Whats it like for an American living in the Philippines? I am single

Hi,

Allow me to put my honest words on your thoughts of living in the Philippines.  It is a nice country with mostly nice hospitable people. I say mostly because anywhere in the world you will encounter people who will try to take advantage of you if you allow it. So be cool but be aware. To have a little bit of consolation, most foreigners who by any chance visited Philippines either for a short visit or business, they end up coming back and some stayed for good when they get married. Probably the reason behind is economical living..where you get to have what you want for a fair amount of price compared when you do it in either Europe of America. Also if you plan to do business, be mindful that what you will earn is comparative to the country's economic condition so its not gonna be the same as when you are earning back in your country. If you are down to earth and can live a comfortable but not luxurious lifestyle, then you find the right place.
I hope by now you are having a good time touring Philippines. Welcome and have a great time!

I am applying for an engineering position in Manilla. Any relo advise? what should I sell/ship? social customs? language? local wildlife issues?

Very well said
Beautiful post

Thank you Mike. @lisa- Manila is a congested city but you can just find anything you need for a fair or cheap price,so there's not much worry about bringing bulky stuffs. The locals are pretty hospitable and friendly by nature but just know your limits. Making friends is easy and lots of expats in Manila are working in call centres and you can normally find them when you go around Makati malls,and some tourists places like boracay where they are concentrated especially this peak of summer season from February to May. Most filipinos speak English so you can pretty well communicate and interact with almost anyone but beware of giving too much information for your own safety as well.
As much as possible, bring some cash only when you go around..and be mindful of your environment when taking money from atm machines.Better do this thing inside the mall. Pickpockets are everywhere so be aware.

Hope this helps. :-)
Marie

Hi Mike,
I have been living in Manila Philippines now for 4 years and have traveled all over including Palawan, Davao (Mindanao) , Cebu, Boracay etc.... For me I like living in Malate Manila because the provinces get boring for me and the city life is good and varied. Pollution is not bad here by Manila Bay and it is a surprisingly cheap area ($1 a beer in happy hour), with many local and tourist foreigners.
I have many gfs and my daily cost of living is P1K (USD 25) as i own my own condo.... if you need to rent in Malate Manila then your living costs would double.or increase by about P20-30K pm... Smarter you can rent to buy a condo if you like the area for the same amount.
A typical days expenses for me are;
Eg: Breakfast & Lunch  with coffee (2 people) 300 pesos, dinner (2 people) 150 pesos, transport 50 pesos, phone 50 pesos,, drinks at a bar (2 persons) - 260 pesos (bucket of six beers bought in happy hour), electricity (aircon 1 hr a day , fans - 30 per day),,, 4 pool games P100  - total under P1,000 a day
Best of luck.
Matt
mbohlsenATgmail.com

Hi, Mr. Michael,
How are you?
As a citizen of the Philippines, here is to thank you for considering my country for your retirement.  I guess,  I don't have to say more re visas and eligibility to stay.  My advice to you is first find yourself a friend or someone you can truly trust to show you around and lay on the table your options on how you can comfortably and happily retire here.  Everything should be done objectively for your sakes and no personal agenda.
Here is hoping that you may be guided accordingly.
Best regards,
Susan

If you marry a Filipina I think you can stay here and have your own property. Or You can still live here even if you're single it's depend on your Visa.

Irrelevant to the nationality, you can come without a visa  and allowed 30 days stay. However, you can renew your stay there after for further 59 days for which you have to pay ( of course) and similarly there after, continue for further  2months extensions lasting max of 18 months only. Then you have to leave the country and re-enter after 48 hrs and start it all over again as I have done for the past 8 yrs.
(1)You can also apply for permanent residence as an X pat.but will cost you having  to deposit $25k in a Govt specified bank which you cannot touch ,being the deposit. ( I dont know why?)
(2) if you marry then you dont need any of these but only apply as a married permanent  resident. here be careful in choosing your spouse. (good luck to you ).
But beware of your choice of location as abduction in the regions you have mentioned are  bit " dicey" for safety.
I wish you the very best .its a lovely country to retire to but be very cautious and use the head which contains the grey matter my friend.

