Philippines - What Is It Like ?

[Patong Bob]

Having lived six years in LOS and now back in Melbourne, a freind recommends RP as a place to retire. Any comments ?

[Steve2UK]

Lots of charms, but you might want to consider four factors compared to LOS...........

Food

Security

Squalor

Catholic values (but there's also a busy gay scene going on in private)

Edited June 23, 2008 by Steve2UK

[farang prince]

Having lived six years in LOS and now back in Melbourne, a freind recommends RP as a place to retire. Any comments ?

The Philippines can be your heaven or it can be your hel_l...it just depends on what is important in your life. On the Heaven side, most Filipinos are lovely people both to look at and be around. They speak and understand English, although it is often heavily accented. For the most part, they really love Westerners and you will get plenty of competition for your attention. They can be incredibly sexy and I have found in my experience that they are better lovers than my Thai lovers were. The Philippines consist of an archapelago of islands (about 7,500 of them) and there is some breathtaking beauty throughout the country. It is a very inexpensive place to live...I have a two-story four-bedroom, three-bath home in Cagayan de Oro that cost 2,500,000 Philippine Pesos ($62,500 USD). It is 100 yards from the Philippine Sea, which provides a wonderful cool breeze in the mornings. I also bought the land next to my house and plan to build a swimming pool. Food is relatively inexpensive...except for rice. You can buy fresh fish, chicken or pork and farm-fresh vegetables and fruit from vendors in just about every neighborhood. While Filipino food is more bland than Thai food, it can be quite tasty. Manok (barbequed chicken) is really good. And Lechon (barbequed pig) can also please the pallet. Unfortunately a lot of Filipino food is fried, something that I try to stay away from. San Miguel beer (brewed in Manila) is cheap but not nearly as good as Australian beer. I would rate it on the same level as Singha. Gas is expensive...but where isn't it? Domestic staff is very modestly priced...about $100 a month for a live-in cook and maid and $125 a month for a full-time chauffer. Vehicles are moderately-priced. I bought a good used Isuzu SUV with low miles for $16,500 USD. That's about what I would buy one for in the USA. There are English-language newspapers and television stations.

Now for the hel_l side. It is true that the Philippines can be a very dangerous place. On the Island of Mindanao where I live, there are three insurgent organizations creating terror. But they are primarily located on the northwest coast and in the central highlands. They haven't been disruptive where I live. In Manila, there are armed gangs that will occasionally abduct foreigners and hold them for ransom. But these incidents do not occur very often and have been quite overblown by the people who post here on Thai Visa. I personally think Thailand is just as dangerous and I would like to see comparitive statistics to answer this issue once and for all. If you decide to move to the Philippines, I would suggest you consider Cebu City, which is a couple of hundred miles south of Manila. It is a large seaport city and there are a number of foreigners who live in enclaves in and around Cebu City. One of the first things you will notice about the Philippines is that the country has a terrible infrastructure. The roads are falling apart and even those that are paved are often so rough to drive on that you think you are on a ride at Disneyworld. Traffic can be just as horrendous as Bangkok and just as terrifying as driving in India. There are few traffic lights and those in operation are usually ignored. Drivers communicate with each other by honking their horns. It is truly survival of the fittest. As I was once told by a friend of mine in Boston when he was describing driving in that New England city, "Don't make eye contact with the other drivers." It is good advice. I have a chauffer. To be honest, I wouldn't survive ten mnutes driving on my own. The tropical weather and owner neglect has also been unkind to many buildings...many have that terrible mildew look to them. This is especially true in the cities and towns in the outlaying provinces, like Mindanao. It is less obvious in Manila and Cebu. There is a tremendous amount of poverty in the Philippines (although nothing like India). Beggars usually hang out around the ATM's. They can break your heart to see them. Local neighborhoods (called barangays in the Visayan language) would often be considered slums by First World standards. As in Thailand, there is an incredible amount of street life in the Philippines. The kids play in the streets all the time and it is frightening driving down a residential street because they will only give your vehicle enough room to barely miss them. Dogs are everywhere...usually unfixed and pregnant or looking to impregnate and they move in and out of traffic with incredible skill. The entire street seems has a chaotic vibe to it but incredibly everyone seems to not only survive, but to have a great joy of life. I really enjoy their company. One other negative...the Filipino government whether at the national or local level is incredibly corrupt. In fact, one U.N. organization rated the Philippines as the most corrupt country in the world. But if you have been living in Thailand for six years, then are used to corruption and it shouldn't surprise you.

I have been in and out of the Philippines for a number of years. I hadn't considered retiring to the PI, and in fact, I am there right now on a one-year assignment. I have a hunch that I'll be there a lot longer and that's fine with me. I would suggest travelling to the Philippines and giving it a try. If you are Australian, you won't need a visa and if you decide to retire there, you can obtain resident alien status. I hope this has been helpful for you.

[Ijustwannateach]

On a purely anecdotal level, I never felt so close to danger in Thailand as I occasionally did in the Philippines- in general, the level of desperation there is far greater. Conditions are much worse in the cities there than here, though, and the village life may not be significantly different there from here.

[boitown]

I cannot compare Thailand from the Philippines, since I've never been to Thailand and I am a citizen of the Philippines. But to me, the assessment of Farang Prince would be fairly accurate.

[MeetJohnDoe]

Lots of charms, but you might want to consider four factors compared to LOS...........

Food

Security

Squalor

Catholic values (but there's also a busy gay scene going on in private)

Mostly in the sacristy no doubt

[siam2007]

On a purely anecdotal level, I never felt so close to danger in Thailand as I occasionally did in the Philippines- in general, the level of desperation there is far greater. Conditions are much worse in the cities there than here, though, and the village life may not be significantly different there from here.

I agree with that. though there is undoubtfully a lot of crime happening in LOS as well, and the problem is getting even worse day by day, you still can avoid a certain kind of dangerous situations. In the Phils you often can not.

at least I can use public transport in BKK without the danger of getting robbed or even shot (everytime when I arrive at the Phils I buy the local daily paper immidiately and there u can read such stories EVERY SINGLE DAY).

and such things as "robbery gang / police - shootings" which left 17 dead, including bystanders, as it happened in Manila lately (on a highway/thoroughfare near Paranaque, if i remember that right) are unheard of in Thailand, thanks god.

as "Ijustwannateach" said, the desperation is much bigger and u feel it at almost every second. If you dont know how to get your next meal and have nothing to lose in your life, then u dont care about anything.....

which is such a pity, because the Philippines with its more than 7000 islands are by far the most beautiful place on earth that I have ever seen (ok, I exclude Manila from my praise )