Is the phillipines a bad country to visit

[NoshowJones]

Is the Philipines a bad country to visit?

Personally, I have never been there, but it would be interesting to know that if you stay

sober and give respect to the people, what the answer would be.

[mesterm]

Basically "its dirtier than bangkok, more crime than bangkok, more beggers than bangkok, horrible food, lots of security guards with M-16 and also Very dangerous in some places in manila."

But great people. Some of the best friends you'll make in the region.

Edited March 14, 2016 by mesterm

[NoshowJones]

As stated above there are some negatives to consider in the Philippines but the people are more friendly there, english is everywhere (spoken, signs,documents, etc.)

There are so many beautiful, uncrowded beaches there compared to Thailand. The best thing I like about the Philippines is the government wants tourist's and retirees as the visas are so easy to get there. Give it a go.. just stay out of Manila.

The best thing I like about the Philippines is the government wants tourist's and retirees as the visas are so easy to get there.

Well, there you go, can anyone please explain why Thailand can't be a bit more like that?

[gandalf12]

Go and see it. Even if you dont like it you know first hand why you dont like it.

[Ulic]

Depends entirely why you want to go and what you want to see. Yes, Manila is a shithole

but there are many, things to do and see in the rest of the Philippines. Infrastructure is

terrible in Philippines but the people are generally very friendly. English is widely spoken

as the second official language behind the most widely spoken Tagalog. If you are an

adventurer go, if not don't. I have been 5-6 times and enjoy my time there but I do like

Thailand better.

[godden]

met some great people there can be a bit scary in some places but a must visit

[topt]

A friend who when recently confirmed armed guards at most of the convenience stores and infrastructural problems. Regular internet blackouts for 6-8 hours a day are not uncommon in some places. The prices are mostly the same as Thailand, if not a little more for the same creature comforts. Nice people with decent english. But would not chance anything too valuable there (expensive laptop, camera, etc), so he cut his trip short after a couple of months.

I hope to visit one day myself. No one says anything about Angeles City? Seems to be one of the more *interesting* cities.

Some friends have just come back from a week there and they go several times a year. Basically a smaller version of Pattaya from what I understand but they enjoy the change.

[Catoni]

The Philippines is much more than just Manila. Visit the historical places in Manila... and the huge SM Mall of Asia in Manila. Use common sense and stay away from bad areas.... like you would in any country.

I would avoid the island of Mindanao and of course don't go to the Sulu Archipelago because of Islamic insurgents, and possibly also N.P.A. insurgents in the east part of Mindanao. There has been occasions of westerners being kidnapped and held for ransom payment. Sometimes they let the victim go free..... but sometimes they will murder the victim... You never know which way it will go.

The other islands will be relatively safe.... but just use your common sense, and always be aware of your surroundings, and you should be okay. Most Philippines people are very nice and friendly people.... but there are some scams and petty theft like in many places of the world. Ask around about trouble areas in the big cities and avoid those areas...

Even here in Canada... there are places in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and Winnipeg that I would not want to walk through after dark...

[Freespirit39]

I spend approx. 3 months in the Philippines and 3 months in Chiangmai. The contrast is great and can be refreshing. Contact me for more details of how I manage to travel. I have spent 16 years in both places, I recommend Puerto Galera, on the Island of Mindoro. Great Yacht Club there and also a Classic Club frequented by many nationalities.

[dogpatch55]

Been there and liked it.. On the whole I like Thailand a bit more.. Both have nice parts and great people..

[borune]

Philippines is a very nice country and your half bussinesman maybe like Makati bussines part of manila you have french belgian italian spanish resturants all american junkfoodchains TGIF classy nightclubs with all you can imagen and Little more!! Manila is a Dirty city like most citys with 15+ million people and yes you can get ripped off by taxi there also same like in Stockholm London paris rom new york kuala lumpur Bangkok but only if you are stupid!!!!

You also have the rockclubs (fantastic livebands) and bars in Malate area (i like that area most) and you can go anywhere you want in Philippines from manila by air or like i prefer by ferry!! Bohol with the chokolate hills is a nice scenery then its cloose to panglao Island there you can eat a weinerschnitzel have a german beer but i prefer the local one san mig pale!! Palawan with el nido i Think one of the most beutiful places i ever been all this you can reach by ferry or by air and yes ferry is Little old but you buy firstclass cabin with aircon and tv (dont know about internet) for a small amount!! Hope they dont scaare up to much in here because it is so many Lovely places and people in Philippines i been there like 15 times but now i stay with my lady in Thailand otherwise i been living there for sure!!

