Family and I moving to Manila

and where do you expect to drive your van? and take whom??? cause big families and riches already have their vans with designated drivers. poor families use jeepneys... so this does not sound like the best business project.

i think you can offer a van for rent for trips to nearby places such as laguna, cavite, tagaytay or the airport.

yeah but still. those services are like the cheapest thing here, most common weekend destination, is tagaytay and I remember renting a brand new car with a driver for whole day for 2500p, and we did not even negotiate. ofcourse depends on what kind of financial expectations you have but as I see, everybody or at least a cousin or uncle of everybody already have a van. for airport I wouldn;t think, cause most of the hotels have their service for that. it is an idea to open a rental service office but wait to make money on a single van??? I dunno, you can have your own designated full time driver for 6k here.

for drivers license I guess you gotta give an urine sample and money,(as always) but to work professionally you should have a work permit I guess, which also you buy. for professional drivers license, I don't know even if it exists here.

thanks for your replys....there's some misunderstanding...this service is already there....observe what goes on in the mall of Asia SM terminal building...you not only have jeepneys there...our expectations are minimal...our van will be bought out right..our house will be be bought out right..its just to put food on the table and pay day to day bills, water electric and schooling for our children.

Thanks

its just an idea at the moment..it was put forward by my mother in law

Its either do something there or work 6 months a year in the UK leaving my family there...not ideal!!

you know, we were so poor in the UK, all we had was money!

I fully understand that quote now...

whatever makes you happy ... good luck.

Mark, be very careful! You as a forgien national MUST have a work permit to earn wages in the RP. Your wife owning the corportation or busness might be a work around, however. I can almost assure you that if you are seen as driving a professional type van and are spotted by other professional drivers I am willing to be my bottom dollar that they will report you to the Labor authorities. Me I wouldnt want to take the chance of getting investigated and possibly deported and blacklisted. Just my 2 pesos

It is my experience that it is very difficult to earn in Phills
the amount of money we foriegner need to live on.
in our case (3 kids wife & I ) it is around 60,000p per month, we have fillipino friends who live on 25% of that 15,000p.
We have a small cleaning product business that can make 15,000p if we work hard at it but will never earn 60,000p
the main reason is business is so competitive, there is limited spending power (because of small wages) and lots of supply so business margins have to be cut.
my suggestion is instead of buying your house and van, leave that money in an interest bearing account in the UK, come over here, rent for a while and fully check out what people here are saying to u.
good luck
Pete

I  agree with blueboy mark keep money in your bank and rent until you find out how things work here .you won,t make much driving a van thats for sure trust me im ex courier back in the u.k or i would have had a go im lucky as ive got income from my house back home .life is very cheap here if you step on someones toes then pop it only costs around 45 dollars for a guy to come along on a scooter i wouldnt risk it .try another route for work its better to be self employed less red tape to go through.can you speak the lingo or not coz thats gonna be a bit of handicap too .ive got a sari sari store on the front of my appartment to keep the girlfriend busy lol .

i agree what they said keep ur money there..and come here and see what is life here.

blueoakey wrote:

It is my experience that it is very difficult to earn in Phills
the amount of money we foriegner need to live on.
in our case (3 kids wife & I ) it is around 60,000p per month, we have fillipino friends who live on 25% of that 15,000p.
We have a small cleaning product business that can make 15,000p if we work hard at it but will never earn 60,000p
the main reason is business is so competitive, there is limited spending power (because of small wages) and lots of supply so business margins have to be cut.
my suggestion is instead of buying your house and van, leave that money in an interest bearing account in the UK, come over here, rent for a while and fully check out what people here are saying to u.
good luck
Pete

Thanks Pete sookie31 and the other contributors.

We got a good standard of living here in London..we certainly don't want to live 'getto' style in our prodicle home .

We'ved lived in Cavite in another time so, we or rather I have experience of what life is like there.

We want a big family, like 4/5..currently one every year from the previous 2....you can imagine our current home is being outgrown.

I see it like this, We always wanted to live fulltime in the Philippines, it was just picking the right time...the time now or rather within 15 months...My wife would of been granted British citizenship...we will need to sell our house for a much bigger house and the children wil be starting school.

What better time to make the move.

The money we make from our modest home here will buy a near mansion in metro Manila.

The idea of the van was to keep me from getting bored and putting food on the table along with day to day expenses.