If you expect to make a good living to work here then just put it out of your mind. Just retire here as its good . Besides you will need a working permit to open a business taking on board a Filipino as your partner.40-60. Good luck M8.!

munawar waheed wrote:

Irrelevant to the nationality, you can come without a visa  and allowed 30 days stay. However, you can renew your stay there after for further 59 days for which you have to pay ( of course) and similarly there after, continue for further  2months extensions lasting max of 18 months only. Then you have to leave the country and re-enter after 48 hrs and start it all over again as I have done for the past 8 yrs.
(1)You can also apply for permanent residence as an X pat.but will cost you having  to deposit $25k in a Govt specified bank which you cannot touch ,being the deposit. ( I dont know why?)
(2) if you marry then you dont need any of these but only apply as a married permanent  resident. here be careful in choosing your spouse. (good luck to you ).
But beware of your choice of location as abduction in the regions you have mentioned are  bit " dicey" for safety.
I wish you the very best .its a lovely country to retire to but be very cautious and use the head which contains the grey matter my friend.

i believe they recently changed a few things.. you can now stay up to 36 months before you need to leave the country for one day

Very well said ... I Love Davao it has wide clean streets , no smoking on the streets , only in designated places ..Free of crime , very happy and friendly people , great to go out at night weather to resturants or other entertainment and much cheaper than other places in the Philippines .. A must Visit ..

As am American living here in the PI, I can make a few observations/suggestions:

1.   Don't fall for the you can own a house if you marry a Filipina, it is not true!  You can be made responsible for the payments but the land is always a TCT and will always be in the Filipina's name.  If the relationship fails, the Expat will have zero legal recourse on TCT based property.  Only if you buy a condo/townhouse under a CCT can it be yours 100%.  Housing and land scams are very common here and so many Filipinos have become "land owners" via "TD" (Tax Declaration) to later find they have nothing or many back fees to clear it all.  A property title with all fees and taxes paid, in the new owner's name, should be the end goal for the Expat and his/her family here. 

Note:  This is also a problem with buying a used car here,  so many do not check the docs and later find they must pay thousands to get the car in their name. 

2.  Based on your Passport expiration and the ACRI Card, you can do extensions 6 months at a time and stay for 36 months now.

3.  Before any American is allowed to visit "Mindanao" they must sign a waiver from our (US Embassy) in Manila acknowledging that our US Government will not be responsible for any actions/help needed since you will be traveling "AGAINST A US STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL WARNING".

4.  Your stay, regardless of location, will be made better after you have the ACRI Card for sure.

5.  Do not change your US Bank account until you have a very good reason or enough time here evaluating your options.  If you have US SS retirement and you use one of the approved banks here for auto-deposit, you will be required to report to US Embassy yearly or your deposits will stop until you prove you are alive.  Also, a non-US spouse can't be on that account here in the PI, nor can they have direct access to that account.

6.  Regarding cost in most locations - One should always add P4-5K for A/C.  Unless a person is from a very hot tropical climate (and they adore that weather), the very hot days/nights will get to most.  So an air-conditioned unit becomes the "must have" option for most Expats and the electric bill will reflect this P4-5K  increase.

I highly recommend:
A.  Getting all LED lighting and store the bulbs (if any) currently in your rental. If you are use to bright non-flickering lights, you will enjoy the LEDs.  Also they will reduce your electric bill and room heat.
B.  Getting housing with screens on all doors/windows to optimize cooler evening airflows, without day/evening/night visitors that range from large bugs to roaches and mosquitos. 

Note: Window/door screens are not common additions to dwellings here so the landlord may request the Expat to pay for this as part of the rent.

7.  Regarding family support expectations -
This is a very individual matter and will change with each person/couple.  Our incomes from America do represent a 10-20X factor for the average person here but that does not mean all ladies here will try to take your money or abuse your relationship.. like all locations in the world, a person must be careful and make the best choices.  Family does have a great influence on the lady here and if the lady is from a family that has certain expectations/demands, she could be torn between a family expectation (of help since she has a rich man) and her Expat partner's different views on this topic.  Always a worthy topic to include in the "learning about each other" stages.  :-)

Regarding family help -
I feel if a person selects a worthy student family member that needs help and will work hard in school to earn a degree, it is fine to look at sponsoring that student.  On the other hand, adults (especially males) that sit around most of the days and drink beer may not be seen and responded to as a "needy person" to most expats.  Just my view!!

