Problems for expats buying a house and lot

I was replying to Professor Cebu who said "you will lose it after you die", I just went off on a philosophical tangent for a moment.

That's ok we all have our mad moments

Haha I see down below 322 responses for annulment. Popular theme in Philippines!

All laws here are in a grey area so the best you can do is to be prepared to fight for your legal rights, whether that is your right to hereditary succession or to get your ex-gf or spouse to honor your lease residency rights to your own house.

Moral is to NEVER go down without a fight!

Even if it doesn't mean anything to some readers here that our Investment in properties are taken away from us by our filipinas, it does mean a lot that my other children who never tried to cheat me get them rather than our cheating filipinas. So listen to what most of the People here say. Not all of us are Lucky With Our filipinas like some may be. Our fililpinas changed their attitudes after getting Properties in their names and if we are not so stupid and used our white money in properties, it will be more normal for us to prevent Our cheating filipinas from ruining us economically when they couldn't consider our Investments as our big blessings.

MrNorway wrote:

it does mean a lot that my other children .

That's the bit that many people ignore.

Either they don't care about any previous children, or don't have any themselves and don't care or just plain ignore about other people having them, and they just want all your assets to got to the Philippines.

If you die in the West, your assets are shared under a different system to if you die in the Philippines.

But its the divorce that makes it worse.

Mr Norway,i hear you man,and i really symphatize with you.Having a wife, who betrays your trust,and drives you to financial ruin,is deserve the worst fate.I know it,s not much of a comfort to you now,but karma will get her.Yes,there are   cheating ,lieing filipinas who make a industry of taking foreigner to the cleaners.Again,i go back to my earlier point,use common sense when starting a relationship with a filipina,Usually,there are red flags to warn you,that she is not what she appears to be.I know most of us ignore those warning.When a young pretty filipina,flirts with you,we tend to loose common sense
Having said that,in New Zealand,where i lived,before coming  to live in Phil,i knew at least 60 married couples/New Zealander married to pinay/ I only known one marriage that went sour
But there are two sides to each story.I was recently invited to a dinner to a foreigner/filipina couple,s house.I was horrified to learn,that the husband forbid the wife using tagalod/bisayan/ in the house.She was not allowed to watch the local tv programs??What a control freak!!No wonder some filipinas get p....t  off with their husbands
My point here is,it takes two to tango.

istvan555 wrote:

My point here is,it takes two to tango.

But if the wife is tangoing with another, she and her tango partner can take the property that you put in her name.

In that case,dont teach her to tango My point was,if there is problem in the marriage .the foreigner can be just as much at fault,as the filipina.Everyone here ready to blame the girl.so i be the devil,s advocate here,and say,take a closer look at  yourself first,before putting the blame on the wife.If the foreigner husband is a abuser,he deserves everything coming to him.

istvan555 wrote:

In that case,dont teach her to tango .

Some people don't need teaching.  I cant imagine why it would come down to passing the blame like that.

istvan555 wrote:

If the foreigner husband is a abuser,he deserves everything coming to him.

Who ever is at fault deserves to lose, but in the property stakes, only the foreigner loses.  The Filipino wins the property if the marriage ends.

Point taken,

cthierrymk wrote:

The law are very similar in Thailand as foreigners can not own land, you can see a video in Expat-Blog about a british and a irish man who lost everything ( own through a Thai company ), it is from BBC : https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=526024

I have posted about this topic over a year ago…..  All Americans interested in retiring to Thailand should understand and be happy with the fact that if they want to own land (in a limited way and connected to 2nd floor or above dwelling ownership) and a business in Thailand, it is possible with certain restrictions.  Those restrictive fields of business are:

Communications
Transportation
Fiduciary functions
Banking involving depository functions
Exploitation of land and natural resources
Owning land; and
Domestic trade in agricultural products.

America is the only nation allowed to do this under Thai law!!!  This is a reciprocal treaty which also allows Thai Business owners to get visa and open their business in the USA.  No other Asian country has this arrangement.

This came about in 1966 via the "Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations Between the Kingdom of Thailand and the United States of America".  Here is the actual treaty that may offer more details:

http://www.thailawforum.com/database1/amity.html

Other key requirements/advantages for the Americans only:

A minimum of 51% of shares must be held by American citizens
A minimum of 50% of directors must be American citizen(s)
Exempt from most of the restrictions of the foreign Alien Business Law of 1972

Note: At 51% American ownership/control, even a Thai spouse can't overcome that.

Remember the current aging (about 95 now) Thai King was born in New York and he and his brother were raised both in Europe and in the USA for a time.  After many business trips to Thailand, I was tempted to retire there and use this treaty to start a business and acquire land but the language and "wrong-side" driving factors resulted in a final shift to the PI.

P.S. The US/Thai relationship goes very deep and was even tested during the Vietnam war when China/North Vietnam made a threat to invade Thailand over the planned B52's being based and operational out of locations like U Tapao Air Base, Thailand in 1967.

8 years in this place.... Everything he said is VERY TRUE!!!!!!

let them have the property.. but you must retain the right to enjoy the same property

professor cebu wrote:

let them have the property.. but you must retain the right to enjoy the same property

That would be good, if only it could be like that.  Can someone change the law to do that ?

But after a marriage split, the Filipino owns it, and we all know what happens after most marriages break down.  The fight to get what they can.

In the Philippines, the Filipino owner gets it and kicks out the non owner.
In most other countries the Court will decide the split.

thats why u need a lawyer to protect ur right... say ur wife owns the property... if somebody like ur sister or a friend is a foreigner but he/she has leased it for 50 years and renewable for another 50 years... the property is technically yours. right? unless u want to keep it for the generations to come

ABCDiamond wrote:

professor cebu wrote:

let them have the property.. but you must retain the right to enjoy the same property

That would be good, if only it could be like that.  Can someone change the law to do that ?

But after a marriage split, the Filipino owns it, and we all know what happens after most marriages break down.  The fight to get what they can.

In the Philippines, the Filipino owner gets it and kicks out the non owner.
In most other countries the Court will decide the split.

It would be nice to be able to do what we do anywhere else, either sell it after divorce or pass it down to our children.

BUT

We have to remember, this is the Philippines.  That can't be done here, and it has to be accepted . 
It also has to be kept in peoples minds so that everyone understands this.

I just now bought a house with my wife and my name actually appears on the title. Our lawyer says that any dissolution of our marriage would result in a 50-50 split of the property. Don't be misled that the foreigner ends up with nothing.

philipperv wrote:

I just now bought a house with my wife and my name actually appears on the title. Our lawyer says that any dissolution of our marriage would result in a 50-50 split of the property. Don't be misled that the foreigner ends up with nothing.

Do we trust a Philippine lawyer?
I know of many lawers who happily do that, even though the Philippines Constitution is very clear that it can't be held legal.  If neither party contests it then no problem... But...
Wait till you go to court and see what happens, once the Philippine Constiutution law is mentioned.

