Mindanao Bob, Bob Martin, is an Internet Entrepreneur. Bob is an American who has resided in many US States over his lifetime, but now Bob is a resident of the Philippines. Bob has lived on the Island of Mindanao, in the southern Philippines since May 2000, when he moved there with his wife and three sons.
Three sons? Yes, my wife Feyma and I have three boys and one girl. Our oldest child is Chris, born in 1991. Aaron is our second son, he was born in 1996. Jared rounds out the boys, age 9. All three boys were born in the United States, although Jared was just one month old when we moved to the Philippines. We also have a girl, Jean, 12 years old. Jean is actually our niece, but she has been living with us since age 7, and we consider her our daughter now, as she considers herself to be as well. Jean is the best thing that has happened to me as a result of moving to the Philippines. She is one of the reasons why I will never leave the country.
My wife is Feyma Martin. Feyma and I married in 1990 in General Santos City, Philippines (the first place I ever visited in Mindanao). Feyma is my true soulmate, I don’t know how I could make it through life without her. She is always there to support me. Even if I get some crazy idea that is off the wall, if I want to pursue it, Feyma is there for me and will give me the support that is so necessary.
I have owned and operated a number of businesses here in the Philippines. As far as I can recall, I never had a single business that failed to produce some income for me, although some produced only small amounts of money. On the other hand, I have had a number of businesses since living here in the Philippines which produced some very nice income, many of which are still churning out money for me today. These days, all of my businesses are Internet based, and I primarily serve clients outside the Philippines over the Internet. I find that this is an excellent way to make a living.
Life is an adventure for me here in Mindanao. I have traveled Mindanao extensively, having visited 23 of Mindanao’s 26 Provinces. I will visit the remaining 3 Provinces soon, as time permits. But, having traveled so extensively, I have a good understanding of the Island and it’s people. I love Mindanao. Many people say that Mindanao is very dangerous. Indeed, there are parts of Mindanao that are dangerous, but most of the Island is safe to visit. I have even visited the areas that are considered dangerous (I’ve been to Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Tawi Tawi and such places), and frankly, I find them to be a lot less dangerous than what you would read in the newspaper. So, yes, my life in Mindanao is an adventure. If it wasn’t I probalby would not be here anymore.
I hope you enjoy my personal site! Don’t forget to visit my other sites as well!
Hello Bob l am glad that you are doing well.
l have fallen on hard times here after losing money with Legacy.
l am not writing to ask for anything,just if you have some friends looking for low priced land or a house in Mindanao,please help me.The land is situated near Cagayan D'oro,and Bukidnon,Camigain lsland,Dinagat lsland.The house is in Grand Europa,CDO.l am also seeking gold sponsors with equipment.
All the best to you.Ray Patterson 0928 907 1770
Hi Ray – I'm sorry to hear that you got caught up in the Legacy rip-off… I almost put some money in there myself… glad I opted not to!
Good luck with selling your land and house. I wish you the best.
Aloha Bob…..just came back from my first visit in the Philippines…..stayed in Agusan Del Sur,where my Fiancee and her family reside,…like 10 minutes from the most interesting active little town of San Francisco….stayed for 21 days…and did get around some….it was awesome…..great family people…what a Blessed welcome…
.Any ways, after we marry here in the USA…..and we experience this world together….i see moving to the Philippines, may be our chosen option. If you have the desire and time….i have an offer of friendship. Not sure where we might end up in the Philippines…..but friendships know no distance….Steve
Hi Steve, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit to the Philippines. I have been to San Francisco, and all around Agusan del Sur many times over the years, so I know the area pretty well. It's quiet in that area! Ha ha…
Of course, I'm always happy to have a new friend, so keep in touch! I hope that all goes well in your quest to move to and live in the Philippines.
hi,, kumusta na sa pagtuon sa pinulungang cebuano…?nindot kaau basahon ang imong mga gisulat nga mga kasinatian sa Mindanao.
Hi Bob im from australia my wife to be is at cebu iv been over twice and like cebu , i would like to stay their but finding bussiness at philippines is the problem form me do u have any advice , look forward to your thorts , SCOTT
Hi Scott – If you are looking for a way to earn money in the Philippines, to support your family here, I would recommend that you check out my book, 49 Ways to Earn a Living in the Philippines. It is full of ways that you can earn an income here, just like I do.
Hi scott
good to see u here my dear friend and all the best with your move t the phill it is better there and working where u are woring and living right take mate and all the best…….
Bob
How about land or homes for sell in Davao City are the prices high please let me know what is the best way to get a reasonable price.
Ralph
Hi Ralph – Finding a house to buy in Davao is not hard. My recommendation is to not do it on the Internet, though, as prices are generally inflated, and some brokers on the net are unscrupulous. The very best thing you can do is to come to Davao and just drive around town looking for signs. Most houses here are not listed with agents, so going to an agent will not necessarily find you the house you want. Just drive around watching for signs, and call the numbers shown on the signs.
Good luck!
Ralph- you ask if the house prices are high in Davao City? Currently I know of houses for sale from 100,000 pesos to 26 Million pesos. Without any reference point from you its impossible to say if you consider either of these prices high ! lol I
Hi bob im from texas im 55 years old my wife is filipino she is from cagayan de oro she is there now we want to move there to live but what can i do for a living there. i see you have books how do i get one THANK YOU
Hi sidney – Indeed, I have a number of books. The one that would be helpful with your question is called "49 Ways to earn a living in the Philippines". It is an electronic book that you can download right after you pay for you. You can find the book and place your order here:
http://books.auctiontopia.com/books/49-ways-to-ma…
Dear Bob,
Ealrier on I tried to get the message written below into your email inbox – apparently without succes because you were not yet able to reply. For that reason I try again through the Reply section at your mindanaobob.com website.
