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What is life like in the Philippines?
pinoyjoy
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What is life like in the Philippines?
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I’m a Filipino, and I’ve lived here all my life. I had many chances to migrate elsewhere – I’ve family living in the US – but I chose to stay in what a lot of people call a Godforsaken place. This is home for me. In other countries, I can be discriminated against because of my ethnicity or skin color. People would call me Oriental, like a rug. Here, I’m home. I’m very comfortable here. We have helpers / maids and even drivers. We never have to do house chores. They are happy to work for us. Breakfast is ready the moment we crawl out of bed. Unless you’re very rich, you can’t have this in NY! Money goes a long way here. My mother in law had allergies and visited the ER in Chicago. For a Benadryl injection, she was billed $3000.00! She had the same episode here, and the best private hospital in town charged her the equivalent of $12.00! You can buy a concrete, cozy house in any city except Manila for $30,000.00. The heat and humidity is bad, but we otherwise don’t experience extremes in temperature. Any day is a good day to go out in shorts, as long as there is no typhoon. Traffic is bad, even in cities outside the metro. There are no rules, the roads are poorly built, the road network poorly engineered. Luckily, outside of Manila, most destinations are a few kilometers away. Yes, we use the metric system. Just alot more time, and try to keep your cool. There are many opportunities for business. One just needs to know where to look. Business permits are hard to come by though. The government and its institutions are weak. Law enforcement, government offices, courts, hospitals.. as a rule, they are poorly run. Lines are long, elected officials blatantly steal from the coffers, permits are hard to obtain. Just try your best to steer clear of the government. Reading the news is very frustrating. It’s just jumping from one corruption scandal (exposè) to the next. No one gets convicted. Just don’t read the papers. Crime can be a problem. Law enforcement needs work. Court cases last decades. You can literally get away with murder. But if you avoid crime infested areas and just mind your own business, you will be safe. The people depends on who you surround yourself with. Most are warm, friendly and honest. Relatives can be overbearing. Just like anywhere else, you also see freeloaders. Choose the company you keep. Food is phenomenal. Trust me on this. It’s underrated elswhere, but at home, it’s no contest. Filipino food is the best. Especially with extra rice. Friends are everywhere. People aren’t so busy and serious. You can invite any friend for coffee and chances are, he or she will be available! Life is very colorful. Indeed, it’s more fun in the Philippines!
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During my 20 years of living in this country (specifically around Metro Manila area) these are all the things that I can say. Housing You’re lucky if you are born from a family who owns their own house and lot. Housing in this country is not the best according to international standards. However, if you are renting, then you’ll find apartments hard unless you are used to small and tight places because that’s the usual scenario. Most of the apartments rented here are not furnished. Standard prices for a one bedroom unfurnished apartment (22sqm-45sqm) around Metro Manila are 3000 php–5000 php if you’re lucky. The bigger ones would cost more especially if you live near the central business districts. It could reach 10000–20000 monthly. But if you belong to the upper middle class then you can probably afford renting in condominium units that are furnished. A 20–25 sqm unit can be as cheap as 7500 php or more depending on the owner.