Life in the Philippines - Driving

Driving in the Philippines

I had to replace my Alien Registration card which meant I could not extend my visa in Dipolog city but instead had to travel to Cagayan Del Oro some six hours drive away. We set of early in the morning since the roads are quieter, however were amazed at the number of motor Tricycles and motor cycles some carrying large pannier baskets on the back but showing no rear light and often front lights with either dipped or main beam, It was a case of now you see them or now you don't and the drivers do not seem to care.

Many expats resort to employing drivers to drive their cars, because if you are involved in any kind of accident as a foreigner it is always your fault. The standards of driving are poor to say the least and even the driving instructors do not follow the rules or teach people correctly often cutting corners on junctions which means they are on the wrong side of the road.

Roadworks are virtually unmarked with no advanced warning signs apart from unlit signs men at work or deep excavation one foot in front of a trench. at nighttime one way sections of roadworks become a free for all. One reason we chose a 4*4 pickup truck rather than a car was because it provides better protection and greater visibility but even so one has to adopt defensive driving techniques watching the road as far ahead as possible for hazards.

Thanks to picking up an ambulance on an emergency run we made our outward journey in record time, tailing him at 2 seconds distance which provides a safe stopping distance no matter what speed you are travelling (as the lead vehicle passes a fixed mark you count 1 second, 2 second before you pass the same mark) Of course at time in traffic you find other drivers will cut in taking your safety distance away.

Once in Cagayan we discovered that the immigration office had moved and we got lost trying to find it new location. We asked a policeman who directed us back to where we had started so instead took us my taxi back to within 500 yards of where we had asked the policeman's help.

On the way home we managed good progress until we reached Ozamis but from there onwards was a nightmare with workers heading home and once again hundreds of unlit or badly lit vehicles, at time one had to use main beam to pick them out, added to which were pedestrians some of home sit on the edge of the tarmac outside their houses.

Hopefully we will never have to make this journey again.

David Ogden
Dipolog city
+639991141149

http://seriouswealth.net

Life in the Philippines

Waiting for results

I am not sure that the saying no news is good news, is good, we are still waiting for final confirmation of Jasmin's annulment and this probably now means that we will not have the documents until January with a knock on effect which will delay our movement to Cyprus until the summer.

We have one piece of good news that one of the documents we need is Police clearance here in Dipolog and we have been informed that this can be carried out in Dipolog city rather than having to travel to Manila as we were originally advised, however now the requirement for this document has also been delayed so once more be are back in waiting mode.

One item that I have been actively pursuing is the cost of moving currencies between countries and I have come across a number of options to using banks, which on the face of it can save money. Most banks make a standard charge of around $30 to transfer money, which if you are sending a small amount can make up a high percentage of the cost. In addition to the fixed charge they also earn a margin on the exchange rate. By using an FX broker service you can save between 3-5% on the money you transfer. I have signed up with a couple to find out what kind of saving I can make of transfer between the UK and Philippines and the UK and Cyprus. But in these difficult times even a few pounds per transaction soon adds up.

Postal service has improved a bit, but once again late delivery of time sensitive documents has cost me money. This is a sad state of affairs and needs to be addressed by the Government.

It would seem that law and order is starting to breakdown in Sindangan, where we used to live, with crimes of murder occurring on a daily rather than a monthly basis, not sure if this can be blamed on the upcoming elections which are due next year, which always increases crime figures.

David Ogden
Dipolog city
+639991141149

http://seriouswealth.net