Relocating to the Philippines

bigpearl wrote:

Parvaze wrote:

Thanks for the feedback, very helpful information

What speeds do you need for internet?

Cheers, Steve.

My service is at 100 mbps download, I cannot remember the upload. I set my router to provide 30 download & 5 upload max to each connected device. No problem. I connect to Esxi hosted servers at my office by vSphere, Remote Desktop Service,  run screen sharing and IP phone. I've been working from home 1 year now.
With Steve's internet speeds, you should be fine.

Wow, great input Jackson4!

Agree, thanks Jackson.
Speed test @ 4:15 am. 38 down and 7.2 up. Ping 28 ms.
As the OP will be working 9pm to 3 am the speeds will probably be even faster, omo.

We have PLDT fibre recently installed on the road outside the property but more than happy with Globe at home so far.
We approached PLDT with regards to buying some fibre cable and conduit about 60 l/m as we are upgrading power cable size from the boundary to the house and will have an open trench, power, water, cctv, lighting etc. and it makes sense to put all the services in one trench. PLDT wouldn't help with any information and told us it had to their fibre but we can't sell it to you,,,,, when the time comes we will instal and dig a new trench. Go figure.

Cheers, Steve.

If the OP's job requires him to work on a server in the US or Europe, then he has an obstacle to get over. If his job only requires email, working on local DB/docs and/or doc uploads to the server outside the Philippines, he should be fine.
He has to recognize the real need.
I am still in the US with dreams of moving to the Philippines sooner than later. When I have to connect to servers in South America, it cannot work due to the inferior internet infrastructure over there. The same challenge is probably true in the Philippines too.

bigpearl wrote:

Agree, thanks Jackson.
Speed test @ 4:15 am. 38 down and 7.2 up. Ping 28 ms.
As the OP will be working 9pm to 3 am the speeds will probably be even faster, omo.
Cheers, Steve.

I had PLDT about a year ago, they had very poor customer service, my internet had slowed
down to almost being useless. Could never get PLDT to address the problem after many
phone calls. So, after three weeks of this I cancelled and called Sky.

Since I had Sky Cable for TV, I switched to their internet. My speed this morning 14 ping,
68 download, 23 upload.

YMMV

sounds like a predicament to me, the cities are dirty and noisy and have many issues you will grow to hate fast...but the internet is faster and the power stays on most times...the countryside/province life is quieter if you buy large land area build a wall around it and put your house in the center, however the power may go off 2-3 times a week and the water may not run for days, internet may work if you stand in the right spot, but slowly.

you need a generator that kicks on automatically and a dish internet that independently connects to a satellite and live in the province...with a wall.

I know two Filipinas, who handled orders for an American business selling through Amazon. They were located in a common appartment in Cavite, so perhaps that's enough speed for the OP too?

I can't ask them to test the speed now because they aren't there doing that workk anymore..

PLDT: That is problem with monopoly.
"We will tell you what you want/need."

Good information, very helpful. Thanks for posting, much appreciated!

Great information, thanks!

Jackson4 wrote:

PLDT: That is problem with monopoly.
"We will tell you what you want/need."

Exactly, a protected oligarchy. Look what happened 7 or 8 years ago when Telstra Australia tried to get a leg in the door,,,,,,, even while employing 3,500 to 4,000 Filipinos workers in their call centres. Too hard. The mobile phone services in Australia are cheap compared to here and on top of that they actually have voice mail,,,,,,,,,,,,, free,,,,,,,,,,, for the last 20 plus years, unlimited calls, post paid or auto debit for 25 years.

Though limited there are other choices here and we have to weed through the rubbish to find what suits the individual. Slim pickings. As said Globe at home works well for us and in my opinion fibre will eventually be phased out while they are rolling it out, wireless will win the day with all companies for the average user/plebian like me. Big companies perhaps need fibre.

And to the OP, "thanks, great information and  I appreciate it" but I'm telling you nothing I won't answer any questions. Maybe time to drop this thread.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

Miguk wrote:

Uggggg Karaoke! Whoever invented that should be drawn and quartered!  It has started at 0700 until way past sundown all day for the last 5 day! For people who are generally quite kind, filipinos become inconsiderate assholics behind a wheel or a microphone!
On the 6th day, I finally put every speaker I had pointed at the offender's house and cranked the Scorpions on repeat for the entire day...will report results laterl

I think thats being kind to the inventor..