This to my horror would of turn't out a disaster.

So, its now the plan I come back alone to UK to work 3 months of the year thus spending 9 months of stressless quailty time with the family.

This we see as a worth while short term sacrific for the overall benefits it will achieve.

ok mark sounds fair enough but just remember if you buy a mansion over here it will have to be in wifes name and if she decides to trade you in for a younger model kiss goodbye to your assets lol its happened to a lot of guys here .

sookie31 wrote:

ok mark sounds fair enough but just remember if you buy a mansion over here it will have to be in wifes name and if she decides to trade you in for a younger model kiss goodbye to your assets lol its happened to a lot of guys here .

that was mean :-) well yeah life is full of surprises.

but I just wanna say, do not also count on a mansion as well. because in good districts of manila, real estate prices are quite high. you might end up buying a small condo, instead of your dream mansion... please check some web sites to see how much housing costs here. ofcourse there is no way we can know your budget but, houses in good, safe, clean, livable villages are very expensive. yet there is always laguna, angeles city etc...

WOW!!....alot of negativity here , a sure sign of showing insecurities in one's self.... I'll have a 13a visa ..all bases covered, not that its needed..the idea of obtaining the 13a visa is so im not restricted

Im aware of house prices in Manila ..we won't be buying in Makati etc...I did state Metro Manila.

I know what our house will fetch in London town and we know what the prices are where we are going to buy

You have incorrectly assumed im totally green here..Im not.

As for getting ripped off, well that can happen any where..my wife and I have been together for years.....going through many trials and tribulations, like all marriages do, then getting her here, getting visa's have children etc etc...generally having a real life...not on permenant holiday...we are living a life not unlike anyother western marriage...not like some of you guys going on holiday,,getting loved up, leaving your job in uk, selling up then losing it all..all within 6 months .

You don't know me, I suggest try not to judge others with your obviously limited experinces of Filipino life and culture..im just sharing, being polite.

trifyllis wrote:

sookie31 wrote:

ok mark sounds fair enough but just remember if you buy a mansion over here it will have to be in wifes name and if she decides to trade you in for a younger model kiss goodbye to your assets lol its happened to a lot of guys here .

that was mean :-) well yeah life is full of surprises.

but I just wanna say, do not also count on a mansion as well. because in good districts of manila, real estate prices are quite high. you might end up buying a small condo, instead of your dream mansion... please check some web sites to see how much housing costs here. ofcourse there is no way we can know your budget but, houses in good, safe, clean, livable villages are very expensive. yet there is always laguna, angeles city etc...

And you don't realise the prices of houses in London ..one bed condo...do me a favour haha

4/5 bed big garden in metro Manila..no problems..ease up on the negativity boys

Hi
yes there is a lot of negativity, not only on this forum but with expats in Phills in general, but these things do happen
In my circle of expat mates which is less than 10, 1 has been dumped by his wife and left pennyless and 2 have made bad business dicisions and lossed sizable amts of pesos.
Its not all fillipino womens faults, a lot of foriegn men have GF's on the side which is totally wrong and starts a lot of trouble, so it follows that once one has been adverselly affected in this country, one starts to knock it.
I believe that I have a good wife, but the unit we live in is in here name, thats the way it's gotta be, in Aust if 2 people live together for 12 month they are considered defacto and the wife is entitaled to HALF of everything the husband owns, many men have been broken in Aust by this law, (not much difference)
overall I think it's all relative.
Pete

blueoakey wrote:

Hi
yes there is a lot of negativity, not only on this forum but with expats in Phills in general, but these things do happen
In my circle of expat mates which is less than 10, 1 has been dumped by his wife and left pennyless and 2 have made bad business dicisions and lossed sizable amts of pesos.
Its not all fillipino womens faults, a lot of foriegn men have GF's on the side which is totally wrong and starts a lot of trouble, so it follows that once one has been adverselly affected in this country, one starts to knock it.
I believe that I have a good wife, but the unit we live in is in here name, thats the way it's gotta be, in Aust if 2 people live together for 12 month they are considered defacto and the wife is entitaled to HALF of everything the husband owns, many men have been broken in Aust by this law, (not much difference)
overall I think it's all relative.
Pete

I agree Pete....its the same here in uk...it is, like you state, all relative.

