COVID-19 and expatriation in the Philippines

Hope to find you all well. Stay calm. Stay safe. Life is different but still we are able to handle.

My wife send me inside the house when the relief goods been delivered today. She didn't like them to see a foreigner. Ahhhhh. Discrimination. Joke. I took it with a smile

ExPogi wrote:

Hope to find you all well. Stay calm. Stay safe. Life is different but still we are able to handle. 

My wife send me inside the house when the relief goods been delivered today. She didn't like them to see a foreigner. Ahhhhh. Discrimination. Joke. I took it with a smile

Agreed + NO harm appealing for a little 'extra' set of relief items  (which my partner managed to secure!) Not so much for ourselves but to keep these extra items for other poor needy neighbours/family members.
Have also noticed the delivery dates are getting further delayed...which is another worrying trend many of the poor barangay residents are facing!

NEWS JUST IN :
IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) to send Luzon quarantine proposals *by April 25th (Sat)  to President Duterte on their recommendations on the current ECQ success/further advice.
It would then be up to the President to *decide whether the ECQ will be lifted/partially lifted/modified or even extended”

Still property bound until mid May at this stage, and confirmation on age groups to stay at home.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/258496-m … n-lockdown

Cheers, Steve.

Another month and things will get interesting:  Coronavirus response depletes government cash

https://www.philstar.com/business/2020/ … iULuzK8o5c

pej1111 wrote:

Another month and things will get interesting:  Coronavirus response depletes government cash

https://www.philstar.com/business/2020/ … iULuzK8o5c

don't worry! They will find a turnip to squeeze

So May 1 restrictions are letting up here in Ilocos, however people under 21 and over 60 are still not supposed to leave their homes.  The under 21 crowd here in the barangay are acting like any other summer vacation, gathering in groups of 5 or 10 out on the barangay roads while all the over 60 people go visiting in the barangay or shopping where ever.  Wonder what May 15 will bring.

UPDATE: COVID19 ECQ extended until May 15, 2020 for Metro Manila and High Risk Areas.

Other part of the Philippines with low risk areas would be under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) - meaning effective 1st May 2020,  people are allowed to:
* go out
* to go back to work
* Go shopping
* Go travel
* Etc.  within their province limit. They are not allowed to go beyond their provincial border unless both provinces are in a low risk status.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4/ … lines.html

Still cannot go out if you are under 21 or over 60 years old.

mugtech wrote:

Still cannot go out if you are under 21 or over 60 years old.

I think through life experiences if you're over 60 you can make an educated decision if you want to go out.

We're in the last trimester of our life anyways. I think we are of sound mine to make decisions what's best for ourselves.

W9XR wrote:

mugtech wrote:

Still cannot go out if you are under 21 or over 60 years old.

I think through life experiences if you're over 60 you can make an educated decision if you want to go out.

We're in the last trimester of our life anyways. I think we are of sound mine to make decisions what's best for ourselves.

It is about how the government wants to fight covid-19 as a population, not individuals.  Plenty have not been following the guidelines since day one.

Today our plaza had 100 bags of sugar, 50 kg each, to distribute along with 45 bags of rice weighing 50 kg each.  My wife went to the plaza and had her picture taken, showed her ID and was presented with 2,000 pesos.  Don't know how much rice and sugar is being handed out, but the wife went to Vigan to get more brown rice for me.

government and population don't belong in the same sentence! LOL!! Your premise is sound!

Oh! I want to thank the Philippine people for their generosity as today we received 10kg of rice 5 large tins of Yellow Fin tuna and five tins of sardines! We will of course pass these onto Filipino staff here as they will be grateful! We are truly thankful for being part of the community here in Quezon City!

lasvegan wrote:

Oh! I want to thank the Philippine people for their generosity as today we received 10kg of rice 5 large tins of Yellow Fin tuna and five tins of sardines! We will of course pass these onto Filipino staff here as they will be grateful! We are truly thankful for being part of the community here in Quezon City!

You are lucky to get tuna, we get cans of Argentina meat loaf made in the Philippines.  Tasted a can, had a low, spicy flavor, gave the sardines and rest of the meat loaf away.  Don't cry for me, Argentina meat loaf, I kept my promise, now keep your distance.

As of today I'm getting more and more worries about the behaviour of some foreigners living in the Philippines.

