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What is it like to be an expat in the Philippines?
russianspyman
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What is it like to be an expat in the Philippines?
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Well I’ve lived as expat in the Philippines for over 5 years now. I first stayed in Manila and have spent the last 3 years and counting in Cebu. These are my experiences; The Good It’s cheap by Western standards – housing rent, food, electricity, etc. Even $1,000–$1,500 a month will you give you a lifestyle far beyond most locals. I have a fairly modest and frugal lifestyle. No car, driver, maid, etc. I have a house but not in a gated community. Overall its a comfortable and enjoyable lifeThe weather is tropical, hot and humid – it has a dry and rainy season – this might not be for everyone but coming from Scotland believe me this is a welcome change!It’s Westernized – most Filipinos have a good grasp of English (probably the best in Asia) and communication is rarely a problem. Western food, movies, sport, etc are easy to find. History and their affinity for Western culture makes it easy to adapt to a life there.There are no shortage of activities – I’ve lost track of everything I’ve done from ice skating, go karting, swimming, bowling the list goes on.. Restaurants are abundant. There are festivals throughout the year like Sinulog here in Cebu. Their malls are big and vibrant. Nightlife is also good if that’s your thing.It’s reasonably safe and secure – I’ve always thought the Philippines gets a ‘bad rep’ in comparison with say Thailand, which does better PR. I can honestly say though in my time here I’ve never experienced any major problems.The Bad Poor Internet – I wouldn’t say it’s terrible but it’s fairly slow and occasionally unreliable.Things just work slower and you need patience – it’s about 15 years behind Western Countries when it comes to IT and technological integration. Everything leaves a paper trail. Simple tasks like paying a bill can be time consuming. Public services are not as effective and you need to learn to take a deep breath and relax.Traffic – it’s bad in Cebu, it’s glacial in Manila.Poverty – Over time you become a little desensitized – but it’s shocking to see how hard some people have it.The small scams – this is more of an annoyance – as a Westerner you’ll be stereotypically assumed to be wealthy. Taxi drivers, small businesses, the motorcycle boy – they occasionally try to take advantage of that by price gouging. It’s only 50–100 pesos here or there but still annoying.You miss the small things – family, friends, local TV, food you can get in your local supermarket, etcAdvice Most is just common sense; Be selective with friends or partners – foreigners that have problems are normally acquainted with the people they have trouble with.Keep a low profile – don’t advertise wealth, make enemies or involve yourself with dodgy dealings or characters.Be safe and take sensible precautions as you would in any foreign Country.Be careful about the temptation to invest in businesses unless you’ve thoroughly researched it. I wrote another article on this – but suffice to say its not easy to make money in the Philippines.For those who are older or thinking of retiring here – consider looking at health insurance before coming. It’s true that health care is much cheaper in the Philippines and of a pretty good standard. But if you have serious health problems costs can mount quickly.
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I lived in the Philippines from Feb 2008 until Feb 2009. Prior to that, I'd visited (3 weeks at the longest IIRC) and after, I was in New Zealand until March 2010, and then the Philippines again until Jun 2010. So just over a year. My daughter was born there in July 2008. I'm not sure if this answer really serves the question as well as it could so feedback is welcome. WORKMy intention was to stay in the Philippines long-term. I gained a residence visa and an ACR (Alien Certificate of Registration) card which allowed me to work legally there, but many things were against me securing employment. I am a UX designer, and the field was more nascent in the Phils than the UK or New Zealand: few jobsI had a Ph.D. which made me overqualified for most jobs.I was 38 / 39 years old – probably too old for many jobs. Expat jobs tend to be awarded outside the country rather than to applicants from within, and I was perceived as being too expensive and too old to be worth employing. Remote freelance work was hard to land too.I had to leave the country in order to work which I did in early 2009. But what was it like as an expat there? HOUSINGI lived fairly humbly – no luxury house in Alabang or Paseo de Sta Rosa with car, driver, cook and maid, rather the ordinary house of my in-laws. We lived there well enough. If we travelled, it was by jeepney, van, bus or even trike and sometimes pedicab. Me, washing clothes View from our house's terrace during a downpour in the Philippines In the UK, it's generally cleaner and much quieter — our house was just off the national road whereas now it's in a quiet suburb. There's less dust here and fewer typhoons but more strong winds. Public services work better but are still far from perfect. Our house in the UK, storm coming FOODFood was mostly Filipino but I had to avoid eating rice too often or I would be constipated. For my palette, it was generally tasty and probably healthier than normal. I drank far too much RC Cola though… I found myself missing fresh and sliced bread – they're available in the Phils, but just not as nice. I also craved for potatoes. I did, however, eat far more fresh fruits when in the Phils than at any time in my life. It seemed like a constant round of mangos, pineapples, papaya and bananas (esp. senoritas) for merienda. If I needed a break, we could always travel to a mall and get a choice of US and US-Italian foods. INTERNETInternet access was generally okay which let me stay in touch with the rest of the world, with relatives, and to help me look for work. FAMILYWhat I miss most compared to our situation in the UK now is that in the Philippines, we were always surrounded by family: close and distant. My baby daughter almost always had a cousin to play with. Over here, we're living far from family and my daughter only has schoolmates to play with. My wife and I are also her only caregivers now, whereas before she was looked after by lots of people including her lolo and lola and her titos. Given a choice between the two, I'd rather the Philippines situation: she really should have her family around her. SEASONSThe seasons are far more marked in the UK. In winter, we have few hours (around 7-8?) of daylight whereas in summer we have 16-17. This brings a demarkation to the year: summer holidays are filled with endless days when my daughter hardly sees any darkness. Conversely, when winter draws in, it's time to eat filling foods, wrap up warm, and stay inside. In the Phils, the shortest and longest days vary by about 1 hour if that. Time tends to merge and pass very quickly there (often too quickly) with what seems like one long season. In my limited experience, seasonal changes in the Phils are hot and dry (summer), hot and wet (wet season), and not-quite-so-hot and dry (around Christmas). I experienced a few typhoons, the biggest being Fengshen (Frank – see Typhoon Fengshen (2008)) which passed overhead (I remember being in the eye which was eerie), but our house was luckily protected from the worst. The UK does have its advantages: freedom from oppressive heat, no typhoons (though occasional storms which are not as strong but can blow for days), the pleasure of snow, and those wonderful days when it's softly sunny and neither too hot nor too cold. PEOPLEPeople in the Philippines are also much friendlier. Most of the time, this is good and people smile and start some light conversation and it's good to make new friends. The classic Filipino greeting is to smile and raise the eyebrows which should be acknowledged the same way. In Britain, it's much harder to approach people unless it's beautifully hot and sunny or snowing. A local fiesta in the Philippines The very strange exception is immigration officers. In they Phils, they tend to be overworked and harassed, and given little to conversation and rather more to grunts before shouting, "Next!". In the UK they've been, without exception, polite and extremely friendly! BUREAUCRACYFilipino red-tape is on a par with the UK with probably more services online. TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTDespite my wishes, I never got the chance to drive or ride a motorbike there. I did ride pillion on a bike (I'm a good rider but a terrible passenger for bikes!) and spent many hours in an FX. I did get to experience a range of Filipino public transportation: Coaches / buses, jeepneys, vans, trikes and the humble pedicab. A pedicab