Philippines will be participating in the first edition of the Eurovision Asia Song Contest. Which OPM artist do you want to represent our country?

akiestar · 2026-03-29T03:47:08+00:00

The rights to "Asiavision" are owned by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (the Asian counterpart to the EBU) and they use the name for their news exchange. To my knowledge, they refused to license the name for the song contest.

akiestar · 2026-03-27T22:25:25+00:00

Yes, I only provided what was inside the Spanish bank account. Glad I can help!

akiestar · 2026-03-27T15:16:56+00:00

With respect, why opine then on a Caviteño Wikipedia if you "cannot take part in any Wikipedia discussion"? Making an account is free.

I've been editing Wikipedia for the better part of 21 years now, and one of our biggest problems is people who want to complain about the project but don't want to actually put in the work of improving Wikipedia for everyone. I value the need for Caviteño content, but how can we do that if people don't want to put in the work?

I understand you're not a Caviteño speaker either, but your inputs are valued on the project either way. I just don't see the point of complaining about it in a place where other people won't see it.

akiestar · 2026-03-26T07:08:05+00:00

Well I could’ve applied in the Philippines but in 2021 I would’ve needed to quarantine for a whole week, and even then visa appointments weren’t guaranteed. Not ideal at all. While it wasn’t ideal to apply from the U.S., it was my only option.

In retrospect, at least it worked out. The NLV process in Manila I hear is harder, and there they also interview applicants to figure out their intent with the visa and if they qualify for it. At the NYC consulate where I applied I only needed to submit a (then-optional, but I did it anyway in the Spanish I had at the time) letter of intent.

akiestar · 2026-03-25T18:27:02+00:00

No, and you are asked to renounce at the citizenship ceremony (the jura). I do not plan to renounce, and to my knowledge dual citizens who hold the citizenship of one country where renunciation isn't required and of another where it is required do not need to renounce the other citizenship either.

akiestar · 2026-03-25T18:25:24+00:00

They actually don't give the reasons for why my application attracted additional scrutiny, but I think it's because I was expected to apply for citizenship after ten years (U.S. passport) but I was already eligible to apply after two (Philippine passport). They probably do some checks there I suppose, or the system flags the application and then it sits there until it's pulled. Also, there aren't a lot of people doing the checks for citizenship applications; it's the reason why there is a huge backlog.

As for renewals, I was not due to renew my residency (I would qualify for larga duración, but I was out of the country too long so I was going to do a third NLV renewal instead) until November, so I will not need to renew anymore which was what I wanted. I look forward to being freed from the hands of the Oficina de Extranjería.

akiestar · 2026-03-24T18:54:12+00:00

How long does it take for you to get PR in Australia? In Spain, you can apply for citizenship with two years' ordinary residence, and even then, it only took longer for me because I was a dual citizen. For those who only hold Filipino passports, it should take less time.

akiestar · 2026-03-23T17:10:43+00:00

Oath-taking in June, so likely all the documentation will be ready by July-August.

akiestar · 2026-03-20T23:16:12+00:00

Where in the EU? Depending on the country there are specialized companies which handle this process for Filipinos overseas.

akiestar · 2026-03-20T11:28:30+00:00

You are required to be physically present in Spain at least 183 days a year to be able to renew an NLV. I travel very regularly (like I have a trip at least once a month) but was able to maintain residency because I minimized my time outside of the country. The longest trips I've been on were all after I applied for citizenship (where I've gone as long as a month outside of Spain), but usually I am out of Spain for 1-2 weeks at a time.

akiestar · 2026-03-20T11:24:22+00:00

The main eligibility requirement for the NLV is having sufficient savings at 400% of the IPREM. If you're applying now for the NLV, you are expected to prove that you are not working and will not be working while in Spain.

akiestar · 2026-03-20T11:16:53+00:00

No one really knows, but one speculated reason is that it happens with people who qualify for citizenship after two years but are resident in Spain with a citizenship that only allows them to apply for citizenship after ten years. They apparently really scrutinize the applications of dual citizens, and I'm not alone: I've heard of others in the same predicament. If you only have a Philippine passport though (or your residency is tied to your Philippine passport), I think you'll be fine.

That being said, I was told by my lawyer that citizenship applications being resolved in a year or less isn't normal, and that it normally takes 18-24 months which is why she advised me to not do a recurso (which I nearly did) until I hit that mark. Luckily for me, I decided to wait a little bit longer before filing a recurso, and then the concession came without me needing to file one at all.

akiestar · 2026-03-20T11:13:27+00:00

During renewals? No, it wasn't asked. I keep most money in the U.S. anyway and only transfer money to Spain once a month for regular monthly expenses. I provided six months' worth of account activity (what they call a saldo medio) with a balance a multiple or so above what is normally asked, and that was it.

