Open for vaccinated tourists from green countries by year end?

[jamesmusslewhite]

  This will be fun. I just spent 10-days in the hospital (COVID quarantine lock-down) and then an additional (three-week home quarantine lock-down) here on the island. I will have to do the 3-year VISA out-and-in, this coming last week of February. And the Philippines really still do not have a clue yet, as to the particulars on the (who and how) to initiate their reopening of their country.

 

[Snowy79]

31 minutes ago, jamesmusslewhite said:

  This will be fun. I just spent 10-days in the hospital (COVID quarantine lock-down) and then an additional (three-week home quarantine lock-down) here on the island. I will have to do the 3-year VISA out-and-in, this coming last week of February. And the Philippines really still do not have a clue yet, as to the particulars on the (who and how) to initiate their reopening of their country.

 

Join the club. Mine runs out on the 4th of February. Just hoping they keep the extension over 36 month rule. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

10 hours ago, jamesmusslewhite said:

I will have to do the 3-year VISA out-and-in, this coming last week of February.

At this stage you do not, you can extend up to an extra year. This was announced months ago. Theres a topic here somewhere that explains it.

[Clermont]

This attitude by the authorities of closing the boarders/opening the boarders, letting this country in/that country out without a world wide plan is just bull sh==. Then they go on about civil unrest and fining people that can't afford it even at the best of times. Where is their logic in trying to suppress a pandemic when they don't know how it works or can't co-ordinate their agencies to work together. 

Right at the beginning they said if you're double vaccinated boarders would be opened, sure there has been a hic up or two along the way, but not when people have made firm arrangements for travel and the carrier refuses to re-embers' your fare, then cry broke to the government wanting a hand out of tax payers money.

When I was young, more than once I put a long haired lout in the pi== trough and jammed a sweetener in his mouth as he bellowed his peace slogans. And even to date I've sat back shaking the head about these activists and wishing I was young again, but after some of the shi= the government is trying to force on us, I'm going to buy a motorized wheelie walker so I can keep up to the demonstrators.  

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 minute ago, Clermont said:

Where is their logic

Logic?  It's the Philippines.  

[RBM]

On 11/29/2021 at 7:21 AM, Mike J said:

This is so depressing.  Moalboal and other areas that depend on tourism continue to struggle with so many people out of work.  My expat neighbor is a diver.  He tells me there were 35 dive shops in Moalboal prior to covid.  Now they are down to a handful.  Even the few still open have laid off much of their staff.  And dive shops are just a portion of the tourist income.  So many hotels, resorts, restaurants, bike and scooter rentals, bars, etc. are either closed or reduced hours and staff.  

Given the not to far proximity to Cebu would of thought enough people to keep their heads above water.  Did dive there many years ago and was very busy.

Guess this down turn effects the whole city, or is it a town?

[jamesmusslewhite]

14 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

At this stage you do not, you can extend up to an extra year. This was announced months ago. Theres a topic here somewhere that explains it.

Thanks for the info that there has been an extend up to an extra year. I will look for that posted thread.

[Mike J]

2 hours ago, RBM said:

Guess this down turn effects the whole city, or is it a town?

Relatively small as opposed to city.  Downtown Moalboal is maybe 10 by 4 blocks.  The local economy is based mostly on tourists.  Some folks fish and others do some farming but the jobs that drove the economy are mostly gone.

[jamesmusslewhite]

On 11/29/2021 at 9:07 PM, Jollygoodfellow said:

At this stage you do not, you can extend up to an extra year. This was announced months ago. Theres a topic here somewhere that explains it.

   I went to immigration yesterday to final renew of my VISA. I extended for three months, which means that March 4th I will have to do the VISA 'Out and In' to be allowed reentry back into the country. So I inquired about this supposed one year additional year VISA extension you mentioned earlier in your post. But they knew if no such policy having ever been enacted. The Surigao City branch regularly processes over 3,000 expats. So whatever former thread or posting must be erroneous.

   We have a friend who just returned from the States four days ago, and is presently held in the Manila 'Quarantine process' for 8-10 days at a cost of 6,000php (per day). The folks at our local immigration branch strongly advised that our cheapest rout (in our own personal predicament), is to quickly apply for a 13(a) VISA, as it will hold the current VISA on hold while the 13(a) VISA is being processed. Once filed needed documents have been filed, the 13(a) can take several months to process. During that time I will not have need to travel out of country, even if my current VISA expires. It will be the least expensive option. The local hospital excursion literally hammered our remaining savings. We have been upgrading the little island resort and property over this last two years, plus we just added a couple of small aquaculture projects back in Spring. So filing for the 13(a) is really our only viable option at this point.

   I really wish there was actually a policy for allowing an additional one year VISA extension, but alas it appears not

Edited December 5, 2021 by jamesmusslewhite

[Mike J]

43 minutes ago, jamesmusslewhite said:

   I went to immigration yesterday to final renew of my VISA. I extended for three months, which means that March 4th I will have to do the VISA 'Out and In' to be allowed reentry back into the country. So I inquired about this supposed one year additional year VISA extension you mentioned earlier in your post. But they knew if no such policy having ever been enacted. The Surigao City branch regularly processes over 3,000 expats. So whatever former thread or posting must be erroneous.

   We have a friend who just returned from the States four days ago, and is presently held in the Manila 'Quarantine process' for 8-10 days at a cost of 6,000php (per day). The folks at our local immigration branch strongly advised that our cheapest rout (in our own personal predicament), is to quickly apply for a 13(a) VISA, as it will hold the current VISA on hold while the 13(a) VISA is being processed. Once filed needed documents have been filed, the 13(a) can take several months to process. During that time I will not have need to travel out of country, even if my current VISA expires. It will be the least expensive option. The local hospital excursion literally hammered our remaining savings. We have been upgrading the little island resort and property over this last two years, plus we just added a couple of small aquaculture projects back in Spring. So filing for the 13(a) is really our only viable option at this point.

   I really wish there was actually a policy for allowing an additional one year VISA extension, but alas it appears not

Appears they have not gotten the message or read the news?  I added the red high.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/09/12/bi-suspends-order-to-leave-of-foreigners-due-to-covid-19/

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced the temporary suspension of the Order to Leave (OTL) of foreigners who have overstayed their temporary visitor’s visa in the country due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that the order to suspend the OTL was imposed in consideration of the effects of the pandemic to domestic and international travel.

“Pursuant to various resolutions from the IATF directing the public to exercise social distancing and minimize travel, and in the interest of public safety and welfare, we will be implementing this order as a form of regulatory relief for foreigners,” he said in a statement.

Morente further stated that the suspension also reciprocates the leniency extended by other countries to Filipinos who may be experiencing the same problem.

The BI chief said that the extended stay shall apply to holders of temporary visitor’s visas who have reached the 24-month period maximum stay for visa-required nationals and 36-month period maximum stay for non-visa required nationals, as of March 1, 2020.

He said the same lenient policy also applies to those who have overstayed beginning March 1, 2020 regardless whether they have been in the country beyond the maximum allowable period.

However, Morente said that concerned foreigners will still be assessed and shall still be required to settle their immigration fees and penalties in lieu of the OTL.