Hope you go it is really Worth it!!

[212Roger]

The best beer in the world. The worst food in the world. Go figure...

[malcoml]

Definitely more crime in the Philippines and I have been a victim of that.

I also know no one who has been shot in Thailand but I know at least three expats in the Philippines.

Biggest problem I see with the Philippines is it seems difficult to get around.

Biggest positive is the super service orientated people who are more willing to help than Thais.

[jerome2]

Nothing can be more boring than Thailand ... but its easy hot safe and cheap

id love to go phillipines but the road between manilla and boracay or wherever looks like a phillipine roulette and keep me stuck here since 2001

apparently its impossible to go direct to somewhere nice

Edited March 14, 2016 by jerome2

[tropo]

I was told 35 years ago to stay clear from Mindanao. I'm sure that's still the case!

It's a big island with some very dangerous places BUT Davao City is currently ranked in the top 5 safest cities on earth care of the mayor's "Death Squad"... so very unsafe for drug dealers.

[borune]

I was told 35 years ago to stay clear from Mindanao. I'm sure that's still the case!

It's a big island with some very dangerous places BUT Davao City is currently ranked in the top 5 safest cities on earth care of the mayor's "Death Squad"... so very unsafe for drug dealers.

Also smoking is forbidden in open areas in all city just allowed special areas and quite near you have paradise Island (samal) with a perfekt beach for thailadys and philipinas roof allover the beach all the way down to the water!!

[Rhys]

Go to LA or South San Francisco, Daily City, San Francisco, Fresno, for a true PI experience

[hawker9000]

BGC in metro Manila is a nice place to live if you have to work here -as I do about 4 months a year, but Manila is in general an utter crap hole.

It also has some of the most expensive utilities in the region.

Agree completely. And the airport (NAIA) sucks. And of course stay away from the muslim separatist areas in the south (parts of Mindanao). But there ARE some nice places. You might like Palawan (about an hour's flight to Puerto Princesa from Manila, but then there's NAIA to deal with again...). Many like Cebu.

Clark (CRK) is another option for a relative few international flights in & out as well as domestic, but airlines still using it have generally jacked up their prices because of exorbitant landing fees, and some travelers have their stories to tell about Clark as well...

Edited March 14, 2016 by hawker9000

[tropo]

As stated above there are some negatives to consider in the Philippines but the people are more friendly there, english is everywhere (spoken, signs,documents, etc.)

There are so many beautiful, uncrowded beaches there compared to Thailand. The best thing I like about the Philippines is the government wants tourist's and retirees as the visas are so easy to get there. Give it a go.. just stay out of Manila.

The best thing I like about the Philippines is the government wants tourist's and retirees as the visas are so easy to get there.

Well, there you go, can anyone please explain why Thailand can't be a bit more like that?

The married situation is really easy. If you're married to a Filipino, when you come in at the airport with your wife you get an automatic and free 1 year stamp - no questions asked and usually a very polite welcome by Immigration Officers.

[gk10002000]

a good friend of mine, one who I used to meet up with in Thailand many times over the years ended up marrying a girl from the PI he met there on a billiards tournament watching trip. They live here in the USA. They went to the PI last year for a month. Spent time at her home in Pampanga and then two weeks in Cebu. Most complaints came from her. Prices were not great. Food is, well PI food has its limitations. She was disgusted with the way the locals treated her. Of course they both ran into some minor scam attempts, but that was no big deal. Neither has any plans to go back. Of course my buddy is still sending money and goods there every month. I guess that is in the marriage contract somewhere!

[KittenKong]

The best thing I like about the Philippines is the government wants tourist's and retirees as the visas are so easy to get there.

Well, there you go, can anyone please explain why Thailand can't be a bit more like that?

The married situation is really easy. If you're married to a Filipino, when you come in at the airport with your wife you get an automatic and free 1 year stamp - no questions asked and usually a very polite welcome by Immigration Officers.

