Journey to Samal » Samal Island

Pearl Farm Resort To Get P34 Million Renovation

Randy C — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:41:06 +0000

The most famous and highest rated resort on Samal Island is set get an upgrade. Pearl Farm Beach Resort is easily the most widely known resort on Samal, at least outside of the region. It is probably the most expensive, too, but that goes with a AAA class rating.

P34 Million is no chump change, but the resort is doing well. Visitors were up about about 20% in 2011 compared to 2010.

Included in the renovations, set to be done this year, are a new aqua-leisure park. That will include the ever popular zipline (400 meter) and a wakeboard park. These are expected to be opened in February. The wakeboard will be only the second of it’s kind in the region.

Fuego Hotels, which has been running the popular resort for Anflocor, will be handing those those duties back to Anflocor according to Anflocor vice-president Vincent Floirendo.

“It’s about time, we modernized it a bit, Mindanao style.” Floirendo said. The renovation work will still hew more to the Maranao, Samal concept of the resort. He added that ever since the resort opened in 1994 the resorts remain unchanged.

There are also plans to acquire new boats, both speedboats and banca, to bring guests to and from the resort.

It’s great to see a one of the most poplar resorts on Samal Island doing well, and investing back into the business. It bodes well for the future of Samal.

via PIA News: Samal Island’s Pearl Farm Resort due for upgrading

Living on Samal Island

Randy C — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:50:31 +0000

A little under four years ago I made a trip to the Philippines that began a love affair with this little island off the Davao Gulf commonly known as Samal Island. It was then that I agreed to purchase land near the White House, with hopes of eventually retiring there. Thus began this blog.

Four years can be a long time. Do I still have intentions to retire on Samal?

That’s not an easy question to answer.

Many things have changed during that time. I’ve had a couple of additional and extended trips to the Island Garden City of Samal. It’s all been documented here, which was the original purpose of this blog. From buying land on Samal, until retirement there.

Some events in my life have naturally been of personal nature, and I don’t feel the need to expound on in a public forum such as this. Other events, such as the realization that the plot of land that we purchased was difficult at best to reach, were just a matter of looking at things in a more practical manner.

My anticipated retirement age has also changed a number of times during that period. Sometimes a little longer, and occasionally much sooner. As of today I have a good idea when that will be, but there are a number of factors, as always, that are out of my control. I will know when the time is, when I do.

So I’ve avoided answering the question long enough, but as you can see, I don’t have a complete answer. If I were to somehow retire today, or soon, it appears to me that I would live in the greater Davao area. At the least, somewhere outside of Davao. That is where I have come to feel comfortable, and where most of my friends and acquaintances are located. Admittedly I have not traveled extensively throughout the Philippines, but I am comfortable with Davao, the people, and what it has to offer. Of course it is close to Samal, and I can visit whenever I desire.

At this time it appears to me that it would be more realistic to look into having a vacation home or bahay kubo on Samal with which to spend time at, much like my friend Kevin plans to do. If I were to need to live on Samal sooner than later, I would prefer to have something closer to the concrete road going from Babak to Penaplata. That makes sense to me, and is still very secluded. Of course I may feel differently down the road a bit.

I’ve met a surprising number of people, both in person and online, that live on Samal, at least part time. Ellen, Uli, Travis and Mae, Jack, Cleo, Matthew, and Angus. Probably more, I apologize if I missed someone. The point is, it can be done and many are doing it. I’m impressed by each and every one of them. A bit envious, too, I might add.

Samal Island holds a very special place in my heart. It remains to be seen if I end up there or not.

Samal Households Receive Solar Power

Randy C — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:30:23 +0000

Some of you long time readers may remember some of my early articles referencing my desire to use solar power when I got a house built on Samal. I still have a lot of interest in solar power in the Philippines, but have done next to nothing in regards to doing anything about it. Partially because it will be so far off, but also because I was not having much luck with finding solutions that would work there.

The DOE (Department of Energy) didn’t wait for me to get my act together, they have already implemented solar power for some homes on Samal Island.

As part of a Philippine Energy Efficiency Project (PEEP) funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank, households that were previously without electricity (off-grid) now enjoy solar power via a system that is composed of a solar panel, a storage battery and three lamps. Total cost is P28,800 of which is picked up by the DOE. The households are also given training as to the use and maintenance of the system. There is no on-going energy bill for these homes.

“Solar energy emitted by the panel and stored in the battery is enough to light up the household for the entire night,” said Rosalie Joan Sotelo, senior science research specialist of DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Division.

