Tagumtommy’s Blog

A brand new look for mindanaoaccess.com as we here have decided to create a new web site and a differant host please stay patient as we fine tune and adjust to our new home. And thank you for your interest !

Well it will come to thought is there going to be what i need to survive and live healthy available in the Philippines ?
Well let me rest you asure that although the Philippines is a “developing country” it is still part of earth and most everything is available that are true necessities like medical and nutritional as well as most drugs currently available in the US and Canada.

It amy be easy to assume things may not be available but what isnt there can be obtained fairly easily. Shipping is an issue and usually higher to Mindanao but for about 100.00 US you can have what is called a balikbayan box shipped to mindanao with all sorts of goodies but one thing to watch is be careful what you are packing in that box because some items just are not allowed and the chance is that box will be inspected by customs.
Things like weapons and sex related materials will not be allowed as well as some banned drugs so be sure to check what is and is not allowed through customs.

I guess we touched on this subject on the last post but maybe we will get into this further as some mail i get asks about getting involved with a filipina and thier views on a disability. I have learned quite frankly that a disability has no merit on the kind of person you are in the eyes of the Filipino people. My experience is that most filipino look on it as a hinderance for you and are willing to assist you in what you are trying to accomplish, ie. going up a steep ramp, reaching a high shelf etc. but unlike here in the US a disability really doesn’t carry the stigma in the Philippines. A filipina woman will respect you and expect you to be a caring faithful, and contributing member of the extended family just like any other would be. And yes that is refreshing. I am not sure that this kind of value is carried thoughout the asain countries but i have a feeling it is as you look on the amenities and strides the Japanese people go through to respect the disabled community and there as well you are expected to carry your own weight, be self supportive and take cre of your family. In the Philippines there is no governmont social support even for someone that is disabled I guess you can equate it to the strong survive conotation. But the reality is the strength comes from within the family. the family is taught to support each other from within even if they are old or disabled. This may be another reason for your interest in developing a relationship with a filipina or becoming part of the filipino community. It really is nice to be looked upon as differantly abled insted of unable and therefore we will support you with a meager stipend for the rest of your life. Don’t get me wrong, the US is to be applauded with thier effort to take care of thier own, but maybe its more of a pity and since you can’t we will type of attitude whereas in the asian pacific community you are expected to find another way therefor relieving the stigma placed on you. Let me know how you might feel about this.

Be it a hotel, restaurant, store, or any other thing that you thought ” let me call ahead and ask if thats wheelchair accessable” was a good idea but let me warn you now, that just may be a precursor. Do your homework because maybe your asking loses a little something in the translation and some will say “oh yes sir we are accessable” and your idea and thier’s is comepletly differant. Unfortuneatly your only guarantee is to check it out for yourself. I am certainly not blaming the filipino people for noit understanding what you are asking its just that there is not alot of education in the country about wheelchair accessability mostly because it is still common for a large part of the filipino disabled community not to have learned or had access to the concept of independent living. Although it certainly is getting better in some areas as there are now a few out. To best explain why here is an excerpt from independentliving.org

“It is generally recognized that in most Asian and Pacific countries, where mutual caring and support in the community is a norm, there is no need for disabled persons to live physically and financially apart from their families. A child is educated and trained to be a contributing member of the family rather than to manage her/his own household alone. Thus, the concept of independent living associated with the developed countries is not always relevant in the developing countries.”

and this is why there may be little education or even thought to making anything more accessable in the Philippines. So whats the moral ? try it and report back to me and we will post it here !!

So I bet it crossed your mind, “now that I decided to move to the Philippines, how am i going to get around ?”
well as here in the US the option is to buy a personal car and deal with the crazyness that is navigating in the Philippines or take a taxi everywhere you go but depending on where you are those may be hard to find then theres a jeepney …. hmmmm can i get on that with my chair? trust me you will have the help of everyone on that jeepney if you want it and maybe even if you don’t and lastly a tricycle

again if your a quad or have difficult transfer skills i wouldnt recomend it but hey ya gotta try it once ! at any rate i just want to post this to set your mind at ease the filipino people are masters at mobility c’mon join the fun that is the art of transport !!

Well in deciding what to pack is always a chore and when your planning to move it increases that chore two-three fold. So what can i pack ? what will I need ? more important how do i get all my mobility equiptment there ? well relax, On most US based airlines all your mobility equiptment will be allowed in cargo with no penalty for excess baggage, but no necessarily so on foreign airlines so as i always preach do your homework and research. I know some airlines such as cebu pacific may not allow you to fly at all if they feel they cannot accomodate your disability and assist you in embarking and bording the airliner. as far as baggage you will almost always have to pay an additional fee on most foreign airlines. I have decided it will be cheaper and less hassle if once i enter the Philippines in manila i take my scooter and whatever excess baggage i have to PAL cargo or CEBU PACIFIC cargo and have it shipped cargo to my destinations as shipping in the Philippines is always such a bargain compared to what someone in the US is used to paying. Just anther consideration in the planning to begin a new life.

