Dad's Review - Practical tips for Filipino tourist workers to avoid getting offloaded

Photo credit: GMA Network News

It pains me whenever I see fellow Filipinos waiting for an interview at immigration departure area especially when they look worried since I know they need to convince the interviewer to allow them to catch their flights. I underwent the same procedure a few years back and fortunately I was able to persuade the interviewer to allow me to proceed with my job interview in Abu Dhabi city.

After spending money and resources I couldn't imagine the anguish and disappointment of those passengers offloaded by immigration officers due to one reason or another. Sometimes, a sudden whim by an immigration officer can spell disaster to any unprepared passenger.

Having worked for many years in a country where travel ban has been imposed several times in the past, my colleagues and I learned how to go around these travel restrictions. More so, being a regular traveler to Bangkok when sourcing our online shop products and previous family trips abroad has made me aware of the ins and outs of some of our immigration policies.

To my knowledge, an immigration officer can prevent you from leaving the country due to following reasons:

1. You have a "Hold Departure Order."
2. You have bogus travel documents such as passport and/or visa.
3. You are an undocumented worker or in other words a "tourist worker."

Plenty of Filipinos who have been asked to undergo for interview fall under category 3. It is not illegal to become a tourist worker per se; our immigration authority would not send you to jail even if they caught you red-handed. In my case, I got several valid job offers in the past and left our country as tourist several times without ado. Let me share some tips and advice to all Filipino tourist workers to minimize the possibility of getting offloaded.

Aside from passport that is valid for at least 6 months, I recommend the following steps to be followed by any Filipino tourist worker:

1. As much as possible do not indicate or divulge to the interviewer that you have a relative or friend residing in the country you plan to visit. Chances are they will demand for other supporting and sometimes annoying documents such as affidavit of support, marriage contract, birth certificate, pictures, etc. They normally demand these from tourists who have relatives or friends in Singapore and Dubai. They might even try to coerce you to call your relative or friend abroad during the interview. Hence, it is better for the interviewer to have an impression that you simply want to visit the place and you don't know anybody in that country thereby reducing the possibility of overstaying.

2. Buy your own round-trip tickets. If the interviewer detects that your tickets have been bought by other people then you have given him a reason to expound his investigation. It means there is a probability that your future employer or your recruiter is the one who has provided these tickets. One of the basic arguments being used by our immigration officers is that a tourist should have the capacity to buy his/her own plane tickets.

Update about this matter (17 Feb 2015)

I have been told that the immigration authority have access to airlines flight manifest/database thus they will know if you have connecting flight. Hence, if your final destination is different from the place you wanted to visit then make sure that your connecting flight is booked with different carrier to avoid detection by our IO.

3. Prepare hotel/hostel booking; this is essential for any legitimate tourist. Without this, don't be surprised if the immigration officer assume that you have another destination and you will use your stated destination as transit point only. Trust me, you'll find it pretty difficult to explain during the interview how you are going to spend your vacation without any proper hotel/hostel booking.

In case you don't really need to stay in the hotel/hostel then it is preferable to have hotel booking that you can show to the immigration officer. You can do this if you have a credit card; you can book your room several weeks before your flight through internet then cancel it few days before your flight. Just make sure that there is no cancellation fee for the room you have booked. By doing this, you can have a hotel/hostel booking that you can show to the interviewer.

4. If possible bring your spouse or kids with you if you plan to transit in another country. It is a common notion that a tourist worker won't spend extra money if he/she is fishing for a job abroad. Once you arrive in your stated destination then enjoy your visit with your spouse/kids. They can return back to Philippines without you while you continue your journey to your final destination. This worked with me and my other colleagues when we were trapped in Philippines during the travel ban to the country where we were working. One of my colleagues even got married and was able to leave with his new wife pretending they were going for honeymoon; the interviewer simply looked at their wedding pictures. It was a gamble on our part because if by chance we were stopped from leaving then we would suffer financial loss. Nonetheless, most of us were successful in leaving our country this way. A good place to visit is Hong Kong, Bangkok, Vietnam and Cambodia while avoid as much as possible Singapore and Malaysia as transit points since many tourists workers are leaving to find work on these places already.

In fact my wife was interviewed by an immigration officer a few years back before her flight to Kuala Lumpur with our youngest kid. She was honest with the interviewer and his supervisor, she informed them that I couldn't go home for vacation since I won't be able to return to my job due to travel ban to the country where I was working thus she and my youngest kid would meet me in Kuala Lumpur. She showed them their RT tickets and hotel booking. The immigration supervisor upon confirming all my previous flight details on their record or database finally allowed my wife and kid to catch their flight to Kuala Lumpur.