The article does not say how many homes in the Samal area are covered, but a total of 233 households are furnished within 4 areas in the Visayas and Mindanao – Samal Island, Davao; Pandan, Antique; Makato, Aklan; and Manalo, Palawan.

So, I guess this makes my plan clear. I just need to build in an area that is off grid, and I’ll get my solar, and not only that, but have it paid for by the DOE. Joke only!

Ref: DOE powers four off-grid areas through solar technology – PIA NEWS

HDTV Davao Region

Randy C — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:25:36 +0000

I don’t watch a lot of television. Some sports, an occasional movie, but mostly not very much. So what’s available in that regard there in the Davao region has never been a major concern of mine. That doesn’t mean I haven’t looked into it though.

When I do watch TV, I only watch High Def channels. One might say I’m spoiled. I’m not going to argue the fact, but after watching HDTV for the last 7 years or so, it actually gives me a headache to watch standard definition for any length of time. That’s why I found it encouraging to see that HDTV is available in Davao, and to some degree possibly Samal now.

I’ve owned a 50″ Samsung HDTV for those past seven years. That setup, along with the home theater system, is not coming with me to the Philippines. Too big, too old, too expensive to ship, wrong voltage, etc. No, I’ll get by with something much smaller, but still HDTV I suppose. I’ll look at my options for content based on our needs.

One company that caught my eye during my visit was Cignal Digital TV (complicated but they are part of PLDT). Cignal is very similar in function to DirecTV or Dish Network here in the States. They use a dish, pointed to the right location, and it just needs a clear line of site for reception. This is great for Samal Island, as that is the exact kind of set up you need in a remote location. I didn’t ask if they are installing on Samal, but if they aren’t I would have to guess they would be soon.

Cignal offers many different packages, with the basic one costing P250 (lang) per month. That one doesn’t include HD though, you need to move up to the P590 to get a couple of channels of HD thrown in. To get all nine of the HD channels they offer – HBO HD, STAR Movies HD, National Geographic Channel HD, History HD, Discovery HD, STAR World HD, Food Network Asia HD, ESPN HD, NBA Premium TV HD – you’ll need to put out P1290 a month. The upper two packages include free equipment, so that’s a bonus. They also have a tenth PPV HD channel, so you can watch Manny in HD if you are willing to pony up the additional fee.

Their main competition appears to be SKYCable. This is your standard cable offering, not a dish setup. The prices are pretty similar between the two. SKYCable has about three more HD channels – Discovery HD World, History Channel HD, National Geographic Channel HD, HBO HD, HBO Hits HD, STAR Movies HD, FOX Family Movies HD, STAR World HD, Fox Channel HD, Fox Crime HD, NBA Premium TV HD, ESPN HD, and the HD PPV, but they handle the packages differently. There are a few bundles of HD channels for various prices that are “add ons” to the normal packages. That’s what makes it somewhat difficult to compare pricing between them an Cignal. SKYCable standard (non HD) packages start at P280. Depending upon your wants and needs, you might be better served with one or the other.

I would imagine, much as the way it happened here, the number of HD channels will continue to increase whereas in the future virtually all channels will have a HD equivalent, if not just HD. Regardless, I feel that it’s a pretty good start. ESPN in HD is good enough for me, not that I really know how ESPN differs from what they show here. I’ll need to look into that sometime.

Comparatively you can get either product much cheaper than what you might pay here. The total number of channels is much less, but how many of the 200+ channels do people really watch? The most expensive Cignal package comes in about $30 US (at todays rate). I can only get the most basic package here for that price. No ESPN, and the only HD are the local channels.

For those television watchers around Davao (and Samal hopefully), things are looking pretty good.

Ports of Samal Island

Randy C — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:05:30 +0000

Like most of the tourist visitors to Samal Island I usually take one of the passenger ferries from Davao to get there. I was aware of the two main ferry ports on Samal, and the existence of one further down the island near Kaputian. It wasn’t until just recently that I happened to learn there are quite a few more.

I’m always amazed at how difficult it can be for people to find the RORO wharf in Davao. I’ve had both private drivers and taxis get confused as to where it is. I’m afraid I’ve not been a big help because it seems the landmarks I use only add to the confusion. Part of this confusion comes from the fact that there is separate passenger ferry going to Barangay Villarica, Babak District, than the main RORO (Roll-On Roll-Off) that ends up in Kinawitnon, Barangay Caliclic, Babak District. They both leave Davao from Sasa Wharf, Km. 11 Sasa Public Market and Km. 10 Mae Wess Ferry Terminal respectively.

I consider the Caliclic port the main port as it carries vehicles and passengers, including the Island City Express buses that many take to and from various parts of Davao to their destinations on Samal Island. I don’t have the numbers, but as far as I know the bulk of the traffic coming and going to Samal is through this port, especially because of the number of passengers the buses hold.

Those aren’t the only ports though. I count at least six official ones, if you include Talikud.

Samal Island Ports:

Babak
Caliclic
Kaputian
Limao
Peñaplata
Sta. Cruz (Talikud)

The Philippines Ports Authority (PPO) has a great website with all the statistic, maps, diagrams and details you would want about all of the ports in the Davao region, including all the ones on the Island Garden City of Samal. For those interested in this kind of stuff it’s a great resource and well worth your while to check it out – Davao Sasa Wharf.

Good Housekeeping Award for Samal Island

Randy C — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:28:11 +0000

Congratulations to Samal:

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) XI awarded the Seal of Good Housekeeping for local government for the year 2011 this last September at Davao del Norte Provincial Capitol. Island Garden City of Samal is the only city in the region to win the award in recognition of its highly transparent and accountable governance.

This is an important matter as not only does it show that Samal Island is supporting President Benigno Aquino’s initiative, but it also comes with a P3-million prize which can be used by the City as counterpart funds for programs and projects under the Millennium Development Goals.

The DILG awards seals of good housekeeping to local governments for internal housekeeping in four areas: good planning, sound fiscal management, transparency and accountability, and valuing of performance monitoring.

In the level of cities, only IGaCoS in the entire Region XI received the award and being the recipient of the said award the city was able to satisfy the following criteria: (1) Good planning that includes Updated and approved Comprehensive Development Plan including land use plan, updated and approved annual investment plan, Executive and Legislative Agenda (2) Sound fiscal management that “no adverse” report from the Commission on Audit which means complied all the requirements of government’s auditing agency,(3) Values Transparency and Accountability that comprises of Functionality of Local Special Bodies, Transparency of the procurement process, Compliance to the Anti-Red Tape Law, Full disclosure of local budget and finances, and bids and public offerings through posting in conspicuous places within public buildings in the locality and in the website.

It’s really nice to see Samal get some positive recognition for something other than it’s resorts. Nothing wrong with them of course, they are great, but the island has many things going for it other than just those.

via PIA – Samal: only city awarded of good housekeeping.

Mindanao Tourism

Randy C — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:56:41 +0000

How does one go about promoting tourism in the large region of the Philippines known as Mindanao? That’s the task that Art Boncato has taken on, at least partially, as the Regional Director for the Davao region, Department of Tourism-XI.

Though I know next to nothing about the business of promoting tourism, from what I’ve been reading, and it’s been a lot, it seems to me that they have the right man for the task. He’s been very active in meetings and planning, and especially communicating that information with the media. He’s also very visible and accessible via his Facebook account.

Davao Region, designated as Region XI, is one of the regions of the Philippines, located on the southeastern portion of Mindanao. Davao Region consists of four provinces, namely: Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. The region
encloses the Davao Gulf and its regional center is Davao City.

There seems to be a big tourism push going on in the Philippines recently. Obviously it is one area that has been targeted to generate income for the country, now and in the future. The types of tourism I see mentioned most are meetings & conventions, ecotourism* and medical tourism. All these are very important to the Davao region. Medical tourism, in particular, is an area that appears could easily be promoted and utilized to higher degree than it is currently.

One of the fruits of the Department of Tourism-XI’s labors has been a “Let’s Meet in Davao” MICE manual (meeting, incentive, conference, exhibition), along with a MICE accomandation guide. Both of these documents are available online, and offer detailed information about what is available in Davao for your next MICE and resources that you can avail to help make your MICE visit more rewarding.

There are other organizations working to help the promotion of the area as well. Mindanao Tourism Council, Samal Island Tourism Council and Visit Samal are all groups that are working towards that goal. The later two are obviously focused on our favorite island, the Island Garden City of Samal.

I believe all those in the Davao region can feel very proud about the leadership they have in regards to the important industry of tourism.

MR. ARTURO P. BONCATO, JR., Regional Director
Rm. 512, LANDCO Corporate Center Bldg.,
J.P. Laurel Avenue, 8000 Davao City
Tel.: (6382) 225 1940
Fax: (6382) 221 0070 / 221 6955
E-Mail: dotr11@yahoo.com
Websites: www.visitmyphilippines.com
www.discoverdavao.com

* Ecotourism is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strive to be low impact and (often) small scale (as an alternative to mass tourism). Its purpose is to educate the traveler; provide funds for ecological conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.