Ok so I am revisiting the process in which i will enter the Philippines to stay. Did you know of the many ways you can legally enter the Philippines and take up permanent residency ? Well in doing a little research on my flight arrangements and visa application process I have changed the way in which i will gain a residency visa. I will enter the Philippines on what is called a balikbayan visa which is good for a year and makes for a good reason in the coming year to take a trip out of the country maybe visit Hong Kong or Malaysia or Thailand. The process that i started was to gather all the requirements of a 13A visa which is a chest x ray, blood tests, stool test, Doctors report, statement of physical condition, spouse letter requesting the visa, statements of financial capacity to support yourself and your family alomg with all your documents passport and marriage cert. fed ex all that to the consulate in washington DC with money order for 150.00 US and hope you are not chosen for a in-person interview. Nope insted i decided i would make it a fun trip with a little adventure thrown in for me AND my beautiful wife by flying her to Hong Kong (she is so excited as she has never been out of the country) and meeting her there for a nice weekend of shopping and sampling the Chinese culture from there we will fly together back to manila and upon entry i will request a balikbayan visa that will be good for one year. Did i mention the cost of this ? oh yea… the cost of the 13A visa is 150.00 fee,cost of blood tests and xray,cost of a fed ex from the philippines for the spouse letter, and finaly the cost of the fed ex both ways to DC. all in all about 500.00 +-. The cost of the trip flying my wife to Hong Kong excluding meals and hotel is about 350.00 so hmmm what would you do ?

OK so how many people especially those whom draw SSDI are able to afford a decent living and still able to put away a few shekles for a rainy day ? not many i would guess well there is an answer and i certainly am not the first one to discover this it’s called Living In the Philippines ! where i know for a fact that you can rent a decent place to live for about 100-150 US dollars a month and enjoy cable tv, broadband internet, electricity, water and LPG gas for less then 350.00 US a month. I know this because that was my wifes budget and she actually lived pretty good supporting her two sisters going to school and supporting both of them in school. ok so i helped a little, but that is just one more reason why i am excited to learn the lifestyle of the filipino. not flashy or glam hollywood but what we would consider here as lower to middle class living here in the states and thats 350.00 per month ! one thing you have to consider when putting together your budget though is you will now have to pay for your medical needs and supplies out of your pocket but there you can go to a pharmacy without a prescription for what you need. And if worse comes to worse you can always have a package shipped to you fed ex in about 3 days here is a simple to calculate a budget

Building a Budget

Step one: add up your income

To set up a monthly budget, you need to determine how much take-home pay you get on a regular basis. If you get paid once per month, this one is easy – it’s the amount of your check that you “take home.” If not, you’ll need to do some math.

If your check does not come monthly, use the following chart:

For weekly checks, multiply by 4.333
For every two weeks checks, multiply by 2.167
For twice a month checks, multiply by 2
For irregular annual income, divide by 12
You also want to make sure you add in other sources of income, such as interest income, alimony, child support, rent, or other payments. You should add all of these sources into your plan, as well.

Step two: estimate your expenses

Here is where you write down what you think you’ll be spending in the category areas. Here are some sample categories. You can change these to whatever works for you.

Housing
•Rent or Mortgage
•Property Taxes

Food
•Groceries
•Restaurant Meals
•Lunches at Work
•School Lunches

Utilities
•Electric
•Gas
•Telephone
•Long Distance
•Water
•Garbage
•Other

Personal
•Prescriptions
•Laundry / Dry Cleaners
•Hair Care
•Clothing
•Toiletries

Family
•Medical / Dental / Vision
•Pet Food / Supplies / Veterinarian
•Child Support
•Alimony
•Day Care
•Baby Sitting
•Children’s Allowance
•Parent Support
•Other

Basics
•Furniture
•Appliances
•Linens
•Utensils
•Tools
•Home Cleaning / Repair Supplies
•Other

Transportation
•Car Payment
•Gasoline
•Oil, etc.
•Repairs
•Tires
•Registration / Inspection
•Public Transportation
•Parking
•Other

