COMELEC Barangay Election and SK 2018

COMELEC Barangay Election and SK 2018

Finally, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Commission of Election (COMELEC) will push through with this year’s Barangay Election 2018 and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Election 2018. After being postponed for almost two years now, it is time for new leaders to lead the community. Read more.

Dumaguete BIR - Bureau of Internal Revenue

Tax Reform – President signs new TRAIN Law

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the new Tax Law of the Philippines on December 19. 2017. The Tax reform is commonly referred to as TRAIN-Law. (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion).

Batang Pinoy 2017 - Visayan Leg - Bohol

Batang Pinoy 2017 – Visayan Leg

The Batang Pinoy 2017 Visayan Leg Games will be held in Dumaguete City from November 10, 2017 up to November 16, 2017. Click here to see schedule.

PhilHealth - Health Insurance for foreigners in the Philippines

PhilHealth – Health Insurance for Foreigners in the Philippines

PhilHealth is changing their regulations regarding the Health insurance for foreigners in the Philippines. Read here the most important changes.

Immigration - Annual Report 2017

Immigration – Annual Report 2017

All registered foreigners must file their annual report 2017 in the first 60 days. The Dumaguete BOI is the place to go for foreigners in Negros Oriental.

Typhoon Nona

Typhoon Nona

While Dumaguete and Negros Oriental seems to be out of the path of Typhoon Nona (international Melor), many of us have relatives and friends in the areas where Nona might hit. The map below is a track-map, which updates itself each five or six hours

Philippine Holidays 2016

Philippine Holidays 2016

Philippine Holidays 2016

President Benigno S. Aquino III signed the Proclamation No. 1105, s. 2015 which declares the regular Philippine Holidays 2016 as well as the special non-working days.

Regular Philippine Holidays 2016

January 1 (Friday) – New Year’s Day

March 24 (Thursday) – Maundy Thursday

March 25 (Friday) – Good Friday

April 9 (Saturday) – Araw ng Kagitingan

May 1 (Sunday) – Labor Day

June 12 (Sunday) – Independence Day

August 29 (Monday) – National Heroes Day

November 30 (Wednesday) – Bonifacio Day

December 25 (Sunday) – Christmas Day

December 30 (Friday) – Rizal Day

Special non-working Holidays in the Philippines 2016

February 8 (Monday) – Chinese New Year

February 25 (Thursday) – 30th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution

March 26 (Saturday) -Black Saturday

August 21 (Sunday) – Ninoy Aquino Day

November 1 (Tuesday) – All Saints Day

Declared additional special non-working holidays 2016

January 02 (Saturday) – 2nd Day of the New Year
October 31 (Monday) –
December 24 (Saturday) – Noche Buena , Christmas Eve
December 31 (Saturday) – New Year’s Eve

Additional Holidays

Like each year the regional governments of the municipalities and cities will request and declare some additional holidays 2016. Those days are usually the Charter Days and special Fiesta Days.

Furthermore the Muslim holidays Eid’l Fitr and Eidul Adha will be public holidays. The exact days will be announced as soon as the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) has informed the Office of the President about the actual dates.

The special declared non-working holidays are mainly declared to boost domestic tourism. If one plans to travel during the long weekends, better book your ticket way ahead of time. Many might recall the disaster at the Airports and the “shit-storm” against some domestic airline on all social networks.

Just as a side note: October 30 is not a holiday to celebrate Halloween. It is mend to a extra holiday to enable domestic traveler to spend more time with their loved ones, as All Saints Day falls on a Tuesday in 2016.

Silliman University Writers Village

National Writers Workshop 2015 – Silliman University

National Writers Workshop 2015 at Silliman University is the 54th of its kind and the oldest creative writing program in whole Asia. The Silliman University National Writers Workshop is the only three-week long writers workshop in the country, devoted to helping writers hone their craft in the genres of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and one-act drama.

54th Silliman Writers Workshop

54th Silliman Writers Workshop: Picture Source

Silliman University is now accepting applications for the 54th National Writers Workshop to be held 11—29 May 2015 at the Silliman University Rose Lamb Sobrepeña Writers Village.

The Silliman University Writers Village

Silliman University Writers VillageThe Mary Rose Lamb Sobrepeña Writers Village is a gift by Atty. Enrique Sobrepeña Jr. and is named in honor to his wife. The donation for the creation of the Writers Village, located in Camp Lookout, in Bongbong, Valencia, was facilitated by former University President Dr. Quintin S. Doromal. Today, the site is the primary venue for the Silliman University National Writers Workshop, founded by Drs. Edilberto and Edith Tiempo in 1961.

The Writers Village, a project initiated by Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III, is part of a long tradition of gifts to the University from the Sobrepeñas, avid patrons who have also helped keep the workshop alive as keen supporters through the years. The Writers Village is now home to writers of all persuasions. Its establishment helps promote the arts and culture at Silliman University and in the Dumaguete and Negros Oriental community.

Entry requirements for the Silliman National Writers Workshop 2014

Each fiction, creative nonfiction, or drama manuscript should not be more than 20 pages, double spaced. We encourage you to stay well below the 20 pages.

Manuscripts should be submitted in five (5) hard copies. They should be computerized in MS Word, double-spaced, on 8.5 x 11 inches bond paper, with approximately one-inch margin on all sides. Please indicate the category (FICTION, CREATIVE NONFICTION, POETRY, or ONE-ACT DRAMA) immediately under the title. The page number must be typed consecutively (e.g., 1 of 30, 2 of 30, and so on) at the center of the bottom margin of each page. The font should be Book Antiqua or Palatino, and the font size should be 12.