More and more news emerge about the arrogant attidute some foreigner showing due to the circumstance they living in high end properties and are obviously rich.

I'm well known here and don't fear any bad comments from my neighbours as they address me already as a Filipino.

But others walking by our place, having that look in their faces of beeing not comfortable of someone living here and having all thats needed.

Because it's simply not true.

Foreigner = Rich isn't a true figure. I met many stranded foreigners and they have nothing left.

My family and me moved last year, after almost 10 years, from Antipolo to Laguna and we bought for the first time our own place. No more rent was the plan. Finding a job in Laguna with lesser hustle than in NCR. Spending a lots of money for a full renovation. Turned a haunted house into a peacefull, fantastic and worth seeing place. We love it like hell. Having a nice car in front of the house and a little “go around” Yamaha.

Does that indicate we are rich? Yes it does!
Is it the truth? No it isn't!

Couldn't find a job. Our own little business (machineshop) didn't stand a chance to grow up. Right during processing the VAT registering process at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) we been cut out by the epidemic.

So beeing still positive and hoping for the best for the future of our family. But right now we are more than happy about the little support we got so far.

2 kg of Rice, one can of Tuna and one can of Argentina

Always stay safe, stay healthy and stay at home...even you have nothing

Take care guys

mugtech wrote:

Today our plaza had:

100 bags of sugar, 50 kg each,

45 bags of rice weighing 50 kg each.

Did they pass out the insulin?

ExPogi wrote:

I'm well known here and don't fear any bad comments from my neighbours as they address me already as a Filipino.

But others walking by our place, having that look in their faces of beeing not comfortable of someone living here and having all thats needed.

It is getting difficult to find things to do after 6 weeks of Luzon Lockdown, but I don't see trying to read the faces of people walking by as a healthy thing to do.  Perhaps you could read books.  Wishing you all the best when you have a chance to get going again.  Stay healthy and stay safe.

It is up to President Duterte period

And you take it, why are you here

Okieboy wrote:

It is up to President Duterte period

Oh wow, white Duterte's bot. He paying well?

Okieboy wrote:

And you take it, why are you here

Maybe some cannot leave at the moment. Seems you are too long here and got this crap "go home" filipino attitude.

Obviously we like here, but some of us do not like government and Duterte. So what? Is it really dictatorship, so we cannot talk? It does not mean if someone do not like Duterte, does not like Philippines as well.

Try thinking what the President has on his plate right now...day in & day out!
I'd rather lock myself indoors & educate myself about world affairs!

Just Saying!

lasvegan wrote:

Oh! I want to thank the Philippine people for their generosity as today we received 10kg of rice 5 large tins of Yellow Fin tuna and five tins of sardines! We will of course pass these onto Filipino staff here as they will be grateful! We are truly thankful for being part of the community here in Quezon City!

@lasvegan

You and I live in the same barangay. Yet, I have not received any food items from the barangay. And the barangay hall is just outside our subdivision. I'm not sure if our HOA admin said something to them.

There is only 1 active case of Covid-19 in our barangay as of May 13, according to Quezon City. But, adjacent barangays had recently had an increase in cases and are currently under extreme ECQ (North Fairview and Novaliches Proper).

--------

I actually don't know what it is like outside our area. I have been outside our subdivision thrice to go to S&R or to check my shop. Not a lot of vehicles out. Most shops / stores are closed. Maybe for every block you'll find one to three adults wearing face masks out walking.

One of my assistants. who lives in Caloocan City, said it's difficult to pass to Quezon City as the highway is blocked off. Another assistant who lives in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan said that their barangay issued one quarantine pass per family. Only one family member can only go out of their property and only on certain days to do errands. For her, it was Monday, Tuesday and Friday. We were also issued a quarantine pass, but it's not restricted to certain days. I guess each barangay has its own guidelines.

One of my relatives lives in North Fairview. Although their barangay is under extreme ECQ, it's not that strict in their subdivision. But in certain subdivisions, she said that residents were not allowed to go outside their homes, and there's noticeably more military presence. Probably those were where new cases came up.

Why would anybody want to live in Luzon??? That whole island is like one big traffic jam!! Get away from Manila!!!

