Why The Philippines?

I have two main reasons for creating this blog. First reason is to hopefully educate others as to what the Philippines and the Filipino culture is all about as there seems to be some misconceptions about the country as far as security and the people. My second reason is to get my thoughts out in the open about possibly moving to the Philippines. I have touched on a few of the things that attract me to the Philippines but in this post I will list ten of the main reasons (without going to deep into depth) on why I am considering the Philippines as my possible future home.

1. The weather – The Philippines has a tropical climate. The average temperature is 82 °F (27.7 °C). The highest monthly average high temperature is 93 °F (34 °C) in May. The lowest monthly average low temperature is 72 °F (22 °C) in January & February. You may want to have some sort of air conditioning during the hotter months but there won’t be a need for indoor heating.

2. Cost of living – The conversion rate of US dollars to Philippine Peso currently is $1 for 46 Pesos. That rate changes quite often. I have heard of some Americans living there on $500 - $1000 a month and are living quite comfortably. Somebody retired with only their Social Security check coming in could possibly live a lot better there than in the US.

3. The food – I mentioned this in an earlier post. Not only can you eat cheaply there but there are many families that will sell homemade food right out of their homes. Very good food I might add and also good for you.

4. The people – The people of the Philippines are very kind and hospitable. Of course this isn’t true of all Filipinos but I had great experiences with every person I talked to or met in the streets.

5. Simpler way of life – Many people cook with wood or charcoal everyday, don’t own cars, do their laundry by hand, no running water, etc. Now this type of living isn’t for everybody but what is nice is that you do have options if you don’t want to “rough it” to these extremes.

6. The scenery – If you like coconut trees, white sand beaches, beautiful waterfalls, and great ocean views then the Philippines will offer that in spades.

7. Public transportation – In America it is almost a necessity to own a car unless you live in downtown areas. In the Philippines they have many modes of affordable public transportation. Jeepneys or tricycles are the most common form but they do also offer taxis and buses. Most jeepneys will take you anywhere you need to go for 7 Pesos which is about 15 cents US money.

8. Small businesses – It seems that it is much easier to open small businesses in the Philippines versus the US. If you want to sell food or open a small convenient store also known as a sari sari store then you can do so right out of your home. If you want to open other types of businesses then you will find many hard working and highly educated Filipinos to hire.

9. Tight knit families – Maybe it is due to the poverty of the Philippines but family is one of the most important things to Filipinos. Elders are much more respected and revered there than in the US where elderly folks are put into nursing homes and in some cases just forgotten there.

10. My fiancée is from there so I have an inside track and a tour guide.

There are many more other reasons for living in the Philippines. I just wanted to focus on the ten major ones in no particular order that stick out to me. With the Philippines being a Third World country there are of course some negative aspects about living there which is something I will write about in another update. Taking into account the pros of living in the Philippines, is there anything on that list that intrigues you? Do you think that you could live there?