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Why Expats Immigrate
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Why do expats live in the Philippines when it seems so dangerous to live there because of crime, typhoons, and earthquakes?
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I’m gathering that by ‘expats’ what is meant is mostly ‘Westerners’ — those from Europe or European dominated former colonies like Australia and the US. It is assumed that they have more choices to live in than, let’s say, expats from South Korea, Indonesia, and South America, who may be staying mainly because of the jobs that bring them to the Philippines. This is a misunderstanding. Europeans US Americans, and their ilk, can also be stationed in the Philippines because of their jobs and not out of personal choice or preference. Some of them might have preferred another assignment. But that aside, the following are possible other reasons: adventure, the lure of something new and differentthe typhoons, etc., can be exciting and ‘real’ to people who did not grow up with thembeing able to live like ‘kings’ — things are generally cheaper in the Philippines than other countries — high rise apartments with good security, houses with huge gardens and swimming pools, live-in maid service, cooks, drivers, cheap spa services like massages, cab fare, domestic travel, world class restaurants, etc. They can live the good life while being paid in Western currency, or they can save up for when they go back to their countries.the rich culture and natural beauty of the Philippines.‘white male privilege’ — Filipinos tend to fawn over these people, so this can also fall under the ‘live like kings’ reason above. This is a double-edged sword. They might have more of a social life in the Philippines than in other countries — the locals are friendly and speak English — so they might feel less lonely than in other countries. But there are cases where they realize that they are just seen as a commodity and source of money or business, and not much else, underneath the ‘friendship’. This scenario can very corrupting, especially when it comes to romantic or sexual relationships.
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It’s an English speaking country. I travel around Asia a lot, and while countries like Indonesia and Malaysia feel more advanced than the Philippines, it’s much more convenient to travel everywhere, take taxi, buy something in local shop, and be able to pretty much communicate with ease.Cheap labor, if you have money. Very easy to find driver, helper, nanny, gardener, and anyone to serve your need and again, be able to communicate to you in English. This allows you to get away from the everyday chores and enjoy what you love to do.Exclusive perk for the wealthy. The society is built around the wealthy and the connected. Yes it’s not a fair society, and the gap between the have and have not is huge. But since most expats belong to the have group, they get to enjoy exclusive living, shopping, resorts, and other benefits, more so than countries where there is more equality.And yes, there are many problems in the Philippines. But like in any other country, you have to exercise caution, you need to know your surrounding and people you associate with. If you do all that, the Philippines is not more, not less dangerous than the US for example. Some inner city areas in the US cities are much worse than the Philippines.