I was born on the 26 th August 1951 in St Luke’s Hospital in Bradford to non too wealthy parents, my Dad worked in the Textile Industry as a Cloth Dyer and my mum was a Nurse! I had one older sister Christine and one much older half brother David who was the son of my mum from a previous marriage but unfortunately my mum’s first husband was killed in WW2! This was I suppose a bit of good luck for me or I would probably not been born at all! Life as I remember it in my early days was OK, we always had food on the table, some of it courtesy of the Government Food Ration Program from the War but on some items it was still in effect! We lived in a small Terrace House which was rented from the local Council but it was OK! When I was very young the Gas Lighting was replaced by Electricity so we were really modern even though the toilet was still out in the back garden! As I grew up I remember a few landmarks in my life! At the age of about 5 I got an Electric Train Set for Christmas! At around 7 we got a television, BBC only with broadcasts of about 4 hours per day in black and white! We got a Portable Transistor Radio which was much more useful than the huge piece of furniture one that was in the living room! At about 7 years old both of these items were fantastic to me and my sister! I ever got big brother Davids Bicycle and learned rather painfully how to ride it in a single day!

Me and Big Brother David and my future Bike!

When I was still young, my dad and a friend bought a car between them, an old Wolsey so then we used to go off on Camping Holidays up in the Lake District which was a very picturesque area of Northern England! Also on some weekends we would go to Blackpool which was a famous Beach Resort for our area, it even had a tower like the one in France! With the car we could travel all over and marvel at even the basic sights as we never saw anything like them in Bradford! Eventually my dad got his own car so we were really independent!

When I went to School I was very lucky because St Mathews Church, had Infants and Junior School attached and they were only just across the road about 50 yards from our house but at that school, we had to walk for lunch at another school canteen which was about a mile away so we had a good walk in columns of two under the supervision of at least one teacher both ways every day come rain, snow or shine! I was also Baptized in St Mathews Church, it was as most of England’s Religious Parishes was at that time, Protestant! Up to the age of 11 I went to Church nearly every Sunday but when I changed school to the senior level I stopped attending!

Mary left, Mum, Dad & Me!

With the family not being too wealthy we got a small weekly allowance from dad but I always had some form of work from a very early age, my first job was a Newspaper Delivery Boy’s Assistant and for about 3 years I did this until I took over the complete paper round as the main paper boy left school and went to work! My sister had a paper round also! Every day after school I would pick up the papers from the Post office and deliver them door to door! It was a heavy job but it gave me some cash in pocket and I could buy things that I wanted or needed without having to ask my parents! When I was about 12 I got a better job offer working on the Chicken Farm of one of my dads friends looking after about 2,000 egg laying chickens kept in Battery Cages, each day I would feed and water them, collect and record the eggs and clean out in general! I tried to keep both jobs going but It was too much so I quit the Newspaper Round! Also on the Chicken Farm I learned how to kill, pluck and dress chickens and turkeys for which I got paid extra especially at Christmas time so I had lots of money, maybe on a good week I would clear over a pound which was a lot at that time for a kid! I could even keep the cracked, miss shaped or soft shelled eggs so this was an extra bonus in the family kitchen!

Dad and Me on my first Bike!

When I went to Wyke Manor High School I had to travel about 4 miles each way by bus and at the beginning as it was a new school there were only 2 Indian Boys, Singh 1 and Singh 2 there and unfortunately they got a very hard time from the English pupils! Some 4 years later when I left that school there were more like 600 Indian and Pakistani Students to less than 100 English Students but they were all good students and very decent people unlike most of the English Students! When it came to Language Class I was interested in Learning German but I was put into the French Class so I took no interest in it what so ever and a few years later when I was in the Army I was posted to Germany! My main interests at school were Wood and Metal Work and Rugby and Swimming, I was never good at sports but I was enthusiastic and made the Rugby team on a Saturday! I also spent a lot of evenings at the swimming pool as I was in the Swimming Club and earned myself a lot of medals for my effort, not as many as my sister though as she was a much better swimmer than me! School for me was not an important part of my life at that time unfortunately as I enjoyed making my small amounts of money working so I was very happy when at the age of 14 I left school and secured an apprenticeship in a motor works as an Apprentice Panel Beater or Car Body Repairer and was looking forward to making the big bucks! Looking back now I think that this was partially a mistake to leave school so soon but not a total mistake! I left school at 14 but could not officially start work until I was 15 so I enjoyed most of the summer break from school with all my mates who had all finished school also!

Me, Dad and Mum!

