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Real Estate Developer LGTM Corporation – Really Bad Experience

Joedel — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:30:22 +0000

Putting your hard earned money in an investment is a wise thing to do. Or at least that’s what I thought before my experience with LGTM Corporation. This real estate developer so far has given me nothing but headaches. If you want to know why, read on.

Last September of 2008, I decided to purchase 2 subdivision lots with LGTM corporation. I wanted to avail of their zero percent installment plan so I purchased the lots payable in 1 year. For 11 straight months, I have paid every installment for these lots on time. There was not a single installment made past due date. And when I am about to pay for the 12th and final month, they told me that I should hold off paying it and that final payment should only be paid when they finally award the titles for the 2 lots that I purchased. More than a year has passed and dozens of follow ups are made but they can’t give me an answer on when can they give the titles for my purchased lots!

Just this September of this current year, by a weird coincidence, we found out there is a loan under our name in RCBC Savings Bank. Of course, this was shocking for us. But eventually, I came to learn that it was just an assigned receivable by the LGTM Corporation to RCBC Savings Bank. Good thing I was a graduate of an accounting course so this was not difficult to understand. However, we found out that the loan under my name, the assigned receivable, is more than five times as much as the last payment I was told to hold on to until the title can be handed to me! Well, I was of course wondering why is that the case? It has been a year since I made all eleven payments and if there was an assigned receivable under my name, it should be equal or maybe less than the amount that I am holding for the last payment. Doesn’t this also mean that the release of my titles is not being processed? From my point of view, this is still not a good sign.

This made me more impatient of waiting for the titles to be handed to me. As advised by a legal counsel, I insisted on paying the last and final installment for my purchase of the two lots and demanded for a Certificate of Full Payment:

I also asked for an undertaking agreement that should state the exact date when I should get my hands on my purchase lots’ titles:

Despite the undertaking agreement that they issued, I still don’t have the land titles of my purchased lots. This is just really frustrating!

Now do you think putting your hard earned money in an investment such as a parcel of land is still a good idea? I’m no longer sure… So far, buying a land from LGTM corporation has given me nothing but headaches.

Nuffnang and HEAVEN Ice Cream invite you to a special screening of ‘SALT’

Joedel — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:16:52 +0000

Divine ice cream pleasure is HEAVEN Ice Cream.

Give in to the richest, smoothest, and creamiest by NESTLÉ Ice Cream. Revel in the exquisite goodness of its four sophisticated flavors—Belgian Chocolate Bliss, Strawberry Dream, Vanilla Almond Secret and Butter Pecan Obsession. HEAVEN Ice Cream is made with only the finest ingredients and contains no artificial food colors. Available in 800mL(Php 175) & 450mL(Php 115) tubs across supermarkets, groceries, and convenience stores nationwide.

Corregidor Island Prenup Pictorial

How Paranoid Are You?

Joedel — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:40:45 +0000

Earthquakes, flash floods, strong typhoons and sink holes are just some of the calamities that are making people think that the end of the world is indeed very near. Whether this is true or not, more and more people are thinking of ways on how to prepare for the worst conditions that this world is expected to give us as it slowly dies. For many, being prepared means surviving these conditions. However for some, this means that a new market is about to make them money. In the internet, the owners of 2012thetruth.com, 2012survive.net and 2012supplies.com are just some of the business minded people that has started to take advantage of the 2012 Paranoia.

Is Doom the new Boom in Real Estate?

Though a few websites could now be earning a few dollars, there are those who always think big. In the middle of the Mojave Desert in California, an underground facility is being developed into an underground shelter that offers a safe place to stay in when the Armageddon arrives. The said shelter will be equipped with everything that you need and want to be able to live underground for years. However, staying in this shelter will cost you $50,000. That may be an insane amount to pay for but surprisingly; the units are almost sold out!

Watch the entire video here: In the Lap of Luxury on Doomsday

May 10, 2010 – Making the Right Choice

Joedel — Sun, 09 May 2010 16:45:53 +0000

According to the surveys of SWS (Social Weather Station) and Pulse Asia, the two candidates that are leading the race to the presidency are Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar. In my opinion, publishing surveys about elections should be prohibited because it does affect the decision making of the voters. Don’t you think that this is not right? Publishing or broadcasting surveys about upcoming elections should once and for all be banned!

How can surveys affect the choices that voters like me make?