2-  only if staying in manila   ,3  -where do they sign this waiver ?

pacificlink wrote:

for tommieboy999re

i can assure that davao is safe...try to go there and u will see

are you sure your post is directed towards me?  I don't recall ever mentioning davao

greenetravel wrote:

2-  only if staying in manila   ,3  -where do they sign this waiver ?

Regarding LSVVE -
The 'Long-Stay Visitor Visa Extension'  (LSVVE) is available in Manila but not "only if staying in Manila". 

I live 2.5 - 3 hours by bus from Manila Immigration and it took me 1 hour + to get my LSVVE at the main Office in Manila.

The BI states,
"LONG-STAY VISITOR VISA EXTENSION (LSVVE)
Who can apply?
All temporary visitors, regardless of nationality and not otherwise disqualified, who wish to extend his/her tourist visa during the last thirty (30) days of the previously issued LSVVE, or upon the expiry of a regular visa extension.  The total duration of extension shall be not more than six (6) months from the time of expiration of authorized stay."

Regarding travel to Mindanao -
If US civilian:  Use the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), update your travel plan to Mindanao then go see rep at the US Embassy in Manila.  After that meeting confirm if a waiver is presented or not?  No matter the warning wording -- The US cannot legally stop you from traveling to Mindanao.  Each person must decide whether to take or ignore the advice but you will be traveling at your own risk and with reduced, if any, US government help you if have troubles there.

If US Military:  Must process under J34 AT / USPACOM Theater Travel Requirements

Hello Mike!
I am glad you choose Phillipines to live on your retirement.You may want to check on this link for more information you needed.
philippineconsulatela.org/consular%20services/conserv-visa.htm
I read the comments and most of their observations about Philippines is true. I may just want to warn you not to trust total strangers especially if there is money involved. Philippines is a beautiful country but just as many other countries it has its own flaws. If you know how to adjust your life style and adapt with the culture I would say that Philippine is the total opposite of Hongkong.

Good luck!

if u are american the locals wanna be warmly to you out of curiosity, out of nicety or out of parasitic and opportunistic tendecies - so watch out! be smart, be careful

hi tommyboy999 - that pause note about u to come over to davao i believe is trying to trap u - wat a swindle from the filipino lady.  i know are and who she is cos she is trying her best to catch on to a foreigner at all cost. and i guess using  my company name in hong kong has the expatblog handle. too many gold diggers about. u right watch out. u can talk to me privately if u want
sorry for taking ur time

It doesnt matter whether you are a Yank,a Martian or even if we" have 5 balls between us and you have a B 52   (moderated: no vulgarity here pls) ! The most important thing is to use the right head and dont feel sorry or be a naffing humanitarian but still be kind as a human being. If you get married then your neck is on line. You still dont own ANYTHING!!!!!! BUT congratulate your self as  you have just got married to the whole tribe and be respected for being father Xmas and a  "meal ticket".  I was  a "billionaire" when I came here and with the local  help am now a declininG "millionaire". LOVELY PLACE,LOVELY PEOPLE LOVELY TO BE FATHER XMAS 365 1/3rd DAYS  A YEAR. ITS MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES. Specially when the CHINKS are kicking the back door.

mtcretired wrote:

Hi MIchael,

I have lived in Cebu (Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, also home to Cebu International Airport) since Aug 2013 and love it here. I am married to a Filipina with three beautiful daughters and love it here. On entry you can get a two month visa fro no fee, after that you can renew for two months at a time for a little more than $100. If you marry a Filipina the to of you can leave the Philippines for at least 24 hours and re-enter showing your marriage license and they will give you a free one year "balikbayan visa," which like the US "green card" is renewable annually. It is recommended that you wait a few months after you get married, we waited almost six, it shows stability. There are a lot of pitfalls I can help you avoid if you would like to email me we can get into some of the details. [email protected]

Be blessed, you will love it here.

