ePassport Application

Here's a guide on how to apply for ePassport in the Philippines.

1. Get an appointment sechedule.You can do this by calling the DFA epassport appointment system number at (02) 737-1000 or by visiting the passport.com.ph website.

2. Prepare all the required documents. Make sure to bring the original and photocopied documents with you on your appointment date.

Requirements
NSO Birth Certificate in Security Paper (SECPA)
Original Valid ID

Supporting documents are as follow:

Marriage Contract
Land Title
Driver's License
Government Service Record
School Form 137 or Transcript of Records with dry seal
Other documents that show full name and birth details of applicant and/or citizenship
Voter's Registration Record from COMELEC Intramuros
Baptismal Certificate with dry seal
Seaman's Book
Income Tax Return (Old)
NBI Clearance

Please refer to http://passport.com.ph/requirements for a detailed list of epassport requirements.

3. Proceed to the DFA Consular Office located at ASEANA Business Park, Bradco Avenue corner Macapagal Boulevard, Paranaque City 30 minutes before your appointment date.

Fees
Php 950.00 (15 working days); Php 1,200.00 (7 working days)

The Philippine epassport application form can be downloaded here: http://www.dfa.gov.ph/main/index.php/downloads/doc_download/14-philippine-epassport-application-form"

Blog Directories

Many webmasters recommend submitting url of sites to blog directories as this is supposed to help a blog or a website become more visible to the search engines. Submitting blog URL to directories may also help increase the number of site visitor and one way back links that a site receives. The latter in particular applies to directories that do not require a reciprocal link from a site.

The wordpress codex even attests the usefulness of blog directories and encourages wordpress users to add their sites to directory listings for traffic and search engine optimization purposes. There are tons of websites with high PR in the world wide web but many SEO specialists agree that dmoz.org is the best and the most important blog directory.

Of course directories are not only for blogs, they are for other industries as well. For bloggers and web masters, however, taking advantage of blog directories may be a good way to increase search engine visibility and improve traffic.

Price of Iphone in the Philippines

How much does Iphone cost in the Philippines?

Updated October 2012:
For those who plan to buy an Iphone through Globe Telecom, refer to the table below:

iPhone 4S	Unli Surf Combo 1799	iPhone 4S Prepaid Kit**
16GB	P4,800	P36,690
32GB	P10,080	P42,490
64GB	P15,096	P48,290

*P1,799 monthly service fee + P200 monthly cashout payable via 0% Citibank credit card payment installment up to 24 mos.

To date, Globe Telecom has not yet published prices for Iphone 5 on their website.

Refer to the table below for the complete price list of iphone as offered by Globe Telecom. Chart is taken from Globe.com.ph's website .

Although the Apple website endorses Globe Telecom as the official "seller" of iphone in the Philippines, many Filipinos still prefer to buy their iphones from other sources. One common reason for this is the price offered by Globe for their iphone units. Iphones from Globe are far more expensive than units sold by "non official" iphone sellers. Thus, many prefer to buy their iphone from other sources.

Where do Filipinos buy their iphones other than from Globe Telecom?

1. Online shops (sulit, ebay, multiply). When buying an iphone online, make sure to check the feedback and credibility of your seller. Be also cautious with deals that are too good to be true particularly because fake iphones are also sold online. You may think that you got your iphone 4 for only five thousand pesos only to realize later that it isn't the real iphone.

2. Pawnshops. Although iphones that are sold in pawnshops may have been brought there by their legitimate owners, it is also likely that some of these iphones are stolen goods.

Are you an iphone user/owner? Where did you buy your iphone?

Freindster Background and Layouts

Freindster, (correctly spelled as friendster) is considered as the most popular social networking site in the Philippines. While Filipinos have friendster alternatives such as the option to showcase their backgrounds, profiles and photos through blogs, many still prefer to check out public and private photos posted by their classmates and friends in services like Friendster.

By having an account and profile at friendster.com, long lost friends and classmates are able to find and communicate with each other. I opened an account at Friendster a few years back with the encouragement of my husband and since then, I was able to find old friends and classmates who are now based in different parts of the globe.