For me, the thought of having Villar as our new president is a nightmare. Yes he made himself a fortune from being a poor man from Tondo. He probably does have the capabilities to push this country out from poverty; but will he do it? Or will he rather take advantage of his power for personal intentions. Not for once had I ever believed that he got his fortune by being an honest man. In my opinion, the C5 scandal is as clear as it can get and it spells what can happen to our country if he ever becomes president.

There was a time when I was really scared of the thought of Manny Villar being the president of the Philippines that I wanted to vote for Noynoy. Thanks a lot to surveys conducted SWS and Pulse Asia! These survey institutes that don’t even bother to disclose if the surveys that they conducted are commissioned or not have poisoned my mind. That was until I realized that I need to vote for someone who I really believe would be a good leader for this country rather than voting for someone just because I don’t want Villar to win. When I finally came to my senses, I felt ashamed and disappointed with myself for considering voting for Noynoy just for this reason.

Senator Noynoy Aquino has no records or issues of corruption throughout his service to his country. However, he has also done nothing for this country so far and I never even felt that he wanted to do anything for our country. Not until the former President Corazon Aquino died. Just looking at Senator Aquino’s track record makes me wonder why on Earth he deserves the highest position in my country. Voting for Noynoy Aquino can be illustrated through a simple equation: Noyoy = Erap + Famous Parents – Corruption. That being said, you know I am not voting for Joseph Estrada.

I am NOT voting for Noynoy Aquino. Does this mean that I don’t like a corrupt free country? Or does this mean that I’m just one of the few Filipinos who studied their lessons and did their assignments?

After looking into all the presidential candidates’ profiles, backgrounds, achievements and platforms, it all boils down to two qualified candidates: Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and Richard “Dick” Gordon.

There’s no question that Gilbert Teodoro is one of the most intelligent and qualified candidates to be the president of the Philippines. He has the best educational attainment among all presidential candidates. The track record of Gibo is good but not impressive. Gibo being this intelligent, capable and experienced was enough for me to choose and vote him for president. In addition to that, the fact that Gibo Teodoro is also from Tarlac (my hometown) is a plus.

If there is one thing that pulls down Gibo from the presidential race, it is the endorsement of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. But don’t you think that PGMA is not that dumb to endorse Gibo if she really wants him to win? Don’t you see that the incumbent president’s real favorite fruit is orange and not green apple? Sorry but my vote for Gibo will not be won by other candidates just because of this.

It seems that by this time, Gibo had really won my vote. However, less than 24 hours before the 2010 elections start (just as I am writing this article), I came to realize that intelligence is not everything.

When you were a kid, did any of your teachers tell your parents that: “Matalino naman po ang anak nyo, tamad lang”. And have you ever heard of the quote: “It’s not what you have; it’s what you do with it”?

Gibo was a congressman here in Tarlac for 3 straight terms but he has done nothing great about this place. People are also questioning on how he responded when the country’s capital was struck by Ondoy and Pepeng. It was also discovered that some of the weapons used by the Ampatuans in Maguindanao massacre were from the Philippine Military during his time as a Secretary of National Defense. It makes me wonder, what did he do with his intelligence during these times?

It’s time to take another look at Richard Gordon…

Richard Gordon has an impressive track record from his service as a senator, mayor of Olongapo, SBMA chairman, secretary of Tourism and chairman of the Philippines National Red Cross. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is also considered as Dick Gordon’s legacy. He has turned this place into one of the most disciplined and orderly place in the Philippines. Thousands of jobs were also generated for the people. Gordon has already showed his heart many times by helping those who are in need. He has responded well in the Mt. Pinatubo tragedy and worked hard as the chairman of the PNRC. There is no question that Gordon has done a great service for his country even though he is not as intelligent as Gibo.

Okay, now that I’ve seen his good points, it’s time to look at the downsides of voting him. Hmm… I think there’s a little problem….

Richard Gordon does not have any real corruption controversies, no questionable properties and not even issues about having multiple wives.

Yes Gordon does talk too much and he is not the most intelligent presidential candidate. But he has shown us that change can be done. Now he is asking us to give him the opportunity to do for the country what he has already done for Subic.
Now I know that red is the right choice.

Choosing for the right people for our country’s next leaders is a hard task and huge responsibility. It is also every Filipino citizen’s right and duty to go out and vote for who they think will serve our country best. So please, choose wisely and go out and vote!