you dont get a 2 month for no fee -u get 30 days stay visa free   and there isnt any balikbayan visa -its a balikbayan stamp which allows you stay for a year   -when you leave  supposed to be with your wife  .

hi munawar waheed, i truely believe all fingers are not equal but like some places have varied and ugly dishonest and pretending people. Philippines is a strong so called catholic country but atimes i wonder whats religion got to do with the heart or mind as long as there is poverty glaring many homes.

the situation is pathetic everywhere. the notion is that foreigners from wherever you may come from MUST have money or source of living to take care your "partner" and her larger tribe if not no way you are a "bad man" its sad but true because i have many frieds and heard many bad stories of how the girls here set up foreigners and even to their local ones.

i will be happy to discuss with anyone who has been cheated or going through some hell. am based in manila. you welcome to contact me please. Lots of hellish stories form destruction of human lives by filipino women either out f greed or set up innocent victims or entrapment for blackmail or ransome or you go to jail!

hi munwar connect to me plz - my email is : [email protected]. love to hear from you soon

yes I would like any information please

Thanks for your response ,You can contact me on   [email protected]

Good day!

I want to thank you for considering our country for your retirement place. If you want to know how life goes in our place i would agree on the people that are suggesting that you should visit the philippines first before you decide. I have good friends from the US living here in cagayan de oro. They find it very cheap. Well if you ask me, consider cagayan de oro city too. Its a place where you can easily change plans. If you want to live in rural area bukidnon is  just an hour away. If you want an urban life cagayan de oro, butuan, iligan, davao can easily be visited by land...  email me for further discussions. It would be best to talk to a lawyer with good experiences with foreigners. I can offer you someone that doesnt charge you with anything. Goodluck!


emailadd: [email protected]

@ricardoflores50
Very strange that you would advise a westerner to live in CDO (against travel advisories) and you recommend that person contact an atty?  A free atty that won't charge.  Do you think so many are so stupid to fall for such a posting?

Dont be a person of judgement. You can search my name anywhere from the NBI and other reliable sources. I have been in and out of this country and made a lit of friends. Based on how you speak its clear what kind of person you are. Davao and cagayan de oro will always be ahead of any city in the philippines in terms of safty. You might want to look at yourself in the mirror and ask what kind of person you are. Well, I am Ricardo R Flores Jr. Son of former vice army cheif Mgen.Ricardo P Flores Sr.

Owner and manager of Essence farm a leading contract grower of sanmiguel foods corp.

And Wheelspec marketing a distributor of a wide selection of tires and batteries nationwide. I may be young. But i dont think you have the right to think that i intend to give a stupid advie to a person whom i want to help. A lending hand doesnt need a payment. I help because i want to. Godbless your soul

@ ricardoflores50

My words are not about any person's age, position, family status or "reported family connections".  When it is all said and done, our positions, parents or social status does not matter.   Since you clearly disagree with my points, you may want to notify the US Dept of State (via embassy website) that have issued a warning for Mindanao and update them on the latest status (as you claim "Davao and cagayan de oro will always be ahead of any city in the philippines in terms of safety."). 

Perhaps, you will want to update the Phil Army on why even they require US Army advisors to that area to have close coordination with AFP & specific travel orders.  Lets hope one day all of the warnings will be lifted and that area will be officially treated like the rest of the PI.  Until that time, do you not agree that foreigners need to abide by the restrictions, when at all possible and advice to the contrary may not be sound? 

Clearly you are free to post any advice you may choose.  I did not say it was stupid.  However, it may be considered by some to be foolish to go there against travel warnings despite your position of being so safe, your family history or connection with Phil corporations.

Regarding looking at myself:  My background has included 35 years + of Aerospace, DOD weapons systems and other "things" with more levels of "ticketing" (aka clearances), exposure to data/info than a Phil Army General's son could ever imagine. 

-Maybe your list of the number, levels and types of background investigations, security briefings/debriefings you have had will far exceed mine? If not, perhaps you will have a better understanding after your SCI, SAP & SSBI's have been processed.
-Maybe you care to elaborate within the scope allowed by your debriefings?   

Nonetheless, our backgrounds, family connections, corporate alignments or degrees are not at issue here.  Again, your statement of "Davao and cagayan de oro will always be ahead of any city in the philippines in terms of safety." is the main point I take issue with.

