What is living in the Philippines like?

it's nice to know you love the philippines. the thing is, you were making sweeping generalizations in your earlier posts and made it seem it was that terrible. like all chinese people get kidnapped. and that even affluent neighborhoods are rife with crime and every expat will eventually be robbed or killed. which is definitely not always the case.

i have my own definitions of seeing makati deserted though. it may be a lot different now than when i've worked there because yes, you can now see some people around ayala ave. on weekends and holidays. but they will never match the hordes of humanity descending from their office buildings at 5:30pm on weekdays. just those call center workers smoking outside in their breaks

well, i wouldn't exactly call Pilar Village in las pinas an affluent neighborhood. i think it's just middle class. only ayala alabang village would qualify as affluent in my book in that area, and that's in the neighboring city. but that's just me having a bias against those municipalities south of the metro. i think it's boring and there's nothing to see or do there. just houses. doesn't matter if some are expensive. that area is not really known for having industries that generate jobs for its residents, or have people from other cities commute all the way there to work.

the manila city proper might be unsafe, too cramped and is very polluted but there's colorful culture, history and some decaying remnants of great colonial architecture in that place. i just love how street smart people who grow up there are. even the rich kids i've met who studied in that one expensive university there end up decent and down to earth. my fil-chinese ex colleagues (whose families are rich but were somehow never kidnapped) who come from that school were the ones who used to take us through dark alleys in the middle of the night in the binondo area just so we can taste that fried chicken they like in some cheap-looking restaurant that surprisingly serve great food.

i haven't worked in many places unlike most people here but there's this vibe or spirit in the makati central business district that i haven't felt in the the other business districts i've worked in. i also love it on weekends when it becomes a deserted ghost town and you have the place all to yourself

This new site is horrible. I can't see anyone's avatar, so I have to keep reading names to keep track of the converastion. If a scroll down a litte, I have to read the names again. Bah!

deja vu.

if you don't mind me asking rsandlin, which upscale neighborhood did your friend live in?

i'm not going to refute everything you said, but i don't think it's as unsafe as people make it out to be. i used to think the same as gerarra about the corruption there but when i started living here in doha and got exposed to different nationalities, i realized that some countries are more corrupt than ours. which then led me to believe that there are places more dangerous to live in than ours. it's just that it is a developing country so living there would require a person to rid oneself of the conveniences, efficiency and relative safety of the developed world. you have to be street smart, not be too trusting and be careful in whatever you do. there are certain places i go to where i will not bring my mobile & wallet and limit the cash i carry to the amount i plan to spend/am prepared to lose. foreigners usually become targets because they do stand out and most people think they have money.

it's generally safer in the big city if you stick to the business districts like the ayala/makati cbd, ortigas maybe, bonifacio global city (the fort) or the eastwood area. the really high end neighborhoods would be safe too, but if you will choose to live there it might cost as much as living in sg or hk. if you do choose other neighborhoods it would be best to avoid one with a slum area nearby. i've never lived in cebu or davao but i'm not exactly sure if they truly qualify as 'real' cities. there's a sizeable expat community in cebu though. fine, maybe cebu would qualify but it is definitely more laid back than manila. one problem though is that foreigners are not allowed to own real estate. also, the country isn't exactly a place where western expat families would love to migrate to, settle in and get welcomed with open arms (unlike maybe sg). you would have to deal with the bureau of immigration if you're not staying as a tourist, unless your employer will do it for you, which is one of the most corrupt government agencies that exist.

as for the other places, kl might be a good place. i would love to live in vietnam because i love the food but both places are not without their share of crime and scam artists. it is more common to see foreigners living in bangkok but for a place that thrives on tourism many still cannot speak english and people can scam you with a sweet smile. i got ripped off by taxi drivers the moment i got out of the airport in jakarta. and these are all places i can easily blend in and look like a local but don't speak the language.

apology accepted, if you suspect that i did not read all of what you have written, then my apologies on it...

rsandlin, am not attacking you but just questioning your motive in painting a country which did nothing against you... also, don't use name calling someone (retarded) since you just don't like people who write against your judgement...

We're looking for something not Chinese, so that rules out your suggestions (thank you all the same). I guess best thing is to just go and check it out for a week or two.

Yes, I agree that Chinese cities are very safe. But I feel they have a ways to go in their tolerance of foreigners.

rsandlin:Not having lived or worked in the Philippines, I bow to your better knowledge on the topic. My intention was not to "refute" your statements.

Yes, I think that is what we will do: spend a week there and see for ourselves. But I do appreciate your candid response.

I'm 32. My wife is 30. I would be working remotely from home, so only commuting when we want to go out.

