Here's A New Twist

[Mike S]

Wow ...... thought I'd heard everything but this takes the cake ....... so foreigners are going to plant trees so the illegal logging companies can harvest them ....... as far as the region in which they will stay will probably mean the land owned by the Representatives of other Governmental personal ........ I can see it now ...... "you gotta plant 10 coconut trees on my plantation" ....... "I need the money" ......... ya gotta love the reasoning and logic ........ hummmmmm ... did I say logic ...... MANILA, Philippines - Foreigners seeking admission to the Philippines may soon be required to plant trees prior to the issuance of their visas, if a bill in the House of Representatives is passed into law. House Bill 5577 seeks to amend Sections 9 and 13 of The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 for foreigners to plant at least 10 trees in the region they plan to stay. "Southeast Asia could have three-fourths less forest cover and 42% less biodiversity by 2010 at the current rate of logging, forest fires and problematic land use," author Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro) said in an article on the House of Representatives website. He added this would show the foreign national's commitment to protecting the environment. Rodriguez noted that global warming and climate change are intertwined with the world's decreasing biodiversity. For non-immigrant applicants, the additional requirement of planting trees shall apply to an alien businessman, an accredited official of a foreign government recognized by the Philippine government. The proposed measure also covers a student who plans to take up a course higher than high school, and an alien covered by prearranged employment. Also, the bill provides that parents or guardians of minors seeking admission as immigrants shall also be obliged to comply with this requirement. - GMANews.TV

Edited December 24, 2008 by Mike S

[Jollygoodfellow]

Wow ...... thought I'd heard everything but this takes the cake ....... so foreigners are going to plant trees so the illegal logging companies can harvest them ....... as far as the region in which they will stay will probably mean the land owned by the Representatives of other Governmental personal ........ I can see it now ...... "you gotta plant 10 coconut trees on my plantation" ....... "I need the money" ......... ya gotta love the reasoning and logic ........ hummmmmm ... did I say logic ......

This is real serious stuff Mike, :AddEmoticons04230: It may be OK for you as perhaps there will be an exemption as you fall into the senior citizens bracket but for me being a little younger it will mean a hike up the mountain with a backpack stuffed with 10 trees a shovel and watering can.Take pity on my wife too, her backpack would need to be filled to the top with San Miguel for the long hike.I figure that its best she carry the beer so its easier for her to pass the bottles over to me rather than stopping all the time.As you can see there could be many more consequences once this bill is passed, I wonder if I could import my 10 trees as mature trees in one foot blocks? Last tree standing

[Mike S]

Well Tom I see a flaw in your plan :AddEmoticons04230: ...... how can she pass you the beer when she will have a shovel in her hand and have to dig holes ...... better you carry the beer and she the shovel and trees ...... that way your beer drinking will not be interrupted ........

[Mr Lee]

I think that most foreigners who apply for visas are older, I also think the Philippines may not be thinking ahead on this one. I know when I met my wife and had to walk up the mountain to get to her families village, I felt that I was just about having a heart attack, and I was only 46 years old then, if I had to do it now, I am sure I would be a goner before getting there. I guess us old farts would just have to hire some Filipinos to do the heavy work for us and we can just ride up on a horse or carabao. Money is what it is always about, how to bleed us foreigners for some more money and if they pass this, then someone will no doubt set up a business to plant the trees for us for a fee and guess who will be running it and getting the money, the good old Philippine government. When are they going to wake up and make it easier for foreigners to live in the Philippines and not harder. I wish there was a way for an unofficial protest and for all foreigners to decide to leave the Philippines for a month, so the Philippines could feel the economic impact left behind by the lack of us spending money. Then maybe they would wake up. I really think that the Philippine government does not know or appreciate what a big part the foreigner money spent has on the economy of the country.Lets see, they estimate that there are 200,000 Americans living in the Philippines and I am sure that there has to be more than that amount of other foreigners living there, so lets us just take the round eye foreigners and guess at how many there might be and guess low and say 500,000 and multiply that times say the equivalent of 1000 US dollar average per foreigner, and that would be the approximate amount that the round eye foreigners who live in the Philippines, spend a month in the Philippines. Of course there are foreigners who spend a lot less and then there are foreigners who spend a lot more, so I am just trying to give a basic number and not trying to be exact and I am not even counting the round eyes who visit a year and spend their money or the people who send money home to the Philippines every year because we know that is over 13 billion dollars a year alone.Now I am not very good with numbers that big, but if I am correct, that is a half a billion dollars and if we times that times 12 months, we spend over the equivalent of 6 billion dollars a year. I wonder how the Philippines would survive without our money for even a month.Now I would never really want to do this because I would never want to hurt the average Filipino, but I am just trying to make a point.