When My real work started I had to stop working on the Chicken Farm as my work was over a 30 minute bus ride away and I just could not manage to two jobs at the same time! The work was good but unfortunately being the youngest apprentice it was my job to serve up the tea and go shopping for lunch etc so more than half of my working day was spent this way but not being put down I spent as much time as I could not only repairing cars and trucks but learning how to Weld, Repair Engines and Hydraulic Systems, Auto Electrics, Paint Spraying and any other thing that I could learn and get paid for learning! I did well at my work and even changed companies a couple of times but was getting very disillusioned with this kind of work as to be an apprentice for 5 years means that you are a very low paid and over worked individual and even with 3 years under my belt and with a lot of overtime I was only taking home 8 pounds a week which for about 80 hours work was not very good pay to say the least! In order to get to work easier than using public transport I bought myself a Norton Jubilee 250 Twin Cylinder Motor Cycle which as it turned out was OK but I was never really too interested in Bikes and the winter weather in Northern England really put me off Motor Bikes for good and I soon sold it again preferring the warmth of the bus rather than face the elements of the winter on the bike!

Little Me at the beach!

My parents were pretty good to me as I was never charged anything from my salary towards the food even so all on my money was for me! My last job was working in a small company not far from where I lived, it was better paid but still poor and conditions in the old workshop were pretty grim!  After about a week of going to work in the snow, sometimes walking as the bus could not get down the road and having arrived at work I had to get under damage snow packed cars and repair the damage was really getting on my nerves so one morning I set off for work as I usually did but for some reason not even known to myself  on that day, I took another bus which was traveling in the opposite direction and went into Bradford and joined the British Army, Corps of Royal Engineers but that’s another story!

Most coffee shops in Davao City now have WiFi, and most are free, as long a you order something and they have reasonable to good connections. In some cases its better than my home connection too.

I note now that even the SM City in Davao is WiFi, so now no more sitting at Starbucks and buying a $100 coffee or Latte, or whatever just to get on line, but now even the food court allows me to get on. Many Malls, throughout the Philippines are making this happen, and the first Mall I saw free WiFi was Robinson Center in Ermita, and that was over four years ago. My home country still has not caught up, and we are supposed to be ahead of the game. At the moment I am in Quezon City, and everyday I pop into Figaro coffee shop for a great internet connection, with huge download speed and a relaxing place to do all my work too.

However, I like to go online at night, so whilst I am away I have purchased a SmartBro USB Dongle, that in theory is great.  Basically if you can pick up a phone connection, you can pick up the Internet for p10 for thirty minutes. So loaded with P200 off I went happy, until after a day the connection refused to connect. It was a case of having to reconnect so many times, but it would eventually get on and allow me to surf the net, and do most of my work. Unknown to me, every time I was reconnecting it was charging me the p10 for the half hour, even if it disconnected after 2 minutes, or 5 minutes etc,etc.

So through no fault of my own every time it would disconnect itself, it was basically charging me P10 to reconnect, hence I ran out of credit in one night!

So, I suppose my false economy shows, as if I had went to a free WiFi coffeee shop I could have done more, for just the price of the coffee. The USB Dongle cost p850, and the technology sounds great, but honestly even though I am in Manila its not working out very well. The other networks like Globe and Sun offer the same but I hear that its even more unreliable, so maybe its back to the internet cafe for a few pesos and join in the excited games players at night.

Even though its a small frustration, I am impressed that it is spreading fast in the Philippines, and although like any technology it has its problems, at least the country is making it happen and looking forward. I will just have to be patient lol.

Since living in the Philippines, I have a lot of different kinds of friends or companions (kauban), different than I had in the USA.  Friends from many nations.  Of course, a lot of Filipinos, and also expats from countries all over the world.  My list of friends is like a veritable meeting of the United Nations, it seems!  I also have a few enemies (kalaban) here too.  Today, there is one kauban and one kalaban that I want to focus in on.

My kauban is a new friend, I just came to know him a week or so ago, but we seem to be best of buddies.  I would have never had this friend when I was living in the USA, that is certain.  They don’t have this kind of friend in the US.  My kauban is a butiki, or a small lizard!  Ha ha…  yes, it’s true.  I have a new friend who is really a small lizard.  It started about a week ago when I was sitting at my desk in my office and I noticed this little lizard running across my desk.  Bata pa sya (he’s still a baby).  This little fellow is about 1 inch and a half long.  He seems to be my constant companion, though.  I don’t know where his Mom is… I’m not even sure if mother lizards take care of their young after birth.

Butiki - Akong Kauban

This little fellow (or is it a little girl? I’m really not educated in how to determine the sex of a lizard!) has been hanging around on my desk for a week already.  He’s not afraid of me anymore either!  Even if I put my hand right over next to him, he just stays there, kind of checking me out.  If I get a drink and put it on my desk, little butiki goes over and runs around the glass to see what it is.  Maybe he’s thirsty, I don’t know for sure!  But, one thing I do know is that he is curious.  As I said, he is also unafraid!  Despite seeing many butiki every day since living in the Philippines, I never saw one like this!  He is my first butiki friend!