Perhaps certain people have been permanently scared by previous divorce experiences, who knows.

markandjane wrote:

trifyllis wrote:

sookie31 wrote:

ok mark sounds fair enough but just remember if you buy a mansion over here it will have to be in wifes name and if she decides to trade you in for a younger model kiss goodbye to your assets lol its happened to a lot of guys here .

that was mean :-) well yeah life is full of surprises.

but I just wanna say, do not also count on a mansion as well. because in good districts of manila, real estate prices are quite high. you might end up buying a small condo, instead of your dream mansion... please check some web sites to see how much housing costs here. ofcourse there is no way we can know your budget but, houses in good, safe, clean, livable villages are very expensive. yet there is always laguna, angeles city etc...

And you don't realise the prices of houses in London ..one bed condo...do me a favour haha

4/5 bed big garden in metro Manila..no problems..ease up on the negativity boys

I told you already I don't know what your budget is... to me there are not many districts I can live in metro manila... but yeah, all depends on what you expect from life. I am sorry but anywhere, except makati,fort and gated villages are not options "FOR ME"...  so I thought as most of the other europeans you would wish a safe decent house in a safe, clean village. and around these areas rents and prices are shockingly high.we pay (company pays) 85k for rent, and all we have is a 2 bedroom in the fort,for this money in athens or istanbul, we would rent a big house, where life is also very expensive. I am never negative, I love it here. I am just being realistic. remember, you were dreaming to buy a van and make money on it... after some logical comments you changed your mind and decided on a better business plan... as for your family I find the specific comment a bit "ugly". but still this comes from experience. not for that but I also would never sell a precious house in london and buy some place here where nobody can actually own it. there is a gap in the law here, none of the houses are actually owned. not by the foreigner not by a philippino. I suggest you talk to a local lawyer before you get rid of your "very precious property"
my stories are the either way, my expat girlfriends being dumped by their high rank executive husbands for the philippino maid. these things happen. it can happen to any one...this country is full of some strange energy. people seem to me smiling and positive, yet lots of bad things happen to people especially if they are not local. I guess it is very different once you spend your years here.
so a bit of behaviour change could be nice. nobody knows you and nobody is specifically against you. everybody is sparing time and giving their opinions and answers to things you asked abt... if all you want for us is to give you the answers you wish to hear, maybe you are not on the correct path. since those kind of answers were already given to you by your pinoy fam. unlike you, I find most of the comments very informatory and helping. even tough I spent many years here, I learned things from this very topic.

trifyllis wrote:

markandjane wrote:

trifyllis wrote:

that was mean :-) well yeah life is full of surprises.

but I just wanna say, do not also count on a mansion as well. because in good districts of manila, real estate prices are quite high. you might end up buying a small condo, instead of your dream mansion... please check some web sites to see how much housing costs here. ofcourse there is no way we can know your budget but, houses in good, safe, clean, livable villages are very expensive. yet there is always laguna, angeles city etc...

And you don't realise the prices of houses in London ..one bed condo...do me a favour haha

4/5 bed big garden in metro Manila..no problems..ease up on the negativity boys

I told you already I don't know what your budget is... to me there are not many districts I can live in metro manila... but yeah, all depends on what you expect from life. I am sorry but anywhere, except makati,fort and gated villages are not options "FOR ME"...  so I thought as most of the other europeans you would wish a safe decent house in a safe, clean village. and around these areas rents and prices are shockingly high.we pay (company pays) 85k for rent, and all we have is a 2 bedroom in the fort,for this money in athens or istanbul, we would rent a big house, where life is also very expensive. I am never negative, I love it here. I am just being realistic. remember, you were dreaming to buy a van and make money on it... after some logical comments you changed your mind and decided on a better business plan... as for your family I find the specific comment a bit "ugly". but still this comes from experience. not for that but I also would never sell a precious house in london and buy some place here where nobody can actually own it. there is a gap in the law here, none of the houses are actually owned. not by the foreigner not by a philippino. I suggest you talk to a local lawyer before you get rid of your "very precious property"
my stories are the either way, my expat girlfriends being dumped by their high rank executive husbands for the philippino maid. these things happen. it can happen to any one...this country is full of some strange energy. people seem to me smiling and positive, yet lots of bad things happen to people especially if they are not local. I guess it is very different once you spend your years here.
so a bit of behaviour change could be nice. nobody knows you and nobody is specifically against you. everybody is sparing time and giving their opinions and answers to things you asked abt... if all you want for us is to give you the answers you wish to hear, maybe you are not on the correct path. since those kind of answers were already given to you by your pinoy fam. unlike you, I find most of the comments very informatory and helping. even tough I spent many years here, I learned things from this very topic.

