$5 submissions

Hi Kris,

1) $1K a month should be enough. That includes food, electricity, rent for your condo/apartment, and transportation. For "foreigner safe" areas, try Makati (the closer to Ayala the better) or Ortigas.

2) You can apply for an ACR (I believe it stands for Alien Certification of Residency) from the Bureau of Immigration. There is a fee every 6 months.

3) You can form a joint venture with a local company but the % split depends on the TYPE of business it is. The Phlippines constitution forbids foreign majority/complete ownership for particular types of industries. Also, depending on how much % you want for your company, you may have to register with the DTI.

4) SB1892 The Revilla anti-Pornography bill is just that... a bill. It's really anybody's call regarding if or when it will become law. There's been a lot of drama here lately regarding the elections of 2004, the President's relatives' alleged involvment with gambling payoffs, the suspension of the economic "reforms" (as if raising taxes are 'reforms'), etc so Im not sure how high up anti-porn bills are on the legislative agenda.

Extra info:

Usually, goods are more expensive than services here. Whether it is automobiles or high-end computer peripherals, they are more expensive here than in the US. Also, infrastructure is expensive--I pay over $2000 a month for T1 connections to my 2 offices. My Dad in California achieves the same bandwidth rate for $39.95 a month.

I just want to throw that out there so you don't have any misconception re 'price advantages' of offshoring here. Costs are cheaper... if you focus on the right things.

I was born and raised here. I immigrated with my family to the US when I was 11. I spent 24 years there. I have been back since 2003. I am extremely familiar with both American and Filipino culture and languages (Tagalog and English).

Best of luck in your ventures, Kris.

Mabuhay!

Gene aka $5 Submissions of WebmasterLabor.Com

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