Iring - Akong kalaban

Now, what about my kalaban?  Well, that’s an Iring (cat).  I’ve been a cat lover all of my life, and for some reason, cats have always been comfortable around me.  Usually, with any cat, we become fast friends.  But, this cat…  well, I don’t think it’s going to happen.  It all happened more than three years ago when my kids wanted a new cat, so we got one.  It was just a kitten, only a few weeks old.  At first, she (yes, I know how to determine the sex of a cat!) was friendly to me.  After she started getting a little bigger, though, she came to hate me!  I’ve never known why she hated me, though.

If I go anywhere near this cat, she stares at me, looking like she is about to pounce on me anytime!  It’s like her mortal enemy just walked into the room.  If I reach out to give her an affectionate touch, she will hiss at me, and reach out to claw me!  I’ve been injured by this cat on more than one occasion.  She hates me.  In my heart, I still want her to love me, though, because I’ve never had a cat in my life that didn’t like me!  But, what can I do?  She seems to be unable to ever befriend me!

Hey, cat… don’t you know who is buying your cat food?

So, well, those are my current friends and enemies at this moment.  I have to say that I never expected either a lizard friend, or a cat enemy!

Hmm… where is that little lizard?  I’m looking around my desk and I don’t see him.

Fleeting friends…

A laundry lady in the Philippines. This is not our laundry lady, though.

Pat and her hubby have 2 kids together. Ages 7 and 4 years old. She had 1 kid out of wedlock before she married the guy now. The kid is 14 years old her name is Jane, who is living with the grandparents. So Pat didn’t really spend time with Jane when she was young because Pat was working somewhere in Manila after the birth.  A few years after working in Manila she came back here and started to bond with Jane but it’s too late Jane didn’t know Pat that much and she bonded well with her grandparents and aunts.

So Pat just let the grandparents raise Jane continuously. Once in a while Pat would have Jane at her house since Jane had another siblings now. Sometimes Pat would discipline Jane because she would not study hard in school and go places with her boyfriend even its school day. Her grades are really low some subjects she failed. So Pat tried to scold Jane about her school grades, I guess the grandparents would get mad and even sometimes slap Pat because they think she just had no right for Jane.

Instead of disciplining Jane they will discipline Pat. Like sometimes the grandparents would complain to Pat that Jane would not listen to them, then Pat would tell them that because you guys didn’t discipline her and she thinks she can do anything. They will get mad at Pat, they even let Jane hear sometimes that they argue against Pat.

Sometimes Pat would cry when she’s telling me about the situations at her house. I told her that she should discipline Jane because its her daughter and her parents will not be here forever to be with Jane. That she should discipline Jane before its too late. I told her that its not the grandparents that Jane will blame later if her life is in a mess, that it would be Pat being she’s the mom.

She agreed with me, but typical daughter just a bit scared to say something to the parents. Scared of being the disobedient daughter.  I told her you already the disobedient daughter, you didn’t follow your parents when they asked you not to be pregnant at the young age. Sometimes its hard to advice someone when you know they are not equipped with good knowledge instead with fear.

She brought Jane at the house one day for me to talked to Jane. I was nice to Jane and just asked her what does she wants in life. Jane answered me that she wants to have good life and better life than her mom. I told her if you want to be different and be successful you have to work hard for it. Its not just a hand off. You have to sweat it to earn it. I told her how could you earn if you just going around with your boyfriend? I told her you will end up pregnant at a young age and really you will end up being the laundry lady or the maid someday if your not being careful.

I am really hoping that she will listen. I said that its okay to have boyfriend and be inspired but you also have to do a lot of sacrifices. Work hard on your studies and try to help out your family during weekends. Me and my nieces told Jane the life we had in the farm before, its not an easy life. That really drives us to be successful. I hope she listened to us. I asked Jane if she like and wants the job of her mom being laundry lady? She told me NO. I said I’m sure your mom didn’t want to be the laundry lady but because she didn’t finish school and had the baby at an early age that’s why she end up to be maid or laundry lady.

Like now Jane sometimes comes to our house to help her mom and also for her to eat good food, they’re eating but not totally good food. Jane, she’s really thin for her age. She’s way smaller and thinner than our daughter Jean Jean, who is several years younger than Jane.

Luckily the husband found a job now. He is working with some contractor in fixing lights in the city. Not sure what lights though. I just didn’t asked that much about that anymore. Honestly I want that Pat will have pretty descent life. But she has to work hard though. I hope the husband will continue to help Pat on that quest.

Cheers!

