Philippines Guide
For Travelers, Expats and Pinoys
Choosing Expat Health Insurance
As a foreigner in the country, you have to be prepared physically, mentally, financially and emotionally for the challenges and adventures that you will have. Part of the preparation that you will need to include on your list is to get an expat health insurance. Having an expat health insurance will give you the peace of mind that you will have immediate and appropriate health services in case something unexpected happens during one of your trips.
When choosing expat health insurance, there are some things that you should consider.
Just like most people who buy health insurance, one of the first things to consider in the expat health insurance is the cost. The price of the expat health insurance varies from one person to another. The quote is based on the age of the person, the location, the type of coverage that you choose and if you have any pre-existing conditions. The presence of pre-existing conditions could make your expat health insurance quote higher than that of a person without any health issues.
Get an expat insurance company that you can trust. Ask the expat insurance company how long they have been in business. Ask for papers as proof. It is less risky to deal with an expat insurance company that has been in business for at least ten years. For recommendations on expat health insurance companies, you may ask your friends and the consulate or embassy of the country.
If you currently have insurance, ask how will getting an expat health insurance affect it? Some expat insurance companies will allow you to switch terms from a different insurer without having a waiting period for the approval of your expat health insurance.
Is your family with you, or are you planning to have a family? Ask the expat insurance company if they have coverage for your family members and how you can get insurance coverage for your kids.
When choosing an expat health insurance company, inquire on the terms when having your treatment. Can you choose your own doctor or do you just have to go to the doctors and hospitals that are affiliated with the expat health insurance company?
Request for information on how to file expat health insurance claims. Make sure you understand the process and that the process of filing a claim is easy, practical and will not cause you or your family much disadvantage.
When traveling internationally, it is important that you get an expat health insurance to cover any health issues that you might encounter. You wouldn’t be sure how your body would adapt to the geographic changes.
Expat Visa Requirements
Before you will be allowed to enter the Philippines, you are required to secure a visa from the Philippine consulate or embassy in your country. Just like in other countries, there are several expat visa requirements that you need to submit before you will be issued a visa to the Philippines.
One of the expat visa requirements is your passport that should be valid for at least six months from the date of your intended stay in the Philippines. When submitting the expat visa requirements, only the photocopy of your passport is required.
Another important expat visa requirement are the accomplished expat visa application forms. These forms are available from the Philippine embassy or consulate and may also be downloaded from the website of the Philippine government. In order to process your expat visa requirements quickly, fill in all the needed information completely and attach the required documents.
As part of your expat visa requirements, you will need to submit a proof of your status. Are you coming into a country as a tourist or as a businessman? Are you a student who intends to study a short course or are you going to get a college degree in the country? Prepare proof that justifies the purpose of your stay in the country.
Depending on the length of your stay, one of the expat visa requirements could be a return ticket to your country or a ticket to your next destination.
Along with the forms and documents for your expat visa requirements, you also need to submit two pieces passport photos. One will be used for your file and the other will be for your visa.
Once you have all the expat visa requirements, you also need to pay the visa fees so that your visa will be processed.
Other documents may also be required as part of your expat visa requirements, such as your employment history and a contract of employment (if you will be working in the country).
If your spouse or children are coming with you, your expat visa requirements will also include your marriage contract, their birth certificates and photocopies of their passports.
If you just intend to visit the country for not more than twenty-one days, you may be allowed to stay without a visa. Check the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs to know if you meet the conditions.
To have a hassle-free trip to the Philippines, submit the expat visa requirements the soonest time possible.
Expat Food as The National Cuisine
New challenges always face expats the first time they set foot in the country. One of the most serious and life-threatening problem that must be immediately addressed is—not really terrorism—but food. Specifically, where to buy expat food that foreign residents often terribly miss and yearn for, especially in the tropics.
The good news is that today the Philippines is more open to expat-food type of cuisines, meaning, the native tongue keeps insisting on accustoming itself with global dishes as an offshoot probably to the thrust to go global in everything. Thus, the country, especially the major cities, is alive with fast food chains that serve expat food varieties targeting not so much the locals as they are a foreign clientele. In fact, the Philippines in no longer just the country in the Far East that it once was but a cosmopolitan tourist destination for expats from all over the world.