Insurance
•Car
•Life
•Property / Casualty
•Disability
•Renter
•Burial
•Other

Recreation and Entertainment
•Hobbies
•Vacation
•Shows / Movies
•Sporting Events
•Dining / Entertaining
•Club Dues
•Alcohol
•Tobacco
•Lottery Tickets
•Reading Materials (Books, Newspapers)
•Cable TV
•Other

Gifts / Contributions
•Church / Synagogue
•Charities
•Birthdays
•Holidays
•Weddings
•Other

Savings
•Regular
•Occasional
•Retirement Contributions
•Investments
•Bonds
•Other

Miscellaneous
•School Tuition / Dorm / Apartment / Supplies
•Union Dues
•Professional Fees
•Lessons
•Household Business Expenses
•Legal Fees
•Installment / Credit Card
•Checking Account Charges
•Other

Taxes (This would be for income other than your check if you’re using net payroll numbers.)
•Income Tax
•Social Security
•Medicare
•State Taxes (not sales tax)
•Other

(If you’re not paying the full balance on your credit cards each month, be sure to keep track of how much you’re charging as well as how much you’re paying and how much interest is being added to the unpaid balances on your accounts.)

Step three: figure out the difference

After you’ve created your budget, you need to keep records of your actual income and expenses. This information helps you to understand any “budget variances” – the difference between the amount you budgeted and what you actually spent for the month, or time period.

Step four: track, trim and target

As you track your monthly expenses, you may need to trim expenses. Some expenses are more easily trimmed. For example, you need to make the house payment and get groceries, but you may be able to go without seeing that new movie. Cutting back is usually a better place to start than cutting out.

If your budget is realistic and if you use it to guide your expenses, you’ll be better prepared for emergencies – other unexpected costs. You’ll also be better prepared for a financially secure future.

The things we in the US take for granted like having water and food that won’t kill you is something that may not be so in other country’s we choose to visit or live. Im my opinion it is a wise choice to be innoculated against hepititus A B C and be educated on malaria.dengue,cholora and other types of virus and disease that may be present in other lands. In the Philippines the government has safeguards but maybe not as stringent as a resident of the US may be accustomed, i ran accross this article recently as this is a concern of my wife and many peoples living in PI. The mainstay of meat there is mostly pork, but ebola reston was detected in a few pigs there but it not lethal like the strain in africa.

6,000 pigs ordered killed amid Ebola Reston virus scare
MARK MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TV
02/23/2009 | 05:12 PM

Agriculture Sec. Arthur Yap, inspecting pork at a public market in this file photo, orders the ‘depopulation of some 6,000 pigs due to the Ebola Reston virus scare. Charlie MagnoMANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday ordered the depopulation of 6,000 pigs in a Bulacan farm in northern Philippines believed to have been affected by the Ebola Reston virus.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the pigs were from a farm in the town of Pandi and would be killed to prevent the spread of the virus.

“In Pandi, Bulacan, there are traces and evidence of an on-going viral transmission. And for that reason we are ordering the depopulation of the herd,” Yap said in a joint-press conference of the DA and the Department of Health (DOH) in Quezon City.

During the depopulation, the pigs would be restricted from going out of the farm before they would be incapacitated, burned, then buried within the premises.

The government said it would observe a “humane killing” of the pigs and prevent human exposure during the process. International observers are also expected to participate in the depopulation.

The Philippine government, through the help of Regional Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the United States Centers for Disease Control (US-CDC), tested 160 pig blood samples: 133 of which came from the Bulacan farm and 27 from the Pangasinan farm.

Of the 133 blood samples from Bulacan, 19 tested positive for ERV. Meanwhile, none of 27 samples from Pangasinan were affected. The results prompted the government to order the depopulation of the pigs from the Bulacan pig farm and lifted the quarantine in the Pangasinan farm.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III quelled fears that humans could be afflicted with the virus, saying that the Ebola Reston virus “remains a low risk to human health at this time.” Duque added that ERV remains the only strain not to cause significant illness to humans.

Despite the slaughtering of 6,000 pigs, the government agencies assured that it would not have any adverse effects to the stock supply in the country as the number would only account for less than one percent of the total 15-million pig stock in the Philippines.

Yap also assured that there were no “abnormal deaths” in the farms but that they were just depopulating as a “precautionary measure” to make sure the virus would not spread out further.

A health scare erupted in December last year when the DA and the DOH announced that at least one hog farmer in Central Luzon was found to have been infected.

But only several traces of the virus were left in the victim’s body, an indication that his body was able to fight off the virus.

The following month, the government announced four additional cases of hog farmers contracting the virus. All farmers, the DA assured, are in good health condition.

Monday’s announcement came days after the agency barred the importation of cattle from China and poultry from Belgium, following confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease and the avian flu. – GMANews.TV