As much as I’d like it to be, this is not an “Open Letter to SMART Bro.”  It’s more like venting my frustrations than anything else.  I mean, I’ve been pretty doggone patient and understanding over these past four months.  Things seem to have arrived at a point, however, where I am starting to feel as though someone is taking advantage of my patience and understanding, and ignoring their duty to fulfill their contract to the best of their ability.

I am at a precipice, delicately balancing all considerations while trying to maintain that patient and understanding outlook on my current situation.

Perhaps the flood of SMART Bro commercials appearing on the various local television channels or playing endlessly on the local radio stations has tossed a little imbalance into the game.  I can still hear the “Nine out of Ten” claims echoing from the sala.

Well, here’s a “shout out” from that “One out of Ten”!

Local ‘Bro is Outstanding

I’ve no beef with those members of the SMART Bro organization here in my municipality and in the provincial capital of Laoag City.  They have served me extremely well.

Signing on for SMART’s broadband internet service was simple and without any hassle or tedious wait.  Courteous, friendly, and beaming with customer service, the personnel at the local PLDT office really took good care of my application and me.  I went out of my way to pass my commendations to them personally and to their managers in their presence.  I wish all business people I deal with in The Philippines were so considerate and caring.

The local technical team quickly responded to the internet connectivity problems that unexpectedly popped up during the past four months and resolved them well beyond my best expectations.  Like anyone inconvenienced, I had wished the team to have shown up and cured the internet ailments “yesterday,” but I did realize that I had a definite place on their list of repairs and found their response time to more than make up for any inconvenience I experienced.  Cures were solid and sure.  I couldn’t ask for more.  Here, again, I made sure that I mentioned my complete and total satisfaction with the team’s efforts and their prompt problem resolutions when completing the follow-on “How’s our service?” survey.

The Gripes Begin Here, ‘Bro

I must reiterate – I’ve no problems with the local SMART Bro organization.  They’re tops in my book.  They’ve done and continue to do their job efficiently, effectively and with the customer foremost in their professional minds.

Outside of those local stalwarts of good service, there’s a problem – a BIG, SMART Bro problem.  I know there must be people elsewhere in the national organization, but they lay low and pretty much reside below the radar or off the radar screen.  The problem appears systemic.

Not having a landline, I’ve more than once used up my (Globe) cell phone loads contacting SMART’s “toll free” customer service number in Manila, being placed on hold for “just one moment, sir,” and watching my cell pesos pay for my “enjoyment” of the latest SMART Bro advertisements playing in my phone’s earpiece.

Even the simple joy of talking to a human being seems tainted.  One “customer service” clerk, upon hearing of my being unable to use the internet, suggested that I download this or that software tool from the SMART Bro website and that would undoubtedly help me.  DUH!  I would if I could connect to the website!  (The software tools, by the way, don’t help – they won’t work properly if one can’t establish a connection via the internet.)

I’m afraid the best “customer service” technical advice I’ve received via my cell phone was an honest response from a young woman who apparently hadn’t been with the organization long enough to pick up their “techniques”:  “I’m sorry, sir, you’ll just have to wait until your internet comes back!”

Beyond the SMART Telecommunications Tower

ATTENTION SMART Bro – lost service doesn’t “come back” just like that.  In fact, lost service doesn’t come back at all.  It’s gone!  POOF! It’s lost forever in the ether, never to come back.  Service can be restored but, once lost, can never be recovered.

My contract states that I will receive unlimited internet connectivity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so long as I keep my account current.  Well, I HOPE TO SHOUT that I WOULD CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY if I have ever received a day or two’s worth of 24 continuous, uninterrupted hours of internet connectivity since I’ve started using SMART Bro.  Patient?  Yes.  Understanding?  Most definitely.  Tired of poor service?  YOU BETCHA!

I understand that these past few months have been plagued with the type of weather conditions that prowl on and attack utilities such as electricity and telecommunications.  I can understand how typhoon rains and winds, with their accompanying floods and landslides, could hamper or eliminate such services.  I cannot fault SMART Bro for service interruptions occurring while I’m experiencing a brown out.

Tell me, SMART Bro:  With all of the bad weather, and its accompanying physical maladies, why is it I can still text or speak on my cell phone?  It is similar technology, handled pretty much via systems found on the same telecommunications towers outside weathering the storms.  I wish I knew.  I’ve often wondered why groups like the N.P.A., the M.I.L.F. and the A.S.G. target telecommunications towers for explosive destruction.  (Could insufficient or nonexistent download speeds be a contributing factor?)

I also wonder why it is that I can now accurately predict a pending brown out by observing a pattern of intermittent then nonexistent internet service offered by SMART Bro.  Yes, if I observe certain characteristics “on line,” I can bet anyone “dollars (or pesos) to donuts” that an electrical brown out will shortly ensue.