Miguk wrote:

Uggggg Karaoke! Whoever invented that should be drawn and quartered!  It has started at 0700 until way past sundown all day for the last 5 day! For people who are generally quite kind, filipinos become inconsiderate assholics behind a wheel or a microphone!
On the 6th day, I finally put every speaker I had pointed at the offender's house and cranked the Scorpions on repeat for the entire day...will report results laterl

been there done that-however i chose AC/DC 

Soonretired wrote:

Miguk wrote:

Uggggg Karaoke! Whoever invented that should be drawn and quartered!  It has started at 0700 until way past sundown all day for the last 5 day! For people who are generally quite kind, filipinos become inconsiderate assholics behind a wheel or a microphone!
On the 6th day, I finally put every speaker I had pointed at the offender's house and cranked the Scorpions on repeat for the entire day...will report results laterl

been there done that-however i chose AC/DC 

AC/DC was next but it hasn't happened since then....wonders never cease 

Hi I suppose I might be a bit biased but please take a look at Davao city, it's such a beautiful city and just a short trip away from Samal or Telicud island and there's so many beautiful places to visit like Jack's Ridge,crocodile Park, and Roxies night market just to name a few, I love the Lanang area and hopefully its going to be my permanent home very soon, i'm married to a Filipina and got a little daughter over there and Ive got my flight booked to go back in August, take a look on YouTube and Google Earth ‘ David city life is here' 😎👍🏻 Good luck just take your time.

Thanks for the response. Yes, Davao City does seen to have a lot of merit. I've narrowed it down to a few areas and Davao is one of them. Thanks everyone, for all the information. It's been very helpful!

Miguk wrote:

Soonretired wrote:

Miguk wrote:

Uggggg Karaoke! Whoever invented that should be drawn and quartered!  It has started at 0700 until way past sundown all day for the last 5 day! For people who are generally quite kind, filipinos become inconsiderate assholics behind a wheel or a microphone!
On the 6th day, I finally put every speaker I had pointed at the offender's house and cranked the Scorpions on repeat for the entire day...will report results laterl

been there done that-however i chose AC/DC 

AC/DC was next but it hasn't happened since then....wonders never cease 

made me smile, im back in america now, wife spent all my savings..on what i dont know..just found out she hasnt paid electric since feb 2020 !

Soonretired wrote:

Miguk wrote:

Soonretired wrote:

been there done that-however i chose AC/DC 

AC/DC was next but it hasn't happened since then....wonders never cease 

made me smile, im back in america now, wife spent all my savings..on what i dont know..just found out she hasnt paid electric since feb 2020 !

Here in my backwater province.. as far as the electric bills fm (surneco) are concerned full payment must be made within a 1weeks grace period/thereafter a fine of ( 6.5%) will be imposed for the next 1week after which they will arrange for disconnection (they actually print the disconnection due date on every single bill that they issue.)

Revenge will fuel the fire. Remember- you are a guest in their country. You might try leaving a positive

response and impression. You can always move somewhere else if you don't like where you are. It's a

free world. This is their culture. It is the way of the Philippinos. You wouldn't like someone from

another country moving in next door to you in your country and insulting your cultural customs-would

you? Free agency is a wonderful thing. We all have it. Starting a bonfire solves nothing in this situation! People don't like

being told what to do. Just look at all the many(not all)locals not wearing masks. No one likes being told what to do.

Also, try talking to them and asking if they can keep the noise down. I wear earplugs at night when I

go to bed because of the dog across the street that barks practically 24-7. Remember-you chose to live in

another country and not yours just like I did. 9 years and I am still adapting! KINDNESS ALWAYS WINS

no matter what culture you represent, Always try to leave a good impression of the country you represent.Good luck!

