Hi everyone

[Ladybug_sim]

Hi! Sis Suze, welcome to the forum .. nice thread

[Sis Suze]

Hi! Sis Suze, welcome to the forum .. nice thread

Hi yourself and thank you xx

[trader dave]

sis have you read this http://www.british-filipino.com it is very informative just because people from different cultures have different ways it is not wrong
well i thought there might be a little more debate as i left it open when i retired last night

come on people i know we have been down this road many times before but there are plenty of older guys with younger pilipina wifes


anyone want to say why we prefer young to old -----or pilipina to western

[Sis Suze]

sis have you read this http://www.british-filipino.com it is very informative just because people from different cultures have different ways it is not wrong
well i thought there might be a little more debate as i left it open when i retired last night

come on people i know we have been down this road many times before but there are plenty of older guys with younger pilipina wifes


anyone want to say why we prefer young to old -----or pilipina to western

Dave, I think you have gone off track a bit here. I am not saying whether it is right or wrong to have young Filipina wives and girlfriends, what I am saying is that it is wrong to use them and abuse them as my brother does.
My brother knows that his money is a great attraction for many young girls also the possibility that he will bring them to the UK, however, they are not there to be used and abused, be sincere with them of leave them be. They are people the same as everyone else and deserve to be treated with respect.

Reasons for men to prefer young Filipina wives is irrelevant to my thread and of no real interest to me.
xx

[trader dave]

Dave, I think you have gone off track a bit here. I am not saying whether it is right or wrong to have young Filipina wives and girlfriends, what I am saying is that it is wrong to use them and abuse them as my brother does.
My brother knows that his money is a great attraction for many young girls also the possibility that he will bring them to the UK, however, they are not there to be used and abused, be sincere with them of leave them be. They are people the same as everyone else and deserve to be treated with respect.

Reasons for men to prefer young Filipina wives is irrelevant to my thread and of no real interest to me.
xx

i am sorry to keep going on this thread but i know for a fact that money is an attraction to many young girls/women and it does make me angry when foreigners promise these girls/women a future then just mess them about but i am afraid there are also a lot of girls/women who also play the same game you have to go there to see the realality

and i also agree be sincere or leave them aloneEND

[Sis Suze]

i am sorry to keep going on this thread but i know for a fact that money is an attraction to many young girls/women and it does make me angry when foreigners promise these girls/women a future then just mess them about but i am afraid there are also a lot of girls/women who also play the same game you have to go there to see the realality

and i also agree be sincere or leave them aloneEND

PMSL! It's OK Dave, I thought you'd missed what I was saying or misunderstood. I know there are rip off merchants there coz it happened big style to my brother. I was really annoyed at the time but when I came to realise that he'd been using them for about 4 yrs anyway, I just felt it was pay back!
I feel very privileged to have made two friends out of it though and I hope that within the next couple of years I'll be able to make a brief visit to see them.
xxxx

[Sis Suze]

Since hearing about Balikbayan boxes, I've been looking around for someone, a company, who can collect etc from the Birmingham area but I'm not having much luck. Then I thought to myself, there's no point until I know what I'm talking about so.......................
What does 'balikbayan' mean? Are the boxes specific types of boxes or just a name given to the package? Do I need to buy boxes from whoever is going to ship them? If so, how much are they approximately?

Next subject

Is healthcare, specifically eye care chargeable in the Phils or do they have any system such as ours where those less able to pay don't have to, or is it a case of if they can't afford specs, they go without? If the former, would it be feasible for me to send my old specs over there? I'm getting an 'upgrade' so to speak so my old ones are up for grabs.

So many questions!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[kimmi]

What does 'balikbayan' mean?
Are the boxes specific types of boxes or just a name given to the package? Do I need to buy boxes from whoever is going to ship them? If so, how much are they approximately?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balikbayan_box

the prices are depending on the size of the balikbayan boxes that you wanted and also the place where it will be delivered and sometimes most companies offers a promo wherein you buy a big box and u will get smaller boxes for free or someting like that..

Next subject

Is healthcare, specifically eye care chargeable in the Phils or do they have any system such as ours where those less able to pay don't have to, or is it a case of if they can't afford specs, they go without? If the former, would it be feasible for me to send my old specs over there? I'm getting an 'upgrade' so to speak so my old ones are up for grabs.