5. Research the place where you intend to visit as transit point. Example, tell them that there is an on-going celebration in Hong Kong Disneyland and you don't want your kids to miss it or it is summer vacation thus you are bringing the entire family to Bangkok for shopping. You are not lying since you and your spouse/kids will definitely visit those places and enjoy those events. You are simply withholding from the interviewer your plan to proceed and work in another country. More so, having a good travel plan or itinerary and knowledge about the place you intend to visit could sometimes turn the tide against the interviewer.

6. Secure all your work/school credentials and other related documents such as visa and another set of tickets to your final destination by placing them inside your check-in baggage. It is not uncommon for the interviewer to bluff their way in checking your hand carry bag. Once they find any of these documents then you might as well bid goodbye to your travel plan.

7. Practice what you will say during the interview and anticipate their questions since these people are trained to find loopholes in your travel plan. During my interview I was able to give convincing answers to her questions and inquiries thus she didn't have any choice but to allow me to proceed to Abu Dhabi city. Stick to your plan and if you need to raise your voice then don't be afraid to do so. You are not breaking any law but raising your voice to emphasize your points is totally different from shouting invective to the immigration officer. We need to respect these guys too since they are simply doing their job though sometimes they go beyond their limit.

8. Dress and act appropriately. These guys even without admitting it are trained to profile people. Most of the times they can easily detect whether you are indeed tourist or otherwise by simply analyzing the way you dress, act and talk. How can you expect them to believe that you'll go to Hong Kong as tourist when you're sporting an obviously cheap shoulder bag bought from "tiangge"or wearing an imitation t-shirt or worst being nervous during the interview. Relax and try to control yourself during the interview. To add, I understand that many tourist workers are indeed in need of money but there are ways to make it look that you have plenty of it. Visit a parlor where you can have your hair arranged before your flight. A powder and lipstick can do wonders to your face if properly applied. Borrow nice looking bags, dress and shoes. Believe me, I have seen plenty of well or smartly dressed Filipinas leaving as tourists without getting interviewed because they know how to talk, act and dress appropriately. I know because I sometimes hear them talking at the boarding area and some of them even posted their experience in many travel forums such as Pinoy Exchange.

9. Even if you have passed the interview and allowed to catch your flight be aware that there is another group of immigration officers scouting the waiting area for tourist or undocumented workers. You are leaving the Philippines as tourist then act like one while waiting for your flight. Don't talk with your mobile phone bragging to your family at home that you were able to fool the interviewer or talk loudly about your future job. Don't wear long faces or shed tears either. Real tourists wouldn't be doing those things. Hence, after passing the immigration departure area it is better to proceed immediately to the boarding gate since only those with boarding passes are allowed to enter the boarding area. I can confidently say that once you are inside this area you can now assume that you are on your way to your destination.

10. In case you have been prevented to leave by an immigration officer while on queue at departure area then do not argue to avoid getting the attention of other immigration officers manning the other immigration counters. Leave the queue and try to mingle with other incoming passengers and fall in line again discreetly. Make sure to queue on a different immigration counter. I have a couple of colleagues who did this and were able to leave.

11. Finally and most important, you need to convince the interviewer that you will come back to Philippines after your travel period abroad. Hence, bring company ID or business papers in case you are running your own business. You need to prove as well that you have financial capacity to travel abroad. One way of doing this is to make a deposit to your account then request for a bank certificate; you may then withdraw the amount after getting hold of the certificate. You may use this to show the immigration authority that you have money in the bank. You may also request a certificate of employment from your company stating your position and salary; you may show this to the immigration officer in case they are in doubt of your company ID. There are instances too that they would even try to confirm your company ID by calling your office.

All told, even if you follow my tips above they are not sure fire that you can leave the Philippines as tourist worker. They are only tips and guides. Be aware also that once you have been offloaded in any NAIA Terminals and Clark airport it will appear on their database and the next time you try to leave having the same status then you will be subjected to a more thorough interview and less chance to proceed to your destination unless you have acquired proper documents or use a different strategy like getting married and pretending to leave for your honeymoon, LOL.

To build your confidence, always bear in mind that you have the right to travel thus the Philippine government can't prosecute you even if you have been caught trying to leave as "tourist worker."