Regarding judgement:  I have not judged you!  I have made a comment about your open invitation to go there when I think it is ill advised. Additionally, your offer for free legal advice via a third party is suspect, at best.  After all, this is an EXPAT forum and neither you nor other posters have the only or best solutions for the expat.  I am sure if you feel so positive about a person being so safe there, you and your corporation or atty would have no problem issuing "War Risk Insurance" for travelers that take your advice.  Of course, this is despite the fact that the Philippine locations of: Mindanao, Basilan and Sulu Archipelago are officially stated to be "War Risk Zones" by one of the largest Insurance companies (https://www.insureandaway.co.uk/war-risk-areas).

Perhaps with your family's military connections you can obtain the proper tickets and take the time to get a real briefing and understanding how things are here.  Perhaps you can learn what is behind the 43 "non-violent" anti-American demonstrations held in Manila near the U.S. Embassy in 2013 alone.  Perhaps you may want to protest the May 19, 2014 US Dept of State warning which, in part, reads:  "U.S. citizens should continue to exercise extreme caution if traveling to the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines."  and continues with: "The Embassy has imposed a strict restriction on all but the most essential travel to Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago,"

Information is our best tool to fight events or persons that may not be as they seem.  If this apples to you, I am on target.  If it does not apply to you, understand the focus behind the words, accept the intentions and move on.  Your choice.

Hello all

Could we please come back to the topic? We understand both your position, but arguing between yourselves will not help the initial thread maker to get his answers about staying in Philippines or not.

Please be relevant to the questions asked when making your posts.Anything else, will not help.

Regards

Kenjee

@ Kenjee

Hmmm, well part of what it is like for an American to live here does include many attempts at scamming us, providing misleading info and offers to do things free (at first).

Hi. I have been to Mindanao and nobody from the embassy ever stopped me to caution me or tell me I had to sign a waiver.  I went down as far as ILigan.  The travel advisory cautions citizens about gong to Mindanao but I have never heard of anybody being approached to sign a waiver.  I had no problems in Cagayan de Oro or ILigan, except for some badggiao kids swarming me, but they were not violent, just pesky; and a Muslim woman walked over to me and helped me get rid of them. Davao is most likely the safest city in the Philippines because of the draconian justice that is meted out by the mayor's office.  However, as anywhere, you have to be on the alert when you travel to foreign places.

Well, we cannot deny that there are people in this world that acts like they know everything and they seem to think that they have the right to judge people they dont know. Thanks for backing up mindanao.

Wow its amazing how this world became a world that free things are labeled as scams.. i cant imagine living under the same roof with you. Godbless your family.

[ Moderated :    ]

You like all are free to go as you wish.  If you have not registered with Embassy, it is likely they will not contact or send you updates.  No matter, I am sure many go there with very uneventful or few negative results.  My point is that if and when you do have a legal issue and you expect official help, don't hold your breath for help.  If you do carry life insurance (from a US Carrier) you may want to check your exclusion section regarding "zero" pay out to beneficiary(s) for the death occurring in either a "war zone" or "war risk zone".  If none of this applies to you than you have no need to pay to attention to US Embassy.

@ ricardoflores50

The topic of is Mindanao the safest city in the PI or not, is what should be at focus here.  Was the advice to an American expat to travel against US State Department advisories good advice and answered the expat's question or not? 

I am sure there are pockets of safer locations in the same region regardless of the warning.  No matter, either the expat is advised to ignore such warnings because some people seem to have special connections to these locations and (perhaps) are more inclined to act like vice mayors or tourist agents, than to speak the truth.

There are many that can't imagine living in a "zone" where name dropping of family connections and titles are designed to quiet the masses and keep the "common" or uninformed people in line.  Thus, there are people that act like titles and positions place them above all else.  Name/title dropping here is of no meaning to most expats. There are so many people with these "credentials" placed in many different governments globally.  Yet, we still see the highest levels of corruption running nearly unchecked on global scales. 

