Balikbayan Program: One Year Free Stay in Pinas

For those former Filipino citizens like me who would like to return/travel/stay in the Philippines, the government has this Balikbayan Program that allows us a one year "free" stay. Upon arrival, the Immigration officer will stamp (or write) a one year permitted duration of stay in the Philippines.

My son Nathan, who's a Canadian citizen at birth, was also given a free one year stay because he's traveling with a "Balikbayan" parent (this also applies to the spouse). If he's traveling to  the Philippines alone, he will only be given 30 days.
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The one year free stay can be extended daw for another 1, 2 or 6 months but the Balikbayan and/or immediate family of a Balikbayan would have to go to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to apply for such extension.

According to BI's website, a balikbayan may be required to provide proof/s that he/she was born in the Philippines (like birth certificate, old Philippines passport). But in our case, hindi na hinanap kasi nakalagay na Canadian passport ang "place of birth." Hindi ko lang alam sa ibang foreign passports.

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Side Thought -- Ang lungkot din pala na may "limit" lang ang (free) stay mo sa bayang sinilangan mo. Basta, iba sa pakiramdam. #SentiCessie

Pinas Vacay 2019

Hello, hello! As I have mentioned in my last posts (matagal-tagal na rin yung huli), Nathan and I are going home in Pinas again at eto na nga -- nandito na kami!

We arrived on April 9, 2019 (Tuesday). It was a tiring 25-hour trip all in all but it was so worth it. Ang sayang makita ng bahay namin!

My cousin Sandoc/Mylyn volunteered to pick us up at the airport

Anyway, we've been here for sixteen days already and there are times na nagsisisi ako kung bakit nga ba umuwi kami ng summer haha! Dagdagan pa ng El nino! Nakakaloka ang init grabe. Oh well, wala ng magagawa. Wala rin naman akong choice. Nathan will start school na this September 3 so if I want to stay here in Pinas nang matagal-tagal, kailangang agahan namin ang uwi. We are flying back to Canada on August 15.

But I am really bored. Literally, ang ginagawa ko lang dito ngayon ay kumain at magpalamig sa aircon. Sobrang init kasi kaya wala akong magawa. Ni hindi ko na nga maasikaso ang anak ko (lol), buti na lang Mamoosh and Ate Charry (our house angel) are here.

Oh I can't wait na matapos na ang summer para may magawa naman ako. I want to enjoy my last long vacation here in Pinas. 

Please stay tuned. I will be blogging a lot in the coming days. Kasi nga bored ako hehe.

Two Balikbayan Boxes: Check!

It's still a month before we go home to Pinas but we're already done (as of December 10) with the two balikbayan boxes that we'll be bringing there.

Since there's two of us who are flying (Nathan and me), we are allowed a total of 4 baggages of 23kgs each. I always use balikbayan boxes, kahit jologs haha, because they are lightweight and could contain big items that would not fit in a trolley luggage. The disadvantage though is that when you've already closed it, hassle ng buksan uli.

I actually promised myself that I won't be bringing any pasalubong this time pero hindi rin talaga maiwasan. Syempre masarap magbigay. Hindi lang ako makapag-all out because I am not working and solely dependent on my husband financially. Buti na lang he's a good man, wala namang reklamo haha.

We brought the boxes in the storage muna because our place is small and cramped already.

Actually, nanay ko lang naman ang immediate family ko na dapat pasalubungan. But she always tells me na wag ng bumili ng kahit ano. She's the most unmaterialistic person I know at talagang wala lang sa kanya yang mga yan. Enough na na umuwi kami (naks!). Kaya isang grilling pan at decaffeinated coffee lang ang uwi ko sa kanya haha. The rest of the boxes' contents are just small items for my tita, our kasambahay, our secretary, my cousins, my barkada (for exchange gift), and some kids (nephew, godchildren, children of employees, etc). Puro mga sale lang yan at good deals. Nothing big, really.

I also included sa box nga pala yung mga gifts na binigay samin na hindi naman namin magagamit. Bahala na kung kanino ibibigay.

I also anticipated yung mga children's parties na aattendan namin in 3 months that we'll be there so I also bought toys which were on sale. Grabe ang mahal ng branded toys sa Pinas eh, dito mura lang talaga kapag naka-sale.

Ayan, nakaka-excite na talaga! The two trolley luggages that we'll also be bringing will contain most of our personal stuff na lang like clothes, toiletries, shoes, and bags. I am glad tapos ng iempake ang 1/2 ng bagahe namin para less hassle this holiday. Ayaw kong mag-cram. I want to enjoy the remaining days that we'll be spending with Daddy Ford before Nathan and I go on a long vacation.

One month to go!

At around this time next month, nasa Pinas (hopefully) na kami ni Nathan!

Photo taken from the net (credits to the owner)

To be honest, I am having mixed feelings. Of course, what prevails is happiness and excitement. Yet there's a part of me that's sad. Nathan and I will be in the Philippines for 4 1/2 months so maiiwan si Daddy Pod nang matagal-tagal. He will just be following us on November 13 (for Nathan's binyag and first birthday) and then sabay na kaming babalik dito sa Canada.

Ford and I have been literally inseparable since November 2013 at parang di ko na yata alam ang buhay without him haha! So ironic actually because we've been in LDR for eleven years before we lived in together.

Also, I am specifically worried about Nathan. He's so attached to his dad, parang kawawa siya kung hindi niya makikita ang daddy niya for four months. Ford will also miss a lot of his milestones. Hay!

Oh well, I don't want to dwell on the negative anymore. I'd like to be fully happy kasi after 1 year at 8 months, makakasama ko na uli ang nanay ko. I miss her so much! Looking back, parang hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na nabuhay ako nang wala siya sa tabi ko. I am so excited din na makita at mayakap niya si Nathan.

Ahh! One more month!

Makikita ko na uli ang pamilya at mga kaibigan ko.
Matitikman ko na uli ang luto ng nanay ko.
Makakakain na ako nang hindi nagluluto at naghuhugas ng pinggan.
Makakatulog na uli ako sa kuwarto ko (miss na miss ko na ang walk-in closet ko!).
Makakapag-drive na uli ako.
Makakapag-motor na uli ako.
Makakatambay na uli ako sa SM Marilao.
Makakakain na uli ako ng Jollibee at sa iba pang favorite fast food restos ko.
Makakapagshopping na uli ako on my own.

But unlike before, may limitations na ako because of Nathan. When I left the Philippines last November 2013, I was literally a 'free gal.' Kaso ngayong may baby na, mahirap ng lumabas. Nathan is afraid of people eh, talagang kami lang ni Ford ang kilala niya. I can't just leave him to any one, iiyak talaga.

Hay, saka ko na nga iisipin. Basta ang importante, makakauwi na ako. I badly need to recharge na talaga eh.

See you next month, Pilipinas kong mahal!