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?

Is The Philippines Safe?

When I first mentioned to family and friends that I planned to travel to the Philippines the first responses I got from them was “It’s really dangerous there, you could get kidnapped and beheaded since you are an American” and I also heard “You are going to be a target there for pickpockets and other scams”. That really seems to be the thoughts of many Americans when it comes to the Philippines. It seems that the only things we see on the news here are the bad things. From the Maguindanao Massacre to visitors being kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf and held for ransom or beheaded. I guess I can’t blame them for their thoughts since the news really portrays the Filipino people as not liking Americans. I don’t have to tell anyone here that the news sensationalizes the violence in the Philippines and they know that news stories on the greatness of the Philippines just won’t get ratings.

These misconceptions are incorrect and could not be farther from the truth. Filipinos do like Americans and have really embraced our culture as their own. During my 2 week visit I was not the victim of any type of violence, scams, or pickpockets. I didn’t even receive an evil stare or any rude comments. I was treated great by every person I ran into there and always felt like I was welcomed. There are actually many parts of the Philippines that are safer than America; one of those places was Bacolod which is where I visited.

Mindanao is one of the most southern islands in the Philippines and gets most of the press as far as violence and kidnappings. Mindanao is the locale of the Maguindanao Massacre and there are some places there that harbor the Abu Sayyaf with supposed ties to Al Qaeda, NPA (New Peoples Army), and the M.I.L.F. (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). These places in Mindanao where these groups are active are in very small pockets and are not a true representation of the country. I know of many Americans living in Mindanao or ones that have recently visited there that feel very safe and have no worries about any of these groups. Some even say they feel safer there than they ever did in America. Don’t let the news distort your thoughts about an entire country due to a few bad incidents.

Basilan is another place that has been labeled as very violent. It is located just a little south of Maguindanao. I am sure there are places there where Americans should not travel to since the Abu Sayyaf are based there but I would not go so far as to say that the entire island is dangerous as that would be incorrect. Even some Filipinos located on other islands will say that these places located south in the Philippines are very dangerous and should not be traveled to. Unfortunately they see the same exact things in the news as we do.

There is violence all over the world and yes, the Philippines suffer from violence at times also. The 3 groups I mentioned earlier are real and are located in spots in the Philippines but mostly they are concerned with the Filipino military and are not likely to be in any place where Americans are going to visit or live. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be aware of your surroundings at all times. You should always be aware of your surroundings wherever you are in the world as bad things happen anywhere. Would you tell someone not travel to Michigan or Illinois since there are some violent places there?

So before you say that the Philippines is a really violent place where Americans are neither safe nor welcomed, do some research first. Ask people that have been there or people that currently live there to get the facts. The Filipino people are very kind and will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. It is a third world country with many poor people but the majority of Filipinos don’t use poverty as an excuse to commit crimes, it’s actually quite the opposite with them, poverty dictates their lives by them being grateful for what they do have and makes family bonds even stronger. There are many beautiful places in the Philippines to see from white sand beaches with blue seas to mountainous terrain with many waterfalls. I would recommend travelling to the Philippines to anyone. You won’t be sorry.