The Constitution provides:
“Save in cases of hereditary succession, no private lands shall be transferred or conveyed except to individuals, corporations, or associations qualified to acquire or hold lands of the public domain.” (Article XII, Section 7)

Example:
A Filipino and a Japanese (Eijis) in similar situation:

Paraaque Regional Trial Court Decision]

The Paraaque RTC determined that the only issue before it is whether x x x [Eiji] has a cause of action against the defendants and x x x is entitled to the reliefs prayed for despite the fact that he is not the registered owner of the property being a Japanese national.[22]

The Paraaque Regional Trial Court explained that Eiji, as a foreign national, cannot possibly own the mortgaged property. Without ownership, or any other law or contract binding the defendants to him, Eiji has no cause of action that may be asserted against them.[23] Thus, the Paraaque RTC dismissed Eijis complaint:

The court action began in 1996 and ended in 2012 at the supreme court.

The 2012 case was to determiome if the Decision dated April 20, 2003 was correct or the 2006 alternate decision, and all this related to the original 1996 rule.

Buy a house, and have a guess at the future ...
Lots of court costs lots of time etc, and

So, no matter what anyone thinks, the law may take a decade or so to determine what is best for the Filipino.

In this type of thing, it is best to assume the worst, and not hope for something that is technically legally not possible.

You are just reinforcing my previous post that everything legal here falls into a grey area and you should fight for what is yours. A simple and wise concept.

philipperv wrote:

I just now bought a house with my wife and my name actually appears on the title. Our lawyer says that any dissolution of our marriage would result in a 50-50 split of the property. Don't be misled that the foreigner ends up with nothing.

Better yet don't be mislead what the corrupt lawyers in the country tell you...BEWARE OF LAWYERS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!!

philipperv wrote:

You are just reinforcing my previous post that everything legal here falls into a grey area and you should fight for what is yours. A simple and wise concept.

I agree: everything legal here does fall into a grey area.

Its only black and white at the Supreme Court, where the final decision is made, based on what the constitution says.

I would like to hear from any EXPAT that has his/her "name on the title" as the owner on a TCT.  I am sure there is a annotation that identifies the person's status as, "…spouse John Doe, American" or "foreigner"".  This is misleading by a few when they make the assumption that a name placed on the TCT = Ownership.. IT DOES NOT!!! 

Regarding the topic of a 50/50 split?  NOT LIkely!

This topic requires so much deep research and review of Civil Codes here to get a deeper understanding. 

For the moment, I suggest any Expat that does not believe the many postings on our inability to own the land or has a concern or perhaps a belief they can own land via a TCT (misguided or not), that they take a few moments and study/learn/apply the following terms:

- inheritance taxes for Citizens and resident foreigners
- order of succession,
- amounts of successional rights,
- validity of testamentary dispositions,
- capacity to inherit,
- absence of a will,
- compulsory heirs,
- lex situs,-
- extrajudicial settlement
- renvoi
- legitimes
- Non-Filipino citizens, who can inherit land by hereditary or intestate succession
- Non-Filipino citizens, who can not inherit land by testamentary succession

Unless the expat them retains an Atty that will explain each of the above, as it relates to the law and a foreigner here, that any belief of TCT based land ownership be placed on permeant hold.  Also always remember that just like in the USA, the Atty here is ALWAYS an officer of the court FIRST, not your advocate first.

Unless or until the Constitution is changed, Expats can't own land via a TCT under the current "Torrens Title" system.

Calif-Native wrote:

I would like to hear from any EXPAT that has his/her "name on the title" as the owner on a TCT.  I am sure there is a annotation that identifies the person's status as, "…spouse John Doe, American" or "foreigner"".  This is misleading by a few when they make the assumption that a name placed on the TCT = Ownership.. IT DOES NOT!!! 

Regarding the topic of a 50/50 split?  NOT LIkely!

This topic requires so much deep research and review of Civil Codes here to get a deeper understanding. 

For the moment, I suggest any Expat that does not believe the many postings on our inability to own the land or has a concern or perhaps a belief they can own land via a TCT (misguided or not), that they take a few moments and study/learn/apply the following terms:

- inheritance taxes for Citizens and resident foreigners
- order of succession,
- amounts of successional rights,
- validity of testamentary dispositions,
- capacity to inherit,
- absence of a will,
- compulsory heirs,
- lex situs,-
- extrajudicial settlement
- renvoi
- legitimes
- Non-Filipino citizens, who can inherit land by hereditary or intestate succession
- Non-Filipino citizens, who can not inherit land by testamentary succession

Unless the expat them retains an Atty that will explain each of the above, as it relates to the law and a foreigner here, that any belief of TCT based land ownership be placed on permeant hold.  Also always remember that just like in the USA, the Atty here is ALWAYS an officer of the court FIRST, not your advocate first.

Unless or until the Constitution is changed, Expats can't own land via a TCT under the current "Torrens Title" system.

The title or deed to the land on which our house sits is in my wife's name only. On the title to the house under Owner it states: My wife's name, Filipino Citizen, Married to my name , US citizen.   This is a TCT.

On 1 hand people are saying "don't trust the attornies" and now you are suggesting to consult 1 for the answer to all these questions and then go on to say that you can't trust them to do their job because they owe an alliegance to the court 1st. If you honestly believe that then I suggest that you never have any kind of business or land dealings here EVER!

philipperv wrote:

then I suggest that you never have any kind of business or land dealings here EVER!

That is actually what many people feel..

I remember back in 2012 when I was naive about the Philippines land purchase system.  There were two situations I was aware of.

1: A UK guy and his Filipina wife. He said his name was on the title as the foreign husband to a Filipina.  He feels secure that the property is in his name, and his wife.  Under UK law it would be....

2: A foreign guy and his Filipina had bought land, but they then later split up.  She refused to sell the land, and will wait for him to disappear until she does anything.  She has the ability to sell it at any time.

philipperv wrote:

On 1 hand people are saying "don't trust the attornies" and now you are suggesting to consult 1 for the answer to all these questions and then go on to say that you can't trust them to do their job because they owe an alliegance to the court 1st. If you honestly believe that then I suggest that you never have any kind of business or land dealings here EVER!

What I said was, "Unless the expat then retains an Atty that will explain each of the above, as it relates to the law and a foreigner…". 

Therefore, good luck in trying to get one to explain all of this was my point.  They will not - is my point!  Since they won't and are already court officers, do not bother with Atty is the bottom line. 

Expats here need to do research and study the laws here.  Not count on a blog or local Atty to guide them.  I hope this is clear now.

Calif-Native wrote:

I would like to hear from any EXPAT that has his/her "name on the title" as the owner on a TCT.  I am sure there is a annotation that identifies the person's status as, "…spouse John Doe, American" or "foreigner"".  This is misleading by a few when they make the assumption that a name placed on the TCT = Ownership.. IT DOES NOT!!! 

Regarding the topic of a 50/50 split?  NOT LIkely!

This topic requires so much deep research and review of Civil Codes here to get a deeper understanding. 