Another relevant development here is that the country is, in fact, fast becoming popular for serving one of the best classy expat food items in these parts, sometimes with quality better than those found in their country of origin. This is possible due to the influx of expats who share their culinary technology to the locals, or locals who extracted the technology in their stint abroad. Hence, premier hotels and luxury inns in Philippine cities and municipalities regularly feature special expat food specialties subtly seasoned and concocted for the discriminating foreign palate.
Even the regular fast foods in the country are mostly attuned to expat food standards and the preferences of foreign nationals in the country. Most expats have already accustomed their tastes to native flavors and often prefer a sampling of expat food in native flavors. A good number of them have also altogether adapted the delight of native foods and actually crave for exotic Filipino delicacies. They go out of their way seeking original recipes in the countryside.
But generally, the country is a versatile resource for any kind of food, native or otherwise. Expat food is no longer a big issue in the face of a growing global outlook in the country, and numerous expats have been comfortably settled here, without much ado on expat food. In fact, to stretch it a little, some just come here for expat food.
This may sound a bit exaggerated but the national cuisine perhaps may be expat food. On second, as we look around, this may not be too much to claim.
Expat Banking
Expat banking now makes managing finances even away from home a much easier thing to do. People should have nothing to worry about now when it comes to leaving home and their possessions behind. Through expat banking, nothing gets wasted even if one is away from current finances.
The first important thing to do would be to consider a specific bank account which can serve your expat banking needs. You would do well to ask the opinion of a tax adviser to make sure that everything gets covered as you get into a new account. May expats usually find local currency accounts as the best way to manage expat banking. Such type of bank account would also enable you to have an offshore account which can receive salary and in the long run, bigger savings get accumulated. In the European Union, many local banks enable its patrons with flexible processes for daily money transfers. However, other countries may still require you to build up on a certain credit rate first before you can get into expat banking. This is an important reason why you should get all your information first before zeroing on one particular account.
To avoid these problems, you can choose to open an account in an offshore bank to make things easier for you. These kinds of banks usually provide its customers with check books together with a pin card and a chip. There are also available expat banking services done through the Internet sand through phone. Usually, banks like these are subsidiaries of big bank players and just do your research well to get well informed.
In addition, offshore banks are also more convenient. This is because you can actually make applications through online registration. This definitely saves you a lot of time and effort. Expat banking thus becomes easier and at its finest. After filling up the needed forms, you can download them to print them and then post them to the affiliated bank. Be mindful of the charges you need to pay when making these transactions. Offshore accounts really do a lot to make your savings grow.
Also, offshore banks can help your expat banking needs by allowing you with enough flexibility to access your money. No matter where you are in the world, you can be sure to get in touch with your finances at however way most convenient for you. Expat banking becomes a breeze rather than a burden.
Your Home Within Home: Expat Networks
Expatriates often come across several difficulties in attuning to a foreign land: there’s culture shock, the seeming timidity of life, legal issues, and even the hassle of traveling across the country. These difficulties seem to be magnified in the Philippines, an archipelago, wherein one does not only need to ride a plane or boat to access several amazing tourist spots, one also needs to get used to a variety of languages and people. Fortunately, expat networks are there to help the expatriate be relieved of a stressful life.
On the issue of culture shock, expat networks help by providing the expatriate with information about the country beforehand. Expat networks often have websites that contain valuable information, ranging from geographically-specific problems like heavy traffic in the metro, up to some culturally-related subjects like folk tales and myths.
These websites also provide the expatriate with information regarding possible activities to do and sights to go to. For example, expat networks would help the thrill seeker to find which beaches in the Philippines are sites for wakeboarding.
If one would just like a relaxing time at the famous white sand beaches of Boracay, Pagudpud, and Puerto Galera, websites by expat networks often have information on the best way to travel, the best lodgings, and the various activities one would find there.
These websites also provide information on what native delicacies are to be sought for and where to find them. Do you want spicy foods? Maybe a Bicol Express would satisfy that palate. Or are you on a diet? The fresh vegetables and fruits of Baguio might be your answer.
Expat networks would also lend assistance to expatriates who would like to work in the Philippines. They would be providing guidance from the legal procedures needed to acquire a job to finding the companies that would hire an expatriate. For the expatriate that would like to live a charitable life, some expat networks have ready connections with orphanages and charity institutions.