I am thankful for your comments....ive said it numerous times...what I dont appreciate is my wife and children being put on the same level as trash from an Angleles bar.

We are  both Catholics church goes and I took great offence to being dumped.

you are so right abt that. family is sacred and some comments have been offensive... it is just people became prejudical...

yet, most of the philippines is extremely catholic. unfortunately this doesn't stop people from doing all the **** they are doing. the country is number one for child trafficing, prostitution, burglary, hiv, money laundering and all the other illegal activities. I guess hunger and powerty are stronger than religion... again, this is just a general comment, it does not adress to any family or person.

Oh, pity Philippines and Filipino people...just try to balance the pros and cons of moving in the Philippines with your family.There's a lot of people out there who would really take advantage to other people not only in the Phils. but to other places as well.It's how you manage actually despite of the negative comments...peace to everyone!

mark what I  don,t really understand is why a young guy like you with kids would want to come here and live.this is a place maybe to retire to when you reach your twilight years and kids fly the nest,as you,ve said your not green and been before ,in which case you should know all the downsides of being in the phillipines.my gf wants to go live in u.k and not ever come back here now she,s got 8 brothers and sisters a large family to leave behind.that in itself is an indication that many things are wrong here and not likely to get better anytime soon .the crime here is bad although crime is in every country here the crimes are not solved in the quantities that they are in the west .  I read the the local paper everyday and there are 4 to 5 murders life is so cheap here .I planned to stay here at one time but have changed my mind you never feel safe here being a foreigner you stand out like a sore thumb .the locals think we are rich you can,t change there way of thinkin well i might be rich here but im dam poor in england .another downside is the legal system you only have to be accused of something by a local and you get put in jail for years for your case to come up then to be aquitted through lack of evidence  ,thats how it works but being a foreigner they will try and extract money out of you at all levels the place is so corrupt its a joke now sorry if there is lots of negativity but it has to be said .lots of people come here thinking of paradise palm trees sandy beaches etc etc only find its not all its cracked up to be .if I in your shoes i would rent out your house first come here and try your little plans out and good luck but least you can always go back home to your house again .I live in northamptonshire where house prices are pretty cheap for 4 and 5 bed houses 150,000 will get you 4 bed detached with a garage and lots of garden space only 40 mins by train into st pancreas .I can understand why you want to leave london coz you get nothin for your money just a thought lol

sookie31 wrote:

mark what I  don,t really understand is why a young guy like you with kids would want to come here and live.this is a place maybe to retire to when you reach your twilight years and kids fly the nest,as you,ve said your not green and been before ,in which case you should know all the downsides of being in the phillipines.my gf wants to go live in u.k and not ever come back here now she,s got 8 brothers and sisters a large family to leave behind.that in itself is an indication that many things are wrong here and not likely to get better anytime soon .the crime here is bad although crime is in every country here the crimes are not solved in the quantities that they are in the west .  I read the the local paper everyday and there are 4 to 5 murders life is so cheap here .I planned to stay here at one time but have changed my mind you never feel safe here being a foreigner you stand out like a sore thumb .the locals think we are rich you can,t change there way of thinkin well i might be rich here but im dam poor in england .another downside is the legal system you only have to be accused of something by a local and you get put in jail for years for your case to come up then to be aquitted through lack of evidence  ,thats how it works but being a foreigner they will try and extract money out of you at all levels the place is so corrupt its a joke now sorry if there is lots of negativity but it has to be said .lots of people come here thinking of paradise palm trees sandy beaches etc etc only find its not all its cracked up to be .if I in your shoes i would rent out your house first come here and try your little plans out and good luck but least you can always go back home to your house again .I live in northamptonshire where house prices are pretty cheap for 4 and 5 bed houses 150,000 will get you 4 bed detached with a garage and lots of garden space only 40 mins by train into st pancreas .I can understand why you want to leave london coz you get nothin for your money just a thought lol

Thanks for that

We lived in Cavite before...i understand your views on how things are there and i totally agree with you. But, its not like that everywhere there.

You have to pick your friends wisely, your wife or girlfriend can lead you in the right direction.

Pick a nice neighbourhood to live...gated with 24 security.