Edited December 24, 2008 by Mr. Lee

[Markham]

I don't think that foreigners will be expected to physically plant ten trees. I think it more likely that foreigners will have to pay a tax each time they enter the country the equivalent to the cost of planting ten trees. No doubt we'll be charged for hardwood too - as that's what the loggers want due to the high value - so reckon on having to pay $15 to $20 per tree as a year-old sappling.The proposal is complete nonsense:

House Bill 5577 seeks to amend Sections 9 and 13 of The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 for foreigners to plant at least 10 trees in the region they plan to stay.

Resorts like Boracay, Malapascua and Panglao will quickly run out of available land if this Bill is enacted! Either that or they won't be receiving many visitors.This is yet another example of xenophobia by some in the political classes.Mark

[TheMason]

This is yet another example of xenophobia by some in the political classes.

I don't think it's xenophobia so much as simple populist grandstanding. I see foreigner bashing in the Philippines the same as politicians in the US swearing not to raise taxes. When you need a few extra votes, threatening to make the foreign devils pay more money is a sure way to get them.I find it ironic though because nobody screams louder than the Philippines when one of their OFWs is perceived to have been treated unfairly or poorly. I guess it's only foreigners in the RP that deserve scorn. When Filipinos are the foreigners, everyone is expected to genuflect and thank God there are Filipinos willing to work as servants in the wealthier countries.

[tom_shor]

If they see that deforestation is a problem why aren't they addressing that directly. If they really did that it would be like so many other things there. They would collect the money but the trees would never be planted then in a few years there will be an investigation and a whole list of excuses why the trees couldn't be planted and lo and behold the money is mysteriously gone. Administrative fee's.

[twostrokes]

Actually back in the late 80's /early 90's, there were may thousands of trees planted all over Luzon that I know of. The USA paid for the trees and paid the local people millions of pesos to plant all the trees...the next year they were all burned as the local folks did their slash and burn tactic on the mountains that were covered with all these new saplings. Mind you these are the same people burning them off as the ones that planted them...Some more of that "would you rather have 20 pesos now or 1000 peso's next month. Take the 20 and run" mentality.As far as the idea of all foreigners leaving for a month to show them something, wouldn't work. One must rememberthat all people in gov't could care less about the country, they only care about their own pockets...and/or the people that backed them getting into office. So unless there is some way that all leaving would directly hurt them, it would do no good.Since most money that expats spend probably goes more to the little guy, it wouldn't matter. But they could sure turn it around and use it for more foreigner bashing and place the blame on the poor economy on some foreigner.Jim

[Dave Hounddriver]

As far as the idea of all foreigners leaving for a month to show them something, wouldn't work. One must rememberthat all people in gov't could care less about the country, they only care about their own pockets...and/or the people that backed them getting into office

Agreed. This was absolutely, positively proven in Zimbabwe over the last 20 or so years. It was George Santayana who said "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

[tom_shor]

As far as the idea of all foreigners leaving for a month to show them something, wouldn't work. One must rememberthat all people in gov't could care less about the country, they only care about their own pockets...and/or the people that backed them getting into office

Agreed. This was absolutely, positively proven in Zimbabwe over the last 20 or so years. It was George Santayana who said "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

Yes my friend found that out in 7th grade. :welcome: If you want to live in the Philippines you just have to take it as it is. Warts and all. (Some brithsh guy said that) :th_thsmilies-29057: