AKteacher

Ermita, as well as most of Manila, is fairly safe as far as street crime, in fact much safer than many US cities. There are many scams, which can actually be kind of amusing if you don't take the bait. Taxi scams can be annoying, just have them use the meter or use Grab. Check out Cowboy Bar & Grill on Mabini for decent pizza, beer and other food, and different sorts of (mostly loud) music. Girl bands, OPM, metal, even an occasional punk band. If you don't like the music, just wait and another band will come on. Enjoy!

Robinsons Mall isn't far away (5-10 min walk) from USEM. The food court there has a variety of not-too-expensive options, and there are many mid-priced restaurants inside the mall. There is also an abundance of other options nearby, from street food (garlic peanuts, chicken guts, balut, McDonalds, etc.) to some rather expensive (and delicious) restaurants nearby. Cowboy Grill on Mabini has some 1/2 way decent pizza (not great, but quite edible), as well as other food (steaks, etc. but not cheap) and the entertainment is (usually) free.

Good news - my wife's parents and brother miraculously received 10-year multiple entry tourist visas, so they're coming from Philippines to the USA to visit! My concern is medical insurance for them while visiting, due to the obscene cost of medical care in the USA. I have been exploring different companies, quotes, etc. and there are a plethora of different plans covering (and excluding) things I never thought of and some things I never even knew existed. Does anybody out there have any experience with travelers' medical insurance for visiting the US, particularly with claims. Many of these policies offer "reimbursement" for medical expenses (evacuation. etc.) and I would not want to pay six figures for some expense and then the company denies it, or other problems like that. Also, many hospitals mark up the bill by a tremendous amount if you're not in an insurance network. Denials due to anything deemed "preexisting," and so on, and so on... the possibilities are endless for being financially trapped and/or ruined by the US medical system. My wife's parents are elderly (late 60s/early 70s) and are relatively healthy but who knows, anything could happen. I am willing and able to pay for good insurance, and I'm looking for a company that pays claims directly and doesn't unreasonably stall or deny claims. Can anybody recommend which companies are good, and/or which ones to stay away from? I realize this topic has been addressed before but I am hoping to get information on specific companies, what to look for and what to watch out for. Thanks in advance!

The better Tanduays I drink straight, with a coke chaser.

I like Tanduay 1854 when I can find it. About PHP400/bottle https://manila-wine.com/tanduay-1854-15-years-old-filipino-rum or Tanduay Superior, about PHP 280/bottle https://manila-wine.com/tanduay-superior-12-years-old-filipino-rum

I flew from Manila-Davao a couple of weeks ago on AirAsia. They said masks were required, but I didn't have one. They let me board anyway. About 1/3 of the passengers were wearing masks during the flight.

I'm trying to decide which VPN service would be best for use both within and from outside of Philippines (I travel back and forth from US to PHL). NordVPN looks good, but they don't have any servers in PHL. ExpressVPN also looks good. I would want to be able to stream local PHL content and use banking websites, etc. from the US and vice-versa. Online encrypted storage and a good password manager would also be a plus. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or a different one?

Thanks for the info. My main reason would be to be able to travel in & out independently.

The Balikbayan is great if you come in to PHL with your spouse. A 13a would allow me to travel freely in & out by myself as well as get an ACR card.

If we move, we'd live down in Mindanao, probably Davao.

Philippines 13a visa (residency based on marriage) - Are there any advantages of applying while still in the US, or is it better to wait until after arrival in Philippines and apply there?