For the moment, I suggest any Expat that does not believe the many postings on our inability to own the land or has a concern or perhaps a belief they can own land via a TCT (misguided or not), that they take a few moments and study/learn/apply the following terms:

- inheritance taxes for Citizens and resident foreigners
- order of succession,
- amounts of successional rights,
- validity of testamentary dispositions,
- capacity to inherit,
- absence of a will,
- compulsory heirs,
- lex situs,-
- extrajudicial settlement
- renvoi
- legitimes
- Non-Filipino citizens, who can inherit land by hereditary or intestate succession
- Non-Filipino citizens, who can not inherit land by testamentary succession

Unless the expat them retains an Atty that will explain each of the above, as it relates to the law and a foreigner here, that any belief of TCT based land ownership be placed on permeant hold.  Also always remember that just like in the USA, the Atty here is ALWAYS an officer of the court FIRST, not your advocate first.

Unless or until the Constitution is changed, Expats can't own land via a TCT under the current "Torrens Title" system.

Well said!!! For those who can not really comprehend the above; in layman terms: No matter what you are told by anyone especially Filipinos such as lawyers, your best friend(Filipino), a foreigner not yet f****d, etc. don't buy land unless you have done all the research and have documents to cover all bases and then some...Perhaps then you yourself will not be F****D like so many hundreds who already have..

Calif-Native wrote:

philipperv wrote:

On 1 hand people are saying "don't trust the attornies" and now you are suggesting to consult 1 for the answer to all these questions and then go on to say that you can't trust them to do their job because they owe an alliegance to the court 1st. If you honestly believe that then I suggest that you never have any kind of business or land dealings here EVER!

What I said was, "Unless the expat then retains an Atty that will explain each of the above, as it relates to the law and a foreigner…". 

Therefore, good luck in trying to get one to explain all of this was my point.  They will not - is my point!  Since they won't and are already court officers, do not bother with Atty is the bottom line. 

Expats here need to do research and study the laws here.  Not count on a blog or local Atty to guide them.  I hope this is clear now.

A little more clear but it still comes back to the fact that many of these situations haven't yet been tested in court. I suggest that, in addition to researching laws, that you also go through the Supreme Court jurisprudence case by case for precidents.

philipperv wrote:

Calif-Native wrote:

philipperv wrote:

On 1 hand people are saying "don't trust the attornies" and now you are suggesting to consult 1 for the answer to all these questions and then go on to say that you can't trust them to do their job because they owe an alliegance to the court 1st. If you honestly believe that then I suggest that you never have any kind of business or land dealings here EVER!

What I said was, "Unless the expat then retains an Atty that will explain each of the above, as it relates to the law and a foreigner…". 

Therefore, good luck in trying to get one to explain all of this was my point.  They will not - is my point!  Since they won't and are already court officers, do not bother with Atty is the bottom line. 

Expats here need to do research and study the laws here.  Not count on a blog or local Atty to guide them.  I hope this is clear now.

A little more clear but it still comes back to the fact that many of these situations haven't yet been tested in court. I suggest that, in addition to researching laws, that you also go through the Supreme Court jurisprudence case by case for precidents.

Please review my many posts and you will see the Supreme Court cases I refer to in many of my postings…..

Guys, ever since the Philippines took away the ability for foreigners to own land, a thriving market has developed to rip off any foreigner stupid enough to think they can somehow buy land safely. You can't. I am renting a really nice 3 bed roomed house for next to nothing. Why would I want to cause any further stress in my life dealing with any government official? I get stressed enough when I update my PR visa every January!

Relax. Live a happy life. Take care of your wife/gf and her family as much as you can with out getting stressed. Don't let any one ruin what is supposed to be the best time of your life.   

Every foreigner here is a target, whether they want to admit it or not. But make yourself the smallest target you can. Try to buy land here and you automatically become a HUGE target for every scam artist around. Most expats I have met are basically good guys. They do not deserve to be cheated out of their savings because of the pure greed so many Filipinos have.

As soon as I can, my wife and son and I are leaving this place. Why would I want to stay were I am not wanted?

dondee31 wrote:

Guys, ever since the Philippines took away the ability for foreigners to own land, a thriving market has developed to rip off any foreigner stupid enough to think they can somehow buy land safely. You can't. I am renting a really nice 3 bed roomed house for next to nothing. Why would I want to cause any further stress in my life dealing with any government official? I get stressed enough when I update my PR visa every January!

Relax. Live a happy life. Take care of your wife/gf and her family as much as you can with out getting stressed. Don't let any one ruin what is supposed to be the best time of your life.   

Every foreigner here is a target, whether they want to admit it or not. But make yourself the smallest target you can. Try to buy land here and you automatically become a HUGE target for every scam artist around. Most expats I have met are basically good guys. They do not deserve to be cheated out of their savings because of the pure greed so many Filipinos have.

As soon as I can, my wife and son and I are leaving this place. Why would I want to stay were I am not wanted?

Good for you, I and my wife are happy here too. We built a house and are well aware of the laws regarding foreign ownership. And seeing as how you are so unhappy here, unlike others who stay anyway. You are making the right decision on leaving a place where you feel you are not wanted. It is a feeling you and some others have, but not all.
Good luck

dondee31 wrote:

As soon as I can, my wife and son and I are leaving this place. Why would I want to stay were I am not wanted?

Bye bye! Don't let the airplane door hit your ass on the way out! Personally, I will take my risks in a country that I love and that still has some respect for the family.

I already escaped after watching 3 of my expat mates getting ripped off in land deals, another 2 are dead because of misdiagnosed health care, 4 others who were falsely charged by barangay officials in order to scam them out of the max 5K pesos they can receive, and countless others as well as myself being gouged with foreigners prices over Filipino ones..

Back in the USA I find it much cheaper(if you own your home) to live over the costs in the PI, such as basic food staples which are much better quality at 20 to 200% cheaper, cars/appliances/TVs are much cheaper and of better quality in the US,  able to return unwanted or defective merchandise for a full refund but not in the P.I.(once they have your pesos forget about it), gasoline 40% cheaper, being a veteran no health care costs including pharmaceuticals where in the PI are quite expensive, superior health care compared to the horrendous conditions at most Philippine facilities, able to sue doctors and hospitals for malpractice for thousands if not millions but not in the Philippines where malpractice is running rampant and where you can only get a maximum of 100k pesos if you do win after spending countless thousands for attorney and legal fees, western style homes and land are actually cheaper in the USA  where taxes may be higher in the nicer urban areas but resale value is better and you dont pay a 10% capital gains tax as you do in the Philippines even if you show a loss..LOL.., few beggars, no trash in the streets or rivers, cleaner air in the most cities, nice roads and highways unlike the horrendous dangerous road conditions even in the cities of the P.I., no traffic enforcers scamming you for any trumped up charge they can think of, no 12.5% sales tax on whatever you purchase even on the basic staples which in most states in the US there is no tax, no hidden charges not disclosed on contract deals with governmental officials/lawyers and even judges padding the deal, US you have solid legal avenues to take to recover any lost funds on bogus contract deals or scams, rare to find corrupt police in the US who would plant drugs or other falsely accused of crimes on innocent foreigners just to bilk them out of thousands of pesos, no jacked up foreigner prices at local markets and lists go on and on..

