No name Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) When looking at law in the Philippines, it is important to apply common sense.That seems to be gone, for the most part, in the American system.But here, it is illegal to be in the presence of a minor you are not related too. However, that would be impossible to avoid at the literal reading of the law.It is extremely unlikely that telling a friend about a job would qualify for recruitment where you gained nothing for exchanging the information. One would have to read the law to see if that was even remotely possible. Could someone try to use it as extortion, anything is possible but that is really very unlikely.That's just not the Philippines that I've come to know. As for the Taylors, it is common here for someone to pay fees to be get a job. it is also common for it to take some time for the job to actually happen. If they didn't have the proper license, then they broke the law. There really isn't much the British Embassy could do. I didn't do much research on that article or follow all the stories. If they had lots of happy placements, well then they have my sympathy but they still broke the law.I've looked into several businesses here, all I wanted to do, I can't do. One must be Filipino. Not long ago I was contacted about selling real estate (condo) to foreigners. I put them in touch with my girlfriend. I can't do it. Even if they didn't know, they should have known. If they didn't know, I think they didn't want to know. I know a guy in a business now that he seems to be making money with. He tried to bring me in and I was so tempted. I said, naw, I like it here. He may get away with it forever or he might find himself in prison here. i showed him the law and all the reasons he shouldn't do it. He did it anyway. Money and romance, they make people do stupid things.When you come to a foreign country, you're bound to that countries system. The Embassy's job is to educate people about potential problems. I know the US State Department has warnings on their site about some of the laws here, like the harsh penalties for small amounts of weed. If you're a pot head, this is a bad place to be.. :) Sure they can ask questions about your case but they have zero power over your case here.A country could withdraw aid. They might if there are enough abuses. Iran for example. But that took a bomb to bring about. Not too many international incidents between friendly countries over one situation. Sometimes they do but it isn't the norm, like when Japan charged those Australians when they interfered with their whaling ships. Australia yelled kidnapping? After the protesters boarded the whaling vessel without permission. LOL Governments can be funny too.The world is all over the Philippines about human trafficking, it can't then turn around and say, but, not our guy. The laws are there to help prevent trafficking. You start taking or helping Filipino leave the country for work, you better have all the laws on your side.. I don't see how anyone couldn't possibly know that.Wow, I just read some of the Taylor's blog. I surely don't want to be in a Filipino jail! Edited January 28, 2011 by Mr. Lee combine posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekimswish Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 As for carrying a knife, in some parts of the Philippines that is strictly enforced. Some areas in Leyte are known for it. Waray in that area have a reputation for being experts with knifes. Legend, folklore, I don't know. I use to carry a knife and Jessie told me it could get me into trouble, so I stopped. She said it might and it might not.Yeah, they pretty much built my house 50% with carpentar tools, and 50% with the Soondang (bolo). There's different types of them for different jobs or different strengths. I bought one that was a bit wider and shorter because it looked powerful to me, but I see most working guys take the longer, thinner one, and theirs are much sharper than mine. I felt less than manly the first week without a bolo (soondang), so I bought one and practiced chopping coconuts every day for a week, and then felt even more girly! lol... I was not nearly as good as they were. It was a huge comfort to my ego when someone said they tried to sharpen my blade for me, and they couldn't, that it's not a high quality bolo. I'll buy better next time. But yeah, you see this huge thing poking out of peoples' shirts by the back, wonder for a second, and realize they're all "carrying". In Waray-Land (Leyte), it's said that when there's a fight the soondangs come out. My wife was a kid when she heard yelling behind her. At that moment, one farmer chopped the top of another farmer's skull off his head, and the saray-saray store lady pulled her in over the counter super-quick. My brother-in-law went to work in Mindanao and said the people there were in love with the Waray soondang from Leyte, something to do with the handle being from carabao horn plus the style, and everyone wanted to trade for one as a souvenir. Just my ramblings. The best thing you can do to help someone in prison whom you've had nothing to do with, innocent or guilty, is visit them. As a foreigner I'm sure they don't get a lot of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No name Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Yeah, they pretty much built my house 50% with carpentar tools, and 50% with the Soondang (bolo). There's different types of them for different jobs or different strengths. I bought one that was a bit wider and shorter because it looked powerful to me, but I see