I Can Communicate With “Our” Tower

Being experienced in electronic and information systems troubleshooting (a previous career best not elaborated); I can tell where a problem does not exist.  Telecommunications technicians have always used the “It’s on the distant end” method of fixing problems whenever they found themselves in over their heads.  In my case, the problem is not on this end.  Nor is it between my antenna and the telecommunications tower at which my antenna is pointed.

On one occasion of a SMART Bro technical team visit, I “obtained” access to their link testing protocols for my service (and my service alone).  With these smart tools, I can see whether my antenna is in proper alignment with and my equipment is effectively “talking” to the equipment located on the nearby telecommunications tower.  I use these testing protocols quite religiously whenever the internet gets flakey.

The result is usually the same – no problem communicating with the tower.  If I knew the electronic addresses of the nodes further down the link, I’d be able to test them as well.  Unfortunately, I can only avow for my equipment, that nearby tower’s equipment feeding me, and the 5,978 feet of air between my antenna and that on the tower.  Power levels are always at peak performance levels, “jitter” is barely existent, and all is well with the world.

So, What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?

The intermittent and poor internet connectivity problems I experience obviously originate elsewhere.  Somewhere among all of the system nodes, routers, wire-wraps and jury rigs, there is a poor internet connection mirroring itself on my computer’s screen.  I’ve checked everything on this 5,978-foot end, SMART Bro.  How about a little troubleshooting assistance, here?

Please check the equipment on your end.  If it’s not causing the problem, then check the system between us.  I’ve got my side of “our” tower, which I longingly gaze at day after day, covered.  You cover the other side from that point on up to your equipment.

While you’re at it, how about repairing the aircraft warning lights on “our” tower.  They haven’t been “seen” in ages – I see the Globe and the Sun towers’ warning lights every night.

Oh, one more thing:  HOW ABOUT CREDITING MY BILL FOR THE SPOTTY OR NONEXISTENT SERVICE?  I readily pay my bill on time, every month, as directed by our contract.  Filling out additional paperwork and waiting over three months to possibly receive (or be denied) credit is NOT a billing credit – it’s a deterrent at best, and a nightmare at worst.  If you can’t “carry the water” and provide it to me, why should I pay you for it?

Just think – if you cleared up these problems, you endless commercials could quote “Ten out of Ten”!

(UPDATE:  Once again, my sense of fair play demands that I provide this update. 

I’ve been monitoring my “24/7 connectivity” on a 24/7 basis during the past three weeks.  While there hasn’t been a single calendar date [e.g., 12:00 midnight, November 1 to 12:00 midnight, November 2] of continuous 24 hour connectivity – and certainly no two consecutive dates of 24/2 connectivity – there have been periods of connectivity that exceeded 24 continuous hours.  Unfortunately, the outages which broke the “Bro’s winning streaks” occurred in peak moments, when I needed connectivity the most. 

So, I still don’t get 24/7 connectivity but I do get a few random 24 continuous hour periods of connectivity during the 7 day week.  Download and Upload speeds reflect 6% – 14% of the SMART Bro averages [speed test results obtained from and are available at www.testmy.net].  My Upload speeds are most often faster than my Download speeds.  I think there’s more than one problem here, ‘Bro!

My “next appointment” with the SMART Bro Tech Team is 11/24 – quite a wait this time around, as there are a “lot of problems” that are being taken care of.  I shudder while thinking, perhaps, that this next visit will be a repeat of prior visits.  The techs will check antenna alignment, signal strengths, jitter, and BER [Bit Error Rate], find all within tolerances, bust a few moves to show that they’re doing something, and depart victorious from another “it’s not on our end” battle with the illusive connectivity monster.

If and when all problems are solved [i.e., I am receiving 24/7 continuous internet connectivity without drop-outs, my Download and Upload speeds come close to matching SMART Bro's average customer speeds, and I receive adequate compensation - in the form of a true billing credit - for the lack of service I've been subjected to over the past four months], I will immediately and joyfully rush to my laptop and compose an article praising SMART communications and lauding their broadband internet service, and post it without delay – provided that I’m able to access LiP. )

We decided long ago that it was better for us to just build a house, that way we could get what really wanted and not what someone else built.   If you plan on living over here it’s something you will have to think about as well.  The real estate market is very slow over here since the banks keep a tight reign on credit.  Plus the standard 30 year mortgage is nonexistant here.  So most houses are bought and paid for on a cash basis.

Although old, these are capiz shell windows

We looked at houses for sale but most suffered from “Pinoy House Syndrome” as I call it. In other words, the house was built then nothing was ever done to it for upkeep.  The tropical environment is very harsh to houses, and regular maintenance is needed to keep them from falling apart.  I had to laugh at a couple of people who offered us houses that were 10 years old and looked a wreck and they still asked over P4 million for it!

