not a newbie , more a returning oldie lol

[scott&ligaya]

good evening all, good to see the site is still here and I still recognise many regulars from before. Well we have finally made the decision to leave the UK. Ligaya and our little ones are already in Palawan since end of June and I visited for three weeks recently.

During that time we decided that they should stay and I return to sort things out here and also look to secure some form of income stream once I move over.

We had let our main house for two more years last January to a Korean/Fil couple who are currently successfully running it as a guesthouse so when I arrived I assumed that we would be in our kubo. Imigane my surprise to find four more rooms being constructed for letting and my wife and babies in the 1st one!!!

Ligaya has always had a sharp instinct for business and as the guest house is prospering she decided to invest in the rooms using up some of our garden.

Puerto Princesa /Palawan tourism is booming (when we bought there in 2006 there were 3 flights a day and the airport closed at 1pm. now there are 12 flights !!)
and despite many new hotels and guest houses demand is high even now in the rainer season.

So the kids are in the S V Montessori school and my wife is busy supervising the final constuction and fitting out. She should be letting from October on so PM me if you are planning a holiday on Palawan please.

for me I want to continue my own business consulting /coaching/mentoring /training in my area of expertise but may have to go back corprorate with a large MNC probably in China for a couple more years just for financial reasons and to stop being bored but some avenues are opening for free lance training content developer /provider which I could do home based so we will see

I need to consider hwo to stay long term there , is the SRRV still around or do I just extend and etend visas or take a trip out now and again.

Well I am here for a good few months on a current defence contractors project which I want to complete as it is superb bit of kit long needed out in theatre. So as I am home alone as it were I will be back on here reading amd posting where I think I can offer some good advice

Nice to be back

Scott

[joebloggs]

good to hear your all ok Scott,
good luck with the plans,
missed u by a couple of months, we all went back to the phils and Puerto Princesa mid April for 2wks, first time the misses had seen her family in 7yrs,

[stevewool]

hi Scott, sounds like the family are doing great, you also, nice to hear from you

[scott&ligaya]

hope you enjoyed it.. did you make it to Kinabuch and Tiki bar? I bet your wife saw huge changes in seven years even the new Robinsons along the highway towards our place at San Manuel

[scott&ligaya]

hi Steve and Emma, thanks. yes things are going well, how are you guys? I should pop up one evening and buy you dinner somewhere , I hate eating alone lol

[joebloggs]

yes i went past the mall every day, stayed at my sister in laws, she lives about 2 miles away from it.

one thing i did notice was alot of white young guys - American marines

[scott&ligaya]

about the same for us if that we are just off the highway by the new 168 NCCC mall turning.

[stevewool]

hi Steve and Emma, thanks. yes things are going well, how are you guys? I should pop up one evening and buy you dinner somewhere , I hate eating alone lol

we are doing very well thanks, just getting everything ready for the ILR,well if you have any spare time on your hands come over and Ems will cook dinner

[scott&ligaya]

mmmmmmmmmmm sounds like a plan, I will bring the beers and some wine for Emma

[fred]

Scott.. Not sure how much land you have there but your Mrs defo has the right idea.. You can make a pretty good living with only 4\5 units.. The more the better.
If you will be in and out of the R.P a lot then it might be better to just do the tourist visa thing..
If you intend to stay for much longer periods then I would recommend applying for a 13a resident visa..You can apply for that at the R.P embassy in London if you like.
Cheers and welcome back!
Fred.

[scott&ligaya]

well I am happy if we make some income from them , a local hotelier advised us that we should assume 2/3 utilisation x 1/2 of the available days so 2 out of 3 units x 15 days a month at @1500 pesos per night room only gives 30,000 pesos less electricity at say 4000 for the 2 units and say 1000 maintenance so 25,000 pesos even at that utilisation which seems low but over the whole year maybe it is correct. Of course we have a 40,000 income from renting our main house at the moment. Of course at the moment I still have a solid UK income which funds the cost of building the rooms (about 400.000). if the forecast is right then the cost is recovered in less than 18 months. When we get the main house back we need to decide if we want to move into the master bedroom and contimue to operate the house as a guest house as well. The couple who run it now live in the large maids room (has its own bathroom) and let all six rooms.