Background and History
Friendster is founded by Jonathan Abrams in 2002. In 2003 internet giant company google tried to buy the social networking site for $30 million but the offer was turned down. In 2007, Freindster introduced a social & photosharing community, the photodiary.com.

Free Layouts and Graphics
The popularity of freindster particularly in the Philippines is perhaps the reason why there have been massive searches on friendster background, friendster free layout and friendster tweaks. Thankfully, users of the social networking site no longer have to settle with the traditional friendster overlay layouts because there are now a number of sites that offer help in hacking friendster and provide skins, tricks and layouts.

Here are some of the hot friendster layout that users can find online:

Anime Friendster layout. Catz19 is a good source of anime layouts for friendster . The site also has friendster crossover layouts such as this one:

Prepaid wireless broadband from Smart

Smart has introduced another wireless broadband service to Fiipinos who are gradually becoming dependent on internet access, SmartBro Prepaid. SmartBro Prepaid is a lot similar to the smart plug and surf only that Smartbro prepaid does not have monthly fees. The rate for using this wireless prepaid broadband service is P10 per 30 minutes of internet use.

The Smart broadband prepaid kit costs PhP 4500 and is inclusive of one and a half hour worth of internet access load. I believe that this also comes with the Smart BRO USB modem which will be used to plug into the laptop's USB port to connect to the world wide web. Reloading can also be reportedly done by buying credits from smart load retailers. Speed is reportedly up to 384 kbps in areas with 3G coverages.

Smart claims this can be used nationwide but I wonder if this smart prepaid wireless broadband will work if I go to the boondocks. I mean will the broadband work in areas without 3G coverages? I still need to get out of the house to call when I go to some remote places in the provinces that I go to sometimes. I wonder if I can use the prepaid broadband in those areas.

My Picks for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008

I was not able to make an entry during last year's Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs writing project. Fortunately, Janette Toral has decided to come up with The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008. The writing project is supposed to identify "influential" blogs that were created not earlier than July 1, 2007. While it may be quite challenging to identify blogs that are "gradually gaining influence", I am identifying my choice of Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008 based on the following parameters:

1. Influential blogs are blogs that have the ability to start a "movement". I should have included Macuha.com in my list for his pinay scandal movement but his blog was started somewhere in January 2007.

2. Influential blogs are blogs that are able to convert considerable number of visitors into readers. People won't subscribe to your blog if they do not like or need what you post right?

3. Influential blogs are blogs that make people do what you advocate for and write in your blog. Filipinaimages.com should be in my list but the blog was created in June 2007 (just a month earlier).

-- I have to agree with Quezon.ph that the criteria of "influential" differ from one person to another. My perception of influential blogs may be different from other bloggers who participate in this contest. I hope though that more participants to this writing project will be able to to at least show some criteria as to how they come up with their list of the ten emerging influential blogs.

Here is my partial list of my entries for the The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008. Hopefully I will have this finished this week.

1. prcboardexamresults.com. This website is surely helpful to bar and board exam takers given that the PRC website is always down. Nevertheless, what makes this site influential is the fact that it has gained leadership among Philippine blogs that cover PRC board exam results. As for its readers, the site has gained more than 13,000 subscribers since its creation in September 2007. (Updated May 8, 2008: I am deleting this entry. The reason? I just asked myself how a website that shows PRC results can influence the way people think and act. I have also realized that being a leader does not necessarily mean influential. I am calling this site as outstanding but not necessarily influential).

21. Blog ni Inday. The site is primarily a humor blog that "gathers and shares Inday jokes found online and from SMS messages". What makes this humor blog influential is that it inevitably establishes a new genre of Filipino jokes similar to the Erap Jokes a few years back and institutionalizes these "jokes" by publishing them in a new communication medium, blogging.

2. Filipino Voices.

Update: June 12

Geez, I really find it more difficult to finish my entries. Most of the influential blogs are not "new" enough.

3. Davao Food Huntress. When does a blog on food and dining become influential? I guess it is when people become used to checking it out to know where it is best to spend one's money when eating out :-) I love food and I always check this blog to know where it is best to eat in Davao City. Looking at the number of comments on each of this blog's postS, I can say that there are lots of people who do just as I do. The first post of Davao food huntress is dated August 6. So I guess, this blog qualifies for the top ten emerging influential blogs.

wpthemedesigner.com At last, a Filipino WP theme designer!!!!

