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Upsides & Downsides: The Philippines
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What are the pros and cons of living in the Philippines?
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What are the pros and cons of living in the Philippines?
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Above is a picture of our condo. It’s the tallest building, center left of the frame. The Pros of living in the Philippines are: The favorable exchange rate – Our U.S dollars goes much further here. So much so, that I was able to retire at 45. This saved me 15 years of work. I have very little stress, and can exercise regularly now. I went from 176 pounds to 150 pounds in about 3 months after moving here, and have been maintaining it for almost 8 years.The Filipino people – In my experience, Filipinos are the friendliest of the Asian races. While I was attending the University of Houston, I ended up joining the Filipino Students Association, even though I’m a Vietnamese-American born and raised in Vietnam until I was 9.The low cost of living – My family of 3 are able to have a very comfortable standard of living here, even with 1/6 as much money as we used to have, while both my wife and I were working in the U.S.Affordable college tuition – We can pay for our son’s undergraduate degree, then hopefully medical school, without having to take out a loan or withdrawing from our savings. A year of undergraduate tuition for medical technology at my son’s college costs about $2,000. I think medical school may cost an extra thousand or two.Most Filipinos speak English – You don’t have to learn the language in order to live and assimilate here. The street signs, most television shows, and most radio stations are in English. Of course, like people from all foreign countries, the locals will appreciate it if you try to speak a few words of their native tongue to them.The weather – This is obviously very subjective, but I prefer a warmer climate in my old age 🙂 I’m currently 53, and have been here since February 2012. My customary attire are shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.Living in a majority Asian country – This is just for me. I haven’t lived in a city or country where everyone looks like me since 1975, after we immigrated to the U.S. It’s nice not having to deal with the occasional racist anymore, whether it’s covert or overt. This is not a slight towards the U.S., it’s just expected when a country has so many diverse races, ethnicities, religions etc…, living together within it’s borders. Unless those in the majority group are all doing well economically, they’ll end up blaming their failures on the minority groups.Respect for the elderly – Similar to other Asian cultures, Filipinos respect their elders. Growing old is a blessing and is a normal part of life. It’s nice to receive respect from your family and community. Unfortunately in the U.S., the majority look at the elderly as a nuisance and no longer as contributing members of society.The beaches – There are many beautiful beaches within driving distance or a short and affordable domestic flight.The mountains – There are many mountains nearby where you can hike and enjoy a slower paced environment.The Cons of living in the Philippines are: The traffic – The traffic in metro Manila is horrendous, and lasts from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. We adjusted to this by trying to drive between 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. whenever possible. Thank God we don’t have to work here. If you have to work here, then I recommend that you rent a condo or apartment near your workplace.The terrible drivers – Due to the lack of roads and large population, which contributes to the terrible traffic. The drivers here do not follow the traffic laws, and are very bad drivers. Filipinos are generally very courteous and polite, except for when they get on the road. I’m certain that their selfish driving behaviors are caused by the horrendous traffic.The typhoons – Do to it’s location and global warming, the Philippines are hit with an average of 20 typhoons per year. This is why I recommend expats live in metro Manila or other metropolitan areas where it’s more developed. In 8 years, we haven’t had many issues with flooding and other problems due to typhoons.The lack of infrastructure – There are just not enough roads to serve the people. This is due to the endemic corruption here. Everyone hates it, knows it’s happening, but just accepts it as a normal part of life here.The corruption – It doesn’t affect expatriates living here. I just feel bad for the masses of poor Filipinos who’s lives would be improved, if the people’s taxes were used for services for them, instead of going into the politician’s pockets.The poverty – It’s everywhere and right in your face. It hurts your heart to see so many, including young children and babies begging and living on the streets. This is the result of the endemic corruption here.The government bureaucracy – They don’t seem to care about wasting your time here. Things that takes 5–10 minutes in the U.S., can drag on for over an hour here. Try to do as many things as possible online. I linked my electric, cable, internet and water bills with my Filipino bank, then pay them online in the comforts of my home when they’re due.The air pollution – Environmental protection is not an important matter here. I see so many diesel vehicles here, which spews black smoke all day long. We permanently leave the air control switch to recirculated air, so that we don’t breathe in the outside air as we’re driving.The trash – Once you leave your gated community, you’ll see trash littered all over the streets. It’s too bad that some Filipinos don’t seem to care about keeping their neighborhood and cities clean.The pros of living here definitely outweigh the cons for me and my family. When I was 38, my wife and I decided to retire, then move to the Philippines once I turned 45. We did a lot of research in order to get as much information and be as prepared as possible for our move here. It’s a little scary leaving everything you know and moving to another country. However, the Philippines turned out to be everything we thought it would be. Moving here was one of the best decisions we’ve made.
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Pros Weather – tropical paradise to people from colder countriesNature – there are beautiful mountains and beautiful beaches and lots of islands. If you are into diving, this is one of the places to do it.People – they are generally hospitable and friendly.Language – the people understand English and most can speakEconomy – economy is large and rising (well, at least during pre-covid but is forecasted to bounce back again)Food – some are great, some are ok, and if you are a meatlover, you’re in the right place. Wet markers are not that expensive.Educational institutions – pretty decent i think. There are also a lot of international students and not very expensiveCost of living – depends where you want to live. It is generally cheaper outside metro.Transportation – cheap transportation cost on trains, jeepneys, buses, and taxis (depends where you are in the country)10. Safety – the country is generally safe. Cons Natural disasters – weather may be nice but the country experiences an average of 20 typhoons a year. Super typhoons occasionally happens on the 4th quarter of the year. There are also frequent earthquakes especially in the Southern Philippines.Pollution – Philippines is blessed with natural resources but it seems like the people don’t care much about it. So many garbage along the streets, no proper waste disposal, the air in the metro is bad. Even in provinces, some tourist destinations are not well taken care of.People – they may be hospitable and nice but just like any other countries, there are also bad people. Some are ignorant and racist, some are trying to bring the successful people down, some are scammers, some are marrying old expats for money, etc.Language – it may be known as on the English speaking countries but average Filipinos don’t really speak it. Either because they are ashamed because they are not fluent and others just can’t speak it. If you have a group of Filipino friends and you don’t speak their language, chances are you will be left out.Economy – corruption in government hinders this one a lot. It could have been better.Food – Filipinos don’t really mind much on eating healthy foods. Due to poverty, people are already contented of having something to fill in their stomach. Common Filipino food is just not for foreigners. The food is also a nightmare for vegan people.Educational institutions – country is known for speaking English but according to the study, the country is lowest in reading comprehension among 79 countries. I am not saying all are bad, but there are a lot of things to improve in the educational system especially in public schools. In this time of covid19, the modular learning was not well received.Cost of living – Manila is Southeast Asias 3rd most expensive city to live. Also, for foreigners cost of living is cheap but for ordinary citizens even outside Manila, they all struggle a lot with their day to day lives.Transportation – it may be cheap and that is if you are lucky enough to get a ride. Daily commuting is like hell. Long lines and long waiting times. Mass transportation is very poor. Also if you want to avoid public transportation and drive your own vehicle, you will be stuck in long hours of traffic jams. If you also ride taxi cabs, you will get into an argument with your driver for not using the meter.Safety – just be street smart. Bad elements could be around.These are some of my opinions and some of these are exclusive to the capital city. So if someone is planning to visit or retire in the Philippines, please do prepare and research well.