Good luck and may the force be with you :-)


See related post: Offloading of Filipino tourists by immigration officers

I have been busy with my new job hence; I have stopped entertaining comments/inquiries about this post. However, I am sure you will get valuable info from the previous comments - 06 Aug 2015

P.S.
Nothing beats a properly documented worker when traveling abroad thus I am also discouraging those "tourist workers" from leaving if you belong to those so-called "unskilled workers" such as DH, construction workers, service crew, etc.. The risk of getting exploited abroad is very high for these kind of workers.

Dad's Review - Beware of CD-R King's 75 watts power inverter

Recent typhoon Glenda's barreling across Metro Manila and nearby provinces has caused power black out for more 24 hours in many places including ours. When power was restored, a rotating brown-out of 5 hours was implemented across the Metro and nearby sub-urban due to thin supply of electricity since several power plants bogged down due to strong winds brought by this typhoon.

All our mobile phones batteries went kaput one-by-one due to absence of charging stations. We even drained the battery of our laptops so we would be able to charge our mobile phones which we also used to as flashlight and to play music during black-out.

screen grab from CD-R King website

To lessen the impact of black out and rotating brown-outs, my family and I drove to SM North EDSA to enjoy its cool air. More so, I trekked to CD-R King at Trinoma Mall to purchase a power inverter which I planned to connect to my car's cigarette lighter socket.

The only available power inverter model adaptable to my car's cigarette lighter socket at CD-R King was PWI-006 (75W) V. It costs 480 pesos and has a single 220 VAC output and a USB port that can be used to charge mobile phones and other gadgets. I found this handy power inverter perfect for my car; it can also supply 75 watts maximum power as well. 

CDR King's staff initially tested a unit on display but it's 220 VAC output wasn't working thus I ended buying the second unit after its 220 VAC and USB port were both tested OK. The inverter came with 7 days unit replacement warranty.

power inverter connected to lighter socket

On our way home I connected this power inverter to my car so that my daughter could charge her Blackberry mobile phone for 15 minutes since she needed to communicate with our online shop's clients. Soon after, it was my wife's turn to charge her SONY Experia mobile phone.

After 30 minutes of driving we reached home thus my wife disconnected her mobile phone from the inverter. After I have parked our car I tried to remove the power inverter from the cigarette lighter socket. To my surprise, the inverter was extremely hot and a burnt smell was coming from the inverter. I never used the inverter again since it might cause bigger problem to my car's electrical system.

After 3 days I returned the unit back to CD-R King Trinoma Mall and explained to the sales lady about what happened. Their technician suggested to the sales lady to replace my inverter with a new one. However, we tested two new units and found their 220 VAC outputs were not working. I decided to forego with the 75 watts power inverter and searched for a different item with the same price as replacement because CD-R King wouldn't return my money as per their policy.

power bank as replacement for my power inverter

I found a power bank with the same price of 480 pesos. Until now, the power bank is working fine. 

Obviously, some CD-R King's products are low quality but in fairness, they would replace your unit without further ado as long as it is within warranty period.

Happy 2nd Anniversary Happy Stripes!

A year ago HS celebrated its 1st year anniversary with around 2,000 FB likes. 12 months later, its FB likes more than quadrupled while it has garnered many followers as well on its Instagram account @happystripes! It was a feat worth mentioning considering the numerous online shops mushrooming in the social media world nowadays.

After a year, aside from ladies wear, HS now offers affordable and trendy accessories such as bags, caps, bracelets, earrings and eye wears. Again, they were personally sourced abroad in wholesale price.

More so, we have shipped our products to as far as Zamboanga City and a new market within Manila's university belt has been explored. In addition, an established and popular local online shop offered business proposal to market our products which unfortunately didn't push through since we won't be able to supply the expected demand that would arise from the said proposal. No regret since HS believes that it is better to grow slowly but surely.

To celebrate its 2nd year anniversary Happy Stripes offers 10% discount on all items for a limited time. So what are you waiting for ladies? Be the happiest by wearing the prettiest from Happy Stripes!

You may visit its FB page for more details: Happy Stripes

Ipon, ipon pag may time; gadgets, gadgets din pag may ipon

Marami ang nagsasabi na dapat ang mga OFW ay mag-ipon hanggat sila ay kumikita pa sa abroad. Mag-ipon para sa kanilang retirement at mag-ipon para sa kinabukasan ng kanilang pamilya.

Lahat po yun ay tama. Ginagawa ko rin yun dahil yun naman po talaga ang isa sa mga adhikain natin bilang isang OFW.

Kaya nga lang naitatanong ko paminsan-minsan sa aking sarili kung gaano ba dapat karami ang ating ipon? Hanggang kailan ba dapat mag-ipon? Kailangan bang mag-ipon hanggang mag retiro? Paano kung may ipon ka na, meron pa bang ibang bagay na dapat gawin bilang isang OFW?

