Dave Hounddriver

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I know more than a few foreigners with Filipina wives or partners from Masbate. These foreigners usually go there once or twice but I know of no one who went there a third time. They let their ladies go by themselves to Masbate now. The ladies go when they want to visit relatives and friends. Each has different reasons but if you plan to build and live there you will want to spend a lot of time figuring out why the other expats do not like it. One of my friends has a wife who goes there quite frequently. Land is cheap and she built a boarding house in Masbate for her own retirement venture. It makes her happy and she believes it will provide her with something to do when her older husband eventually passes away. He is happy to have his free time when she goes to Masbate. But this is all anecdotal stuff. Welcome to the forum and I'm sure you will work out what is best for you.

A Google news search of San Carlos, Negros Occidental, comes up with numerous articles about shabu. That may be a clue to the reason behind these robberies.

You and I both know that we can do as much homework as we like and still come unstuck. But sometimes we get lucky. You got lucky in Boracay, (your condo is OK right?) and I got lucky with an ex who did not screw me in a bad way. Life is a risk in the Philippines and we all take those risks, whether we know it or not. Yes, loads of guys get shafted here, but nothing we say will stop the next guy from thinking it won't happen to him. That's why we should all smile and say "good for you" when someone goes against all the advice on this forum (which almost all of us have done from time to time ) So best of luck and congrats to bastonjock and may all his problems be little ones.

You forgot this part, Dick You also forgot that this is Philippines. Interpretation of "Rules" vary from office to office and can change overnight with one memo from head office.

Feedback, my opinion only. Arriving on May 10th and leaving on Sept 4th means you are not here long enough to need an ECC (Exit Clearance Certificate). To the best of my recollection, you do not need to show the ACR to leave if you are not here long enough to need an ECC. Again, in my opinion, the worst case scenario would be someone from BI at the airport bringing you into their office to get you to pay for an ACR extension. I have left on an expired ACR many, many times with no problem but this is Philippines, your mileage may vary. If it was me, I'd just go with it. If anyone asks to see the ACR then show them the expired one. There is a 99.99% likelihood of this working IMHO.

Apparently, it is. I am not sure where the line is between renting your own place and renting more than one place. He only has 3 apartments but he is doing what BIR told him to do. Perhaps they mislead him, as in: Here is a foreigner willing to give us money so let's take it. I really do not know, although I did read a long time back that rentals were taxable on the gross rents so I have a gut feeling he is right.

Amen to that. And if anyone finds a grey area they should be sure to stay on the "angelic" side of the line. I was surprised, yesterday, when a friend of mine told me that the apartments he rents out are all "done by the book". He has an accountant who remits 12% of his rent revenues to the BIR every quarter, regardless of any expenses. At the end of the year, there is a "settling" where he is allowed to deduct some annual expenses from the rent revenue. I wonder how many of us expats even knew that was how it was supposed to be done, let alone actually doing it.

This is Philippines, Bruce. I have not heard of any qualifying tourist being refused the ECC at any International point of exit in the Philippines. But even if someone just did it yesterday that is no guarantee you will be able to do it tomorrow. You may be the first to be refused This is why I always do mine at BI JMall, because even though I am sure you can do it at the airport, there is the old saying:

Are you suggesting that even the church cheats the taxman? Oh, the horror! Whatever happened to "give unto Caesar those things that are Caesar's"? Or is the Pope the new Caesar? Joke lang, we all know how it works.

So they are labeling this as the act of a crazy person. What are the chances that an extremist figured it out and the authorities are downplaying that angle?

In every topic, there is an exception. I am wondering why you (and the op) chose those specific accommodations if Internet is the number one thing on your list of must-haves? Were there no other choices with good Internet?

There's my answer to what kind of people would do that. Someone who needs the Internet enough that money is no object. Problem would be that it likely took a week to get installed so you only had it for 5 of the 6 weeks, or did you get express lane service?

That scares me. One would think there was a screening process for this. Anyone can go off-balance from emotionally upsetting events, (like his wife running off with his best friend which I use as an example of what could have set him off), but surely a co-worker would send him to the company shrink for stress leave?