My wife thought she would never want to return to live in the Philippines...I knew she wouldn't like it long term....cold weather, deserted streets...she compared live here to like living in the mountains.......no kids playing in the streets, perhaps playing computer games

Like you rightly said, life is nothing but work work work...im doing 15hrs days...im hardly home...I dont want, my wife dont want this type of life anymore.

We have security in the fact we won't leave until she has British citizenship. That will happen soon.

As for my wife's cousins kids...they are rounded easy kids, comfortable in others company...i know I can't say the same for the majority of them here....which would explain why they become troublesome insecure individuals later in life.

The Philippines have some good international schools and one close to where we are going to live.

The move is just not for my benefit but, for the whole family. Ill still be working in uk, be it 3 months of the year so, bridges won't be totally destroyed.

This is not an unusual arrangement, many are doing this.

The Philippines is not a good place to be broke no matter who you are.

I trust my wife with my life...without trust you dont have a marriage.

This message was rather hurried...im working!

Cheers

trixieandrea wrote:

Oh, pity Philippines and Filipino people...just try to balance the pros and cons of moving in the Philippines with your family.There's a lot of people out there who would really take advantage to other people not only in the Phils. but to other places as well.It's how you manage actually despite of the negative comments...peace to everyone!

I agree...good and bad everywhere...you just can't blame the filipinos when things go pear shaped....its sometimes the blame of the absolute stupidity of the westerner.

mark again, did you check the prices of really good international schools? british school for example???? I was decided to make a second child until I discovered the prices of the "really good" international schools. not to mention the long waiting list. and no, being british does not make it any faster.

yes philippines is nice, crabs are awesome, people are smiling, but it is not the dream tropical paradise. unless you are a single guy who wants to have one night stands every single day!!! o yeah they have lots of fun...but for family life, it really sucks. I have a 1 year old and even tough his education expenses did not start yet, he costs me a lot, because even the stupid play rooms are double price of europe. 12 hours in a toddler gym is 14.000 with annual membership, which makes almost 300 euros. so the only way my child can make friends is the play dates with spoiled children who beat their nannies. you will see the negative change of your children in no time. this is coming from a mother. because there is an unvisible cast system here. not like india, but still people call their workers as "maid, driver, yaya" as if they have no name. yes your wife and her family can be the best, I have met very good families,but what happens when your children interract with the society???? only here we can afford maids and nannies, but back in europe or states, we do all our work ourselves, and actually personally I want my son to be able to clean his own shit. aaa and there are vaccines and medical checks!!! you would not want to take your children to a government hospital where they can catch hepatitis while you are trying to get rid of a simple flu or fewer. and they sure will have some little diseases because they will go to school. and then what? private hospital. last time, his vaccines costed us 8000. in our countries they are for free.

but yet we have to be here for professional reasons and try to make best of it...

I know u mentioned you are not green at all, but your comments seem to be coming from a person who did not make enough research. and somehow philippino currency is gaining crazy value and this makes life difficult here, for us especially who earns euro or dollars. my husband also works for 14-15 hours, because he has to catch the european time zone.

so I would also suggest you to try it, before you sell your property. yes there is always fresh fish and that is cheap, but if you want to buy diary those are very expensive. after all life becomes expensive for us here...

safety??? where is that? a mosquito bites you and you die. and that is called denge and it is all around here. you can not be in the local transportation because every kind of contagious disase is over the roof here. you can not drive here (you gotta have a driver) because if the baggers see a foreigner driving, they jump on your car then throw themselves on the street. this is happening to my husband every week. and they do it, for a couple hundred bucks. which is better??? not to be fooled and have more trouble or being willingly fooled?? both suck.

there are murders and burglaries even in rockwell condos and dasmarinias houses where there is supposedly top of the line security. yes these things happen everywhere in the world but still there are districts you can have them at the minimum levels. here there seems to be none.

this is not negativity, these are the facts of life... and I can not agree more, that what ever has happened to this beautiful country has happened because of western world and their greed. but that does not change the simple truth. life is difficult here, especially with children... the things they will have to see while growing will be so ugly. (unfortunately) they will discover the advantages of having money, being white or even foreign!!!, they will have intention to forget that everybody is equal, since nobody is equal here...

it only makes sense to come here, if you are an expat who makes money or career or a retired person or a single guy who likes to hang out. I do not see any other way as well...

