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Bob Martin at the Del Monte Clubhouse in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon

Bob Martin at the Del Monte Clubhouse in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon

Hi, my name is Bob Martin, and I am the owner/writer for the Mindanao Blog! Thanks for coming by for a visit, sit down for some pineapple and let’s talk about Mindanao!

Yes, I am an American, but I have been coming to Mindanao regularly since 1990. In addition, I have lived permanently in Mindanao since early 2000, and I love it here. The thing that I hear all the time when I tell people that I live in Mindanao is that I must be scared because it is so dangerous here. Actually, that is really far from the truth. Yes, there are places in Mindanao that are quite dangerous, but the majority of the island is safe. Is it perfectly safe? No, I know of no place on the earth that is perfectly safe, do you? I have lived here for a number of years now, and I have never felt that I was in danger yet. I do try to use common sense in my daily comings and goings, though. I suppose that in these days of uncertainty that would be a sensible thing to do no matter where you live.

MindanaoBob holding a live crocodile that was taken from the Davao River

MindanaoBob holding a live crocodile that was taken from the Davao River

I have been involved in a number of different types of businesses over the years. I guess that at the root I am a retailer. I have managed a number of different retail stores ranging from small specialty shops to huge discount stores in the past. Since the early 1990′s, though, I have been self employed. In that time I have done different things. Initially I was a writer, authoring about a dozen different books that were published. Most books that I wrote were on the subject of Amateur Radio and Shortwave Radio Listening. In recent years I have sort of mixed my passion for retailing with my passion for writing and for the Internet in general. I have a number of different blogs on the Internet, as well as e-commerce stores selling different types of items on each of my websites. It is a good life, and I enjoy it very much. The kind of business that I do allows me to have free time when I want it, and also work at whatever schedule I choose. It allows me time for my wife and kids, which I enjoy a lot as well.

Feyma Martin with our boys, Chris, Aaron and Jared

Feyma Martin with our boys, Chris, Aaron and Jared

I guess that when you mix up all of my interests and my passions, there is only one thing that you could call me. An Entrepreneur. Yes, I am an Entrepreneur, and I love it!

Come back to the blog often!

Comments

  1. Todd Hirsch says:
    February 27, 2013 at 11:14 pm

    Hi Bob,

    I have been following your blog for a long time now…
    and I am a customer of your online stores.

    I have surprised my Fiancee on a few occasions with a delivery from your online store. =)

    I am happy to say that I am a full time expat and online entrepreneur also like yourself.
    I just spent 5 months renting a nice place in Gensen and I just bought a new condo in Davao.
    I will be moving to stay in Davao at the end of March.

    We have some local business ideas in Davao and would love some advice.
    We plan to open a restaurant and a laundry station in Davao, among other things…

    I would love to meet up sometime soon Davao for coffee and advice.. =)

    Thanks,
    -Todd Hirsch

    Reply
    • MindanaoBob says:
      February 28, 2013 at 4:34 am

      Hi Todd – Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment! And, also, thank you for your patronage of my business! I appreciate it very much.

      I would be happy to get together with you when you are in Davao. Coffee and a good discussion sound great! Just give me a shout when you are coming and we can arrange a schedule and location!

      Reply
  2. Charlie says:
    May 27, 2013 at 10:05 am

    Greetings to you and family,
    I am planning to come to Manolo Fortich Bukidnon for a month visit to ascertain whether it would actually be condusive to my safety there. I plan to retire to the Philippines since I am probably to be married to a local girl of the area. I do apologize for being 1 more person to inundate you with a safety concern from a continuing barrage of similar questions asked by others. I would greatly appreciate any feedback you may provide me.
    I am actually quite excited to visit there but not so much to lose focus on common sense and safety.
    I look forward to your input. Thanks Bob, Charlie from Michigan…

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. The Nations of SEA– A Blog For Asean :: Mindanao :: September :: 2006 says:
    September 1, 2006 at 7:04 am

    [...] Mindanao-based Philippine blogger, Bob Martin, was right when he said in his blog, "The thing that I hear all the time when I tell people that I live in Mindanao is that I must be scared because it is so dangerous here". [...]

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  2. Mindanao Blog at Pinakang… says:
    July 29, 2007 at 10:38 pm

    [...] blogger, Bob Martin, an American, was right when he said in his blog that “The thing that I hear all the time when I tell people that I live in Mindanao is that I [...]

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  3. struggle of a Moro youth to self-determination thru blogging says:
    August 1, 2007 at 9:13 am

    [...] – naubos sa gimik!). I bought the domain Macarambon.com just last week. I’ve to thank bigtime Bob of Mindanao.com for he provided the webhosting of this [...]

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  4. gladysmuana.com » Blog Archive » Meme: Four Play says:
    August 8, 2007 at 3:14 am

    [...] was tagged few months ago by my mentor, it came from Bloggie to my boss and now here it is..I’m doing [...]

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  5. Why I’m joining the First Mindanao Bloggers Summit « LEAVE NO TRACE says:
    August 10, 2007 at 1:47 pm

    [...] Bob Martin’s talk on travel and technology is probably a must hear. I never fail to look up Bob’s well known Mindanao blog whenever I look for places to go to in Mindanao. I am shamed by how Bob is more informed of Mindanao than a true blooded Mindanaon like me. Fr. Alejo’s talk on Socio Cultural Mindset of a Mindanaon is an interesting topic not just for any blogger but perhaps for any writer who wanted to dwell into the minds of the Mindanaon reader. As far as I know (not to be an isolationist though) Mindanaons usually “think” differently on so many issues. [...]

    Reply
  6. Elmer Blogger » Blog Archive » Bob Martin and Mindanao says:
    August 28, 2007 at 10:05 pm

    [...] Bob Martin deserves a mention about his positive feedback of Davao City and Mindanao. An American with Filipina wife, he has lived in Mindanao (mainly Davao and General Santos cities) for the past years. And even if his country of origin often issues travel advisories on Mindanao, his web site http://www.mindanao.com is a testament that Mindanao is not a land of conflict. It is a land of people from various ethnicities harmoniously living and looking for a progressive Mindanao. [...]

    Reply
  7. Inside the Mindanao Bloggers Summit (part 2) « Buddy Blogs says:
    October 28, 2007 at 12:20 pm

    [...] next speaker was Bob Martin. Now bob was one of those bloggers i really wanted to meet. I like reading his mindanao.com blog. [...]

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  8. Travel with Mindanao Bob « Buddy Blogs says:
    November 8, 2007 at 8:18 am

    [...] Mindanao Bob is planning to go to this place: [...]

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  9. Samal Island White House | Journey to Samal says:
    January 5, 2009 at 2:26 am

    [...] was going to try to provide a little history on the place, but as usual, Mindanao Bob has that covered much better than I would do. So I’ll link you to his research instead. The [...]

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  10. Bisaya Lessons Continue | Journey to Samal says:
    January 26, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    [...] giving praise to my teacher, Bebe. She really makes this work. Every lesson she has to travel to Bob Martin’s house because she doesn’t have internet at home yet. Bob is kind enough to do this [...]

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  11. Davao - Dumaguete City Forum says:
    July 27, 2009 at 10:23 am

    [...] a direct link to this URL: Bob Martin : Mindanao Anne and I recently visited Davao. I wish that I had had this link previous to our visit there. I [...]

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