Hello All,
I was hoping to get some advice on this big change of life my and my wife are planning. I recently got out of the Army with a small disability pension. Since then I have been working in the oil fields. I began to realize I left one job where I never saw my family to another job where I never see my family but make a lot more money. My wife is from Davao, which I love . Not to long ago we bought a Camella home in buhangin . At first it was a investment / vacation home... but as time goes on we decided we want a simple happy life back in Davao. .
Our plan right now is pay off the rest of our debt, rent the home we own in the US ( possibly sell ) and move to our home in the Philippines around 2021 or 2022. She tells me all the time my little bit of pension from the military is enough to live there if we go debt free.I get around 1500$ a month. I want to stack as much cash as possible while the oil is booming. She also wants to get a small franchise over there for something to do not really anything to get rich on. I on the other hand want to teach martial arts... not sure if there is a big calling for that in the area ( I specialize in Okinawan arts ) again its just something I want to do to keep me from always going to the beach and drinking myself to death. We also are looking into investing in land in Samal Island before the bridge goes up. While we have a drafted plan there are some things we are not sure on and would love your advice!
Some things we need advice on...
-How difficult is it to get our children in a PI school ? (around 8 and 9 by the time we move) How far ahead should we plan ? They are not fluent in bisaya but are learning more everyday.
-When moving vehicles , is it better to sell our vehicles here and buy new there ? ( Is it time to say bye to my Harley? lol ) I have a Charger I would love to take over... but understand getting services in the area may be impossible in the future?
-Is 1500$ enough for a family of 4 now adays in Davao if all our investments went sour? ( always plan for the worst)
-For those that already made the move... would you recommend leaving behind the furniture and taking the bare minimum.... or go ahead and get a overseas moving service? How much are we looking for a total move? ( i honestly just want to take the TVS and computers... the rest we can replace lol)
- Would it be better to send the wife and kids over first while I work for another year or 2 in the oil fields so she could settle in more comfortably? I am curious how others made the final step?
-As far as paperwork , visas , ect What would me and the kids need to live over there? My wife is still a PI citizen living here on a Green Card. She wants to become a US citizen before she leaves... is this wise?
Any advice you could give we surely appreciate.
God Bless
Chad and Jove
Preparing to move to Davao... Advice please
Good luck with the move Cazwik,
Just be aware of the following, ref Davao:
Article from the 19th of Sept, 2018
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1765348
Davao Region placed under threat level 3
September 19, 2018
DAVAO Region has been placed under terrorism threat level 3 due to the prevailing security situation in neighboring region.
Philippine Army 1003rd Brigade commander Brigadier General Ernesto Torres told reporters on Wednesday, September 19, that Davao region's threat level was raised to Level 3, citing a strong possibility of terror attacks within a short period of time due to reports of bombings, plans of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), remnants of the Maute Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the kidnap for ransom groups.
Based on the legend of terrorism threat level, Level 1 means low, Level 2 is moderate, level 3 is high and the highest is Level 4 which is categorized as extremely high.
“We are on high threat level on matters of terrorism,” Torres said. This threat level was assigned because of the series of incidents in central Mindanao to include the series of bombings in Region 12.
With the threat level, they are also boosting their security efforts to thwart possible spillover of the atrocities in other regions.
“If you are asking on the proportionality on the threat level and our preparation, we're always one step higher. If the threat level is one, our security preparation is 2 and so on and so forth because we would like to be one step ahead as much as possible with the plans and the activities being undertaken by the terrorists and the insurgents,” Torres said.
He likewise assured that on their part, they are not letting their guards down to ensure that terrorist groups will not enter the region to sow terror in coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
“We are assuring the people with the needed collaboration, Davao City will be safe for everybody,” he said.
Despite the high threat level in Davao Region, Torres said the region is currently generally peaceful.
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