but still as pinoys often say, "god bless" and good luck.

trifyllis wrote:

mark again, did you check the prices of really good international schools? british school for example???? I was decided to make a second child until I discovered the prices of the "really good" international schools. not to mention the long waiting list. and no, being british does not make it any faster.

yes philippines is nice, crabs are awesome, people are smiling, but it is not the dream tropical paradise. unless you are a single guy who wants to have one night stands every single day!!! o yeah they have lots of fun...but for family life, it really sucks. I have a 1 year old and even tough his education expenses did not start yet, he costs me a lot, because even the stupid play rooms are double price of europe. 12 hours in a toddler gym is 14.000 with annual membership, which makes almost 300 euros. so the only way my child can make friends is the play dates with spoiled children who beat their nannies. you will see the negative change of your children in no time. this is coming from a mother. because there is an unvisible cast system here. not like india, but still people call their workers as "maid, driver, yaya" as if they have no name. yes your wife and her family can be the best, I have met very good families,but what happens when your children interract with the society???? only here we can afford maids and nannies, but back in europe or states, we do all our work ourselves, and actually personally I want my son to be able to clean his own shit. aaa and there are vaccines and medical checks!!! you would not want to take your children to a government hospital where they can catch hepatitis while you are trying to get rid of a simple flu or fewer. and they sure will have some little diseases because they will go to school. and then what? private hospital. last time, his vaccines costed us 8000. in our countries they are for free.

but yet we have to be here for professional reasons and try to make best of it...

I know u mentioned you are not green at all, but your comments seem to be coming from a person who did not make enough research. and somehow philippino currency is gaining crazy value and this makes life difficult here, for us especially who earns euro or dollars. my husband also works for 14-15 hours, because he has to catch the european time zone.

so I would also suggest you to try it, before you sell your property. yes there is always fresh fish and that is cheap, but if you want to buy diary those are very expensive. after all life becomes expensive for us here...

safety??? where is that? a mosquito bites you and you die. and that is called denge and it is all around here. you can not be in the local transportation because every kind of contagious disase is over the roof here. you can not drive here (you gotta have a driver) because if the baggers see a foreigner driving, they jump on your car then throw themselves on the street. this is happening to my husband every week. and they do it, for a couple hundred bucks. which is better??? not to be fooled and have more trouble or being willingly fooled?? both suck.

there are murders and burglaries even in rockwell condos and dasmarinias houses where there is supposedly top of the line security. yes these things happen everywhere in the world but still there are districts you can have them at the minimum levels. here there seems to be none.

this is not negativity, these are the facts of life... and I can not agree more, that what ever has happened to this beautiful country has happened because of western world and their greed. but that does not change the simple truth. life is difficult here, especially with children... the things they will have to see while growing will be so ugly. (unfortunately) they will discover the advantages of having money, being white or even foreign!!!, they will have intention to forget that everybody is equal, since nobody is equal here...

it only makes sense to come here, if you are an expat who makes money or career or a retired person or a single guy who likes to hang out. I do not see any other way as well...

but still as pinoys often say, "god bless" and good luck.

I have to say that having lived here 1 year, have not experienced much of what the above posted. I dont have an experience with the schools, but I do drive myself, have a helper 2 days a week and generally likely my life better than anywhere else I have lived.

trifyllis wrote:

I also have the most comfortable life here. I have my maid, my driver, all the time I can spend for myself, expat friends, cheap beauty parlors, shangri-la afternoon tea times, barbeque weekends etc...long story short a very nice life...but that does not change the fact that it is not the most ideal environment for a child...

and this is my 4th year here... so please... I have my share of experiences.

anyways I will not write any comment again, the facts disturbed even me, while writing. philippines is beautiful but difficult. love and good luck to all...

trifyllis wrote:

mark again, did you check the prices of really good international schools? british school for example???? I was decided to make a second child until I discovered the prices of the "really good" international schools. not to mention the long waiting list. and no, being british does not make it any faster.

