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Upsides of Life in the PH
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Do you like the Philippines and why?
expatboyzz
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Do you like the Philippines and why?
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Answer: Throughout my life I will always be appreciative of our beloved country. Life is so cool and there are abundance of resources. There are many beautiful places to go almost like a paradise to live. I was born in the southern part of the Philippines to a Catholic parents. I grew up in Cotabato City and studied in Notre Dame Boy’s Department run by Marist Brother's. I remembered during my high school days in the late 60’s when the popular singing group and singers such as, Beatles, The Carpenters, Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, etc. started their respective career. I used to go to parties once in a while and it was fun. During those days peso to a US dollar was 4–5 pesos. I could buy a lot of things for a peso. PC Hill I used to lived Cotabato City Hall Modern mosque After high school I moved to Manila in 1969 to study in college at Mapua Institute of Technology. During those college days I could hardly find time to go out and attend party. I somehow spent time studying to make sure I finished my college.I do play tennis a lot at YMCA tennis court near Manila City Hall. During those period Ferdinand Marcos was already the re-elected President. It was also that period when various groups were demonstrating against the government on corruption and human rights. I tried not to get involved in any demonstration not even go near and watched them. Few of my school mates participated but many like me just focused in our studies not to disappoint ourselves and our parents. Martial law was imposed in 1972 even before my graduation in college but it did not deter me from continuing my schooling and eventually graduating in 1975 obtaining a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering. During the later part of Marcos rule, the country suffered economic recession due to corruption and the oil embargo crisis imposed by the oil producing countries who happened to be mostly from Arab countries. US dollar to Philippine peso shoot up to P16–32. Those years were difficult times for the country as economy spiraled downward and the country was left with huge debt, increased poverty, poor economy and neglected infrastructures. In 1986, a people’s power led by the oppositions, former Defense Secretary Enrile, Fidel Ramos, and many oppositions led the overthrow of Marcos. President Marcos and his family were taken away to Hawaii and Cory Aquino was installed as the President. Economy at the time of Cory till Joseph Estrada slowly came back to life but the country was still called the “sickman of Asia” due to low economic activity and poverty. I hate to see poor people living in the slums as a result of corruption, poor FDI, poor governance, lack of housing, plunder, etc. But Filipinos are resilient and will always come back strong. Fast forward, the country’s economy started to pick up starting from Fidel Ramos till today. If not for the pandemic the country’s GDP could have been hovering between 6.5 to 7.5%. I got a chance to migrate to Canada, USA and Australia back in late 90’s and early 2000 but I was put aback because of the large unemployment in Canada at that time and uncertainty in the US and Australia at the same time work picked up in the Middle East and got too busy. I did not regret not pursuing migration to those countries because I was nearing my prime age and instead prepared for my retirement where large family members were waiting. Last year I finally retired and it was home sweet home. I like what I am witnessing in the progress of the development of the whole country. The current administration is aggressively pursuing the build build build program that will surely address the various issues in the country which is to efficiently transport goods, people and services. I like the development in the countryside too that will encourage people in the rural areas to stay and decongest large cities like Metro Manila and Cebu. Here are some of the build build build program of the government. Bulacan International Airport New Sangley International Airport Metro Manila Subway There are more exciting projects that are happening in the entire country. The engine of growth keeps running even during pandemic as the BPO, construction industries, agricultural industries, steel industries, electrical/electronic/telecommunications industries and OFW kept the economy alive. Our people are great, fun to be with, work hard, smart, easy going as reflected in their happy life, resilient in times of calamities and unique in many ways. I like our country, I want to retire here and I want to be here as long as I live. God Bless To You All.