Yes, for married people the RP visa is extremely easy. For retirees it's significantly more expensive and more tedious than here. The other downside is the tax treatment for residents.

[roblam]

Yeah yeah yeah... it's all bad in the Philippines. It's crap.. bad food.. armed to the teeth.. unsuited to your pampered life..

If you don't like my country, stay within your four walls. You all talk, or rather write (being keyboard warriors you all are) as if your own country is a model of excellence or perfection. A paragon of virtue. Unflawed and a shining example of the best country on this planet (no wonder you moved to Thailand and desperately seek ways to extend those visa stamps).

There are people who do see the beauty of the Philippines because they simply are the kind who have an open mind and a more intelligent way of exploring the good or positive in someone or something.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgW8QSN9WIdT-26-P6TSK1T3g4_MNVZ4F

[Khon Kaen Dave]

i flew to Manila from BKK on my way back to the Uk.I had never visited PI before. had to pay for the initial flight to Manila and then buy a ticket from Manila to Cebu.I stayed a month and when it was time to come home i inquired about the best way.One travel agent told me i would have to buy a flight from Cebu to Manila and then again on to Heath row. It worked out almost 1000 Us dollars for the whole trip home. A friend told me a different way.He advised,Silk air from Cebu to Singapore(Changy?)then onward connection on to UK via Singapore air.The total was 648 US.Quite a difference.I liked Cebu,it was friendly and i stayed in a expat hotel,run by a Kiwi.good food and service and good deals on beer.I found Robinsons the best place to chat to girlies,Bos Coffee house is best, and found a whole new,different tack on the dating game.The particular girl i found was great fun,good company and not in the least greedy.In fact she made quite a show of being mortified when i offered her money in return for the 5 day stay with me.She said that she was happy to have visited some first class restaurants,had hot showers every day and slept in clean sheets.she denied quite firmly that she was a prostitute and was quite embarrassed when i broached the subject of money,.she was diabetic,so i gave her 2 months insulin money and 2 months rent.She was quite happy to take the money,being under the guise of not being given for services.This is the way of it there.I spent another 2 weeks of playing the field and called her for the last week.i was sorry to see her go.the only problem is,that because they are a Catholic race,sometimes the girls dont want to use condoms,but i insisted on it.I kept in contact with her,and the last i heard,she had found a job as a chef in one of the big hotels in Cebu.I lost contact when i returned to Thailand.I have very pleasant memories of Cebu and would go back again.You have to watch out for the 'clip girls' in the shopping centres,i heard many a story of fools giving money to them and the girl runs away.Manila,however is indeed a shit place.I coildnt wait to get out of it.

[TJR4ASR]

High crime. Never wear jewelry or Fannie packs.you will get robbed. You have to go through metal detectors just to go in the mall

[watcharacters]

Had one of the best 3 months of my life in the Philippines about 8 years ago. Spent a month in Boracay and was sure I would end up living there, alas on my way back to the Philippines about 6 months later I stopped in Thailand for a week and ended up living there for 6 years.

Manila is one of the worst places I've ever been, horrible dirty place that has no centre and is just streets full of security guards brandishing all sorts of assault weapons. Cebu is much better but still much worse than any cities I've been to in Thailand.

The best thing about the Philippines is the people, they are the friendliest and most talented people in the world and I've made much closer friends there in 1 week than I did in Thailand in 6 years. The worse things about the country is it's a pain to go anywhere and to book tickets as most places don't take credit card and you cannot book over the phone, you have to go to Manila to book and pay for flights, and Filipino food is terrible. The Adobo is nice as long as you carry a bottle of hot sauce around with you at all times but apart from that the local cuisine is pathetic.

For me, Thailand is a much better place all round but the Philippines has the much better people.

I'd say you've given a pretty fair assessment of the PI. I've spent quite a bit of time there myself.

I used to joke with people that the Philippines has the second biggest armed force in the world when the security guards are taken into account. But that being said, with few exceptions I found them friendly as well as helpful.

To this day, I wonder how the general population can remain so cheerful when for the most part they live in abject poverty. Manila stands out as an especially sad area to me. I had occasion once to visit Novotas and I swear I had trouble believing it possible in these modern times, people are subject to conditions i saw there. It took away any wonder I may have had as to how fires could cause thousands to become homeless.