Cons of living in the US...Rent is expensive unless you live in comparable units in the Philippines such as Makati, Global City, Mall of Asia area, Pasig business district where rents can be much higher than in many suburban areas of the US without all  the pollution, healthcare insurance is high but there are programs such as medicaid for the less fortunate(next to no health care for POOR in Philippines) and if retired you have Medicare and you never have to worry about being turned away from a hospital for an emergency as you would in the Philippines without first depositing funds with them, US water(better quality) is more expensive but who cant live with that, traffic fines are horrendous in the US so drive accordingly to avoid them, Private schools are more expensive but of much better quality, in the US forget about maid service and nannies unless you have an income in excess of 60K a year but even in the P.I. you are lucky to find one who works good or worse yet HONEST, in the US rent on a beach is out of reach for most, I'm sure there are others cons of living in the USA but overall the good far outweighs the bad otherwise why do most Philippine immigrants refuse to return to their homeland even after they acquire some wealth..

PRO's for living in the PI...Cheap bar girls and booze if you are a problem drinker(100% or  more expensive in the US), warm weather but rather humid compared to areas like Florida or Southern Cal, beautiful beaches with cheap rent and affordable resorts, beautiful scenery but it mostly the same all over the country and gets old after a few years, women who are available for much older men(harder to find in the US)..

I'm sure there are much more to list on the negatives and positives of both countries but when it comes right down to it I find those who are from 1st world nations and if they have any kind of education or awareness of the programs in their home country why in the world would anyone especially retirees want to subject themselves to the countless negatives the Philippines forces on foreigners when they can be much better off back home if not from the location they are from then to find another location which offers more bang for their buck back in their homeland..

I thank the P.I. for the beautiful lovely wife I have brought back with me to the USA and will return to the P.I. only to vacation and visit family there but never ever will I consider pulling up stakes to live there again where no matter what I will always be considered a 2nd class citizen...It was unbelievable what my family and I had to go through from the birth of our children, scammed left and right and finally just to get out of the country..I hear many expats who have lived in the P.I. for many years on this blog saying they are happy with their situation in the Philippines and I say to them my blessings to them on finding a location where they found such a wonderful life but I for one after traveling throughout the nation never could find such a Utopia but now that I am back home I realize just how good my family and I have it now...My wife and children are in awe of where we live and it makes me smile to see them so happy compared to when we were back there in the P.I. for 5 years...

vetretreat wrote:

I already escaped after watching 3 of my expat mates getting ripped off in land deals, another 2 are dead because of misdiagnosed health care, 4 others who were falsely charged by barangay officials in order to scam them out of the max 5K pesos they can receive, and countless others as well as myself being gouged with foreigners prices over Filipino ones..

Back in the USA I find it much cheaper(if you own your home) to live over the costs in the PI, such as basic food staples which are much better quality at 20 to 200% cheaper, cars/appliances/TVs are much cheaper and of better quality in the US,  able to return unwanted or defective merchandise for a full refund but not in the P.I.(once they have your pesos forget about it), gasoline 40% cheaper, being a veteran no health care costs including pharmaceuticals where in the PI are quite expensive, superior health care compared to the horrendous conditions at most Philippine facilities, able to sue doctors and hospitals for malpractice for thousands if not millions but not in the Philippines where malpractice is running rampant and where you can only get a maximum of 100k pesos if you do win after spending countless thousands for attorney and legal fees, western style homes and land are actually cheaper in the USA  where taxes may be higher in the nicer urban areas but resale value is better and you dont pay a 10% capital gains tax as you do in the Philippines even if you show a loss..LOL.., few beggars, no trash in the streets or rivers, cleaner air in the most cities, nice roads and highways unlike the horrendous dangerous road conditions even in the cities of the P.I., no traffic enforcers scamming you for any trumped up charge they can think of, no 12.5% sales tax on whatever you purchase even on the basic staples which in most states in the US there is no tax, no hidden charges not disclosed on contract deals with governmental officials/lawyers and even judges padding the deal, US you have solid legal avenues to take to recover any lost funds on bogus contract deals or scams, rare to find corrupt police in the US who would plant drugs or other falsely accused of crimes on innocent foreigners just to bilk them out of thousands of pesos, no jacked up foreigner prices at local markets and lists go on and on..

Cons of living in the US...Rent is expensive unless you live in comparable units in the Philippines such as Makati, Global City, Mall of Asia area, Pasig business district where rents can be much higher than in many suburban areas of the US without all  the pollution, healthcare insurance is high but there are programs such as medicaid for the less fortunate(next to no health care for POOR in Philippines) and if retired you have Medicare and you never have to worry about being turned away from a hospital for an emergency as you would in the Philippines without first depositing funds with them, US water(better quality) is more expensive but who cant live with that, traffic fines are horrendous in the US so drive accordingly to avoid them, Private schools are more expensive but of much better quality, in the US forget about maid service and nannies unless you have an income in excess of 60K a year but even in the P.I. you are lucky to find one who works good or worse yet HONEST, in the US rent on a beach is out of reach for most, I'm sure there are others cons of living in the USA but overall the good far outweighs the bad otherwise why do most Philippine immigrants refuse to return to their homeland even after they acquire some wealth..

PRO's for living in the PI...Cheap bar girls and booze if you are a problem drinker(100% or  more expensive in the US), warm weather but rather humid compared to areas like Florida or Southern Cal, beautiful beaches with cheap rent and affordable resorts, beautiful scenery but it mostly the same all over the country and gets old after a few years, women who are available for much older men(harder to find in the US)..

I'm sure there are much more to list on the negatives and positives of both countries but when it comes right down to it I find those who are from 1st world nations and if they have any kind of education or awareness of the programs in their home country why in the world would anyone especially retirees want to subject themselves to the countless negatives the Philippines forces on foreigners when they can be much better off back home if not from the location they are from then to find another location which offers more bang for their buck back in their homeland..

I thank the P.I. for the beautiful lovely wife I have brought back with me to the USA and will return to the P.I. only to vacation and visit family there but never ever will I consider pulling up stakes to live there again where no matter what I will always be considered a 2nd class citizen...It was unbelievable what my family and I had to go through from the birth of our children, scammed left and right and finally just to get out of the country..I hear many expats who have lived in the P.I. for many years on this blog saying they are happy with their situation in the Philippines and I say to them my blessings to them on finding a location where they found such a wonderful life but I for one after traveling throughout the nation never could find such a Utopia but now that I am back home I realize just how good my family and I have it now...My wife and children are in awe of where we live and it makes me smile to see them so happy compared to when we were back there in the P.I. for 5 years...