But perhaps the most comforting aspect expat networks would have is the chance to connect with fellow expatriates. Homesickness is inevitable, and having someone from home in this second home, to share experiences of this new land, if not to tell tales of the old place, would be a very effective relief.
For expatriates in the Philippines, expat networks would help you enjoy your well-deserved relaxed life. From alleviating anxiety about the culture through ample information, to providing assistance in traveling, to connecting you with fellow expatriates, expat networks help make this foreign land your home.
A Myth on Mayon Volcano
Mayon boasts of the world’s most perfect cone-shaped volcano crater. How did this came to be? This myth on Mayon Volcano tells us how.
The myth on Mayon is composed of three epic stories. The story of Batlog, Handiong, and Bantong; all fierce epic warriors battling evil mystical creatures out to grab the whole of Bicol. This is how the stories go.
The first warrior, Batlog, accidentally stumbled upon a vast area of land rich with vegetation and forest because of its fertile soil. Batlog, according to this myth, fell in love with the land and decided to settle there. He moved his people from Batavara to this new found land called Ibalon. His kingdom greatly prospered in Ibalon, but it was far from living happily ever after. Soon, evil mystical creatures attacked them to grab Ibalon from their possession. The myth says, a giant man-eating wild boar was the first to try out Batlog’s mettle.
The myth says the monstrous wild boar ravaged the land, destroying much of the crops and killing so many people. But eventually, the myth says Batlog easily wrestled the giant wild boar to death. Some years of peace and prosperity reigned again, but not for long. Soon huge wild water buffalos or carabaos, winged sharks, and giant crocodiles and other crazy-loking creatures lined up the siege of Ibalon. Batlog could manage the fights a while, but the myth says age eventually caught up with him.
Then entered Handiong. The myth says Handiong and company came to rescue old Batlog. According to the myth, Handiong proved a violent warrior, fiercely defeating the huge creatures. Soon, the myth continues, Ibalon enjoyed years of peace and prosperity again under Handiong’s leadership.
But being mere mortal, Handiong soon grew old. And a new batch of rampaging creatures was soon on the scene again, wreaking tremendous havoc on Ibalon. But Handiong could do nothing except watch helplessly. But Bantong came to his rescue, wiped out all “halimaws” or evil creatures, and this time, a volcano with a perfect cone appeared on the scene. It was to be symbolic of the heroic exploits of the chieftains and a perpetual guardian over the vast land of Ibalon, which is now Bicol.
This myth on Bicol and Mayon Volcano teaches us that humans are mortal, and no matter their achievements, they will someday leave the scene of greatness and pass away. But monuments and symbols will see to it that they will be remembered by posterity, especially the heroism of Bicolanos.
Getting a Job as an Expat
Foreigners in the Philippines usually come to the country to see the unique tourist spots and destinations, and to meet wonderful people from a different culture. Because of the beauty of the Philippines and its people, many expats decide to stay longer in the country. Some of them applied for extension of their visa while some look for expat jobs.
So, how does one look for expat jobs in the Philippines? In the Philippines, just like in other countries, there are jobs that require a specific college degree and license to practice, apart from relevant experience in the job description. Examples of these jobs are jobs in the medical field, engineering, accounting and other types of employment that require passing the licensure exams. Which is why, as a foreigner, it could be difficult to get expat jobs similar to what you had in your country.
If you don’t plan to stay for a long time in the Philippines, you can start looking for expat jobs in the teaching field. Many foreigners now work in language schools training Filipinos in understanding, speaking and writing foreign languages. Who else would best suit expat jobs such as these but someone who has had experience in using the language. Not only Filipinos benefit from foreigners working in these expat jobs. There are also other foreigners who come to the Philippines to study in college or to learn a foreign language. Working in these expat jobs will lead you to meet people from different nationalities.
To make you more efficient in working in expat jobs related to teaching, it would be better to learn a bit of the Filipino language. This will make it easier for you to translate words and sentences for your trainees. Also, if you have been familiar with the Filipino culture, people in expat jobs who know how to speak Filipino finds it easier to mingle with Filipinos. Filipinos appreciate it when foreigners exert some effort in learning a bit of the local tongue.