Food? I'll pass on the Adobo and concur with those who claim the Philippines has the worst cuisine in Southeast Asia.

ON a positive note, however, with changes in tech over the years, it's now possible to easily use a CC for reservations. It does require notification of one's issuing bank but then its fair sailing.

I vacationed with the Missus last year for a few weeks in Palawan and found it delightful. I doubt I could have found more friendly people anywhere on the planet.

[jmccarty]

I went to Samal Island off of Davao last year for a few days. These are not my pictures, but places I visited.

Service and food, not bad if you eat off of the Western Menu or just order seafood.

[tropo]

a good friend of mine, one who I used to meet up with in Thailand many times over the years ended up marrying a girl from the PI he met there on a billiards tournament watching trip. They live here in the USA. They went to the PI last year for a month. Spent time at her home in Pampanga and then two weeks in Cebu. Most complaints came from her. Prices were not great. Food is, well PI food has its limitations. She was disgusted with the way the locals treated her. Of course they both ran into some minor scam attempts, but that was no big deal. Neither has any plans to go back. Of course my buddy is still sending money and goods there every month. I guess that is in the marriage contract somewhere!

To be fair, Philippine cuisine is food for Filipinos. My wife absolutely loves the food over there because she's Filipino LOL... and was brought up on it... and she puts on weight when we stay there as she eats too much of it. There is a huge variation in Philippine cuisine depending on where you are in the PI. The provincial food my wife loves is hardly recognisable in Manila. I don't eat most of it, but that doesn't mean it's lousy food.

To be fair, I also don't like Thai food and seldom eat it. There's no logic in rubbishing any national cuisine based on it's transferability to foreign palates.

[tropo]

i flew to Manila from BKK on my way back to the Uk.I had never visited PI before. had to pay for the initial flight to Manila and then buy a ticket from Manila to Cebu.I stayed a month and when it was time to come home i inquired about the best way.One travel agent told me i would have to buy a flight from Cebu to Manila and then again on to Heath row. It worked out almost 1000 Us dollars for the whole trip home. A friend told me a different way.He advised,Silk air from Cebu to Singapore(Changy?)then onward connection on to UK via Singapore air.The total was 648 US.Quite a difference.I liked Cebu,it was friendly and i stayed in a expat hotel,run by a Kiwi.good food and service and good deals on beer.I found Robinsons the best place to chat to girlies,Bos Coffee house is best, and found a whole new,different tack on the dating game.The particular girl i found was great fun,good company and not in the least greedy.In fact she made quite a show of being mortified when i offered her money in return for the 5 day stay with me.She said that she was happy to have visited some first class restaurants,had hot showers every day and slept in clean sheets.she denied quite firmly that she was a prostitute and was quite embarrassed when i broached the subject of money,.she was diabetic,so i gave her 2 months insulin money and 2 months rent.She was quite happy to take the money,being under the guise of not being given for services.This is the way of it there.I spent another 2 weeks of playing the field and called her for the last week.i was sorry to see her go.the only problem is,that because they are a Catholic race,sometimes the girls dont want to use condoms,but i insisted on it.I kept in contact with her,and the last i heard,she had found a job as a chef in one of the big hotels in Cebu.I lost contact when i returned to Thailand.I have very pleasant memories of Cebu and would go back again.You have to watch out for the 'clip girls' in the shopping centres,i heard many a story of fools giving money to them and the girl runs away.Manila,however is indeed a shit place.I coildnt wait to get out of it.

There's no doubt that single men can have the time of their lives "sex-touristing" their way around the Philippines, but these stories are really quite sad because the main reason many of these girls are so "personable" is because they have a tough life in a very impoverished country and are looking for relief. The diabetic girl you met was hoping for more - let's hope she can afford her insulin when your 2 month's supply runs out. Medicine is very expensive in the Philippines.

[tropo]

Food? I'll pass on the Adobo and concur with those who claim the Philippines has the worst cuisine in Southeast Asia.

You haven't tasted my chicken adobo. I'll take it over 'chili with whatever' here in Thailand.

[2fishin2]

Food is great. Just because a person doesnt like it does not mean its "dog food". Quit acting like poop holes people. If rather eat PI food than Thai food any day.