So here we are waiting to design and build our house.  Luckily I have a friend who was an architect in the States so I already have someone that can put my rough design into paper reality.  I really don’t want the standard house that is built here these days.  Hollow block and concrete with metal or wood frame casement windows.  That type of house builds up heat in the afternoon sun and it takes days for it to radiate out.  So, for me it’s time for a little historical research.

How did they do it in the old days before air conditioning?  The answer is simple, the Bahay ng Bato or house of stone.  To be sure only the first floor is made of stone with and upstairs made of wood.  The stone gives a stable foundation and keeps the termites from getting into the wood upstairs.  This design dates back to the early 1800’s and originally the downstairs was the carraige house, offices or family store and the wooden upstairs was the living area.  The windows were large wooden sliding panels with capiz shell instead of glass and the whole design of the living area was open to allow for breezes to cool naturally.  Wood also doesn’t have the heat retention problems of stone or concrete.

Even though I am in love with this design it may be hard to put into reality.  In my research I found only one manufacturer of Capiz Shell windows in the Philippines and it’s “price on request” or as my grandmother used to say “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.”  For now the cost of building will be in the future so I can dream on about having a house that needs little or aircon.

Butuan –Authorities arrested an American National for estafa and large scale illegal recruitment on November 15 at 12:35 afternoon at Gateway Hotel, Kilometer 2, Brgy Luna, Surigao City.

PNP elements of Surigao City Police Station apprehended the suspect Michael David Hollomon, 46 yrs old, married of Indiana, U.S.A. and his wife identified as Armin Degrano Hollomon, alias Fe Lipao, 30 years old, both residing in Bantayan Island, Cebu.

Surigao police apprehended the couple after receiving complaints from several victims who claimed they were lured with their illegal activities.

Police identified the alleged victims as Ellan Joy Cortes Camporedondo, Genevieve Guerra Camporedondo, both of legal age and businessmen, Ederio Sulapas Rendon, Gerlie Ablos Puyales, Frechie Catin Sendiong, Charisse Mae Gesta Gerona, private employees and all residents of Surigao City.

Police reports further revealed that Armin Hollomon has three standing warrant of arrests.

One was issued by MTC Branch 2, Surigao City for estafa with recommended bail bond amounting to 6,000 pesos issued in the year 2000, another warrant of arrest was issued by MTCC Branch 145, Makati City for illegal recruitment with no bail bond recommended dated May 21, 2001.

A third warrant was issued by MTCC Branch 66, Makati City for estafa, with recommended bail bond amounting to 80,000 pesos.

After the arrest, a case for violation of paragraph 6 of R.A. 8042 otherwise known as Large Scale Illegal Recruitment was filed against Michael David Hollomon and his wife Armin Degrano Hollomon at Surigao City Prosecutor’s Office.

Suspects now detained at Surigao City Police Station and requested for preliminary investigation assisted by Atty. Jose Begil.

Upon further verification conducted by Surigao City Police Station, it was learned that said American National has standing Warrant of Arrest at Madison County, USA.

It has been said by many people, those that live in New York City and many tourists and visitors say  ” you just can’t beat a New York Pizza .”  Well, in many respects that may be true, although I think I had my best Pizza Experience in Iligan City, Philippines.

Several months ago  by Internet I learned of a new Pizza place in Iligan that offers  (among many other varieties)  a  36 inch diameter Pizza!  One look at the preview pics of the place and that was near the top of my list of places to visit this year.  I got some of my friends together and we went to  Calda Pizza in Barangay Pala-O on a Saturday night during my visit.  The tables are outdoors on a large lot.  Picnic type tables with umbrellas over them and wide enough to accomodate at 36 inch pizza.   Being a Saturday night the place was full although it only took a few minutes for a table to become available.

I placed the order  for the ” Hawaain Style ” Pizza as that is what my friends agreed upon and for myself just about any variety would please me.  I just had to have one of those 36 inch Pizzas!   This was the largest pizza  (regularly on a menu)  I had ever experienced!

What a huge Pizza!

The cost of the pizza was 1000.10  pesos for the one that I ordered.  It was freshly prepared and brought to our table in about 25 minutes.  Too big to be sliced in a more traditional way,  the slices are squared. It was well prepared and attractively served and tasted good.  Calda Pizza, a great place for Pizza lovers,  for those on a  ” Weight Loss Diet ” be forwarned!  LOL

A resto-bar in Iligan I had seen pictures of many times but had not had the chance to enjoy is a place called  “ The Iliganon. I went there one afternoon with some of my Iligan friends and upon arrival I noticed something I had not seen in pictures taken previously and posted on the internet.  The Iliganon resto-bar had added Pizza to their menu.  After my pleasurable pizza experience at Calda Pizza,  I really wanted to try something more traditional at The Iliganon.