So many questions!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

with regards to healthcare in the Philippines, i am afraid to say it is not like in here that u have NHS almost for free.. for those who can afford they can go to private hospitals or institutions and we also have http://www.philhealth.gov.ph/ wherein a member will pay a certain amount every month depends on their income and it will help them with their hospital bills, and tere is also public or government hospitals.

with regards to ur plan of sending them ur old specs, that was so kind of u but make sure the grades are the same with the receiver..

[Sis Suze]

Thanks Kimmi for your reply. I'm still not clear on the procedure though. What I want to do is buy a box or two and keep it at my house to fill over a period of time, then call the shipping company to collect. Is that feasible? The company I have inmind is in London though

Thanks for the stuff about the specs...yes I'll check the grades with the intended recipient

[Florge]

hi Suze, welcome here. I would like to thank you for taking time in sending those boxes to your friends here. You truly have a great big heart. any little thing counts, especially to those that who have nothing.. not everyone here live comfortably... most especially those that are in the boondocks... thanks for helping out... you have a great soul.

enjoy your stay here in the forum!

[jam07]

Hi Suze and welcome to the forum!

you seemed nice and sweet...

thank you for helping Chiara and I hope your brother will get to his senses soon

[IainBusby]

Thanks Kimmi for your reply. I'm still not clear on the procedure though. What I want to do is buy a box or two and keep it at my house to fill over a period of time, then call the shipping company to collect. Is that feasible? The company I have inmind is in London though

Thanks for the stuff about the specs...yes I'll check the grades with the intended recipient

Hi Suze,
I don't know how other companies work, but we got our boxes from an agent in Coventry and we have to return it to the agent before a specified date ready for collection by the shipping company. You don't have to buy and pay for the box up front (it's only a very large cardboard box), you only pay when you return it to the agent ready for shipping.

I'm sure there must be similar agents in Birmingham somewhere.

Iain.

[aposhark]

.......and chocolate although we had toblerone in PI as well

Hi Juliet I noticed a lot of foreign (Western) chocolates in the department stores in Phils.

Cash & Carry stores in the UK (if you know someone who has a company) sell large boxes of Cadbury's.

I took a large-ish box (about £12) of dairy milk in my luggage last visit to my wife's family.

This box didn't last very long at all as there were no fridges in her family's house, well that was their excuse

The little ones had the same chocolate over their faces as the English kids.......but I bet they enjoyed the taste more

"Cloud Nine" in the Phils tastes pretty good to me and my wife loves that too.

[Sis Suze]

Hi Suze and welcome to the forum!

you seemed nice and sweet...

thank you for helping Chiara and I hope your brother will get to his senses soon

Hi there, thanks for your nice comments. It's not Chiara I help out, it's the women that hosted him when Chiara dumped him, Andrea.
My brother will never come to his senses...he is selfish and greedy and dishonest...I wash my hands of him!

Have a good day xxx

[Sis Suze]

Hi Suze,
I don't know how other companies work, but we got our boxes from an agent in Coventry and we have to return it to the agent before a specified date ready for collection by the shipping company. You don't have to buy and pay for the box up front (it's only a very large cardboard box), you only pay when you return it to the agent ready for shipping.

I'm sure there must be similar agents in Birmingham somewhere.

Iain.

Hi Iain, thanks for that. The problem that I have is that I can't work to a specific date. I just need to have a box here to fill over time as I'm not very well off myself so it will take a while. The reason I want to use this service is that it costs such a lot to mail stuff so it would be cheaper over time, as well as more beneficial to the recipient, to fill a box and send it.

Could I just get a large carton myself and then contact the company when I'm ready to ship it? It all sounded so simple but now I just get more and more confused...

xx

[IainBusby]

Hi Iain, thanks for that. The problem that I have is that I can't work to a specific date. I just need to have a box here to fill over time as I'm not very well off myself so it will take a while. The reason I want to use this service is that it costs such a lot to mail stuff so it would be cheaper over time, as well as more beneficial to the recipient, to fill a box and send it.

