The ACR Card & The Bureau Of Immigration Manila

At some point for more than a few visitors to the Philippines, there comes a time when you have to make a decision of whether to leave the Philippines and return to wherever home is in order to add to your budget or to stay and if, you decide to stay, then you are going to have to visit your local branch of The Bureau of Immigration for the Philippines. If, you are South of Manila, down in the Visayans, their branch office in Mandaue City can assist you, in the Cebu City area, just before you cross the bridge to Mactan Island, where the airport is located.

However, if you are in Manila, you can just go by The Bureau of Immigration in the beautiful area of Intramuros, that's Spanish by the way, for "within the walls." There in Intramuros, you can see the old Manila and it's lovely architecture and Spanish influence. Definitely worth a visit and make a day of it, with its many spacious parks in the vicinity. Plenty of shade trees and don't forget to bring your lunch or snack and just in case you forget, there are many canteens (eateries) adjourning the many parks where you can get a three course meal for about P80 (< $2).

The ACR Card is the Alien Certificate of Registration Card that the Philippines Government implemented to help with registrations of persons inside its borders and to aid in combating questionable identification cards. The ACR Card has a microchip embedded in it and it's about the size and the thickness of a credit card. Note the card examples above, compliments of the Bureau of Immigration, located in the Intramuros area of Manila.

The ACR Card is great for Temporary visitors who are coming for pleasure or business if, you are coming to the Philippines for reasons associated with your health, all the better, especially if your stay in the Philippines is going to be for more than six months. It's also a good option, if your are going to be a temporary student, because along with your Student ID card, it proves that your residency conforms to Philippines Law. The ACR Card at the time of this posting is about P2200 ($50) for issuance and renewals. The ACR Cards are generally valid for one year. Native born Philippines citizens who may have taken citizenship in other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, etc, are also encouraged to apply for the ACR Card. To apply for the ACR Card, check with your local or branch office of the Bureau of Immigration, or visit their website: immigration.gov.ph.

From your very first breath at birth, until the very last breath in passing, you will lose your way more than a few times in life. It is a fact of life, just as breathing is a necessary ingredient for life. When I lost my way, I adopted the philosophies of the East to help me find my way. All things East, had become my map for life, and my purpose for living. So, it's by no means a surprise that I found myself in the Philippines once again.

The Philippines is where I first fell in love and remained in love with throughout my life. The love I have for the Philippines is not defined by a single person or a single moment, but a multitude of things that I am unable to express in one sitting or perhaps a lifetime. In fact, my love for the Philippines and its people is expressionless. There are no words to describe my feelings toward the Philippines or for it. It is a place that one has to experience first-hand to know the meaning of the emotive feelings one acquires while there and when they leave, the longing for it.

The Reason We Get Up In The Morning

"Money is a constant companion only when you have it, and once it's gone, you're an orphan amongst friends."

Curthom

Low Tide, High Aspirations

"Traveling the path of least resistance while experiencing the ambience of the journey, hoping that the final destination is many quarter century's away." (quote from Curthom)


I traveled here and there and some how, once again found myself in East Asia, seeking or perhaps having found one the least expensive places to rest and relax. It had been a rather slow year so far and I just needed a rest from all of the drama going on in the States.

I stopped in Hong Kong, but the cost of living per day for a non-resident,
(aka, a foreigner) was rather prohibitive, more than $100 a day and that
didn't correspond with the budget I had in mind. I was thinking something more or less around $15 a day or about $80 a week. So, my
instincts took me to the Philippines, where I had lived off and on, over the past few decades off very little indeed.

I landed in Manila after catching a flight on Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong. You got to love those One World Alliance Partners. You build up a lot of American Airline AAdvantage miles over the months, using a Citibank Frequent Flyer Credit Card paying for this bill and that bill, and before you know it, you've got enough miles to go someplace. Well, that someplace for me was Mactan Island, off the coast of Cebu Island, just across the Cebu Strait. What a beautiful place Mactan Island, like most of the Philippines, it's hard to decide exactly where to settle, because there are so many gorgeous places to pause, stay or settle.

On Mactan Island, you have the luxurious Shangri-La, The Cebu Hilton Resort & Spa and The Plantation Bay, with rates very well North of $75 a night and all these hotels serve a market for those who can afford them, but I'm not there yet and if, I was there, that is could afford such places, I really like interacting with the locals of the places I pause, stay or settle, so I chose something akin to what you see in the picture above. Something simple, something elegant in that it coexists with nature without taking too much from nature-that is, it has a rather small "carbon footprint," like my wallet.

The picture was taken from the rear of a popular eatery on Mactan Island and while I didn't physically stay at the dwelling in the picture above, called a "nipa hut," I have stayed in a nipa hut and it was all that I needed for as long as I needed. I'd like to have something like this when I'm back in the States, but our local Zoning Departments always has something to say about that, huh?