The concept of CDO being the safest location in the PI is not backed by any data or statistics. If you or your atty have such data/info, this is the place to post it for all to see and derive much needed updating from.  The fact that a place like Manila (filled with all of it's big city crime and devices), is not listed as a "war risk zone" and yet CDO is included in such a status, should never be about a person stating the facts as being "judgmental" or "knowing all".  Either what has been stated (regardless of what person said it) are facts and help answer the questions that the expat asked or what has been stated is 100% false and the expat needs to ignore such posts from person like me as false, is the question. 

People that live under my roof are reasonable, respectful persons that do not lower themselves to name dropping to "puff up their esteem".

Lastly, an attorney with "free services" to expats is pure bait (in most cases) and is as close to an oxymoron as most mature persons can stand.  I am not the first and will not be the last to caution expats to be very careful of persons offering free/close to free services here or elsewhere.   Such an offering with a deep need to help expats would seem more credible coming directly from this attorney (not a third party offering special connection to get in contact with the aforementioned attorney).

Since I believe Jesus is my savor, I am blessed daily by this relationship (despite attempts at sarcasm or self-righteousness from some).  Thank you

P.S. My lady is generally from/near the Tacurong City area and to this day, her and her family (all christians) are filled with fear on the way to go there.  Imagine the bus drivers telling the passengers in 2014 that they will travel 130KPH to get through the special area before nightfall??  Imagine tarpaulin prints and painted signs proudly saying 'Congratulations! Bangsamoro Government'.  Imagine, a bus substation that pulls into a yard next to MILF Office Building??

@ ricardoflores50, Ate1 and all others interested,

If what I said is so off, lets just look at "official" words from CDO leadership.  Unless the CDO Police Chief's words are also unclear, judgmental or from a 'person that thinks he knows it all', lets answer the final question of is CDO the safest city in the PI?

'Friday, February 14, 2014

CAGAYAN de Oro City and other parts of Mindanao are under threat from attacks by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), two weeks after the signing of the peace agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine Government, police said.

Police Chief Inspector Lemuel Gonda, Cagayan de Oro City Police Offices (Cocpo) chief on operations, said the police officers in the city are under alert status due to the threat posed by the BIFF, a breakaway group of the MILF, the largest Moro insurgency group in Mindanao.

Gonda said the threat is not only in the city but has been raised in the entire Mindanao.' 

The Chief went on to say:  'The information has come from the intelligence community and it is reliable, Gonda said, adding that the police are regularly guarding the safety.

But because of the threat, the police doubled their security measures especially on the strategic checkpoints where possible perpetrators would come through.'

The article ends with: 'Malls, churches, hotels, inns, terminals and seaports -- these are the places that we should focus on, said Gonda.' 

So, any expat that stays away from 'Malls, churches, hotels, inns, terminals and seaports ' should be very safe in the safest city in the PI.

Source:  http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-or … nao-328270

Either this is true or it is not?  If the pro CDO folks here still have an issue with my words, please contact the CDO Police Chief and tell him to stop the lies about this safest city in the PI.  Each expat can decide this on their own.  Best wishes to all!

Hello All 

@ Calif- Native : Please read out the inital post again by Michael donth, his question is not about safety, but rather on how long he can stay in the PI.

Michael Donth wrote:

I am coming to the Philippines in March for the first time. I would like to stay in either Davao, Cebu City or Dumaguete. I am single and retired. My dream is to live there forever. How long can I stay before I have to leave the country and if I was to marry would I still have to leave?
Thank you

You can however create a new thread if you wish to talk about the safety issue, I am sure many expats would like to know about that. But please keep relevant to this thread.


Regards

Kenjee

You might want to check the history of rebels in the northern part of the philippines as well. You talk too much based on what you read on the internet. You seem to know a lot of things. Psupt.Rodriguez and Gonda is one of the long list of people warned about the terror threat in the philippines.  areas in the northern part of luzon and the rural parts of visayas are constant target as well. Any place in the world can be dangerous.

Just a month ago, Gen.bonafos talked about terror threats in negros and other near by cities as well.

Quzon province, cagayan valley, the list goes on.


http://www.nscb.gov.ph/secstat/d_safety.asp

Actual NSCB stats...  *scatches head*  NCR seems like the top place to be if you want to get robbed, raped,killed after all.....