most working guys take the longer, thinner one, and theirs are much sharper than mine. I felt less than manly the first week without a bolo (soondang), so I bought one and practiced chopping coconuts every day for a week, and then felt even more girly! lol... I was not nearly as good as they were. It was a huge comfort to my ego when someone said they tried to sharpen my blade for me, and they couldn't, that it's not a high quality bolo. I'll buy better next time. But yeah, you see this huge thing poking out of peoples' shirts by the back, wonder for a second, and realize they're all "carrying". In Waray-Land (Leyte), it's said that when there's a fight the soondangs come out. My wife was a kid when she heard yelling behind her. At that moment, one farmer chopped the top of another farmer's skull off his head, and the saray-saray store lady pulled her in over the counter super-quick. My brother-in-law went to work in Mindanao and said the people there were in love with the Waray soondang from Leyte, something to do with the handle being from carabao horn plus the style, and everyone wanted to trade for one as a souvenir. Just my ramblings. The best thing you can do to help someone in prison whom you've had nothing to do with, innocent or guilty, is visit them. As a foreigner I'm sure they don't get a lot of those.I wondered if I would hear from you on this.. :yes: Good info and um, if you can figure out a way to distribute and advertise these, there might be a business in it.I know I would like to have one finely crafted bolo. What would it cost, can you get me one? :lol: I ain't paying the kano price though.;;..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekimswish Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 I wondered if I would hear from you on this.. :yes: Good info and um, if you can figure out a way to distribute and advertise these, there might be a business in it.I know I would like to have one finely crafted bolo. What would it cost, can you get me one? :lol: I ain't paying the kano price though.;;.....lol.... I knew I couldn't let you down Flirty... Well, there aren't any fine crafted ones that I've seen. People in Mindanao apparently just liked how they were different from the ones they had. However, I recently borrowed a fine nickel off two long time Taiwanese friends for survival mode over the next month (start work Feb.14th), and I was wondering how I could pay them back.... on top of the money I owe them. One idea I had was to have someone craft a blade for them with artistic value. Another idea is anyone's guess. They're rich guys, and would take interest payment as an insult, so I need something that would mean something to them, and I know a bad-ass blade would mean something assuming I could get it into Taiwan legally. Otherwise I might just get them a vacation package if I can one day. I took a dull kung-fu sword out of Taiwan once. I also had a gun lighter (9mml) and two cheap decoration knives of a few inches in my bag.... but forgot which one. I ended up trying to check the bag with the "gun" in it through the carry on x-ray. The guy stopped me, and the demonstration of what happened next is a long story (for the crappy keyboard I'm attempting to use now), but I didn't get shot, and they let it through. The gun and knives, dispite being in a special security box, got confiscated in HongKong, to another long story, but the sword went through. The sword was so long, that even in Canada it was poking out of my luggage, with the zipper unable to close. Customs had no problem with it there.Long story... could've been longer. But yeah.... I've been thinking of some soondangs for my friends to repay their kindness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyAway Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 I like to carry a Leatherman Multi Tool here in the U.S. It is just a handy little thing to have. I asked my brother and sister in law about carrying it in Philippines. They both said it could be considered a weapon depending on the mood of the officer at the time. Both of them are Philippine National Police.While I am sure some of the horror stories one hears are true, I bet many others have underlying factors. As Paul Harvey used to say... "and now the rest of the story".My latest driving experience showed me a different side to the Police. I talked quite a bit to the Chief of Police for the area my accident occurred. His opinion of foreigners was that most are arrogant and rude. When I was there, he was surprised I would drink Red Horse with them and share the food offered. A relative of his is married to a guy from U.K. He hates when the guy comes to visit and degrades them. The guy from U.K. complains about the sound of the roosters!For the most part, I think you really have to piss someone off. If you decide to own a business, keep a very low profile and do not act like an ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No name Posted February 2, 2011 Posted February 2, 2011 It appears that the Taylor's plan to draw attention to their case may be working.A paper in the UK has taken interest. I don't now how much interest or how much influence the paper has but others could pick it up.The alarming thing I read was that the trial keeps getting continued because the complaintants didn't show up. The CebuBrits group are probably walking thin line. I don't intend to cross it either with my comments.For the newbie.... Foreigners are not allowed to protest in the Philippines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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