Reality in the Philippines.

Not really.
I know of many many many philippino's that have more money then the average expat.
I know a lot of expats that are stuck here and can not get out.

What used to be a cheap country is quickly becoming overpriced and undermanaged.
The prices of many things have doubled while the service has become terrible.
Crime is out of control and is being hushed over so as not to affect tourism.
Jobs are almost impossible to find that will even help pay for you rent let alone food.
Yet luxury car sales are up and condo's are being developed at an alarming rate.

Strange times are coming in the place they say it is more fun.

[Moderated: Post in English only on the Anglophone section of the Philippines forum.]

christian -its an english forum

christian
As this is an Anglophone forum could you please post in English so that we all can understand your post and perhaps offer assistance or advice. Thank you.

boredomsucks wrote:

Reality in the Philippine

Locals travel to other country to have a good life, expats travel to Philippines to enjoy life.

Agree or Disagree?

I agree with your second statement though could not tell whether expats are richer than the locals.Look at the statistics and you will see. Five to ten million Filipinos are considered rich.

Mika750 wrote:

boredomsucks wrote:

Reality in the Philippine

Locals travel to other country to have a good life, expats travel to Philippines to enjoy life.

Agree or Disagree?

I agree with your second statement though could not tell whether expats are richer than the locals.Look at the statistics and you will see. Five to ten million Filipinos are considered rich.

Assuming it's five million; that is less than 10% of the nation..The middle class is almost non existing here..What you say is somewhat true..There are many rich here with many of them keeping the the majority of the nation in utter poverty...Look at many of the schools in the provinces. They have no computers or they are so old they fail to operate anymore..They have students do the janitorial and grounds maintenance instead of 6 hours of schooling..

Do the rich bloated plutocrats of this country try to do anything about it..NOOOO!!They just continue to find ways to further enrich themselves and impoverish their people..EXAMPLE: OBGYN's forcing UNNEEDED DANGEROUS C-Sections(Philippines is among the worlds highest) of expecting mothers when they can barely afford office visits and the lists go on and on...

Mika750 wrote:

boredomsucks wrote:

Reality in the Philippine

Locals travel to other country to have a good life, expats travel to Philippines to enjoy life.

Agree or Disagree?

I agree with your second statement though could not tell whether expats are richer than the locals.Look at the statistics and you will see. Five to ten million Filipinos are considered rich.

1. Disagree. There is a common opinion that ALL Philippinos are SO SO SO poor. And ALL foreigners are SO SO SO rich. That's a total generalizing. I met very rich Philippinos which came from China one day (so called "chinoy') and foreigners that used to plug off their refrigerator at nightime in order to save some money on electricity biils. So the news is: people differ. All over the world.
2. Agree. Had a similar conversation with my expat friend from Germany. A funny occasion: he married a Philippina and took her back home to Germany about 10 years ago. There they got separated and she became a citizen of Germany and he retired to Philippines. Now they both live happily but kinda changed each others' countries.

A lot of Americans come here to retire with only their social security or military pension. I the US, they would be considered poor. In the Philippines, a $1200 (p50k) would be considered ok, but definitely not rich. These guys (rarely do you find women retiring here) quickly get into girl trouble or have kids without any future planning. If they get sick, then out of luck as they can rarely afford a plane ticket out of here.

Grasser is always greener...

Filippok wrote:

1. Disagree. There is a common opinion that ALL Philippinos are SO SO SO poor. And ALL foreigners are SO SO SO rich. That's a total generalizing. I met very rich Philippinos which came from China one day (so called "chinoy') and foreigners that used to plug off their refrigerator at nightime in order to save some money on electricity biils. So the news is: people differ. All over the world.
2. Agree. Had a similar conversation with my expat friend from Germany. A funny occasion: he married a Philippina and took her back home to Germany about 10 years ago. There they got separated and she became a citizen of Germany and he retired to Philippines. Now they both live happily but kinda changed each others' countries.

Anyone who turns their FRIG off at night are idiots.,..You actually use more power and risk spoiling meats and dairy products..

vetretreat wrote:

Filippok wrote:

1. Disagree. There is a common opinion that ALL Philippinos are SO SO SO poor. And ALL foreigners are SO SO SO rich. That's a total generalizing. I met very rich Philippinos which came from China one day (so called "chinoy') and foreigners that used to plug off their refrigerator at nightime in order to save some money on electricity biils. So the news is: people differ. All over the world.
2. Agree. Had a similar conversation with my expat friend from Germany. A funny occasion: he married a Philippina and took her back home to Germany about 10 years ago. There they got separated and she became a citizen of Germany and he retired to Philippines. Now they both live happily but kinda changed each others' countries.

Anyone who turns their FRIG off at night are idiots.,..You actually use more power and risk spoiling meats and dairy products..

... never heard of one, happily 

Same with aircons, besides, buying a weeny one won't save on your bill in the end, since it takes longer to freeze down a spacier room, unlike as with a dearer heavier machine. Folks don't know and lose 

I have never liked the description of expat placed upon me for moving to the Philippines. Never the less I am here. I prefer to describe myself and an American that has decided to live in the Philippines for a time.

I left the US with a small pension that would be very difficult to live on in the US but I have found that since I moved to the Philippines back in 2009 basic life expenses has increased greatly. In fact if you are anything like me you may be unable to eat local dishes as they are prepared Filipino style. If you find that you need to purchase foods and prepare foods more to US taste, you will find that your grocery bill will mirror what you spent in US Grocery stores.

I have also found that most items of any real value cost the same or are more expensive that what you would pay for in the US. An example is my current car. I have a 1997 Honda Accord. The market here in the Philippines says that it is worth about P250,000 ($5,543.88) when in America I saw an ad with the same car selling for $700.00. Other expenses are not as dramatic but alarming just the same.

It all depends on what kind of money you bring to the Philippines (how much you are worth). If you have a more than livable income by US standards and want to live by US standards, you are more than likely going to spend just as much in the Philippines as you would in the US. If you can live as a Filipino lives, then I would agree that if you have a pension from the US it is pretty likely you will live much better than a local and much cheaper than you would if you were in America.

If you want to live nicely in the Philippines I would suggest that you purchase a new condo (if you are pretty sure you are going to stay or at least stay a few years). A condo in Manila would cost you far less than buying or building a house in a questionable area and at least you will have some means of getting a return on your investment. Americans can purchase a condo 100% but are not able to own a house 100%. If you are married to a Filipina citizen, you can own a percentage of her land or home. For about $70 per month and in some situations maybe a bit less, you can own a condo in a very good location.

In general, the consensus seems to be " it depends." Maybe that's the way it is all over the world? I agree, the PI ain't the same place as when I first went in 1974. Well, I think that is a GOOD thing! It does cost more, so does my living in Hawai'i. If I try to live the same lifestyle in Philippines that I live in Hawai'i, guess what, it costs more. In US there is a large middle class. In PI, a much smaller ( but growing) middle class. Same big 85 super rich families, seems more family members though.
I have a foot in both worlds, I understand I have to pay extra to do so.
So, to answer your question: yes, and no.