Retirement « 🌴The MC Resorts

Retirement and Healthcare- Manila has some of the more advanced modern medical care hospitals in Asia for a fraction of the cost. One I recommend is the St. Luke’s Hospital and Medical Center. I’ve been admitted at its ER twice and I like it better compared to my ER experiences in California. I was there at the same time as when Gloria Macapagal, Philippines ex-president was there.

If you wonder why that is- Philippines is still classified as a ‘developing’ country. With that designation come cheaper overall standard of living that have beckoned more and more Westerners to permanent residency.

Information posted here about Health Care is only to help shed light for those who might be considering retirement to a tropical environment like the Philippines but medical considerations had dampen your enthusiasm. This is informational only, not medical advice.

The term “Medical Tourism” had been around a while now. It had opened up some people’s eyes to the benefits of this ‘other’ kind of tourism, but my aim goes a little deeper than ‘medical tourism’.

The information given here is to SEDUCE YOU to consider RETIREMENT and LIVING in the Philippines 😉 And why not?

The advances in information technology had helped contract the world. Even time zones are ‘no matter’ anymore with the term 24/7. Apple’s FaceTime, and FB’s Messenger puts families from different time zones to ‘real time’.

Whether we are disciples of change and embrace it as readily, or we are dinosaurs (am speaking for myself!) who relinquish grip only tentatively after some convincing, the fact is this rapid change is to our advantage as far as medicine is concerned.

There is an under-current of Philippine life that does not get press- that there is a “great life” to be had in the island. What gets press fair or not- is the *bad*

One of those negatives is the thought that the Philippines is so backwards still, especially in medicine. Not so. If the Filipino MDs were to be asked, in the case of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Philippine ex-president, these Filipino Docs will tell you that anything foreign doctors can do, they can do. That is believable considering that most of these MDs studied abroad, got their Doctorates, or got US-certified in their respective fields here in the US and EU. These elite Docs travel back and forth as if the world really did shrink to a manageable few hours distance. Philippine hospitals routinely do an exchange fellowship with American medical service providers. There is no problem with calling in reinforcements from outside should circumstances or personal preferences warrant.

That was one of the points in the Arroyo case whereby the ex-president seeking medical treatment abroad was denied travel on grounds that she may just want to flee prosecution from her pillaging of the public treasury and nepotic reign. She was told she need not travel to get the care she needed. Filipino Docs are more than up to the challenge, but should it be necessary, the hospital would fly one in for her.

Now for us non-ex-presidents, that is a comfort to know. What she can afford, You and I using Dollars or Euros, can well afford.

*Compare-
In this part of the post one can see what the numbers really tell using an excellent comparative tool- an actual ER visit.

This time from San Antonio Hospital in Upland, California. The medical reasons for these two ER visits are EXACTLY the same.
Yes, too bad yours truly had to go through it to have these comparative tools so let’s take the good with the bad, shan’t we?

Below is the ER bill from the San Antonio Hospital/ CA. They hardly did any tests. They pulled out my old records and used data from those. In a way, thank goodness or I would have had to pay that too out of pocket.

June 24, 2012
San Antonio Hospital, Upland, California:

LEV 4, DET HIST. EXAM.MOD—- $401.00
Lead EKG, Interpretation————- 44.00
______________________________________
TOTAL CHARGES—————— $445.00

Compare the above charges to the St. Luke’s which had more detailed exams, at $159.36 minus the 2 X-rays which were unrelated to my original complaint but was done simply because I was already there.

Upon checkout I was given a 16% discount for paying cash.

Another 20% discount taken if the patient is 55 & over. He/she need not ask for the discount. It is automatically deducted from your bill.
Makes being ‘over…’ not bad at all! Hey, cheer, it’s just numbers!

Post Script: DID YOU ENJOY THE LITTLE STORY ABOUT THE PH EX-PRESIDENT? 😉

😂❤️🌻

As for me personally, I am an American Adventurer Entrepreneur pursuing my Freedoms to do so. I was born in the Philippines and this is “full circle”. These were all unplanned but with God’s help it turned out beautifully!🌹💟

America is my heart ❤️🇺🇸 where my kids are and ‘here’ is my enjoyment.