Best regards,
Bert van Ruitenbeek
Hello Bob. Over the past year or so I have been occasionaly reading your interesting website. It is of much interest to me since we are planning to settle in Mindanao by 2013 or so. During the 70-s and 80-s I have been working and living in RP for 11 years, mainly working with the Dutch equivalent of your Peace Corps. This obviously was a a great episode in my life not in the least because I met my wife, we got married and our two sons were born there. Already those days we bought some land near Malaybalay and now we plan to set up a homestead on that land, some time around 2013.
It is funny. On the calendar, 2013 is still far away and I am fully occupied with my job over here in The Netherlands but on the other hand, 2013 is also so close that we need to start working on all kind of details right now.
I have been searching internet for solid feedback on the feasibility / desirability / challenges of buying a used 20 feet container, stuffing it with some of our items that we think would be usefull for our life in Mindanao and with some items that I want to use in setting up the homestead thing. However, so far I have not been able to identify good sources of information especially experience-based ones.
Maybe you can help me out with suggestions where to look and/or whom to approach ?
pagayo-ayo !
Bert
PS (I am lucky to have had the opportunity to pick up the Cebuano language without too much difficulty: (those days) a young and eager learning mind, good teacher, rural living, working in local NGO's and doing agricultural extention work with small farmers).
Maayong buntag, Bert, kumusta ka? Hmm… wala ko nagdawat ug imong mensahe! Pero, malipayon ko para sa imong komentaryo!
I am sure you are very excited about your plans for 2013! That's great to hear, and I am also excited for you to embark on your adventure! I started my adventure ten years ago, and I am enjoying every step of it!
We shipped over many of our belongings in a container too, but we did not buy one. We just hired a moving company to pack it and send it for us, perhaps this would be a possible solution for you too?
Good luck with the move, and keep studying the Cebuano… it will be a valuable asset for you when you move here!
hi bob havent mailed you in a while i hope you are feeling better from the dingue fever.. i have a offer for you.. there is a couple products i take daily which really big time help my immune system and energy.. you can check them out on the web.. one is macro greens from macrolife naturals and the other is miracle reds from the same company.. it is fruit and vegetable powders with some herbs in there and it actually tastes good.. actually to me it tastes great.. anyway ill send you a large container of each.. i dont make any money on this since ill order it for you from the place where i get it and you can tell me how to send it to you.. then when you get it just take it either with water (thats how i take it and i recommend it) or mixed in with some juice as long as its not citrius juice.. it will really perk you up .. if you like it ill let you know where i get it which i found is the cheapest place to get it about half price.. anyway if you agree then all i ask is when i move there just let me know where is a good area to look for a house to rent.. thats all.. you have nothing to lose.. and its just an offer,.. part of my motivation is i want to see if you get it so i know if i can keep getting it when i move there.. so i get something out of the deal myself.. so check it out and tell me what you think ok?? i can promise you if you found you enjoyed the perimeter idea of eating you will absolutely love these products.. but you will need to keep them away from your kids hehe they may want to take it all.. anyway let me know .. i do this kind of thing from time to time.. so its not out of the ordinary for me .. anyway have a great day.. blessings to you and your family ray
Hello again Bob,
Earlier in this article, you had mentioned that some people consider the Island of Mindanao a dangerous place to visit or live. Well, I would ask them if they are familiar with the drug gangs in the major cities of the US and how frequently they visit those cities, if not live in them…. The research I have found is that the murder rate, per capita, is actually lower in RP than in the US, and the same holds true with other violent crimes. Sure, you have petty theft, and other things that happen, but it seems to me that you find that anywhere you live. Anyhow, the Maco area seems pretty docile and I look forward to the move! It will seem much nicer and slower paced than what I did with my previous employer(field service repair in the Metro Detroit area)….
Nelson Howard
Hi Nelson – Yeah, I think it is a lot safer here than what other people would think or say. I've lived here over 10 years and never had a problem!
can you tell me what highspeed internet is monthly in sarangani?
Hi dave – I suppose that a big part of the answer would depend on what you consider to be "high speed." In general, you can get a connection around 800 Kbps or so for P999 per month anywhere in the Philippines with SmartBro, which should work fine in most of Sarangani Province.
Did you sell your on line store? I tried to log on and all I get is a company called "WorldinLive" What is this all about? Your store had all the trimmings of personalization and much more. I feel like I lost a friend even though nothing last forever. You will be missed, trust me.
Hi Stacey – Don't worry, nothing is lost! I did not sell my store. Try it again, I am sure you will find you are in familiar territory. I found that there was an error in a configuration file, and that is what was causing the problem you experienced. Sorry for the trouble.
I want to live in Davao together with my girlfriend. We are not married What i want to know is about the necessairy visa. I live in the Netherlands (Europe) I heard that i can continue my visa every 3 months by going to the immigration. At the end of this year i go to Davao.Or do i have to go to Singapore to continue my visa.every year.
I have visited the Philippines several times and i like this country very much.
By the way wow philippines is a very good site, i always inform friends in the Netherlands about this site if they are interested in the Philippines..
Hi Albert – My Philippine Immigration Guide has all of the information that you need regarding visas to live in the Philippines. The price is very inexpensive, under $10.
Hey Bob,
I just moved to Matina, Davao City from Cleveland, OH and will be here for the next 16 months as I serve as an intern with Initiatives for Peace in Mindanao. I just want to thank you for your site, and I look forward to perusing more and hopefully will discover some more about my new city.
Thanks,
Hi shawmish – Welcome to Davao. It seems we live in the same general part of town. If you see me around, please give me a shout!
Good luck with your work here.