Hello Capricornrising.
I know you can not change all the culture in the Philippines by yourself overnight. But I am trying in my own small way by running for BoD of our subdivision. It is a way to work WITH local Filipinos to help one another, not force your views on them. It is a means of understanding each other and their ways. I do not get involved with politics but with ways to help all of those within the subdivision.

capricornrising wrote:

. This is their culture. It is the way of the Philippinos. You wouldn't like someone from  another country moving in next door to you in your country and insulting your cultural customs-would  you?!

I LIKE ALL who make good critisism of stupid Swedish politicians and public service   

(Although I disiked when some refugees (of some are fake) complained at a NICE accomodation where  they get all for FREE "because it was to far from city" !!!

Dale Carnegie had a book about too:
"How to make friends and influence others"
Then again one may have to mingle with people you may not want to mingle with in the first place.
Comes with the territory.
Same in the US, neighbor leaves dog poop on the treeline.

I'm a software engineer.

PLDT fiber is available in major cities and suburbs. I opt for 100mpbs for about $80/month. I RARELY see that download speed. For some reason, upload speed is pretty good (opposite of the USA). Speeds are good enough for video conferencing etc.

Internet sporadically goes down a couple of times a month, then there's power outages that happen FREQUENTLY for a few seconds to a few minutes. Longer outages happen 1-2x a month. Definitely get a UPS for your router. TIP: Buy a router before you get here. Not impressed by the malls or online shopping, Lazada or Shoppee. Seems like mostly counterfeit items.

"Wireless" internet is available in rural areas.  A dish is sometimes required to strengthen the signal to the nearest tower. Were talking about 5-10mpbs. That should be good enough unless you need real time bandwidth like watching high definition movies.

marioph

excellent information for me.. especilly about buying a router and UPS before going over...  is PLDT fiber avail in Mactan around Cebu and why $80/month ...is that US dollar? expensive..
tell me more about this Dish you mentioned.. is that like a repeater device.. amplifier, etc?  should I get one? any other suggestions are appreciate to keep my internet going good.

thanks tony

@tpiro

I meant to type $60 USD/month for 100mpbs plan. I'm not sure it's worth it as I rarely get that speed.

I got some clarification on the "dish" from my relatives in the province. The dish is for Cignal TV. They attached a  MIMO antenna to it for globe at home WIFI. There should be plenty of videos on youtube about it. So, if a rural area has 4G signal you can get OK internet.

I don't think you can bring a UPS, would not be allowed as baggage. It's probably not worth the cost to ship neither. I purchased a few APC UPS from a local store for about $60 each. One works well enough for my laptop, router, single monitor and small fan for those blip outages. Obviously the laptop has its own battery but I like to use the UPS as it's supposed to have active line conditioning. I've had a few USB chargers die using a power strip. My guess is is the surges. (I'm no electrician)

My only other advice is buy any and all electronics you need in the states. They're more expensive here and the selection is limited. As most will tell you here, even used electronics are sold at almost new prices.

The only other option for reliable internet is to have a backup. I have a pocket wifi device that takes a sim card. I installed a sim card from another celullar provider named Smart.  The good thing about the Phils is there is no monthly plan for celullar. You purchase credits (called load) and choose from one of many data/call plans. There's usually a P50 ($1 USD) plan that gives you about 3GB of data for 3 days. So if my fiber goes down, I can use my cell phone on Globe cellular. If that goes down, I have pocket wifi on Smart cellular. You can buy pocket wifis on Amazon.

EXTRA TIP:  I hope this is against the rules. I recommend Viber for VOIP. The unlimited calls to the USA for $1.99/mo is a steal. The phone access is handy when you need to call non 800 numbers like your bank, airline customer support and internet challenged relatives

Thanks for the info.. great.  I will probably ship UPS's and electronic over in BalikBayan box...  yes I agree I think the UPS probably takes a hit everytime a brown out happens and it has to kick in to save your electronic devices... better that than replacing your laptops.. LOL   I like the idea of the pocket wifi device in case you lose the whole thing..  great information.. and I thank you.  Keep the info coming... I will absorb...  Tony

I live in Angeles and I subscribe to Converge fiber-optic internet, 200 Mbps for $110. The upload and download speeds are both faster than what I was getting in Washington state 30 miles from Microsofts HQ.
I pay for the higher sppeed because I work online as a writer. So, I do frequent online video coferences to get the specific details of projects. I use a wireless mouse, keyboard, and printer no real issues. Just make sure you have one or two surge protectors from the states. I'm not impressed by what I have been able to find offered here in the Philippines.