Wealth Within Your Reach: Pera Mo Palaguin Mo! Book Review

Joedel — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:34:15 +0000

Wealth and financial independence is within the reach of anyone! This is the idea that Mr. Francisco J. Colayco shares through his book entitled “Wealth Within Your Reach: Pera Mo Palaguin Mo”. The book clearly explains basic principles and simple methods on how to properly manage your personal finance. Reading this book of his is like taking a short, simplified and practical course in personal finance that you can apply in your everyday life.

Why did I read this book?

Working as a freelancer has earned me a good amount of income and I managed to save up a little. Now I’m looking for ways on how to properly manage my money and ideas where to invest my savings to that they can provide me good returns with absolutely no risks. My wife and I went to the book store and I managed to find this book so I bought it to see how much it can help me. After reading only a few pages of this book, I already know that it is exactly what I’m looking for. The idea of financial independence was introduced to me and now it has been my long term goal.

What is Financial Independence?

When you decide to stop working and your savings and assets are earning enough to sustain your chosen lifestyle, then you have attained financial independence or freedom. Attaining this financial status is possible for all income earners. This book by Mr. Colayco aims to help the Filipinos to reach financial freedom by teaching them the proper management of their money. Whether you are OFWs, minimum wage earners, professionals or entrepreneurs, the concepts and ideas in this book will be useful for you. Here are some of the things that the book can help you with:

Identifying your Financial Life Stage and what to do in every stage.
Identifying the obstacles that can hinder or slow you down in attaining financial independence.
Knowing your strengths (or “genius” as used in the book) that can help you generate income.
Learning about the resources that can help you reach your goal.
Invest your money in financial products with little to no risk.
Identifying legitimate from fraudulent opportunities.
Beating inflation and keeping your money from losing its value.

“Wealth Within Your Reach: Pera Mo Palaguin Mo” has not only inspired me to dream of attaining financial independence but it has also given me hope that this dream is possible. This book discusses useful tips on how to effectively save your hard earned money and minimize unnecessary expenses. Suggestions on different possible financial products or where to invest your savings are also given in this book. Time deposits, treasury bills, government securities and mutual funds are some of the suggested possible long term investments. The value of time, as well as the importance of compound interests, is also given emphasis.

Mr. Colayco was successful in making his book absolutely understandable by using both the English and Tagalog (Filipino) language. Everyone, regardless of how much knowledge you have in finance, will surely understand every bit of information inside the book because they are expressed in the simplest ways possible. Stories and cited examples also made it easier for readers to understand and visualize the ideas that the author is trying to share.

Over all, this is a great book and I highly recommend it to everyone. In my opinion, every Filipino and even every person in this world should be provided with the valuable information that can be found in it. So valuable that not just income earners, but rather anyone that has money should learn about it. Children should be taught the importance of proper management of money at a young age. I think this is the key in reducing poverty in the Philippines.

Philippines With World in 2010 Earth Hour

Joedel — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:08:46 +0000

If a single flap of the tiniest butterfly’s wings can cause large effects in this world, then just imagine how much Sixty (60) minutes of power conservation can do for our mother Earth.

The Earth Hour is an event that is held to raise the awareness of people about the rapid change in our planet’s climate. Started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, the Earth hour has become a yearly event that is held every last Saturday of March at 8:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. in local time. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature or WWF organizes the said event every year by reaching out to households, businesses and individuals to participate and spread the awareness about climate change.

Millions of people around the world participate in the Earth Hour by turning off their lights, appliances and other gadgets that uses electricity. Each year, more and more people participate not only to spread the awareness about climate change but also to show their concern for our home planet.

Here in the Philippines, Filipinos will gather in the SM Mall of Asia as we celebrate the 2010 Earth Hour in Metro Manila. Many other cities, including Davao and Cebu, support and regularly participate in the Earth Hour every year and are expected to have their own Earth Hour programs held.

Though the Earth Hour lasts for only 60 minutes, people are encouraged to continue and do their part in minimizing the causes of climate change. The WWF-Philippines shares some ways on how to show our planet some lovin’:

Document Your Earth Hour Celebrations
Host an Outdoor Evening Party
Encourage Kids to Play Outdoors
Do a Recyclables Hunt
Green That Workspace!
Involve Your Local Leaders
Clean Up Your Street
Unplug and Just Chill Out
Give Yourself an Energy Makeover
Make a Pledge for the Planet

The Earth is our home and our existence only depends in its life. Let us do our share in saving it by participating in the 2010 Earth Hour.