To look for expat jobs, there are a number of Philippine job websites that you can check. Many language schools now look for language trainers who handle ten to fifty hours of language training. The most popular foreign languages that you can look into when checking expat jobs are English, Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese and German. Some languages from the Middle East, such as Arabic, are also being taught.
Apart from language schools, you can also look for expat jobs as a trainer in call centers. Call centers prefer trainers who have experience in dealing with native foreign language speakers. The language schools and the call centers are your best options in looking for expat jobs.
Folklore on Why We Cook the Foods We Eat
A long time ago, a folklore says, the natives of the land didn’t cook their foods. They ate raw fish, meat, and vegetables. Raw vegetables were okay, raw fish was fine, but it was tough eating raw beef and pork. But then, the folklore says, it was the known style of the time, so people didn’t bother with it much. Nobody tried to find a better way of dealing with food. Until one accident happened.
People of a tribe were chasing a wild boar. The folklore says that the forest was thick with wild shrubbery so the chase took a long while. The wild boar kept running but the people kept hedging it to a corner. Just as they were about to catch it, the folklore says the wild boar managed to squeeze itself to a narrow escape route through an opening in the bushes, and running again, out of reach. The people were losing their patience, seeing that dark clouds were slowly filling up the sky for a down pour. According to the folklore, if the downpour happened while the boar was still at large, it would all come to nothing. The anticipated big supper would be spoiled, except for a few vegetable leftover from lunch.
Then, a miracle finally showed itself. The wild boar, says the folklore, came out of the forest and found itself going to the seashore. It was in the middle of the sea and the forest, from where the hunters were coming out of one by one. The folklore further says that the wild boar now had nowhere else to run. It could not swim in the sea and the people’s sheer number had barred the way back to the forest.
But then, lightning struck and hit the boar. Instantly, the wild boar was burned to a crisp. The people cried desperately and blamed the lightning for messing up their supper and spoiling their effort to catch the boar. The folklore says they went to it and tried to see if anything could be salvaged. There was an arousing aroma, though, and a thick, brown liquid oozed out from the crisped skin. They touched it and got burned from the hot surface, putting the hurt fingers into their mouths as an automatic reaction. That’s when they first tasted cooked food. And, the folklore continues, they have cooked their foods since.
This folklore shows that necessity and serendipity were the parents of the first culinary arts.
The Basics of an Expat Medical Insurance Program
People who live at a country outside of their citizenship should also consider health expenses aside from the basic living necessities. These expatriates who are in search for living stability should come up with an international insurance for their medical needs. Hence, when living outside of their country, they are often in search of an expat medical insurance.
There are many expat medical insurance programmes that offer different plans to the expatriate community. These are usually international companies who cover these foreign citizens in a country where they choose to reside. Local insurance companies in the chosen country can usually cater only to local citizens, which is why international insurance companies are vastly expanding.
An international insurance company can offer the expatriate different plans based on the place of coverage. For example, if the expatriate already has existing medical care back home, then he can choose not to be covered by a full package, which involves coverage in the home country. The cheapest expat medical insurance programs only cover the area where the expatriate opts to stay (like Europe or East Asia).
An expat medical insurance program contains the usual nitty-gritty; outpatient care, in-patient hospital care and additional benefits such as dental and maternal care. The outpatient care is where consultations for the general practitioner come in—expatriates who are living in a developing country are more prone to illness, hence the need of a regular check-up. The in-patient hospital care usually involves unintended accidents and confinement. Additional benefits are the ones that are added should the expatriate to expand his expat medical insurance plan—surgeries, dental care and optics expenses can be covered with additional charge.
Usually, the expat medical insurance plan does not restrict the plan holder to any restrictions about doctors and hospitals, as it is impossible for an international coverage. However, most insurance companies who manage the program might require the plan holder to call the insurance company before signing a bond to the hospital about in-patient care.
When coming up with the perfect expat medical insurance program, the expatriate should read all the fine print and consider the relative costs. For example, if the client is willing to save up, there is a chance that he or she will be offered a meagre plan than can barely cover the standard medical expenses. Therefore, he or she should be aware about the degree of medical coverage that he or she is comfortable with. The expatriate should then consider the convenience, quality of service and the ability of the program to answer his medical needs.
