@USAMichael

The thing is, Bob, that moving to the US was and is a lifelong dream of my wife. As you probably know, getting off the archipelgo to be an OFW somewhere is major obsession for Philippinos. There is even a huge Philippine government agency ... Read More

Yes, admittedly, it is odd, I send money to my Filipina wife who lives and works in Queens, NYC, NY as a HHA since August, 2017. Should be the other way around, right? To make it even odder, I send her $400 a month and she is now making about ... Read More

You can live on. 22,300 pesos a month without trying too hard. Biggest expenses are daily allowance and I allow myself 500 pesos a day figuring most Phil. people live on less than that. Then you should look long and hard for an economical rent. I ... Read More

Expect that you will get overcharged for a lot of stuff, e.g., rent, taxis, frmale company, tricycle rides, etc. This is mainly because such behavior is to be expected from an extremely poor population who have been inculcated with a strong belief ... Read More

I am retired, so no commute, but I still have to run errands. I am not kidding when I say, I take my life in my hands every time I put my 100CC motorcycle on the road. You better be ready for anything at any moment. I pity those who drive a ... Read More

Its a great deal different than in the USA. You go to the specific office or to a Bayad Center. Do not send it by mail and I have not seen any bills paid online. You need to walk physically into the Water Department, for example, and march ... Read More

Well, Buzzardman: It seem the devil is in the details,I.e. $ 360 yearly fee (well, maybe he meant piso). Anywho, I didn't mean to rain on your parade. As foreign digs go, Philippines is about par. Heck, I live here and the main ... Read More

Prince Dennison: Okay, where to start...? First of all you need to brush up your writing of English. But I know where you are coming from and my Tagalog writing skills are much worse than your brave attempt at a written coherent argument in ... Read More

The best Filipino conversationalist in English for me was a "Chat Girl" (really more of a woman) from Bacolod, who I used to hold extensive Skype conversations with for hours, from the states. Of course, she was externally motivated by ... Read More

Have you ever lived with your wife for an extended period of time in the Philippines? I am not talking about a vacation with her but actually living here with her. Some people act quite differently in their own country especially toward a ... Read More

Where to start? Uhh...are you temporarily out of your mind? Why waste the money and tie up 500,000 piso when you don't even know if you will like it here? If you do like it here you, you will probably have a wife in which case you can get a ... Read More

Ninety-nine percent of those who learn a foreign language speak that foreign language with an accent. Many find an accent to be charming. Many foreign language teachers say"do not lose your accent as it is part of who you are." I ... Read More

Priscilla: I have been in Phil. for 5 years. I think I speak more Tagalog than 90 percent of expats. No, I do not think it is essential to "fully integrate." Read More

EJK-so common now, it has its own shorthand descriptor. There have been five EJKs within my smallish town. Personally, I am very concerned for several reasons. These reasons are mostly obvious and even a Filipino could figure them out. Further ... Read More

Fred, you are a very mysterious guy as very little is given. And, forgive me, perhaps an odd duck, you offered your status as a Muslim from a first-world.country. Also your naivete indicates some inexperience possibly youthful. My advice, ... Read More