Not being familiar with the names of many of the traditional menu items, I saw something which I pictured in my mind as being some kind of steak (a nice jucy tenderloin, Sirloin etc.).  We also looked at the Pizza Menu.  When our food was served, I found the item I ordered looked like small strips of beef, coated in something like bread crumbs along with some kind of buttery sauce to dip the strips in.   I realize that portions of food there may appear much smaller than you would get at a USA Restaurant or Diner and I also knew that this item would leave me hungry.  I suggested to my friends that maybe we should try Pizza at  The iliganon too so we ordered a large one just to try it.

I had finished the beef item I had ordered just in time for the pizza to be placed at our table. I picked up the first slice, took one bite out of it and then another.  Without hesitation I said to my friends  “I think we better order another one of these Pizzas!”  I had not tasted pizza like this in decades,  yes it was  THAT  Good!

By the time the second pizza was brought to our table the first one had been devoured by myself and my friends, along with the other food we had ordered.  This is sure a place I will visit each time I go to Iligan!

So there you have it,  my Iligan Pizza Experience.  The  Biggest  (Calda Pizza)  and the very best  (Iliganon Resto-Bar).

For me,  yes, Iligan City can beat a New York Pizza!

All the paperworks are lost in Manila, so no card shows up in Olongapo. I go to Manila for two days and “I” found the paperwork’s they must by now think I work there and that they were never informed, or was I ever paid for that matter. Three months later my “I Card” falls from the Manila sky, and it’s good for only one year.

After paying my head tax at the Olongapo Office in 2007, they sit me in front of the computer fill out all the info and take my picture for a new “I Card”, and inform me for an extra 500.00 Pesos they will expedite my application, what the heck, I’ll go for that. After all this new “I Card” is now good for five years.

It’s been two years so far and I still don’t have the card. They think it was sent to another office somewhere here in the Philippines or other parts of Asia, or Europe for all I know.

I asked if I could get my 500.00 Pesos refunded, since if was not expedited very well? Well, that set them into a panic, in the history of this country, a refund has never been asked for before, or received, I calmed them down and asked what could be done, the answer made sense, just wait until the card, I don’t have, expires and apply for a new one! You can’t makeup stuff like this!

Ok, I’m not going anywhere but am I legal? Well it happens that my receipt is legal and binding; you just can’t show it at the airport. So I’ll “just wait” three years and start again, but next time, I won’t pay the 500.00 Pesos extra, that’ll show em’.

Chose to live here? Sounds like without the card I have lost that choice.

Addendum:

March 2009 again while paying my yearly head tax, the “I-card” had arrived in Olongapo City, oh happy days! It was in the office manager’s desk all the time, it was not lost.

Visas for Filipinos

The Philippines is actually quite liberal when it comes to visa-on-arrival entry. There are very few countries’ passport holders who are required to obtain a visa in advance of arrival. Most US, Canadian, UK, or Schengen passport holders have relatively few countries where visas are required in advance, and travel is relatively easy. This is NOT the situation for most Filipinos, however. Most foreigners who marry Filipinos or get into relationships with Filipino citizens quickly discover that it is not easy for Filipinos to travel to many countries. Indeed, when my company was deciding where to locate its’ Asian office, one of the primary deciding factors against deciding to locate it in the Philippines was the inability for Filipino technicians and engineers to easily travel to Taiwan, Japan, Korea, or the United States. Why is that?

Well, like it or not, true or false, there are a number of reasons:

1. The Philippines has developed a reputation as a source for cheap labor, taking jobs away from local citizens.
2. The Philippines has a reputation as a source of mail-order brides, sex tourism, and human trafficking.
3. The Philippines is often regarded as a source of drugs or as a trans-shipment point for drugs.
4. The terrorist or separatist groups that are still active in the country.
5. The large numbers of Filipinos that enter developed countries on tourist visas and overstay their visa illegally and do not return to the Philippines (This is cited as a primary reason for the difficulty in Filipinos obtaining US Visas.).

I have read that between 70% and 90% of all tourist visa applications from Filipinos are denied. Even if that number is inflated, that is a huge percentage. So, you meet a person who is a Philippine citizen, get engaged, and want him or her to go visit the States to meet the family… Just buy them a ticket and no problem… Right? Wrong. OK… You’ll “sponsor” your wife and write an affidavit of financial support. Also wrong. In fact, marriage to a US citizen is not even a guarantee that a visa will be granted. What immigration looks for is intent to LEAVE the United States. Stable job. Bank account with a few hundred thousand pesos. Owning land here. Having electric and other utilities in their own name. How many average Filipinos do you know who can PROVE these things? For expats that intend to live in the Philippines permanently, these types of tourist visa applications are often viewed suspiciously by DHS in the States. Why wouldn’t you want a K-3 to live there permanently? Something to consider before moving to the Philippines.