Work on Samal Island

Randy C — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:15:57 +0000

One of the things I have to determine by the time I retire is whether I will continue to try to earn some extra income, or just live off the pensions that I will receive. This isn’t as cut and dry and it used to be. These days you can easily (relatively of course) earn income online and from anywhere in the world. Samal Island is about as remote as you can get, being the tropical island it is.

I have interest in earning an online income, as well as you may, also. There are a lot of resources, online of course, to get you started in that direction. I don’t plan on going into them in this article. Instead I would like to explore what work is available for an expat in such a limited region and limited job market.

For the most part I believe one would need to consider running their own small business. A store, restaurant and service related are the types of things I’m thinking would work. Of course, these are not going to make you lots of money and could potentially require a great deal of work. That is the trade off, at least for me. How much work will I want to do?

Farming and agriculture offer some interesting possibilities. The Samal Dairy Farm is an example of a need that is being successfully met right there on the island. Raising cows for milk and cheese is not in my area of expertise, but it shows that there are possibilities for the right product.

I can see some coconuts, mangoes, bananas, and even coffee as items that could be grown and sold for profit. In some cases you might need to have a specialty, such as organic, to compete. Exporting of things like coconut oil could also be worthwhile, again if your product was specialized enough.

I’m sure there are a lot of possibilities. I suspect when it comes down to it, I and going to explore what I can do online. That’s where my interests are anyway. It’s a competitive world out there, but if you can find your niche you can can make a living even on a place as remote as Samal Island.

Note: another post from a blog that I haven’t maintained to this point.

Should You Retire on Samal Island

Randy C — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:03:52 +0000

Your choices for a retirement location are endless, money not withstanding, but living in a foreign land may not be for everyone. The Philippines, in particular, has a number of advantages over other countries for the American expat, chief among those being a large English speaking population, and comparitvely low cost of living. I feel Samal Island is an excellent choice for your retirement, if the Philippines is in fact on your list.

So what makes Samal Island such a great retirement location? Here are just a few reasons that I see:

A large percentage of foreigners either visit or will be living on the island soon
There are a lot of new high end resort subdivisions being developed with a variety of amentities
Plenty of raw land available, if you don’t want to live in a gated community
Close proximity to Davao and all it has to offer – malls, restaurants, attractions, markets, etc.
Beautiful beaches and wildlife
Great outdoor adventure sports/activities including scuba diving, sports and hiking
A laid back and still natural environment
Friendly filipino neighbors

There are a lot of factors with which to figure before making such an important decision to live outside of your home land. Visas, taxes, income, health care, relatives, etc. Some of these are fairly easy to discuss and determine what is best, and others are not. The adjustment to any new place, but especially a foreign land, is difficult at best. To consider such a move without a lot of research and visits is not in anyones best interests.

I will discuss the various pluses and minuses of some of these issues in future articles, and why Samal Island is our choice for our future retirement home. For now welcome to my new blog. Maybe you, too, will consider retirement there!

Note: this is an article I wrote for another blog that I was hoping to maintain. So far it hasn’t happened, so I decided to re-post here.

Samal LGU Agrees to EUF MOA

Randy C — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:41:03 +0000

The controversial and widely unpopular EUF (Environmental Users’ Fee) will continue on the Island Garden City of Samal, with a newly adopted MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) between the local government and various civic groups.

The main purpose of the MOA seems to be to monitor the EUF to insure that the funds are collected correctly and are in fact used for the purpose intended.

After series of consultations and meetings with city department heads and civil society organizations of the local government of Island Garden City of Samal made by Ateneo de Manila University School of Government (ADMU-ASoG) through its Government Watch (G-Watch) Program, the parties involved have finally inked the Memorandum of Agreement for the “IGACOS Bantay Kinaiyahan” Project during the employees Monday Convocation, June 27, 2011 at Samal Multi-purpose Gym.

Signatories to the MOA were the Transport Federation of IGaCoS (TFI), Samal Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship (SEMFEL), Samal City Resort Owners Association (SCROA) and (ADMU-ASoG)

I saw many signs in resistance to the EUF during my visit late last year. I only recall one instance in which I believe the fee was collected, when we visited Hagimit Falls. Though the fee was very small, my understanding is that you could potentially pay this many times during a visit. The resort owners, in particular, feel this may be a detriment to promoting tourism for Samal.

It will be interesting to see where this is at in a year or so. Will the MOA have made any impact and what benefits are derived from the collection of these fees? I think the average visitor to Samal would not be going to attraction after attraction, but those that do may find the fees excessive for their efforts to visit the many activities available on Samal Island.

via Samal City inks MOA on envi protection with civic groups.