Could I just get a large carton myself and then contact the company when I'm ready to ship it? It all sounded so simple but now I just get more and more confused...

xx

Yes I think you could get your own box because you'll be able to get the different box sizes and the approximate shipping cost for each on any of the balikbayan box wesites. This company http://www.balikbayanboxes.co.uk/page3.htm was the first one I googled and they only cover Yorkshire and surrounding areas, but it will give you the box sizes. You just use just a normal (as strong as possible) cardboard box and then, given that it's going by boat, it's wise to use up a few rolls of strong parcel tape on it, just to ensure that it stands up to the rigors of the journey.
Iain.

[Sis Suze]

Thanks Iain, that takes a lot of the stress out of it!! I have rolls of bubble wrapr and parcel tape at the ready!!!
Also, do you know if British electrical appliances are any good over there? Such as coffee machines, printers etc etc? I know the electrical supply is different but I was thinking that if I got travel adaptors like we would take on holiday, would that be OK?

Thanks again xx

[IainBusby]

Thanks Iain, that takes a lot of the stress out of it!! I have rolls of bubble wrapr and parcel tape at the ready!!!
Also, do you know if British electrical appliances are any good over there? Such as coffee machines, printers etc etc? I know the electrical supply is different but I was thinking that if I got travel adaptors like we would take on holiday, would that be OK?

Thanks again xx

British electrical devices are fine over there as long as you have a plug adapter, but I would suggest that the specific things you mention, coffee machines, printers etc, wouldn't be very high on a Flipino's wish list. I know they like kitchen appliances such as liquidisers and blenders, slow cookers and rice cookers etc. Even microwaves if you've got an old one that's still working. Thats the beauty of the balikbayan box, no weight limit and if you put in something large like microwave, you can put lots of things inside it so you don't use up so much space.

Iain.

[trader dave]

British electrical devices are fine over there as long as you have a plug adapter, but I would suggest that the specific things you mention, coffee machines, printers etc, wouldn't be very high on a Flipino's wish list. I know they like kitchen appliances such as liquidisers and blenders, slow cookers and rice cookers etc. Even microwaves if you've got an old one that's still working. Thats the beauty of the balikbayan box, no weight limit and if you put in something large like microwave, you can put lots of things inside it so you don't use up so much space.

Iain.

the trouble i have found with electrical appliances THEY USE ELECTRIC now to you and i that is not a problem but to those people using a few centavo in electric it is

example i sent blender and microwave and electric kettle to mrs T they only come out of the boxes when i am there [the excuse they use electric] my answer I AM PAYING THE ELECTRIC that does not matter she says

[Sis Suze]

Fab answers from both Iain and Dave...thank you.
Have now spoken to my one friend over in Davao and prised out of her the stuff she would like..I have a thing about not wanting to embarrass anyone by asking and unless I press the issue, they won't ask for specifics!

All I need to do now is find a suitable box from somewhere...wonder if pickfords might sell me one? Hmm...might ask them on Monday
Thanks again for the replies.

P.S. What are the customs restrictions???? Or where can I find out?
xxxx

[IainBusby]

Fab answers from both Iain and Dave...thank you.
Have now spoken to my one friend over in Davao and prised out of her the stuff she would like..I have a thing about not wanting to embarrass anyone by asking and unless I press the issue, they won't ask for specifics!

All I need to do now is find a suitable box from somewhere...wonder if pickfords might sell me one? Hmm...might ask them on Monday
Thanks again for the replies.

P.S. What are the customs restrictions???? Or where can I find out?
xxxx

As far as I know there are none...... as long as you don't intend to send guns or drugs etc. I don't know if it's true, but a Brit that I met who lives in Phils told me that he has used balikbayan boxes to send over lots of things from the UK over the years for his business and he said that he always labels the boxes "Personal Effects".

He says that balikbayan boxes are very rarely opened or interfered with, but he thinks that by labelling the box Personal Effects, the cargo handlers etc that encounter the box along the way will assume that it contains the belongings of an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) who had died overseas and that they are being returned to his or her family in the Philippines.

That way if they're looking for a box to loot, they'll probably choose someone elses box.

Iain.

[Sis Suze]

Thanks again Iain....will remember that
xx