Experiences and perspective seem to have a lot to do with our thought processes, wants, needs, etc. Hopes and dreams for a good life are also different for each individual, some want and seem to think they need more while others find happiness in a lifestyle many would think too basic and would never consider.
Many of us having lived in numerous places around the globe also have those experiences to draw upon when making a decision as to the place we want to make a life and call home, as have you.
I have not found utopia, but like you I am happy here with my wonderful wife and family and we have found it less expensive here in the Phil., though unlike you we do not have children to raise. If we did our choices may have been different.
We did extensive research for four years before making our decision and much of the research came in the way of communication with my wife's very large family in the States, Canada and the Philippines. We live in area that is relatively cool year round, no fault lines or flooding and rarely subjected to serious storm damage.
Our utilities include, water, electricity, satellite and internet all of which in our area are very dependable and the cost for those utilities runs between 65 to 110 a month with the AC is running throughout the living area in the hot season.
We built a home and paid about 1/5  what it would cost in the states. The appliances we purchased were the same brands available in the states, though there is some real junk available. If you pay for junk you get junk.
Our Toyota was less in price that the comparable model in the states (used) and with only 24K miles on it when we purchased it with maintenance records from Toyota, it was a steal.
While working in the states, most often our contracts required us to be in large urban areas where myself, co workers and employees had firsthand experience with filth and crime. More than one or two being shot at, held up, or vehicles broken into or simply stolen. Scum are everywhere.
I do have an acute awareness of what is available to us in the States and ran my own successful small businesses in the states and overseas for many years. My education never stopped. I don't drink, chase women or care about living on the beach and there seem to be quite a few expats living here comfortably and happily who obviously have had a lot of success in their lives and a good education to go along with it.
I found that in my business dealings in the States that while I did not have to deal with the endless red tape we have in the Phil (unless with a govt. contract), at times the amazing list of regulations regarding business establishment, licensing, bonds, employees, healthcare, wage restrictions and local regulations regarding building of anything from a dog house to a garage were also a pain in the butt and oft times the dimwits running the local offices were no better than what I have found here.
Highways were much better, traffic laws were enforced and a two hour trip took two hours. In the Phil we both know that is not the case when it comes to the roads and rules.
When it comes to large cities, we avoided them in the States and do so in the Phil. A trip to the airport in Manila (yes the airport is bad), serves only to remind us that our home in the country is where we want to be.
We have made friends with local business owners whom have proved trustworthy, those who were not, were discarded. A few of the business owners have spent time with us drinking coffee on the veranda and are good people.
When building our home we had one bad apple on the job who was removed and having had people work for me for years it did not take much effort to construct a good team who not only showed up every day, but did good work under our supervision. (We are well aware of land and home ownership for foreigners in the Phil). Our choice.
A retired architect and friend who has built everything from Casinos, high rises and housing developments was a great help to us and charged us very little for his expertise and his contacts.
I and my wife are realists in our lives and expect frustrations as a part of life, We did not expect a utopian experience or a life without problems and after having lived in every environment on this earth from mountain top tundra, to deserts to the tropics this is the environment for us and yes we do have the funding for and a backup plan for having to move back to the States if need be. Just another part of being realistic and prepared.


I am happy for anyone who finds a place they and their families are happy and call home, for us it is the Phil.

Awareness of ones environment is a part of the intellect needed to acquire that happiness, but bashing is nothing more that whimpering and whining unless we can manage to do so without insults, condescension and a little laughter.
Blessings, long life and happiness to you and your family always.

TeeJay4103 wrote:

Experiences and perspective seem to have a lot to do with our thought processes, wants, needs, etc. Hopes and dreams for a good life are also different for each individual, some want and seem to think they need more while others find happiness in a lifestyle many would think too basic and would never consider.

That part about what we expect can be a VITAL part of our reactions.

If we expect great things for little money, we are bound to be disappointed.

TeeJay4103 wrote:

and yes we do have the funding for and a backup plan for having to move back to the States if need be. Just another part of being realistic and prepared.

That is a good safety net to have.
It is something that has been weighing on my mind recently, and I have decided to go back before I feel trapped here with no return options.
After a few years I am feeling the changes, and the negatives weigh more. Maybe the dropping FX rate hasn't helped either.. down from 42 to 32 to the Dollar.

If my funds were sufficient, maybe I would stay, in an area that I was happy in, and could afford all the comforts that I like .

"Many of us having lived in numerous places around the globe also have those experiences to draw upon when making a decision as to the place we want to make a life and call home, as have you".

Where do you live in the P.I. where it's cool without earthquake faults and volcanos? It surely cant be Baguio or Tagatay..Where have you lived and been besides the P.I. TeeJay?

I have visited over 27 countries and have lived in 4 and of those 4 the Philippines overall was the worst even though it may be the cheapest in rent...5 of those 27 countries are a far cry worse than the Philippines though and I would never consider living there...

"Our utilities include, water, electricity, satellite and internet all of which in our area are very dependable and the cost for those utilities runs between 65 to 110 a month with the AC is running throughout the living area in the hot season.
We built a home and paid about 1/5  what it would cost in the states. The appliances we purchased were the same brands available in the states, though there is some real junk available. If you pay for junk you get junk.
Our Toyota was less in price that the comparable model in the states (used) and with only 24K miles on it when we purchased it with maintenance records from Toyota, it was a steal"

I suspect your house is probably less than 1000 sq ft because the Philippines has the highest power rates in all of Asia and per KWH is much higher than almost anywhere in the US excluding Guam, Hawaii and Alaska. Water is cheaper in the P.I. but contaminated and at times even the distilled water you buy there will give you the runs..
I have no idea what kind of home you built there but in my statement I said it actually cost more to buy a home of western standards in the Philippines than it does in the P.I. Your statement of building a western style home for 1/5 the price of a US home may hold true to Hawaii, San Francisco, N.Y.  City, LA or any major city within its financial or upscale suburban areas but definitely not in the type you live in...You can go on line and check prices in States Like Florida, Nevada, Arizona, most mid western states and the especially anywhere in the south excluding Texas and you can find beautiful 1500 sqft and as much as 3000 sqft homes on 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots for under 6 million pesos some even as low as 2.5 million pesos...Nowhere in the Philippines can you ever find something that big with attached 2 and 3 car garages with nicely finished interior with hardwood cabinets and granite counters for under 4 million pesos...
The going rate for land in the Philippines in most any decent area near the water with sufficient INFRASTRUCTURE is 1000 pesos per sq meter and as high as 15,000 a square meter on the water...That adds up to about 100 pesos per sq ft(on 1000 sqm) which in US Dollars equals at todays rate $2.15 sq ft...In turn that adds up to $109,000 acre...Hell in the same type of rural areas with great infrastructure in the US I could buy 50 acres plus at that rate...But lets say you come back with argument you only paid 200 a sq meter for you land and your land is 250 sqm...That would be very small by US standards at 2700 sq ft being the average lot in the US is about 15000 sq ft or larger in the rural suburban areas..