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Firstly I am Filipino so this might be a bit biased but I will do my best not to. Also this is not in any order as everything I write below are equal for me 🙂 1. A big percentage of the country speaks English so foreigners will not have a hard time navigating the country. Well not all can speak perfectly but even the folks in country sides and the provinces can speak enough to help tourists. 2. Hospitality – Asians are known for this but we Pinoys takes it to a whole new level. We love visitors and entertain even to an extent we do so much out of the way. 3. 7100 plus islands -It also means 7000 plus ways of enjoyment. Things to do, sites to visit, food to eat and culture to experience which I will breakdown below. 4. Food – Being under different rules of many countries the Pinoy cuisine evolved in such a unique way you can identify tastes from other countries but done in our way. Adobo, sinigang, sisig, lechon and many more are must tries. We also got a lot of places that offers Asian, European and western food choices so it would not be so hard to be away from your mother country. 5. Culture – Well with such diverse and vast number of islands. Some so unique from the others even local tourist are very surprised. From North to South various experiences awaits. 6. Remnants of the Past – From the Calle Crisologo of Vigan, Intramuros of Manila, Corregidor ruins to the Vintas of Mindanao will stave the cravings people who likes things from the past. 7. World renowned spots – This third world country also got some of the good stuff people from the west seeks to explore. The Banaue Rice Terraces, the Mayon Volcano, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Boracay, Apo Reef, Bohol Chocolate hills and many more. 8. Affordable – US Dollar to Philippine Peso exchange rate is really a very good draw to tourists. It's around $1 to ₱ 47-48 as of now so you can really get a lot for your money. Other European currencies also have good exchange rates too. 9. Accessibility – Since we are a 3rd world country we got a lot of countries who need not to apply for a visa to travel here. I think more than 100 countries can drop by here without any hassle. So if you want a quick affordable getaway that's something you can consider. 10. A Happy Place – Being the 5th happiest country in the world as per studies says a lot. We are a very resilient with what ever we experienced. From the corrupt officials to natural disasters that we experience year in year out we always smile and make sure to bounce back. I hope this answer helps in any way 🙂
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PH is ok, but Vietnam is better. 25 years ago I would transit SEASIA on my way to Europe to perform twice a year as an entertainer and thought about retiring in SEASIA in the future. I was already doing my international banking in Singapore but felt the country stifled creativity. Malaysia was looking good until a certain ex-prime minister after retiring started writing books and turned the people against any western people. It was quite noticeable where in the past I would stay in little towns and villages even less touristy islands then I started getting cold looks from locals with hatred in their eyes. Suddenly once friendly people were now making me feel like an enemy entering their country. So that’s when I shifted transit hubs to Bangkok and Thailand became quite appealing. I also spent a lot of time in the Philippines especially the Visayas. But I never felt entirely safe as guns are actually made in the country and for as little as US$100 you can have someone rubbed out. That was scary news to me. I did consider Indonesia specifically the Batam Islands as its a special economic zone allowing foreigners to buy land and build houses for a very low price. Cambodia lacked good infrastructure so even though cheap it didn't appeal. Then the riots in Bangkok started and my train coming into BKK got held up by protesters so I jumped off the train and caught a cab to my accommodation and got onto the internet to get a flight out of the country pronto. Took a cheap flight to Phnom Penh which I had visited several times before. I then jumped on a bus and 6 hours later I ended up in Saigon. Wow this city is so much cleaner and look at all the trees and parks. I was quickly in love with the place. I kept staying with the same family. 5 months later they insisted on celebrating my 60th birthday with a party. Kim was invited to my party 60th birthday party and the rest is history. That quick visit was back in 2009. It's now 2020 and I have a Temporary Residents Card and Kim is my wife. We do charity work together delivering free meals to the homeless at night. If you had told me 25 years ago I was going to retire in Vietnam I would've laughed at you. But I couldn't be happier. And on a final note to show how much I love Vietnam and it's people, I never intend to leave, even upon my death, as I have pledged my body to the University of Medicine in HCMC. and got special permission from HANOI as I'm the only foreigner carrying this card below. For those who keep saying I shouldn't post my ID card, this is not my ID card, it's simply a donor card if I am found dead from a motor vehicle accident the police know to transfer my body the the medical university for training for the autopsy students. Edit 2nd Feb 2021 I'm very proud to announce my lovely wife was crowned Ms Vietnam Television 2020 last Thursday evening. She won the people's vote.
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I prefer Malaysia, so I’ll choose Malaysia. Cities in Malaysia have good infrastructure. Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs are served by rail-based rapid transit. Some major cities have bus system, such as Georgetown (Penang), Johor Bahru, and Ipoh. The streets are well paved. Public facilities are well treated. Malaysia has taste-appealing cuisine. Street food or hawker centers are everywhere. I fell in love with Teh Tarik, I may drink it 2–3 times a day! Malaysian are quite friendly, and shares similar language to mine, Indonesian.