Paminsan minsan ay nakakabasa ako sa internet ng mga komento, blogs at iba pa na humuhusga sa mga OFW na panay ang bili ng gadgets para sa mga anak. Ang totoo minsan ay hindi ko maiwasan masaktan. Masama ba bumili ng gadgets? Siguro masama kung uunahain yun kesa sa mas higit na importanteng bagay tulad ng bahay, pag-aaral ng bata, pagkain at iba pa.

Bago ko ibahagi ang aking saloobin tungkol sa bagay na ito ay nais kong malaman nyo na anak din ako ng isang OFW. Ang aking ama ay isang retiradong seaman. Sa aming pamilya ako at ilan sa aking mga kapatid ay pangalawang henerasyon nang OFW.

Nung bata pa ako at nangungupahan pa kami sa Tondo ay palaging may pasalubong ang aking ama sa aming magkakapatid sa tuwing sya'y nagbabakasyon. Meron akong kotse-kotsehan na F1 at de baterya, nagsasalitang manika sa aking kapatid na babae, sapatos na Adidas (di pa uso yung Nike noon), Mickey Mouse watch at ang di ko malilimutan na "Talking View Master Reel." Marahil hindi alam ng iba sa inyo kung ano yun. Yun ang usong gadget noon na sisilipin mo sa tapat ng liwanag at may makikita kang colored picture at may recording pa sya. Isa rin kami na unang nagkaroon ng imported na black and white na TV sa aming lugar at sa gabi kami ay nanonood ng Hawaii Five-O, Kung Fu, Starsky and Hutch, Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman at ang paborito ng Mama ko na "Tawag ng Tanghalan" at "Gulong ng Palad." Sino ang makakalimot sa mga palabas na Voltes V, Daimos, Mazinger Z, Star Rangers at iba pa? Hanggang ngayon ay nakakatuwang makita ang mga kinalakihan kong heroes pag isinasama ko ang aking pamilya sa Toy Convention sa SM Megamall. Naging pamilyar sila sa mga super heroes ko noong bata pa ako dahil sa aking mga kuwento. Lahat ng yun ay malinaw pa sa aking alaala dahil naging parte sila ng aking masayang pagkabata.

Nang mag High School naman ako sa Don Bosco Tarlac ay tuloy pa rin ang bili ng papa ko ng mga gadgets. Meron akong Game and Watch na Turtle at Portable Video Games. May kulay na rin ang TV namin na may ka-parnter ng Betamax at kalaunan ay naging VHS. Isa rin ako sa iilan sa aming klase na unang nagkaroon ng Walkman. Bukod sa original na sapatos at relo ay nabibilhan din kami ng aking magulang ng maayos na damit. Limang patong din ang component namin sa bahay na may malalaking speakers; pareho kasi kami ng ama ko na music-lover. Ang saya ng buhay ko ng High School at isa sa mga dahilan ay dahil sa mga gadgets na binili ng aking ama na OFW.

Ngayon pag nakikita ko ang aking ama na matanda na at namumuhay ng payak at masaya kasama ng aking ina ay lihim akong nagpapasalamat sa taong nagbigay ng kulay at importansya sa aking kabataan. Oo, hindi nga ganon karami ang ipon ng aking ama ng sya ay mag retiro at bukod doon ay nagkaroon lang kami ng sariling bahay ng nasa beinte anyos na ako; siyam kasi kaming magkakapatid. Ganon pa man, ang ipon ng aking ama ay nasa aming mga anak nila. Kami ngayon ang nag-aaruga at gumagabay sa kanila.

Ngayong ako naman ang nag-a-abroad ay ang mga anak ko naman ang humihingi ng gadgets at appliances. Nabilhan ko na silang 3 magkakapatid ng Gameboy (Advance/Color/Dual-Screen), PSP, MP3 and MP4 players, Netbook, Tablets, Smartphones, Laptops, PS1 at PS2, DSLR, Videocam at marami pang iba. Bukod pa sa flat screens at ibang gamit sa bahay na hiling naman ng aking asawa. Karamihan ng mga iyun ay sira na at ang iba naman ay ginagamit pa rin nila.

Para sa ibang kapwa ko OFW, maari nilang isipin na mali ang aking prioridad at nagsayang lamang ako ng pera. Aaminin ko, malaking halaga din ang nawala sa akin ng masira at mawala ang mga gadgets na yun lalo na nang malubog ang aming bahay sa baha dahil sa bagyong Ondoy. Marahil kung ginamit ko sa negosyo ang perang ibinili ko ng mga gadgets ay baka kumita pa yun pero meron din akong kilalang mga OFW na nalugi rin sa negosyo ang kanilang matagal na inipong puhunan at kalaunan ay bumalik muli sila sa pagiging OFW.