The applicant’s real name and address must appear only in the official application form and the certification of originality of works, and must not appear on the manuscripts.

Get further info on the website of Silliman University

BoI Annual Report 2015

BoI – Annual Report 2015

BoI Annual Report 2015

This is a friendly reminder to all our foreign friends and guests in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental and all over the Philippines. It is the time of the year for your Annual Report 2015. All registered foreigners must report in the first 60 days of 2015 to the participating BoI Office. The Dumaguete Immigration District Office is the place to go for foreigners in Negros Oriental.

If one has a child below 14 years of age it can be reported by its parent or legal guardian.

An alien may be exempt from non-appearance. Provided, the alien appeared during AR 2014 with an accomplished 2014 AR form; payment of P500 Express Lane for non – appearance; submit Special Power of Attorney (SPA) with valid government issued ID of legal representative; and the alien is without any CA 613 and/or RA 562-related deficiencies/liabilities.

Annual Report 2015

Who can apply? All registered aliens and ACR I-Card holders except Temporary Visitor’s Visa holders or Tourist Visa holders
Where to apply? BI Main Office or other participating Immigration Offices
Annual Report Online Filling System Link Annual Report Online Filling System Link click here
How to apply?
  1. Present original ACR I-Card or paper-based ACR, passport visa page of latest arrival and official receipts of previous Annual Report payment.
  2. Secure the Order of Payment Slip.
  3. Pay the required immigration fees.
  4. Get the Official Receipt.
How much does it cost? Annual Report (AR) Fee 300.00
Legal Research Fee (LRF) 10.00
for each immigration fee
except Head Tax and Fines
TOTAL 310.00

A Word of Advice

The Dumaguete Field office is quite small and very busy throughout the year. You can speed up the process by being prepared. Have all your papers ready, bring the required printouts, copies and/or pictures. Please don’t waste the time of the staff and all others waiting to report just because “you didn’t know that…“).

Don’t rely on “fixer” or other expats who heard from a friend to do it different. Plenty of expats created a huge chaos in 2014 with trying to implement their own rules how to proceed, spreading false rumors and talking nonsense all over the internet, in McDonalds and all other expat meeting points

The website of the Bureau of Immigration is very informative and all required info can be found there.

Keep in mind that it is only one or two days out of 365 and a few Peso, which enables you to stay legally as a guest in the Philippines. Think about that and proceed with a smile

Alien Registration Project - ARP

Bureau of Immigration – Alien Registration Project -ARP

Each Foreigner who visited the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) was certainly wondering about the mountains of paperwork the ladies and gentlemen in the office have to go through. Honorable Commissioner Siegfred B. Mison has made it a point to streamline the workflow in the BOI and give all a better structure. The Alien Registration Project (ARP) is one of the new inventions which should help in this process.

Alien Registration Project - ARP

The ARP (in Compliance with Immigration Operation Order no. 2014-043) has the goal to register all foreign nationals living in the Philippines and give everyone a individual Special Security Registration Number (SSRN).

Announcement from the BOI regarding the ARP

All Foreign Nationals are required to present themselves before the bureau of Immigration for biometric capturing and issuance of SPECIAL SECURITY REGISTRATION NUMBER (SSRN)

October 01, 2014 to September 30, 2015

The SSRN is an alpha-numeric number assigned to every forign national who registers under the ARP and shall be used in all transactions with the Bureau.

  1. Download, print and fill-out the application form immigration.gov.ph
  2. Submit the application form in person and present competent proof of identification (passport/travel document or ARCI-card even if expired, or birth certificate at any participating Bureau of Immigration Office .
  3. Have your fingerprint and image capture and encoded in the Bureau of Immigration database.
  4. Pay the necessary fees (does not include postage fees)

SSRN certificate (for undocumented or overstaying) PHP 700.00
ACRI- card (for newly-registered valid status and voluntary registrants ) USD Php 50.00 plus Php 500.00
ACRI-card (for re-issuance) USD Php 20.00

5. Receive your SSRN on the same day. SSRN Certification or ACRI-card shall be sent by mail. (must submit self-addressed envelope with appropriate postage stamp)

Exemption :

  • Those with valid ACRI-card (except tourist ACRI-card)
  • Tourist whose stay has not exceeded 59 days:
  • Those who are exempt from registration pursuant to law.

Contact:

+632- 465 2400

Email: xinfo@immigration.gov.ph

Frequently asked questions

  1. What do I get from the ARP?

A 90-day deferred administrative action to comply with the requirements to regularize stay; and chance to benefit from any future legislation that may grant a regular status.

  1. What happens if I do not participate in the ARP?

Liable to arrest and deportation if found in violation of immigration laws.

  1. What happen if I do not participate in the ARP within the compliance period?

Penalty of Php 200 per month but not exceeding Php 2,000 per year.

  1. If I am an illegal foreign national, will be deported if I participate in the ARP?

No. Those illegally staying will be advised on the process to comply with immigration laws.

  1. If I participate in the ARP, will I be cleared from any liability?

No. Participation in the ARP is not an amnesty. It will not erase previous violations.

source:BOI


The Alien Registration Project-form is available for download on the website of the BOI ( BI Form 2014-08-019 Rev 0) or can be picked up in the regional BOI office in Dumaguete.