Not sure what we will do when the time comes but I guess we will see how things are going with the rooms and also the main house.

Main thing for me right now is make as much as I can now and continue to invest.

May I ask Fred have you ever been approached about investing in rubber trees? Ligaya and a local friend (mum from school) have gone ahead and bough a few hectares (very cheap) down south , planted 1000 seedlings and got two caretakers managing the plot (keeping undergrowth in check) The trees take 5 years to grow before you can tap the sap but the projected income stream is very attractive and runs for up to 20 years. Do you know anyone who has done this?

[fred]

My mate here has a friend in Mindanao that has a rubber tree plantation.. From all accounts he is really doing rather well..Wealthy in fact. Sorry cant be more specific than that.. Another really good crop Im told is Palm oil trees although being near a process plant may be crucial.
I think your wife is really smart!! 18 months ROI !! Sounds better than the any investment bond I ever heared of!! Good for you.

[scott&ligaya]

well that is what we have heard and I hope so as it is sort of a pension for me , 1st we have 4 and half more years to wait and maintain the land /fence and the two guys, but quite small cost in the scheme of things. So far Ligaya has managed to get it right so hopefully the rooms work for us and the rubber income is somewhere close to that projected.

love to see you in Palawan should you visit

take care

Scott

[Arthur Little]

Scott ... back to the fold with your EXCITING news, my friend. I hope all works out really great for you, Ligaya and the family.

[grahamw48]

Welcome back Scott, and wishing you and Ligaya the best of luck with your projects.

[scott&ligaya]

thank you Arthur and Graham, nice to be back here , I see Fred still has his jokes threads, very funny

[Terpe]

Hi Scott, may I also join the ranks to welcome you back.
I've read your latest posts and have to admit to being a little envious.
You probably know I would ship out to the Philippines at the drop of a hat, but just now my wife hasn't dropped that particular hat.

I feel that your move will be a good one, Ligaya seems highly motivated to have the business prosper, and even better she has the capability. That's why you can relax a little.

Your recent posting have already given me some ideas.
Especially the rubber.
We already (accidently) have a small income for the family from copra and coconuts.
It's never going to make anyone rich, but if it's managed properly it can easily provide a good living for all who work that land and the harvest.

I for one hope you'll keep in touch and keep us updated on your adventures.

[Doc Alan]

Welcome back Scott . A very interesting thread I don't have the knowledge to give advice, and haven't ( yet ) been to Palawan, but I wish you, Ligaya and family all the best for your future .

[scott&ligaya]

thank you Terpe and Doc Alan, yes I was very lucky Ligaya allowed me to be her suitor in Hong Kong ( there was a queue!! lol) and eventually marry me. We still miss our time there sometimes especially our friends from our hashing and dragon boat racing clubs and the great nightlife, but it is not a city for little ones and if we want to visit it is not far. I cannot wait to get sorted out with some form of decent work so I can return full time and join my family.

I have been speaking to my current employer about perhaps joining the commecial side of the business and focus on selling the product I have been engaged on to Asia Pac friendly countries. The foxhound is a fantastic vehicle and is now running around in Afghanistan. Once one runs over a large IED and the six troops inside survive sales wil take off.

Sales is not really my bag but I know the vehicle inside out having worked on most major systems and components with the supply chain. Singapore, Malaysia , Australia , New Zealand , Indonesia and Taiwan have expressed interest in it so maybe my work will take an unusual turn and I will help on the commercial side, who knows lol .... as long as I am out in Asia Pac I will be happy.

I will keep you guys informed of how the room letting business goes and as I say if visiting Palawan next year come and stay !!! I am sure Ligaya will make a special discount hehehehehe for FILIPINO UK members