Hi FilAmericanMom!
I live in Redwoods! I have received food twice now! First time about a month ago! 10kg of rice! 3 large tins of yellow fin tuna and a tin of corned beef! All good quality! Yesterday i received 10 kgs rice again! They came around before hand both times and we filled out a short form! Have you received such a form? If not check with the Barangay office and see what's up if that! Good luck!

We received a bag which was labelled as 50 kg of sugar, turns out it was 50 kg of rice.  Our barangay, Manueva, population less than 1,000, has received more than 8 tons, 16,000 lbs, of rice the last 8 weeks.  The bags saying sugar were factory sealed, guess they ran out of rice bags.  Figure 16 lbs for every man, woman and child is a start, hard to live on 2 lbs of rice per week, but it is a help.  No more paperwork required here as we are going from ECQ to GCQ to MGCQ on Monday.

mugtech wrote:

We received a bag which was labelled as 50 kg of sugar, turns out it was 50 kg of rice.  Our barangay, Manueva, population less than 1,000, has received more than 8 tons, 16,000 lbs, of rice the last 8 weeks.  The bags saying sugar were factory sealed, guess they ran out of rice bags.  Figure 16 lbs for every man, woman and child is a start, hard to live on 2 lbs of rice per week, but it is a help.  No more paperwork required here as we are going from ECQ to GCQ to MGCQ on Monday.

Glad to here you're going to MGCQ! Sounds promising! Can't wait to get out and travel a bit in the southern part of the Phil's! I was headed home but got caught up in the problems in SoCal! 28% of the virus in USA is in SoCal so will stay here for now!

lasvegan wrote:

Hi FilAmericanMom!
I live in Redwoods! I have received food twice now! First time about a month ago! 10kg of rice! 3 large tins of yellow fin tuna and a tin of corned beef! All good quality! Yesterday i received 10 kgs rice again! They came around before hand both times and we filled out a short form! Have you received such a form? If not check with the Barangay office and see what's up if that! Good luck!

Nice to hear that you got good quality canned food. My parents from another barangay got rice and smallest cans of sardines and corned beef of some unheard-of brand.

I think Redwoods is the best condo in our area. Unlike Trees and Avida, the front door of units at Redwoods opens to a garden / open outdoor space instead of a hallway. Close to shopping malls, S&R, and a hospital. And the name sounds a lot better too. Imagine living in Trees, and a friend asks you where you live.

SMDC has this odd way of naming their condos using one generic term. My husband and I joke about them all the time. There's Blue in Katipunan. (Is that a place for the brokenhearted?) Then, there's Trees, living in which actually sounds better than living in Grass (near SM North Mall) or Field or Vine or Leaf. Then, there's Wind, which gets the butt of our jokes (pardon the pun). Got Wind?

LOL!!
I looked at Trees and Avida! You're right they are not at all like Redwoods! I like being able to leave my door open and experience the Garden! Trees and Avida half the size and as much to rent or buy! Nice to just step out the gate and be in SM or Terraces in a couple minutes! Also an easy walk through the small Terraces parking lot to Robinson's! Sorry to hear you didn't get best quality food! How long have you and your husband been here! You might have mentioned iot above but I'm to lazy to search 

lasvegan wrote:

LOL!!
I looked at Trees and Avida! You're right they are not at all like Redwoods! I like being able to leave my door open and experience the Garden! Trees and Avida half the size and as much to rent or buy! Nice to just step out the gate and be in SM or Terraces in a couple minutes! Also an easy walk through the small Terraces parking lot to Robinson's! Sorry to hear you didn't get best quality food! How long have you and your husband been here! You might have mentioned iot above but I'm to lazy to search 

My husband and I have been in the Philippines since mid 2008 or for about 12 years. I grew up in this area, and went to elementary and high school in one of the neighboring schools. I lived here till my mid 20's after which I moved to the states.

Did you know that the Jacinto Steel factory used to stand where Redwoods is now located? The land where the 3 malls are located used to be mango plantations. In the middle of Ayala Terraces central garden is a large mango tree, a remnant of the mango plantation that used to be in that land. The spot where S&R now stands and where Commonwealth Avenue Extension meets Quirino Highway used to be an aluminum extrusion factory.

