on the day after arrival in the Philippines and this visa-free stay allows for regular tourism and business meetings."
[url]http://www.philippineconsulate.com.au/visas.html[/url]
All over the world the day of arrival and departure do count. It seems that in Philippines they exercise a different procedure.
I was not aware of it so I booked my tickets to exit on the 21st day. Next time I might use that extra day.
Thanks
[QUOTE=El Greco;1309653]"The reckoning of the 21 days begins on the day after arrival in the Philippines and this visa-free stay allows for regular tourism and business meetings."[/QUOTE]Anyone every had problems with the carrying of Peso notes? I notice on the immigration form says you have to declare if carrying more than USD10,000 or more than P20,000. It's not hard to be carrying more than P20k.
[QUOTE=BrainDrain; 1309649]I wonder where all of that information goes. With the number of people moving in / out of the country it would be some interesting software that would be needed for anything meaningful. [SNIP]
The Phils BI approach just seems half-hearted.[/QUOTE]BD,
Information? BI software? Nooooo LOL. The info goes into a file folder. A simple folder that very possibly had been passed around 87 times before it landed at the BI airport office. Nothing ever gets thrown away in the Philippines. Reuse is the mantra to great success.
The word technology for the most part has never been used at BI. A whole illegal logging operation somewhere in the Philippines forks over there truckload of logs on a daily basis just to provide the required three photocopies of everything. Photocopy paper rules the Philippines, not microchips or cloud technology.
[QUOTE=BrainDrain;1309843]Anyone every had problems with the carrying of Peso notes? I notice on the immigration form says you have to declare if carrying more than USD10,000 or more than P20,000. It's not hard to be carrying more than P20k.[/QUOTE]Bring in USD $ you get better buy rates here. I never needed more than php10k to get to a money exchange
[QUOTE=BrainDrain;1309843]Anyone every had problems with the carrying of Peso notes? I notice on the immigration form says you have to declare if carrying more than USD10,000 or more than P20,000. It's not hard to be carrying more than P20k.[/QUOTE]No need to carry around the kind of money to enter the Philippines. Just carry enough pesos (mostly in smaller bills) to get you through the first few days. I think 10000p should be enough. Go to a Citibank or HSBC or other well known ATM to withdraw pesos as needed. I often withdraw the max at Citibank to cut down on ATM fees (15000p).
Technically you are supposed to report if you are bringing in pesos and-or US currency in excess of the limit, but many bring it in and few report. Just don't bring in a suitcase full of bills or so many bills that you need a rubber band to hold your bank roll.
BI might also request to see that you have the means to support yourself (pesos or other currency) while you are in the Philippines. This has never happened to me personally but technically they could ask.
[QUOTE=Stroker Ace88; 1310101]BD,
Information? BI software? Nooooo LOL. The info goes into a file folder. A simple folder that very possibly had been passed around 87 times before it landed at the BI airport office. Nothing ever gets thrown away in the Philippines. Reuse is the mantra to great success.
The word technology for the most part has never been used at BI. A whole illegal logging operation somewhere in the Philippines forks over there truckload of logs on a daily basis just to provide the required three photocopies of everything. Photocopy paper rules the Philippines, not microchips or cloud technology.[/QUOTE]Ok, I agree with you there. I proposed a small technology use at a local institution in which many people are utilised preparing monthly reports. I pointed out that it could easily be done in MYOB in about 3 minutes. I could feel the silence as everyone realised that lots of very nice people would be out of a job for the price of the software. Not something I was going to implement or the govt boffin. I do have so much to learn.
But technology for handling the data matching and effectiveness of BI. Now that is a great project. Would cost $$, would increase trade, would reduce dodgy trade barriers etc etc. But this is not the forum for that.
As for taking honeys out of the country on holiday. Something I want to investigate more.
BD.
(BD: This might be off topic and it can be removed / relocated if needed.)
Has anyone checked out the first 7-11 in Cebu which opened a few days ago on Escario? Any other locations?
Just wondering.
[QUOTE=Stroker Ace88; 1310117]Has anyone checked out the first 7-11 in Cebu which opened a few days ago on Escario? Any other locations?
Just wondering.[/QUOTE]I am intrigued by your question Stroker.
I am wondering why you are "just wondering"?
I am not being a smart ass. I am just intrigued why you need intel on a 7/11.
My experience has been that "you see one you see them all". At least that's my experience in Manila and Australia.
7/11s ; Mini Stops they are all clones di ba?
Yeah I read the news a said shit there goes the neighborhood, this place is getting more like a place I left because I am unique, I avoid these type of places and hope they close up and leave.
Maybe I am just strange but I like Cebu I moved to 5 years ago, not the new yank version.
[QUOTE=Stroker Ace88;1310111]Go to a Citibank or HSBC or other well known ATM to withdraw pesos as needed. I often withdraw the max at Citibank to cut down on ATM fees (15000p).[/QUOTE]No ATM fees if you withdraw from HSBC apart from any imposed by your own card issuer
[QUOTE=Frenzy3; 1310236]Yeah I read the news a said shit there goes the neighborhood, this place is getting more like a place I left because I am unique, I avoid these type of places and hope they close up and leave.
Maybe I am just strange but I like Cebu I moved to 5 years ago, not the new yank version.[/QUOTE]Frenzy,
I agree 100 percent. Cebu is slowly starting to look just like all the other places, and the queen city of the south is losing it's small city charm. Cebu is changing and not for the better IMO.
Or maybe I'm just getting cranky in my old age.
[QUOTE=Dark Vader;1310278]No ATM fees if you withdraw from HSBC apart from any imposed by your own card issuer[/QUOTE]That was exactly my point. ATM fees imposed by my bank card issuer. Not everyone is a HSBC client and should be aware to withdraw the max to cut down on related bank fees.
My point also was to stick to well-known banking ATM's when withdrawing funds. Any mishap such as the machine eatting your card, brownout, and-or an ATM machine malfunction where the machine debits your account but does not dispense any pesos (a problem in the Philippines) can be dealt with quicker when using a multinational bank ATM or one of the stronger Philippine banks such as BPI and BDO.
Use one of the regional Philippine bank ATM's at your peril. I say this because every few months a smaller Philippine bank goes bust and if the bank ATM you use is one of those banks and they are in the process of defaulting you will have a hard time proving and getting your money back if the ATM does not dispense any pesos.
[QUOTE=Dark Vader;1310278]No ATM fees if you withdraw from HSBC apart from any imposed by your own card issuer[/QUOTE]I checked them in different places around the world. They might not show an ATM fee as such but if you check the rate you'll notice that it is in there.
I used three different cards from three different banks same time Same amount on same machine and then checked my charges. The cheapest one was always my old Greek bank. Maybe this is one of the reasons they are broke now. lol The worst was always HSBC.