My Workplace at Glance

Joedel — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:06:07 +0000

Being a freelancer and just working at home, no one really cares about where I am working, how many hours I am working and definitely not even about what I wear when working. Despite that, I strongly believe that a comfortable workplace is essential to everyone regardless of the nature of his job.

We recently developed a mini-office here at our home and I’d like to share some pictures to you…

Anyone who has got this kind of workplace would definitely love to spend his entire day working! Who needs food and sleep when you can work in a place like this?

Corregidor Island Prenup Pictorial

Joedel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:01:41 +0000

The island of Corregidor, also known as “The Rock”, is one of the important historical places in the Philippines. This small island stood its ground and protected Manila and the islands of the Philippines from the attacking Japanese soldiers. An old saying goes that “Great things come in small packages” and Corregidor proved just that.

The old canons, mortars and ruins that the second world war left in Corregidor not only tell stories about Filipino’s courage but are also perfect for a prenuptial pictorial. This is what my wife and I agreed about as we chose the island of Corregidor as the location for our prenup last November 2009. Here’s a slide show of our photos:

All I can say is that the place is perfect! Here’s just a few tips for you when you are planning to visit Corregidor:

Lunch usually comes with the cruise package.
Staying overnight is always the better option because day tours are just too quick.
Bring your own food for merienda because buying food from stores in Corregidor is expensive. The price is around three times the normal price of the goods.
If you are going on a pictorial, renting your own van is better than riding the tour bus because they can only stay in one location for a few minutes.

What’s Up Lately?

Joedel — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:01:24 +0000

Today is the 9th day of September in the year of 2009. That’s 09/09/09! This number have many meanings but most people believe that this number brings good luck and fortune. Well, let’s see if this number brings good luck and fortune to my blog with this post on this 999.

So much about the date, I would like to update my blog with what I’ve been busy doing lately. As usual, my time for work is being limited because we’ve been working on some wedding stuffs and Facebook of course. This past weeks, Dulce and I have already accomplished some of the most important things like the church reservation, reception and photo and video coverage of our wedding. Here are some photos from our contract signing with Larry Asio of La Majarica/Coconut Grill:

We went fo Kquentors for our photo and video coverage because we believe that their style and technique are perfect for us. They gave us a good package deal and we are happy with what we are getting. We are still thinking about (and convincing Dulce’s mom) having our Prenup pictorial in Macau but just thinking about it already excites us. So I guess there’s a good chance that we are going there.

It is expected that we are going to get busier with wedding preparations in the coming weeks but I hope I can also manage to find time to work. As we all know, work never ends in the online industry and the amount of work and effort that you exert is directly proportional to your income. So yeah… income has been down lately for me.

Finally Engaged to be Married

Joedel — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:08:40 +0000

For the past weeks, I’ve been really busy preparing for a special event – the marriage proposal to my girlfriend, Dulce. We have been together for more than six years now and I can say that there’s no doubt in me that she is the girl that I want to spend the rest of my life with.

The Plan

One of the hardest tasks that I’ve faced in preparing for my proposal is coming up with a good plan. All I knew was that I wanted the proposal to be special, romantic and memorable. With the help of Mitch and Trish, we were able to come up with a great plan.

Marvin and I have the same birthday and we are used to celebrating it together with our friends. So what we did was organize a formal dinner that was supposed to be the birthday celebration for the two of us. I wanted it to be intimate and cozy and we found just the perfect place for the proposal. Cafe Alfonso located at Leviste Street in Makati agreed to host the event. The cafe is usually closed during Saturdays but thanks to Ms. Joan, the owner of the place, because she agreed to open that day and accommodate us. Flower arrangements and decorations were provided by Trish and they were really stunning.

Of course, the night wouldn’t be romantic without music. We got the services of “The Tales of Music Ensemble” and all I can say it that they’re great.

The Proposal

All was set and everything was good to go. August 8, 2009 is going to be one of the most memorable days of my life. The place was ready, the food is good, the music is romantic and friends came in to support me. Of course, Dulce had no idea that this night is going to be extra special. All she knew was it was going to be a birthday celebration of me and my friend.

After the dinner, Marvin and I were supposed to give a speech. And when it was my turn, this was what happened:

So that’s it. That night was definitely one of the most important parts of my life and my relationship with Dulce. Thanks to those who took a part of it and helped me make it happen. To Dulce, I love you baby! Thanks for accepting my proposal and agreeing to spend the rest of our lives together.