yes philippines is nice, crabs are awesome, people are smiling, but it is not the dream tropical paradise. unless you are a single guy who wants to have one night stands every single day!!! o yeah they have lots of fun...but for family life, it really sucks. I have a 1 year old and even tough his education expenses did not start yet, he costs me a lot, because even the stupid play rooms are double price of europe. 12 hours in a toddler gym is 14.000 with annual membership, which makes almost 300 euros. so the only way my child can make friends is the play dates with spoiled children who beat their nannies. you will see the negative change of your children in no time. this is coming from a mother. because there is an unvisible cast system here. not like india, but still people call their workers as "maid, driver, yaya" as if they have no name. yes your wife and her family can be the best, I have met very good families,but what happens when your children interract with the society???? only here we can afford maids and nannies, but back in europe or states, we do all our work ourselves, and actually personally I want my son to be able to clean his own shit. aaa and there are vaccines and medical checks!!! you would not want to take your children to a government hospital where they can catch hepatitis while you are trying to get rid of a simple flu or fewer. and they sure will have some little diseases because they will go to school. and then what? private hospital. last time, his vaccines costed us 8000. in our countries they are for free.

but yet we have to be here for professional reasons and try to make best of it...

I know u mentioned you are not green at all, but your comments seem to be coming from a person who did not make enough research. and somehow philippino currency is gaining crazy value and this makes life difficult here, for us especially who earns euro or dollars. my husband also works for 14-15 hours, because he has to catch the european time zone.

so I would also suggest you to try it, before you sell your property. yes there is always fresh fish and that is cheap, but if you want to buy diary those are very expensive. after all life becomes expensive for us here...

safety??? where is that? a mosquito bites you and you die. and that is called denge and it is all around here. you can not be in the local transportation because every kind of contagious disase is over the roof here. you can not drive here (you gotta have a driver) because if the baggers see a foreigner driving, they jump on your car then throw themselves on the street. this is happening to my husband every week. and they do it, for a couple hundred bucks. which is better??? not to be fooled and have more trouble or being willingly fooled?? both suck.

there are murders and burglaries even in rockwell condos and dasmarinias houses where there is supposedly top of the line security. yes these things happen everywhere in the world but still there are districts you can have them at the minimum levels. here there seems to be none.

this is not negativity, these are the facts of life... and I can not agree more, that what ever has happened to this beautiful country has happened because of western world and their greed. but that does not change the simple truth. life is difficult here, especially with children... the things they will have to see while growing will be so ugly. (unfortunately) they will discover the advantages of having money, being white or even foreign!!!, they will have intention to forget that everybody is equal, since nobody is equal here...

it only makes sense to come here, if you are an expat who makes money or career or a retired person or a single guy who likes to hang out. I do not see any other way as well...

but still as pinoys often say, "god bless" and good luck.

H ithere Thanks for your input.

The only time Ive been green is when asking for advice on being a professional driver here in Philippines, that's all...in fact I was doing research  on the subject while doing my initial posts
here.

My wife's sister is married to an Australian with there own kids all living in Manila...the guy has been living here for twelve years working only in Australia...much flying but, at least its only a 5 hour flight for him.

They have had no trouble getting there children into international schools....on the contrary to what you stated, white foreign kids do indeed have preferential treatment, right or wrongly, that's the way it is. Even outside the ' eat bulaga' studios...us British with pinay wife's and kids are moved to the front.

No yayas in our house just my wife's aunty. The same aunt who looked after her sister's children.


As for living conditions...you rightly said, if you got money then life is good.

Health care....like most responsible parents, we will have health insurance...im aware of the cost, my sister in law has it.

As for murders muggings people jumping on foreign driven vehicles on every street corner well, in your husband's case, you state he's having to pay out a couple of hundred bucks a week well, that's just extremely unlucky or someone indeed is being taken for a fool. .I know, ive lived there, Dasma town,  driving both cars and motorcycles and never experienced anything like that. Perhaps I was very lucky.. You really have painted a picture of doom...its not like that at all



Regards Mark

Btw...the country is in the state its in, not because of foreigners but,  because of past present and future administrations..fact...they've kept the country in the dark ages because of there own personal greed....as for the westerners destroying this proud nation, it is in fact quite the opposite...the west is responsible, in one way or another in keeping the country afloat with vast remittances being sent from loved ones...still, that's another subject.

markandjane wrote:

trifyllis wrote:

mark again, did you check the prices of really good international schools? british school for example???? I was decided to make a second child until I discovered the prices of the "really good" international schools. not to mention the long waiting list. and no, being british does not make it any faster.