Naaalala ko ng binilhan ko ng Gameboy ang panganay kong anak na lalaki na ngayon ay nag-aaral ng abogasya. Ang saya-saya nya, nag-kiss pa sya sa akin. Nakita ko ang sarili ko nung bata pa ako nang mga sandaling yaon. Marahil yun din ang naramdaman ng aking ama kaya patuloy sya sa pagbili ng mga gadgets kahit dumadami na kaming mga anak nila. Marahil ay lubha syang naging masaya sya nung makita nya kung paano kami nag-e-enjoy sa mga binili nyang gadgets noon.

Minsan ng nagbibidahan kami sa abroad ng kapwa ko OFW, ang saya ng pakiramdam kapag napaguusapan ang nagdaan naming kabataan. Nakakatuwa kung paano namin i-describe ang cassette tapes at plaka sa aming mga anak. Kung paano namin pagusapan ang mga usong games sa Family Computers at Atari noon. Pero napansin ko rin na meron din kaming kapwa OFW na tahimik lamang at nakikinig sa aming bidahan. Nalaman namin na hindi raw nila naranasan ang mga bagay na yun dahil puro trabaho lang daw sila ng kabataan nila kaya bumabawi raw sila sa kanilang mga anak upang di maranasan ang hirap na naranasan nila at ang kanilang lumipas na kabataan. Para naman sa akin, oo, karaniwang mahal ang gadgets pero ang makita mo ang nanlalaking mata ng iyung mga anak pagkahawak nito ay "PRICELESS." May ikukuwento na rin sila sa mga anak nila pagtanda nila habang ako naman ay may babalikan sa aking mga ala-ala sa aking pagreretiro sa abroad.

Kailan mo bibilhan ng tablets, laptops o playstation ang iyung mga anak? Pag meron na rin silang anak? Pag hindi na sila interesado dito? Pag mayaman ka na? Hindi ba parang sarili lang natin ang iniisip natin dahil ipinagkait natin sa ating mga anak ang kanilang munting kaligayahan habang sila ay mga bata pa para lang sa komportableng retirement? Bakit sigurado ka bang aabot ka pa ng retirement o uuwi ka ng naka-kahon tulad ng ibang kasama ko na OFW din? Hanggang kailan tayo dapat mag-ipon at kalimutan na ang kabataan ng ating mga anak ay panahong hindi na maibabalik magpakailanman? Puspusin nyo ng pagmamahal at bigyan ng magandang gabay at kinabukasan ang inyung mga anak at sila ang magiging ipon nyo sa inyong pagtanda; yun ang ganang akin kabayan. Peace :-)

Shadi Home - Bangkok City

My wife and I booked a double room for two nights at Shadi Home last January while shopping for our online shop and waiting for my Yemen work visa. I paid through Agoda 33.33 USD per night with complimentary breakfast.

The price for walk-in or extension is a bit higher. I paid 36 USD (1200 THB) per night when I extended for another week due to unexpected problem encountered by my company in processing my Yemen visa.

The place is great due to its proximity to Airport Link Ratchaprarop station. Moreover, there are a few good places to eat and massage parlors along the same street though quite pricey. There is a good laundry shop nearby as well.

A 7-eleven shop beside the hotel's entrance can be very helpful in case you need some midnight snack or even alcohol shots.

However, we found it quite far from the main Pratunam market and Platinum mall.

The Egyptian staffs at the reception are courteous and very helpful. The guy even helped us booked a Siam Niramit show through an agent.

tummy filling breakfast or "brunch"

Regarding the complimentary breakfast at the lone restaurant at the entrance, my wife called it as complimentary brunch since the foods served daily can be considered as lunch too. You may select from several viands to go with rice. There was a time I even had spaghetti as breakfast. By the way, the foods being served here are Halal foods or fit for Muslim. It seemed that this hotel mainly caters to Muslims.

my lovely room mate

huge toilet with sliding door

hallway outside the rooms

The room is being cleaned daily while two bottles of water are being replenished too. There is a small fridge, flat screen and veranda. The room is quite spacious with huge toilet and bathroom. Even so, don't expect great view since the hotel is located in the middle of residential area.

To add, as expected in any hotel in Bangkok, wifi is quite fast and taxi is readily available outside.