Now the cost of your example lot would be about 50,000 pesos which is about $1,060 divided by 2700 sq ft = $.39 sq ft...The average US rural suburban lot 15000 sqft X's $0.39 sq ft would be $5,850(some lots may be more but many can be had for less)..I will guess you put up a basic block, 70 meter sq(750 sqft) give or take a few, 2 BR home for 1 million pesos give or take...Your total costs may had been 20 to $25,000 US...Correct..If that is the case I can get double wide manufactured homes in the US on 1/4 acre lot for about the same amount you paid for a basic block home without all the amenities as in the US...I challenge you to put up a house in the Philippines which is 2,000 sq ft W/Attached 2 car enclosed garage not counted as sqft in living space(3 times the size a basic Philippine one) with all the amenities, hardwood cabs, appliances, city sewer and water,land line phone service  and high speed cable for both net and tv for $75,000(3.5 million pesos) which there is a huge inventory of such homes in the USA at present...ONCE AGAIN I STRESS THE FACT DO THAT IN AN AREA OF THE PHILIPPINES WHICH HAS near COMPARABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AS THAT OF THE USA...I know you cant and you making such a statement homes are 1/5 the cost of what they are in your homeland is very misleading to all our fellow EXPATS who follow this site...That statistic you quoted is bashing the good ole USA the land I love...Yes there is much crime in the metro cities of the US but much much less crime in many good neighborhoods throughout our great nation than the rural areas of the Philippines...Shabu is the choice of drugs in the Philippines and a huge population are using across the nation which influences the petty crime rate, most of which are never reported and if the crime is it never enters on a police blotter for statistical purposes...

You never stated what you paid for your Toyota which I know the used ones in the PI go for premium prices...I shopped for a SUV in Manila 3 years ago and found a 2004 Ford Escape(60K km) for 480k peso about $10,000 and he would not come down under 420k...I suggest you and anyone reading this go on Craigslist in most USA areas and you will find 2010 SUV's under 75K miles for under 250K pesos...Cars which were mostly highway driven and on excellent roads and in mint condition...I challenge you to find me in the Philippines a MINT 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Black on Tan leather, 6.1 liter Hemi, 67K miles with every option for anywhere near the $5,200 I just bought in the USA...

I hail you for finding a casino builder who helped in the making of your home...but I am afraid most of the other expats there dont and probably will never have such advice...They have to take what is available and that is usually by someone who learned the trade OJT'in and at best put out bare minimum quality work if you are lucky...I know a guy who spent 4.5 million peso for a 160 sqm home on the water...the lot was 1.7 million and people call it the house of cracks...you cant even count them all there is so many...lol..And do you think he can come back on the builder..Yea, get an attorney with a starting retainer of 100k and years in the courts...lol

"I and my wife are realists in our lives and expect frustrations as a part of life"

"Awareness of ones environment is a part of the intellect needed to acquire that happiness, but bashing is nothing more that whimpering and whining unless we can manage to do so without INSULTS".

TeeJay, do you not think my wife and I are not realists also..We were fully aware and informed of what happened to my fellow expats which I mentioned in the start of my last entry and it seemed everytime we were approaching a certain degree of happiness in our lives there in the P.I. another adverse thing would happen to either my wife, my children, my fellow expats or myself which just built on the sour taste we already had...A person can only take so much and it has nothing to do with whimpering or whining, it's all about keeping ones sanity and not forgetting how things can truly be..That my friend is being a realist..Many US expats over there are afraid to return to the states with their spouse because they are afraid once Americanized they will divorce them..That is why many use the excuses you have used not to return to their home country...That may be good reason because you and I know in the USA, no girl is going to marry a man more than twice their age unless there is a great deal of $$$$'s or drugs involved but I myself am willing to take that risk just so they can have a much better life than what is offered in their 3rd world nation...My wife is at awe of how much better we are living, eating, healthcare and how clean everything is and at a cost not more than 20% more than what I spent in the PI(I own my own home in USA) and my wife has stated she only wants to return only to see family once every couple years...She has SKYPE, Facebook, 5 hours of landline calls at $10 a month so she can see or talk to them everyday...Something in the Philippines with the bad communication service they had made it very difficult to do...

As far as insults, I myself became sick of all the insults of my intelligence, rudeness, conniving, gouging from people I and others had known for many years...But low an behold I have to agree with you we did have quite a few Filipino acquaintances I held in fairly high regard but the majority of them spoke little or no English so with my less than favorable aptitude of learning languages could barely communicate with them...

I personally find it somewhat insulting of my intelligence for the entries you made regarding homes being 5 times higher in the states when overall that doesnt hold true and unless you can find a used vehicle from a fellow expat or a wealthy Filipino it is next to impossible to find used vehicles cheaper than what can be had in the USA...The USA is noted for having the cheapest cars, appliances of quality in the world...

vetretreat wrote:

"Many of us having lived in numerous places around the globe also have those experiences to draw upon when making a decision as to the place we want to make a life and call home, as have you".

Where do you live in the P.I. where it's cool without earthquake faults and volcanos? It surely cant be Baguio or Tagatay..Where have you lived and been besides the P.I. TeeJay?

I have visited over 27 countries and have lived in 4 and of those 4 the Philippines overall was the worst even though it may be the cheapest in rent...5 of those 27 countries are a far cry worse than the Philippines though and I would never consider living there...

"Our utilities include, water, electricity, satellite and internet all of which in our area are very dependable and the cost for those utilities runs between 65 to 110 a month with the AC is running throughout the living area in the hot season.
We built a home and paid about 1/5  what it would cost in the states. The appliances we purchased were the same brands available in the states, though there is some real junk available. If you pay for junk you get junk.
Our Toyota was less in price that the comparable model in the states (used) and with only 24K miles on it when we purchased it with maintenance records from Toyota, it was a steal"

I suspect your house is probably less than 1000 sq ft because the Philippines has the highest power rates in all of Asia and per KWH is much higher than almost anywhere in the US excluding Guam, Hawaii and Alaska. Water is cheaper in the P.I. but contaminated and at times even the distilled water you buy there will give you the runs..
I have no idea what kind of home you built there but in my statement I said it actually cost more to buy a home of western standards in the Philippines than it does in the P.I. Your statement of building a western style home for 1/5 the price of a US home may hold true to Hawaii, San Francisco, N.Y.  City, LA or any major city within its financial or upscale suburban areas but definitely not in the type you live in...You can go on line and check prices in States Like Florida, Nevada, Arizona, most mid western states and the especially anywhere in the south excluding Texas and you can find beautiful 1500 sqft and as much as 3000 sqft homes on 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots for under 6 million pesos some even as low as 2.5 million pesos...Nowhere in the Philippines can you ever find something that big with attached 2 and 3 car garages with nicely finished interior with hardwood cabinets and granite counters for under 4 million pesos...
The going rate for land in the Philippines in most any decent area near the water with sufficient INFRASTRUCTURE is 1000 pesos per sq meter and as high as 15,000 a square meter on the water...That adds up to about 100 pesos per sq ft(on 1000 sqm) which in US Dollars equals at todays rate $2.15 sq ft...In turn that adds up to $109,000 acre...Hell in the same type of rural areas with great infrastructure in the US I could buy 50 acres plus at that rate...But lets say you come back with argument you only paid 200 a sq meter for you land and your land is 250 sqm...That would be very small by US standards at 2700 sq ft being the average lot in the US is about 15000 sq ft or larger in the rural suburban areas..