Well, what about travelling within Asia? For instance, I would LOVE to have Rebecca travel to Japan with me. Problem is, Japanese visas are notoriously difficult for Filipinos to obtain. It is just not worth it for all the hassles just for a trip of a couple of days.

Now, often, Philippine passport holders getting just ONE of the major visas (US, Canada, Schengen, UK, Japan) in their passport makes the other visas a sort of “rubber stamp”. In other words, having a US visa makes a Schengen visa much, much easier to obtain, being less likely to be denied. For Rebecca and I, not intending to live in the US permanently, as of now, a tourist visa (B1) for the US is our best option. We were in process before Juanito entered the picture, and we dropped the process until his paperwork is done and we can travel together. The US Embassy in Manila becomes a necessary evil in this regard, and the process is neither easy, nor quick. The first time we scheduled Rebecca’s interview, the web site stated within 7 days… The actual time was 4 months later. Is it frustrating? You bet. Especially when you are legally married. But, you have no other options, so you grit your teeth, grin it, and bear it.

So, you are living here, and want to take a vacation trip with your Filipino spouse. Where can Filipinos travel without a visa in advance? The list below was shamelessly copied from Wikipedia, but is accurate, to the best of my knowledge. Filipinos can travel to a fair number of countries, as is noted on the list. However, most destinations in Latin America or the Caribbean require a transit through the US, which, after 9/11, requires a visa for transit, so they are effectively closed to visa free travel (in practice, if not in law.)

Visa-free travel

It is estimated that 62 countries and territories granted visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Philippine passport holders, while 41 countries and territories are visa free accessible (visa on arrival for free counted). Visa issued prior to arrival or pre-arrangement required for countries or territories not mentioned below.

Africa
Countries and Territories Conditions of access
Burundi
visa issued upon arrival [2]

Cape Verde
visa issued upon arrival [3]

Comoros
A free 24 h transit visa issued upon arrival at the airport. Within 24 hours this must be converted into a full visa at the immigration office in Moroni (fee payable) [4]

Djibouti
10-day visa issued upon arrival for DJF3,000; 1-month visa issued upon arrival for DJF5,000 [5]

Egypt (South Sinai only)
14-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [6]

Gambia
At port of entry passport 24-72 h transit pass is issued. This must be converted into a full visa valid up to 1 month at the immigration department in Banjul (fee payable) [7]

Kenya
3-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [8]

Madagascar
90-day visa issued upon arrival for MGA140,000 [9]

Morocco
3 months [10]

Mozambique
30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$25 [11]

Saint Helena
visa issued upon arrival

Seychelles
1 month [12]

Tanzania
visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [13]

Togo
7-day visa issued upon arrival [14]

Uganda
6-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [15]

Zambia
3 month visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [16]

Asia
Countries and Territories Conditions of access
ASEAN

Brunei Darussalam
14 days [17]

Cambodia
21 days [18]

Indonesia
30 days [19]

Laos
30 days [20]

Malaysia
1 month [21]

Singapore
30 days [22]

Thailand
30 days [23]

Vietnam
21 days [24]

Non-ASEAN

Armenia
120-day visa issued upon arrival for AMD 15,000 [25]

Azerbaijan
30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$100 [26]

Bangladesh
90-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [27]

Georgia
3 month visa issued on arrival for US$10 ~ US$200 [28]

Hong Kong
14 days [29]

Iran
15-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [30]

Israel
3 months [31]

South Korea (Jeju Island only)
30 days [32]

Macau
30 days [33]

Maldives
30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [34]

Mongolia
21 days [35]

Nepal
15/30/90 day visa issued upon arrival for US$25/40/100 [36]

Sri Lanka
30 days [37]

Timor-Leste
30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30 [38]

Europe
Countries and Territories Conditions of access
Kosovo
90 days [39]

Oceania
Countries and Territories Conditions of access
Cook Islands
31 days [40]

Fiji
4-month Visitor’s Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge) [41]

Marshall Islands
30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [42]

Federated States of Micronesia
30 days [43]

Niue
30 days [44]

Palau
30-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [45]

Samoa
60-day Visitor’s Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge) [46]

Tuvalu
1-month visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [47]

Vanuatu
30 days [48]

North America
Countries and Territories Conditions of access
Bermuda
6 months [49]

Costa Rica
30 days [50]

Dominica
21 days [51]

Haiti
3 months [52]

Nicaragua
90 days [53]

Saint Kitts and Nevis
14 days [54]

Saint Lucia
6-week visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [55]

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1 month [56]

Turks and Caicos Islands
30 days [57]

South America
Countries and Territories Conditions of access
Bolivia
59 days [58]

Brazil
90 days [59]

Colombia
90 days [60]

Ecuador
90 days [61]

Peru
90 days [62]

Suriname
120 days [63]