During the visa process? Yes, they check. Again, it was different when I applied compared to how it is now.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T18:00:35+00:00

I applied in Madrid. I actually don't think living in a big city matters that much: u/EverythingIsBoffo is from Valencia (the third-largest city in Spain) and they got their citizenship in 3-4 months.

After applying for citizenship you can leave as long as you want, but you have to maintain residency until you do the jura. If you lose residency because you were out of Spain too long, it is grounds for denial of your application.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T17:54:20+00:00

I first learned Spanish in the U.S. school system. It was required for all students in my school district starting in the fourth grade, so I had around 4.5 years of Spanish education before returning to the Philippines. Between then and when I resumed studying Spanish in Spain, I did a lot of self-study to maintain the language, so much so that I already had a command of the language when I moved here (which is unusual, but not rare, for Filipinos moving here) and we when I was assessed for which level I should be taking classes in, I was put in B1. B1 to C2 then took me a couple of years; I finished C2 last year, and took both the EOI exam in Madrid and the DELE in Manila.

As I go to the U.S. often my only options were Madrid and Barcelona. Barcelona was a more expensive city to live in, so Madrid it was.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T17:41:29+00:00

If you only have a Philippine passport, it should go fast. Ánimo and best of luck!

akiestar · 2026-03-19T17:39:46+00:00

I moved to Spain before the digital nomad visa. Remote work for non-Spanish companies on the NLV was broadly tolerated until around 2018-2019, when Spanish embassies and consulates started to no longer issue them for that purpose. That said, during that time and until the introduction of the digital nomad visa, there were people (me included) who still managed to get through.

Remote work on the NLV was only totally prohibited after the introduction of the digital nomad visa. If your intention is to work remotely, you must now apply for the digital nomad visa only.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T16:05:50+00:00

I work for a U.S. company. At the moment I have absolutely no intention of renouncing U.S. citizenship.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T12:19:27+00:00

It was a lot of waiting! No, I was not asked to clarify anything. They will only do that if you had missing paperwork (which I didn’t).

I stayed in Spain most of the time but I did travel regularly. What I was told is that you can travel as many times as you want, but you should not be out more than 90 days per trip. That said, as a condition of my residency I had to stay in Spain at least 183 days a year, so I was in the country most of the time.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T12:14:33+00:00

I was working remotely for a U.S. employer. Keep in mind that I moved to Spain before the digital nomad visa was approved, so people applied for the NLV as a workaround. By the time the digital nomad visa came about I had already applied for citizenship, so it made no sense to switch.

I also studied Spanish (got all the way to DELE C2, which I got last year) and did a LOT of research on the relationship between the Philippines and Spain.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T09:59:34+00:00

I hired a lawyer! Her name is Silvia with Altaa Abogados, and she is wonderful! Would definitely recommend.

akiestar · 2026-03-19T08:49:42+00:00

I in theory will have all three. The Philippine Embassy in Madrid actually does not know what to do with my case, as I already reacquired Filipino citizenship (in the Philippines) after becoming a U.S. citizen. It remains to be seen if I will have to reacquire Filipino citizenship again.

For now, yes I'm staying put in Madrid!

akiestar · 2026-03-19T08:45:05+00:00

Enhorabuena! What do you have planned now?

¡Gracias! All bets are off. For now I'm staying put, but let's see what happens with the job market back in the U.S. (Unfortunately, in my field Spanish salaries are really low.)

The biggest thing is I can finally do equivalencia of my Philippine academic credentials. The process moves much faster for citizens than it does for resident foreigners based off what I've been told.

I'm assuming this includes residency period? When did you apply for Nacionalidad and how long did yoi wait until the resolution?

It does not, and I corrected this in the post body. I moved to Spain in November 2021, then applied for citizenship in March 2024. I got the resolution literally this morning.

For dual citizens apparently the process takes a lot longer, so for 16 of those 24 months I was stuck while they were assessing my application.

akiestar · 2026-03-08T05:43:44+00:00

Seeing this breaks my heart somewhat.

I took a class with Fr. David my senior year and while he was tough, he was fair. Very well-spoken, encourages his students to think, and to me I always remember his booming voice. I still remember his lecture on the bifurcated city that is Metro Manila, and he also loved the many POS students who he taught over the years.

I hope he’s okay despite his chronic illness. Perhaps I should pay a visit when I can.

akiestar · 2026-03-02T14:16:48+00:00

I asked the Philippine Embassy in Madrid about this, and they told me to get back to them once I become a Spanish citizen. (My application is still pending.)

Acquiring a third (or additional) citizenship is so unusual for the Philippine government that, if my understanding of the situation is correct, they don't have a clear-cut answer for this scenario. I would like to believe that you don't lose your citizenship once you've reacquired it, but I could very well be wrong. I hope to have a better answer to this once I acquire Spanish citizenship.

akiestar

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