yes philippines is nice, crabs are awesome, people are smiling, but it is not the dream tropical paradise. unless you are a single guy who wants to have one night stands every single day!!! o yeah they have lots of fun...but for family life, it really sucks. I have a 1 year old and even tough his education expenses did not start yet, he costs me a lot, because even the stupid play rooms are double price of europe. 12 hours in a toddler gym is 14.000 with annual membership, which makes almost 300 euros. so the only way my child can make friends is the play dates with spoiled children who beat their nannies. you will see the negative change of your children in no time. this is coming from a mother. because there is an unvisible cast system here. not like india, but still people call their workers as "maid, driver, yaya" as if they have no name. yes your wife and her family can be the best, I have met very good families,but what happens when your children interract with the society???? only here we can afford maids and nannies, but back in europe or states, we do all our work ourselves, and actually personally I want my son to be able to clean his own shit. aaa and there are vaccines and medical checks!!! you would not want to take your children to a government hospital where they can catch hepatitis while you are trying to get rid of a simple flu or fewer. and they sure will have some little diseases because they will go to school. and then what? private hospital. last time, his vaccines costed us 8000. in our countries they are for free.

but yet we have to be here for professional reasons and try to make best of it...

I know u mentioned you are not green at all, but your comments seem to be coming from a person who did not make enough research. and somehow philippino currency is gaining crazy value and this makes life difficult here, for us especially who earns euro or dollars. my husband also works for 14-15 hours, because he has to catch the european time zone.

so I would also suggest you to try it, before you sell your property. yes there is always fresh fish and that is cheap, but if you want to buy diary those are very expensive. after all life becomes expensive for us here...

safety??? where is that? a mosquito bites you and you die. and that is called denge and it is all around here. you can not be in the local transportation because every kind of contagious disase is over the roof here. you can not drive here (you gotta have a driver) because if the baggers see a foreigner driving, they jump on your car then throw themselves on the street. this is happening to my husband every week. and they do it, for a couple hundred bucks. which is better??? not to be fooled and have more trouble or being willingly fooled?? both suck.

there are murders and burglaries even in rockwell condos and dasmarinias houses where there is supposedly top of the line security. yes these things happen everywhere in the world but still there are districts you can have them at the minimum levels. here there seems to be none.

this is not negativity, these are the facts of life... and I can not agree more, that what ever has happened to this beautiful country has happened because of western world and their greed. but that does not change the simple truth. life is difficult here, especially with children... the things they will have to see while growing will be so ugly. (unfortunately) they will discover the advantages of having money, being white or even foreign!!!, they will have intention to forget that everybody is equal, since nobody is equal here...

it only makes sense to come here, if you are an expat who makes money or career or a retired person or a single guy who likes to hang out. I do not see any other way as well...

but still as pinoys often say, "god bless" and good luck.

H ithere Thanks for your input.

The only time Ive been green is when asking for advice on being a professional driver here in Philippines, that's all...in fact I was doing research  on the subject while doing my initial posts
here.

My wife's sister is married to an Australian with there own kids all living in Manila...the guy has been living here for twelve years working only in Australia...much flying but, at least its only a 5 hour flight for him.

They have had no trouble getting there children into international schools....on the contrary to what you stated, white foreign kids do indeed have preferential treatment, right or wrongly, that's the way it is. Even outside the ' eat bulaga' studios...us British with pinay wife's and kids are moved to the front.

No yayas in our house just my wife's aunty. The same aunt who looked after her sister's children. What wrong with your child playing with cousins etc?...why on earth are you paying out like that ? There's children everywhere.


As for living conditions...you rightly said, if you got money then life is good.

This mosquito idea you have is in some respects true but, its a particular variety mainly found in dirty rundown areas.

Health care....like most responsible parents, we will have health insurance...im aware of the cost, my sister in law has it.

You claim the public hospitals are in a bad state....my filipina wife begs to differ.

As for murders muggings people jumping on foreign driven vehicles on every street corner well, that's just crazy talk...I know, ive lived there, Dasma town,  driving both cars and motorcycles. You really have painted a picture of doom, to the point of being alarmist...its not like that at all.

If your husband is paying out 2 hundred bucks a week to baggers well, he's either been very unlucky or someone indeed is being taken for a fool.



Regards Mark

Btw...the country is in the state its in, not because of foreigners but,  because of past present and future administrations..fact...they've kept the country in the dark ages.....as for the westerners destroying the proud nation, it is in fact quite the opposite...the west is responsible, in one way or another in keeping the country afloat with vast remittances being sent from loved ones...still, that's another subject.