Is that Viper like Google Phone?

@tpiro Viber is an app you can install on your phone and laptop.

hi Tony, stalking you.. hah no just kidding

Internet pricing here is Robbery. nuff said   

regarding the UPS, I shipped mine over also and I have since replaced all the batteries using Motolite, they make all sort of batteries for moticycles, ebikes, the like. I couldn't find official APC replacement batteries, it was a nightmare. Got the run around and wasted 2 days. They were happy to try to sell me a brand new unit tho.

Wife suggested Motolite as they are a well known brand here, gave it a try. It was 2 yrs ago. I even got better runtime out of them vs APC original batteries.

I have 4 running now, all APC model 650CS, 550CS, 1500, they make great UPS, but their batteries are absolute garbage and they source it from probably the cheapest OEM they can find. I don't know what capacity UPS you need, but I recommend getting one that will be 50% of your expected load. eg; 700W, get a 1500. If you are just worried about spikes and brownouts, then maybe the runtime is not important. More runtime = More expensive

They have different types, some made for home and battery is not easily replaceable ,  but the model I listed above are all for SOHO (small office home office) type of environment.

You can check the prices here using Lazada as a example, they are a bit more expensive but they ship it right to your door. Compare prices there to your location since US pricing are average but may inc Tax. Gimme a shout if you need assistance with this.

Thank you Sir... much appreciated. Yes probably will pack a few UPS's in the box for shipping.. good on on the battery replacment.  Thanks again

marioph wrote:

EXTRA TIP:  I hope this is against the rules. I recommend Viber for VOIP. The unlimited calls to the USA for $1.99/mo is a steal. The phone access is handy when you need to call non 800 numbers like your bank, airline customer support and internet challenged relatives

My GF and I have been using Viber for years.. highly recommended. It's encrypted and works well for chat or video calling when I am in the States.

This is why I love Legazpi Village and the like.  Internet is fast and reliable.   

Beaches?  3 hours to Zambales, 3 hours to Batangas, 4 hours to Oriental Mindoro.    Take a pick.

Hey there, it looks like you will have to live in Metro Manila! You could choose to live in BGC (which is basically mini Singapore). It's well maintained, has all the restaurants and cafes you could possibly desire, lots of open space. It is also the most expensive part of the city to live in, but then you are used to Southern California prices Internet of course won't be a problem in most of manila. I have a 300mbps PLDT fiber connection, which is stable and very reliable. If you want to enjoy the islands and the beach life, the best beaches would be an hours flight away. You can have the best of both worlds! Good luck.

Horses for courses etc. We picked here to be close enough to visit family, car, motorbikes but too far for most of them to visit us,,,,,,, well some do but rarely. We are 40 minutes drive from the outlaws and same to immi for visa renewals. No flights to beaches as we are absolute beachfront, no pollution, no barking dogs or crowing roosters, no cars, Jeepneys or tricycles going past, a very quiet area with mostly expats and we generally keep to ourselves.
We lived in Manila for 1 year, for my better half's work 9 years ago and for me/us is the last place we would go back to, same for London or LA, My home city Melbourne Australia though its come along way in the last 30 years.
It all really depends on what you want/need to relocate to a different country. I love it here and the best thing is the cost to live here, city or back blocks.

Each to their own and little more.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

bigpearl wrote:

we are absolute beachfront, no pollution, no barking dogs or crowing roosters, no cars, Jeepneys or tricycles going past, a very quiet area with mostly expats and we generally keep to ourselves.
Cheers, Steve.

Hi Steve, 

#1 What is OMO?

#2 Mind sharing pic of your beachfront house?   I'm interested in gaining ideas as I plan to have one as well in the future.

TIA.

Only My Opinion.

If you research here I have posted pics of my beach front and I will offer that the last vacant lot here sold for 13M. Nothing available now, few months ago, My secret and took 4 years to find.

Cheers, Steve.

^Thanks.  P13M for how many sqm land?