Now the cost of your example lot would be about 50,000 pesos which is about $1,060 divided by 2700 sq ft = $.39 sq ft...The average US rural suburban lot 15000 sqft X's $0.39 sq ft would be $5,850(some lots may be more but many can be had for less)..I will guess you put up a basic block, 70 meter sq(750 sqft) give or take a few, 2 BR home for 1 million pesos give or take...Your total costs may had been 20 to $25,000 US...Correct..If that is the case I can get double wide manufactured homes in the US on 1/4 acre lot for about the same amount you paid for a basic block home without all the amenities as in the US...I challenge you to put up a house in the Philippines which is 2,000 sq ft W/Attached 2 car enclosed garage not counted as sqft in living space(3 times the size a basic Philippine one) with all the amenities, hardwood cabs, appliances, city sewer and water,land line phone service  and high speed cable for both net and tv for $75,000(3.5 million pesos) which there is a huge inventory of such homes in the USA at present...ONCE AGAIN I STRESS THE FACT DO THAT IN AN AREA OF THE PHILIPPINES WHICH HAS near COMPARABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AS THAT OF THE USA...I know you cant and you making such a statement homes are 1/5 the cost of what they are in your homeland is very misleading to all our fellow EXPATS who follow this site...That statistic you quoted is bashing the good ole USA the land I love...Yes there is much crime in the metro cities of the US but much much less crime in many good neighborhoods throughout our great nation than the rural areas of the Philippines...Shabu is the choice of drugs in the Philippines and a huge population are using across the nation which influences the petty crime rate, most of which are never reported and if the crime is it never enters on a police blotter for statistical purposes...

You never stated what you paid for your Toyota which I know the used ones in the PI go for premium prices...I shopped for a SUV in Manila 3 years ago and found a 2004 Ford Escape(60K km) for 480k peso about $10,000 and he would not come down under 420k...I suggest you and anyone reading this go on Craigslist in most USA areas and you will find 2010 SUV's under 75K miles for under 250K pesos...Cars which were mostly highway driven and on excellent roads and in mint condition...I challenge you to find me in the Philippines a MINT 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Black on Tan leather, 6.1 liter Hemi, 67K miles with every option for anywhere near the $5,200 I just bought in the USA...

I hail you for finding a casino builder who helped in the making of your home...but I am afraid most of the other expats there dont and probably will never have such advice...They have to take what is available and that is usually by someone who learned the trade OJT'in and wouldn't know what an Isosceles over an equilateral triangle is and at best put out bare minimum quality work if you are lucky...I know a guy who spent 4.5 million peso for a 160 sqm home on the water...the lot was 1.7 million and people call it the house of cracks...you cant even count them all there is so many...lol..And do you think he can come back on the builder..Yea, get an attorney with a starting retainer of 100k and years in the courts...lol

"I and my wife are realists in our lives and expect frustrations as a part of life"

"Awareness of ones environment is a part of the intellect needed to acquire that happiness, but bashing is nothing more that whimpering and whining unless we can manage to do so without INSULTS".

TeeJay, do you not think my wife and I are not realists also..We were fully aware and informed of what happened to my fellow expats which I mentioned in the start of my last entry and it seemed everytime we were approaching a certain degree of happiness in our lives there in the P.I. another adverse thing would happen to either my wife, my children, my fellow expats or myself which just built on the sour taste we already had...A person can only take so much and it has nothing to do with whimpering or whining, it's all about keeping ones sanity and not forgetting how things can truly be..That my friend is being a realist..Many US expats over there are afraid to return to the states with their spouse because they are afraid once Americanized they will divorce them..That is why many use the excuses you have used not to return to their home country...That may be good reason because you and I know in the USA, no girl is going to marry a man more than twice their age unless there is a great deal of $$$$'s or drugs involved but I myself am willing to take that risk just so they can have a much better life than what is offered in their 3rd world nation...My wife is at awe of how much better we are living, eating, healthcare and how clean everything is and at a cost not more than 20% more than what I spent in the PI(I own my own home in USA) and my wife has stated she only wants to return only to see family once every couple years...She has SKYPE, Facebook, 5 hours of landline calls at $10 a month so she can see or talk to them everyday...Something in the Philippines with the bad communication service they had made it very difficult to do...

As far as insults, I myself became sick of all the insults of my intelligence, rudeness, conniving, gouging from people I and others had known for many years...But low an behold I have to agree with you we did have quite a few Filipino acquaintances I held in fairly high regard but the majority of them spoke little or no English so with my less than favorable aptitude of learning languages could barely communicate with them...

I personally find it somewhat insulting of my intelligence for the entries you made regarding homes being 5 times higher in the states when overall that doesnt hold true and unless you can find a used vehicle from a fellow expat or a wealthy Filipino it is next to impossible to find used vehicles cheaper than what can be had in the USA...The USA is noted for having the cheapest new and used cars, appliances of quality in the world...

I forgot to add what you said in your initial reply...If you had been talking about Australia or New Zealand I would had been in total agreement with you and would not had written any of the above because it is the Aussies who have been a driving force in raising the cost of living in the Philippines and rarely did they complain or barter which is common in the P.I...The Aussies on a limited retirement income have in the past found the PI very inviting but now you hear them whining and moaning left and right about their dollar exchange rate which has taken a beating to the tune of about 30% over the last year..Many of them are thinking about returning to OZ because it is getting harder to survive in the P.I. in certain areas and most do not want to take the CRUSOE ROUTE and live on a shoestring especially when some are yacht club members..lol....

vetretreat wrote:

"Many of us having lived in numerous places around the globe also have those experiences to draw upon when making a decision as to the place we want to make a life and call home, as have you".

Where do you live in the P.I. where it's cool without earthquake faults and volcanos? It surely cant be Baguio or Tagatay..Where have you lived and been besides the P.I. TeeJay?

I have visited over 27 countries and have lived in 4 and of those 4 the Philippines overall was the worst even though it may be the cheapest in rent...5 of those 27 countries are a far cry worse than the Philippines though and I would never consider living there...