4. Mar Roxas for President in 2010. Let me give a personal political statement: I am NOT voting for Mar Roxas in 2010 (unless maybe he stops spending excessive money promoting his candidacy). Nevertheless, I am voting for the Mar Roxas for President in 2010 for the top 10 emerging influential blogs in 2008. Why? Realistically, more Filipinos are likely to vote for Roxas and they would be getting much info about him and his candidacy in this blog.

5. Ready to be Rich.  I am tired of seeing the keyword "make money online" in money related blogs where bloggers usually write about blog monetization and even SEO. Fitz Villafuerte's website is a relief from this as he does not only cater to those interested in blogging but also in giving money making and saving tips to the non web savvy individuals. His blog can potentially instill financial innovation among his readers.

Updated July 6, 2008

6. Fritzified A blog from a really good photo enthusiast! I hope Fritzified will feature more of his photos and make some of them available for other bloggers to use for free :-). We need more Filipino themed photos in our blogs!

7. Sino sila A watch dog of bloggers? Hmmmm.. this site may be visited by more and more "guilty" bloggers in the near future.

8. Project Vanity I guess it is time a pinay gives fashion and beauty tips for fellow pinays. At least most of the products featured in this blog is available locally, I do not have to spend a fortune buying from ebay.com to look and feel better :-)

9. Wifelysteps Moms and wives are the future of the Philippine blogosphere besides reading this blog reminds me that being a wife and mother is cool.

jlozada.com I am voting for this blog for the same reason that I voted for Mar Roxas blog.

10. Online Job Workers Honestly, I am running out of blogs to vote for hahaha so I am nominating my blog. Will this blog be influential too? Hopefully more people will soon visit this blog to learn where they can get legit online jobs. I hope the blog will be influential enough to change people's online earnings and lives.

July 29, 2008

At last I got my 10 picks!

What will replace the internet?

What will replace the internet? I mean how is the internet going to be replaced? I was reading yahoo's feature article about the internet blackout when I learned through one of the links about the Japanese plan to replace the internet. Japan's minister of communications Yoshihide Suga has even talked about making this internet replacement technology available by 2020.

By then, I might no longer be chatting with my friends via IM but am I supposed to expect connecting with people the "Star War's way"? By the way if my son Kulay will be reading this post by 2020 (that is 12 years from now), this entry is blogged using an internet broadband connection with approximately 500 kbps speed.

Pending Paypal Withdraw Transaction

Update:The fund is finally transferred to the debit card.

Last week, January 24, 2008, hubby made a withdraw transaction from his paypal funds to his EON debit card. Withdrawal transactions from paypal to debit card, as far as our experience is concerned, generally takes only a day or two before the withdraw transaction is marked completed in the recent activity table. We already sent a message to paypal's customer service and hopefully they will be able to put some light on the situation.

I googled for philippine pending paypal withdrawals and realized that we are not the only ones who are having this slow processing of paypal to debit card / credit card withdrawals. A certain Louis has commented at pinoymoneytalk that "A LOT of people are stuck in that pending status".

Maybe this pending paypal withdraw transaction problem is partly caused by the new services offered by paypal. Just recently, withdrawing Paypal funds to Philippine Banks has become available. I also noticed that paypal seems to be having frequent site maintenance lately.

***

Withdrawing Paypal Funds to Philippine Banks Now Available

At last, withdrawing funds from Philippine based paypal accounts is now much easier. Getting your paypal money is not just limited to getting it through your credit card or debit card. Paypal has finally made withdrawing funds to Philippine bank account, yes not just US bank accounts, available.

Philippine banks / bank accounts that can receive paypal money:

No list provided by Paypal All local banks can receive paypal funds but your bank account should be in Peso Account not dollar account. You may also refer to this table of bank codes from pinoymoneytalk. The bank code is required when you register your bank account. This table currently includes bank codes of Metrobank, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) / BPI Family Savings Bank, Citibank / Citibank Savings, Citibank / Citibank Savings and Chinabank. If yours is a BDO (banco de oro), check this post for details.

