Move Over Thailand, the Philippines is Southeast Asia's Strong Man

[ding]

If the US bases are officially opening again (since they never really closed...where Subic, for example, is in pristine condition) that will add at least 1-2 million new jobs. The number of Koreans traveling and investing in the PI is growing at an astonishing rate. There are several million Filipino born Americans that are now reaching retirement age and plan to bring their pensions and other accumulated wealth with them. In Japan there is what is known as the "Big Push" to relocate a large number of their elderly population to the Asian equivalent of South Florida with the Philippines being one of the top choices due to the huge numbers of unemployed nurses and other care givers who will work for a fraction of what it costs to hire an RN in Japan, especially for 24 hour care. This is becoming an increasingly attractive option for Japanese companies who simply will not be able to afford their pension obligations without said option. The value of the Peso is artificially surpressed for several reasons. This is no secret and the potential for a currency appreciation of 20-30% over the next few years has lured a steady flow of foreign capital. Those who came in when the Peso was 57 and bought real estate and turned around a few years later and sold it at 40 to the dollar did very well. If all of the trends that I've mentioned above continue my prediction is 30:1 Peso to Dollar by 2020. I'm not saying that it will stay at 30:1....probably settle at 35:1 where it probably already should be valued if the markets were not so globally controlled and manipulated by exotic instruments of finance like derivatives. In other words there is opportunity everywhere, especially for those with a long-term perspective.

This leads me to the attitude of the average Filipino....they are of the attitude that is "to see is to believe". In other words they live for the day and on faith that food will somehow find its way into their bellies...and the reason they breed like rabbits is because children are seen as a guaranteed pension and retirement package. Do the math...if a couple have 10 children who send, on average, $100 per month of their wages to their parents, that's $1000...an amount that goes a long way for a couple in their 50's living in the province. The result is a cycle of poverty, apathy, and exploitation that starts and is reinforced by the fundamental culture of the lower 90%. I have had conversations with many foreigners who genuinely wanted to start companies or other projects that paid their staff on an incentive basis...where the potential for a non college graduate to earn $1000-$2000 US per month was very doable based on their commitment to standards of quality and consistency. What was the result? Mutiny and failure each and every time even if there were staff who put in a solid 8-10 hour work day and acted like a consumate professional resulting in even better than $2000 per month. The other staff dismissed the example while expecting to be paid competitively even if they produced relatively nothing. It's what is locally known as the "crab mentality"....where if you put a bunch of crabs in a bucket those at the bottom will spend their energy pulling the escaping crabs back down rather than working together to build a bridge or ladder so that all the crabs may rise up together. Another example...go shopping anywhere and wait for someone to tell you that something is "out of stock". Then test them to see if they are either too lazy to do their job or were even listening to you to know exactly what you are talking about. I bust people all the time in these scenarios.

In conclusion the Philippines has all of the raw potential to be the capstone of a global pyramid of sorts. But until the raw damaged culture of the basic family unit is corrected, conditions for the average citizen will remain relatively unchanged. As others have said English proficiency is good for women (who make up most of the educated workforce) and gay men. But for most other Filipino males, unless they went to private schools their entire youth, they cannot speak it and have a very hard time understanding basic English. While it's true that Filipinos are "renowned" as being hospitable and friendly, get them behind closed doors and they talk as much trash, spit in food, and steal shamelessly from their employers...all with a big smile and a humble handshake. In conclusion, people are people and these attitudes are global, just in differing variations and flavors. I just had to add this little piece of balance to dispell all of the crap that I hear whenever it comes up...and more often than not its people telling you how they "are". With a little patience and attention to detail, the truth will quickly be revealed.

Unfortunately I can't give the same kind of analysis on Thailand.

My friend married a Filipina, then later moved her parents in to live free in his home in America. They had a baby and the grandparents wouldn't do anything. The wife doesn't cook now. The grandparents wanted him to pay them to so much as change a diaper.

My wife is Thai. She could not wrap her mind around that, nor I, for that matter. This can happen in any culture but it's analogous to your point and he just recently talked to me about it -FWIW.

BTW, I offered no advice and didn't give my opinion. He knows what time it is. I just sympathized and asked about how he felt or what he planned to do. He may pull the plug and retire early to the PI, who knows. He did confront them and lay down the law. I'm a little concerned for him.

I decided long ago not to opt for the PI. Thailand is changing for the worse but still wins this comparison in most areas, IMHO.

[NYGuy816]

Could be. But same as the Thailand's political situation affecting its economy negatively, so do PI's blatant graft and corruption paralysing the nation's great potential.

[dpeterk]

I've been to the Phils far more times than Thailand, and while I love the Phils, I have to say Thailand is still more advanced and the nation to beat in SE Asia.

Far more expats flood into Thailand than the Phils, and not just sexpats or the like. You have women going there and lots of them. Yes, things in Thailand aren't the same as they were decades ago but no place will stay the same forever, right?

If Southeast Asia has a strong man, it must have a sick man as well, and many say the Phils is the latter. Manila traffic is just worse than horrendous and the country seems to have learned little from their colonial past other than English. At least Hong Kong was put on the right path before its handover back to China, and well, I wish America would've stayed a bit longer in the Phils to instill a better political and economic system. Filipinos complain all the time about their country and its problems, but little changes. The Phils is more plutocracy than democracy.

[slipperylobster]

I considered the RP as a retirement destination, and there are places there that I would live.

But overall, the country is dirt poor, has high crime and has other negatives.

Thailand is by no means perfect, but IMO, a better retirement destination than the RP

As for the Philippines..

They are, however, better drivers.

and they use the proper side of the road.

I can also make out what most of the signs say...and many speak english.

Perhaps Thailand could hire some teachers from the Philippines, as driving instructors and english tutors.