"Our utilities include, water, electricity, satellite and internet all of which in our area are very dependable and the cost for those utilities runs between 65 to 110 a month with the AC is running throughout the living area in the hot season.
We built a home and paid about 1/5  what it would cost in the states. The appliances we purchased were the same brands available in the states, though there is some real junk available. If you pay for junk you get junk.
Our Toyota was less in price that the comparable model in the states (used) and with only 24K miles on it when we purchased it with maintenance records from Toyota, it was a steal"

I suspect your house is probably less than 1000 sq ft because the Philippines has the highest power rates in all of Asia and per KWH is much higher than almost anywhere in the US excluding Guam, Hawaii and Alaska. Water is cheaper in the P.I. but contaminated and at times even the distilled water you buy there will give you the runs..
I have no idea what kind of home you built there but in my statement I said it actually cost more to buy a home of western standards in the Philippines than it does in the P.I. Your statement of building a western style home for 1/5 the price of a US home may hold true to Hawaii, San Francisco, N.Y.  City, LA or any major city within its financial or upscale suburban areas but definitely not in the type you live in...You can go on line and check prices in States Like Florida, Nevada, Arizona, most mid western states and the especially anywhere in the south excluding Texas and you can find beautiful 1500 sqft and as much as 3000 sqft homes on 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots for under 6 million pesos some even as low as 2.5 million pesos...Nowhere in the Philippines can you ever find something that big with attached 2 and 3 car garages with nicely finished interior with hardwood cabinets and granite counters for under 4 million pesos...
The going rate for land in the Philippines in most any decent area near the water with sufficient INFRASTRUCTURE is 1000 pesos per sq meter and as high as 15,000 a square meter on the water...That adds up to about 100 pesos per sq ft(on 1000 sqm) which in US Dollars equals at todays rate $2.15 sq ft...In turn that adds up to $109,000 acre...Hell in the same type of rural areas with great infrastructure in the US I could buy 50 acres plus at that rate...But lets say you come back with argument you only paid 200 a sq meter for you land and your land is 250 sqm...That would be very small by US standards at 2700 sq ft being the average lot in the US is about 15000 sq ft or larger in the rural suburban areas..

Now the cost of your example lot would be about 50,000 pesos which is about $1,060 divided by 2700 sq ft = $.39 sq ft...The average US rural suburban lot 15000 sqft X's $0.39 sq ft would be $5,850(some lots may be more but many can be had for less)..I will guess you put up a basic block, 70 meter sq(750 sqft) give or take a few, 2 BR home for 1 million pesos give or take...Your total costs may had been 20 to $25,000 US...Correct..If that is the case I can get double wide manufactured homes in the US on 1/4 acre lot for about the same amount you paid for a basic block home without all the amenities as in the US...I challenge you to put up a house in the Philippines which is 2,000 sq ft W/Attached 2 car enclosed garage not counted as sqft in living space(3 times the size a basic Philippine one) with all the amenities, hardwood cabs, appliances, city sewer and water,land line phone service  and high speed cable for both net and tv for $75,000(3.5 million pesos) which there is a huge inventory of such homes in the USA at present...ONCE AGAIN I STRESS THE FACT DO THAT IN AN AREA OF THE PHILIPPINES WHICH HAS near COMPARABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AS THAT OF THE USA...I know you cant and you making such a statement homes are 1/5 the cost of what they are in your homeland is very misleading to all our fellow EXPATS who follow this site...That statistic you quoted is bashing the good ole USA the land I love...Yes there is much crime in the metro cities of the US but much much less crime in many good neighborhoods throughout our great nation than the rural areas of the Philippines...Shabu is the choice of drugs in the Philippines and a huge population are using across the nation which influences the petty crime rate, most of which are never reported and if the crime is it never enters on a police blotter for statistical purposes...

You never stated what you paid for your Toyota which I know the used ones in the PI go for premium prices...I shopped for a SUV in Manila 3 years ago and found a 2004 Ford Escape(60K km) for 480k peso about $10,000 and he would not come down under 420k...I suggest you and anyone reading this go on Craigslist in most USA areas and you will find 2010 SUV's under 75K miles for under 250K pesos...Cars which were mostly highway driven and on excellent roads and in mint condition...I challenge you to find me in the Philippines a MINT 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Black on Tan leather, 6.1 liter Hemi, 67K miles with every option for anywhere near the $5,200 I just bought in the USA...

I hail you for finding a casino builder who helped in the making of your home...but I am afraid most of the other expats there dont and probably will never have such advice...They have to take what is available and that is usually by someone who learned the trade OJT'in and at best put out bare minimum quality work if you are lucky...I know a guy who spent 4.5 million peso for a 160 sqm home on the water...the lot was 1.7 million and people call it the house of cracks...you cant even count them all there is so many...lol..And do you think he can come back on the builder..Yea, get an attorney with a starting retainer of 100k and years in the courts...lol

"I and my wife are realists in our lives and expect frustrations as a part of life"

"Awareness of ones environment is a part of the intellect needed to acquire that happiness, but bashing is nothing more that whimpering and whining unless we can manage to do so without INSULTS".

TeeJay, do you not think my wife and I are not realists also..We were fully aware and informed of what happened to my fellow expats which I mentioned in the start of my last entry and it seemed everytime we were approaching a certain degree of happiness in our lives there in the P.I. another adverse thing would happen to either my wife, my children, my fellow expats or myself which just built on the sour taste we already had...A person can only take so much and it has nothing to do with whimpering or whining, it's all about keeping ones sanity and not forgetting how things can truly be..That my friend is being a realist..Many US expats over there are afraid to return to the states with their spouse because they are afraid once Americanized they will divorce them..That is why many use the excuses you have used not to return to their home country...That may be good reason because you and I know in the USA, no girl is going to marry a man more than twice their age unless there is a great deal of $$$$'s or drugs involved but I myself am willing to take that risk just so they can have a much better life than what is offered in their 3rd world nation...My wife is at awe of how much better we are living, eating, healthcare and how clean everything is and at a cost not more than 20% more than what I spent in the PI(I own my own home in USA) and my wife has stated she only wants to return only to see family once every couple years...She has SKYPE, Facebook, 5 hours of landline calls at $10 a month so she can see or talk to them everyday...Something in the Philippines with the bad communication service they had made it very difficult to do...

As far as insults, I myself became sick of all the insults of my intelligence, rudeness, conniving, gouging from people I and others had known for many years...But low an behold I have to agree with you we did have quite a few Filipino acquaintances I held in fairly high regard but the majority of them spoke little or no English so with my less than favorable aptitude of learning languages could barely communicate with them...

I personally find it somewhat insulting of my intelligence for the entries you made regarding homes being 5 times higher in the states when overall that doesnt hold true and unless you can find a used vehicle from a fellow expat or a wealthy Filipino it is next to impossible to find used vehicles cheaper than what can be had in the USA...The USA is noted for having the cheapest cars, appliances of quality in the world...

What I stated is true. It was simply my view and experiences vs. yours. Whether or not you agree with it or believe it, matters not to me. My statements were not an assault on "your" intelligence, though they were made in opposition to yours.
I also, disagree with much, but not all of what you said and simply believe we have opposing views, period.

It is quite obvious that you think little of the Philippines aside from the scenery of which you grew tired of. That is why you are not here and if as you stated, you traveled extensively throughout the Philippines and found little to like anywhere you visited, then it was not the place for you and you made what you believed was an informed and intelligent decision to move back to the states with your family based on those experiences.

TeeJay just do the research on the rural areas of the USA and on USED autos and I cant see how you could disagree with me disagreeing with you on the 5 X's more for a home and or a 5 year old SUV under $6,000...Unless it is a wreck you will never find one in any dealership in the P.I. for near that price...I know you mean well but truth is truth and BS is just that "Meadow Muffins"...