Let’s go!!

After all~ “We are the Captains of our own destiny.”

How so right!

Affordable, Doable Permanent Residency, Long-Term Vacation on MC Resort Setting!

“MC” by the way is simply my last name. Maybe it will change as I find it necessary, we’ll see

Leverage your currency- exchange rate as of 06/27/2022: $1.00 = P54.99

Think of what your USDollars can buy in that kind of economic exchange!

Location and Topography– a choice of 2 locations. I have two properties, all along the same coastline 30 minutes by boat but very topographically varied.

MC Main Property– see here for a complete profile of this Main property https://minpalmsresort.com

Macopa Reef– is a water fun park! A diver or snorkel haven. Follow this link for a complete rundown on this property https://minpalmsresort.com/beach-front-property-for-sale-8-hectares-to-rival-buracay/

High standard of living for foreign money- US Dollar, the Pound Sterling, and the Euro are some of the foreign money that come into our little town courtesy of ex-pats and foreigners who have found lives in this corner of the world. Their foreign money count for a lot and buy a lot here. This mean a higher standard for the above-mentioned foreigners.

There are a lot of blogs written by ex-pats who attest to thrive on $1000/a month budget! I believe this.

Not only that- they have founded small businesses as their sources of income too. One such business is Apo Reef Dive Park– namesake of the dive park itself- Apo Reef. Google them both for more info. This dive shop is my neighbor, operated by a Swiss-German national. Yes, it is possible for these foreigners to own their businesses here.

Healthy way of life- island life is healthier for obvious reasons. The whole island of Mindoro is blessed with fertile arable land. Coconut groves, fruit trees, bamboos and hardwood trees fill its mountains and shorelines. Rice plantations as far as you can see in every direction you look makes for a very soothing green environment with hardly any pollution. The MC Resort and Macopa Reef are ideally situated to benefit from this arable land. I am an ORGANICS consumer whenever possible. Work is underway toward self-sufficiency and control of what we consume. We harvest our own rice, veges, and make our very own bacon. Yeah!

The sea yields the freshest of catch you can ever enjoy

Guided recreational activities

Scuba diving– there is Apo Reef Dive Park, a nationally designated underwater park, premier dive destination in the world second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Fishing and Sport Fishing– every May to June is the Yellow Fin Tuna run from Mindoro Strait, their winter feeding ground back to the Pacific Ocean. Big business fishing vessels make their year’s income with this run. Or simply go out to the buoy and help yourself to catching your own dinner 😊
Hiking trails galore- brave an overnight trek to Mount Iglit Wildlife Refuge to see some endangered species, or stay in-resort and hike the hilly terrain of Macopa Reef
Swim or snorkel as exercise or recreation- all up to you.
Sail, kayak, dolphin sight-see- you can be as active as your energy dictates
Island- hopping– there’s more than 7,000 islands, visit as many as you can!

Photography– definitely come with your camera! Mother Nature provides endless entertainment. Enjoy reds, oranges and blues sunsets. Star gaze, we are at the Equator. Lay on the sand in the moonlight and just look up. You’ve never seen the Milky Way if you’ve never seen it from this vantage point. Come nightfall when it’s totally dark, admire a tree full of fireflies. How these tiny creatures can light up a tree so that night fishermen knew the shores of our yard, I do not know!

Then let the sound of waves lull you to sleep. How richly deserved!

The City & Grocery Runs
Forays into Manila or at least Batangas City are an occasional must for Western grocery runs like milk and fresh orange juice. You can ride shotgun, I drive!

BTW- I want to let you know I know how to drift on a 45* degree blind right turn on the mountains! Whoa!😂
The drive to the Pier at Abra de Ilog is 3.5 hours but I get in at 2. 😉
Or we can hop on a commuter plane and be in Manila within 40 minutes. Fresh milk, orange juice, cheeses, steaks and pizzas are not available in the island the way we Westerners would like it so we trek.