Here is the list of Philippine Bank Codes released by Paypal:

BANK NAME	9 digit bank code
ALLIED BANKING CORP	010320013
AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND	010700015
ASIA UNITED BANK	011020011
BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS	010030015
BANGKOK BANK	010670019
BANK OF AMERICA	010120019
BANK OF CHINA	011140014
BANK OF TOKYO	010460012
BANCO DE ORO (& EPCIB)	010530667
BANK OF COMMERCE	010440016
BANK OF THE PHIL ISLANDS	010040018
CHINA BANKING CORP	010100013
CHINA TRUST COMML BANK	010690015
CITIBANK N.A.	010070017
DEVT BANK OF THE PHILS	010590018
DEUTSCHE BANK	010650013
EAST WEST BANK	010620014
EXPORT & INDUSTRY BANK	010860010
FUJI BANK	010640010
HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANK	010060014
INTL COMML BANK OF CHINA	010560019
INTL EXCHANGE BANK	010680012
JP MORGAN CHASE BANK	010720011
KOREA EXCHANGE BANK	010710018
INTL NEDERLAND BANK	010660016
LAND BANK OF THE PHILS	010350025
MAYBANK OF THE PHILS	010220016
METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST CO	010269996
PHIL BANK OF COMMUNICATION	010110016
PHIL TRUST COMPANY	010090039
PHIL NATIONAL BANK	010080010
PRUDENTIAL BANK	010150018
PHIL VETERANS BANK	010330016
RIZAL COMML BANKING CORP	010280014
SECURITY BANK & TRUST CO	010140015
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK	010050011
UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK	010299995
UNION BANK OF THE PHILS	010419995
UNITED OVERSEAS BANK	010270189

How to Get Your Bank code

If your bank is not listed here, inquire from your bank's customer service or personally visit your bank for inquiry.

Processing remains at 5-7 days after you submit your withdrawal request.

Refer to the chart below:

Day/Time Requested_test	Day/Time Available (Days are one full week after the request is made)
	Mon by 17:00 PHT	Tues by 17:00 PHT	Wed by 17:00 PHT	Thurs by 17:00 PHT	Fri by 17:00 PHT
Wed by 17:00 PHT					x
Thurs by 17:00 PHT	x
Fri by 17:00 PHT		x
Weekends - Sunday by 17:00 PHT		x
Mon by 17:00 PHT			x
Tues by 17:00 PHT				x

Note that the availability of funds can be affected by bank policies and holidays

Fees
7,000.00 PHP or more: Free
for 6,999.99 PHP or less: 50.00 PHP

Related Blog Posts and What bloggers think about this development:

Paypal to Philippine Bank Withdrawal Service

PayPal Bank Transfers Catch UnionBank Off-Guard

Western Union Philippine Branches

Did somebody just send you money as a birthday gift? Do you need to send money to a relative in the province via Western Union? The number of Western Union agents has grown so much for the past years owing to the growing demand among Filipinos to send and receive money to and from within and outside the country. Some people who work online also get paid via Western Union.

If you are looking for Western Union Philippine branches or you need to contact a particular Western Union agent for queries on dollar payouts, schedules, fees and other concerns, you may want to check this

Western Union Branches List.

Please note that this site is not the official Western Union Website, any concerns, complaints and problems should be addressed to Western Union and not to this site. We may publish your comments on grievances about Western Union, their employees and agents but we cannot do something about your concern.

Stroke Patients Recommended to Play Wii

Who says Wii is just for the video game loving young people? Seniors and people who suffered from stroke are now recommended to play Nintendo’s fifth home video game console, Wii. Some occupational therapists believe that playing Wii will allow patients to “build balance, coordination, endurance and upper and lower body strength”. Playing Wii can also reportedly improve brain function when patients take advantage of the video game console’s internet channel.

Playing Wii is also believed to be good for people who have suffered from spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. The Ohio State University Medical Center's Dodd Hall Rehabilitation Hospital in Columbus, Ohio has already been using the Nintendo Wii for four months now to rehabilitate their patients who suffered from stroke, spinal cord and brain injuries. Too bad, there is now a Wii shortage especially in US and UK.