Where are you from? Did you feel welcome in the Philippines as a foreigner? My wife (Chinese) and I spent 5 years in Shanghai together, but we didn't find it a super welcoming place to outsiders.

Many thanks!

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I should have pointed out that my wife and I were loosely (very loosely) thinking/talking about moving to live there. But Christ, from what's typed above it sounds like Liberia might be a better choice. My wife and I were thinking of Manila (she hates small cities, so no other city would be an option).

Anyway, we'll keep looking. Perhaps Vietnam or Indonesia would be better choices. The Philippines was attractive to me mainly because everyone speaks English and the Filipinos we've met here are very gentle and very kind.

hmmm...some good information there. Noted. Phil struck off from any visits ever.

anywhere in the world are or in any country, there are always dangers that awaits us, it is up to us how to avoid these dangers... if it is your time to die, you can not avoid death where ever you are...

rsandlin, are these things you mentioned & enumerated above are only happening in that country & not happening in other countries??? if, you don't like that country then don't just say bad things about it... do you have bad memories of that country???

I have been working in the Philippines for almost 15 years but still am alive & all my friends who married in that country are still staying & living in that country until now. I have been in Sarangani, from General Santos City to Maitum (Road Construction), I also work in the area of Kabacan North Cotabato & Cotabato City been to Pagadian, Zamboaga delNorte & del Sur, I was also able to stay in Jolo, these places I mentioned are what you called dangerous places, I was also able to stay in Ormoc & Tacloban in leyte, part of the team that construct the mactan bridge in Cebu been able to work in Bicol, my friend Trevor retired in this place, work in San Roque Dam in Pangasinan...

as you can see rsandlin am still alive & working here in Doha for the Doha Metro. Am a Canadian citizen that grow up in USA...

Couldn't agree more with rsandlin. I lived my first 27 years in Philippines before moving here to Doha and I have only been to Mindanao once. But like rsandlin said, if you're a tourist, it will not be a problem. Let me just correct the spelling for you rsandlin (Batangas , Bataan, Bohol, Palawan, Boracay, Old Manila, and Baguio).

i Think Mindanao as a whole is not dangerous. if you happen to visit the place called "DAVAO" ,then its a good place, free of crime and it was governed by a known very good mayor of Philippines. It's a safe place Mindanao has ever had!

coxtown: in what particular place in Mindanao?

@rsandlin, i am afraid the way in which things are narrated above. As any other tourist destinations, I need to spend pleasant days and not painful and life threatening memories despite spending huge dollars.

@ gerrara, my plan was to stay along with my ex-doha friend in Mindanao

who is settled there now with own auto business. Still i am scared is fact.

COXTOWN: Going to Philippines for vacation is fine, the reality of what rsandlin shared lies DEEP within the political and economical status of the country, not in the context of tourism. Please, do not cancel your holiday tour to Manila, by the way may I know where in the Philippines you will go?

COXTOWN: Going to Philippines for vacation is fine, the reality of what rsandlin shared lies DEEP within the political and economical status of the country, not in the context of tourism. Please, do not cancel your holiday tour to Manila, by the way may I know where in the Philippines you will go?

@rsandlin, thanks for sharing your experience / real picture of philipinnes.

its time for me to cancel my proposed holiday tour to Manila with family.

Britexpat: happiness in marriage does not come through marrying a particular nationality but through mutual understanding, respect, and trust in each other. I know of several people who married got married in the west and landed up in divorce.

@gerarra: i agree!

I had a very good friend from the Philippines and he once told me that in the Philippines if one sees a person lying on the street he is either too drunk or has been murdered. We became very good friends when I saved this Philippino friend from being cheated by another Philippino.

To each his own. I know at least six men who have married Filipinas and have retired happily to the Philippines.

To each his own. I know at least six men who have married Filipinas and have retired happily to the Philippines.

I couldn't agree more with rsandlin... I love my home country, I really do. There are so many places to visit and so many things to do, but unfortunately, it was like Gotham City, full of corrupt politicians, the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer. I will not be here in Doha if only the government supports its people.

Considering a nice tropical weather, Moving there is a good choice, a lot of chinese community is everywhere in the Philippines you will not be far from home, a lots of nice and beautiful places and wonders of the world is there, tons of nice people. this is the place for chinese businessman.

Bigger cities are safe if you know how to be careful and have extra cautious. in every part of the world a good and bad people is existing, they have this sayings (in every forest or mountain there are always a poisonous snake, who will bite you anytime).

Which particular place in the PI you want to stay for good??Actually, there are so many Chinese residence in the Philippines doing business...Search China town Philippines on goodle search..

http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/

Chinese is in every corner of the Philippines even in the small towns of Mindanao.