I think part of the reason why some residents in our barangay and also realtors don't like associating their subdivision or development as being in Pasong Putik is because of the unpalatable name. They say instead that their location is in "Fairview" or "near Fairview," because it sounds better. On the barangay's FB site, the term "Pasong Putik" was translated as muddy mountain pass. But that's not accurate. "Paso" means path or trail, and "putik" means mud. Pasong Putik means mud path or mud trail. So, it's not a muddy mountain pass which could become dry in the summer. It's more like a trail of mud which is muddy all year round. It's probably the ugliest barangay name in Quezon City.

But this area, for me, is much better than Fairview. The air is cleaner and less flooding than most of Quezon City, probably because we're on higher elevation. The breeze / wind current comes from the mountains of Bulacan. We're close to the Manila Watershed, which is the only protected rain forest in Metro Manila.

FilAmericanMom wrote:

lasvegan wrote:

LOL!!
I looked at Trees and Avida! You're right they are not at all like Redwoods! I like being able to leave my door open and experience the Garden! Trees and Avida half the size and as much to rent or buy! Nice to just step out the gate and be in SM or Terraces in a couple minutes! Also an easy walk through the small Terraces parking lot to Robinson's! Sorry to hear you didn't get best quality food! How long have you and your husband been here! You might have mentioned iot above but I'm to lazy to search 

My husband and I have been in the Philippines since mid 2008 or for about 12 years. I grew up in this area, and went to elementary and high school in one of the neighboring schools. I lived here till my mid 20's after which I moved to the states.

Did you know that the Jacinto Steel factory used to stand where Redwoods is now located? The land where the 3 malls are located used to be mango plantations. In the middle of Ayala Terraces central garden is a large mango tree, a remnant of the mango plantation that used to be in that land. The spot where S&R now stands and where Commonwealth Avenue Extension meets Quirino Highway used to be an aluminum extrusion factory.

I think part of the reason why some residents in our barangay and also realtors don't like associating their subdivision or development as being in Pasong Putik is because of the unpalatable name. They say instead that their location is in "Fairview" or "near Fairview," because it sounds better. On the barangay's FB site, the term "Pasong Putik" was translated as muddy mountain pass. But that's not accurate. "Paso" means path or trail, and "putik" means mud. Pasong Putik means mud path or mud trail. So, it's not a muddy mountain pass which could become dry in the summer. It's more like a trail of mud which is muddy all year round. It's probably the ugliest barangay name in Quezon City.

But this area, for me, is much better than Fairview. The air is cleaner and less flooding than most of Quezon City, probably because we're on higher elevation. The breeze / wind current comes from the mountains of Bulacan. We're close to the Manila Watershed, which is the only protected rain forest in Metro Manila.

I envy your proximity to Manila and relaxed lifestyle where you settled, always a balanced contribution with years of experience. Chose we did to be closer to family. At the end of the day you are well balanced and realistic, well done and then some. I over the years have listened to expats whinging and whining , there is no place for that here, life and daily prospects are too short for those less fortunate.

Cheers,  Steve.

Thank you so much for that history and geography lesson! Wonderful! I have often thought how this place become known as Pasong Putik! I sensed the first time i read it that it was somehow different! LOL!! In times long past it would have been a good name as it would be a water path which humans have always sought out for their homes! I will google it and see if I can find any pictures of it as it once looked! Where in the States did you live? If I am to nosy just say so! LOL!! You would be a good Blogger for Expats because of your understanding of both worlds! I would read every word you write lol! Your insight to what people thought and why are what makes your words meaningful and unique!

lasvegan wrote:

government and population don't belong in the same sentence! LOL!! Your premise is sound!

Yup agree they are not even on the same page!

My wife wants that stuff but I tell her we don't need it, her sisters and all the neighbors signed up for the 6000 peso, don't need that either

Lucky you!!!

I couldn't and wouldn't say “no thanks” if they ever would give it to us.

But that want happen.

Foreigner = Rich (my a...)

There is a lot of unfair/unethical disbursement of relief funds/goods.
The richer/more affluent with connections will demand a lion share of whats available & the really poor/desperate get very little.
Thats why I make it a point to get our fair share of anything, (Foreigner = Rich my a...), which I then distribute to other family members/
neighbours who are not getting sufficient assistance.

I hear a new class of rich now! BngyCapt or something like that!

Thanks for your kindness to the underprivileged peoples. I also try to help when possible by giving them food. Cheers.