A huge number of inquiries I get, as well as a great many blog comments here and on other Philippines-oriented blogs and forums are all dedicated to the principle that “everyone” (especially Filipinos) is “out to get you” in the Philippines. Well I’ve been living here a bit over 4 years now, and I thought I’d take time out from the real estate series to share a few thoughts on that … and to offer up my thank’s to a couple really great guys, Jun and Josh … I’ll explain about that thank you part a little further on in this article.
I should start at the beginning … m first ‘real-world’ experience with Filipinos being ‘out to get’ foreigners.
Some years ago I was good ‘online friends’ with a fellow American who had just moved to the Philippines. The guy loved it here and made me want to come here to the Philippines even more … although one thing really troubled me.
My friend prefaced almost every subject he wrote about with cautionary langauge about how the “Filipino was out to get you”, be careful to avoid paying the “Skin Tax’, or the “long-nosed tax”, or various other racially oriented terms.
I wondered why on earth anyone wold choose to live someplace where he felt he was always going to get robbed, cheated of “flim-flammed” in some way. Not the way I would choose to live my life … I’m older, I don’t want a lifetime of conflict.
Personally, If worried everyday about being cheated or discriminated against because of my skin color or passport color, I’d leave … in a heartbeat. I didn’t leave the USA to flee anything except cold weather, I’m still allowed back in … maybe some guys really aren’t, but we won’t go into that here.
Anyway, back to my “always being cheated” American friend. He wanted to buy a motorcycle. And, of course, he wasn’t about to go to one of the local Filipino dealerships to buy one, because … yes, of course, “you know those Filipinos are all out to get you.”
So after a lot of emailing and negotiation he found a fellow American who was selling a used motorcycle, way off at the other end of the Philippines. The price, to me from outside the country at that time, sounded cheap, but my goodness, the logistics in getting it shipped to my friend’s home seemed like more trouble than a used motorcycle was worth.
But my friend was happy. After all, he was buying from a fellow American,so he knew he wasn’t getting cheated, you know?
Eventually, the used motorcycle arrived. The shipping had cost about $200 plus the $1200 price of the motorcycle,but hey, after all, he had bought it from a fellow American. So he knew he wasn’t getting cheated. Well worth it, in my friend’s opinion.
My friend hopped on, fired up his new treasure,and let out the clutch to give it a test ride around his local neighborhood, terrorizing the children, dogs and chickens in the street.
The test ride lasted about 100 meters or so … the length of time it took my friend to shift up to second gear. When he let out the clutch again, the rear wheel locked up solid, and if you know anything about riding motorcycles, when your rear wheel locks unexpectedly, you often wind up doing a face plant in the street. And that’s what happened. Ouch.
So my buddy had to swallow his pride and push the motorcycle to local dealership and ask them to look into why the transmission locked up solid in second gear.
The verdict? Long-term, major damage to the transmission. Basically the whole transmission needed to be rebuilt. A very expensive proposition. And one the previous owner must have known about, because all the oil in the transmission had been carefully flushed out so it wouldn’t leak out the big crack in the transmission case. Wow, what an unpleasnt surprise. What to do?
The owner of the motorcycle shop told my friend, “Sir, we can fix this for you, but the parts will take a long time to come in, and the cost of spare parts being what they are, the repair will cost you maybe half the price of a new bike like this. Why not trade it in. I have new models like this, in stock, in red, blue and silver. Cost is P50,000 Philippine pesos with registration, license and one year’s insurance included.”
My friend was “Gobsmacked” as my British friends like to say. At that time, P50,000 was only a few US dollars over $1000. $400 less than the total cost he had already invested, and local service right around the corner near his house.
Maybe there are a lot of Filipinos “out to get you”, but my motorcycle friend found out, the hard way, that there are a lot of Americans out to get you too. So what do you folks think about the “Filipinos always out to get you” issue?
Fast forward a couple years to 2006 when I fist moved here to Marilao, Bulacan.
One morning I went to our local SM mall and I stopped for coffee at a franchised outlet of a popular Aussie coffee-house chain, Moca Blends. I ordered a coffee and some small sweet bun. Drank the coffee, ate the bun and then asked for my bill.
The pretty young waitress laid the little tray on my table with my bill, it came up to P160 … call it three dollars US at the time.
I said to myself, “well there wasn’t al that much effort involved in serving me, but hey, she’s pretty and pleasant and I’m feeling good, so I’ll just drop these two 100 peso notes on the payment tray and go on about my shopping … she’ll be happy with that P40 peso tip.”
Only thing is, I wasn’t paying attention as I got the money ut of my wallet. What I thought were two P100 notes were actually P1,000 notes. So, completely oblivious to what I was doing, I was getting up and walking out of the place leaving a $40-something dollar tip.
Wow. How stupid of me. And how lucky for her. I mean I had already left the money and was walking away .. all she had to do was pocket the huge tip .. and seriously, that tip was probably two weeks pay for her.
What would you have done? What to you think one of those “out to get you” Filipinos would have done?
What she did, bless her honest soul, was to run after me and say, “Sir, please wait for your change” as she handed me the extra P1,000 note and went to the register to make my change.
Did you expect her to do that, or to say nothing and pocket the difference? I certainly don’t feel “the Filipino is always out to get me”, that’s for sure. What about you?
Now, last story for today. Sunday last my wife and I took a trip up to Zambales, visiting some family members there. On Saturday I had been to the bank, and I got P20,000, (about $450 USD at today’s rate) for our February household expenses, food shopping, etc. With any luck at all, that will last us the whole month.
I gave P10,000 to my wife and tucked the other P10,000 carefully in my wallet. Now, of course, I know there are pickpockets and such, and, of course, “You now there are always Filipinos out to get the foreigner”, so I keep my wallet in my front pants pocket and try to be really careful.
During the trip on Sunday, I spent close to P2000, mostly on diesel fuel … which I normally only need once a month or so. So I had P8000 plus still in my wallet, along with some credit cards, my driver;’s license, military ID, and business cards I’ve had made up for PhilFAQS.com.
Someplace between the last place I spent money (a gas station on Subic Freeport) and our home, my wallet decided to get a divorce. (actually, it was in a rest area on the NLEX expressway, but I didn’t know, at the time), that my wallet decided it had been with me long enough.
I do know that when I got to the house in Marilao, and went fishing for the keys yo open our gate in my front pocket, I got that horrible “empty” feeling.
OMG. No wallet. Wala. Nada. Nothing. No trace. “Oh sh*t!. How could I have been so careless? Oh my. Why do I do now. And also, “Oh you idiot Dave, why on earth did you have so much cash in your wallet, and why did you have so many cards there, most of which you never even use here in the Philippines.”?
I’m here to tell you, it was an embarrassing and really devastating feeling. The money, of course, oh well, that’s gone. And the ID’s are replaceable, with a lot of hassle. And the credit cards, well, of course they can be canceled. But my goodness, what a feeling. Bad.
Both my wife and I believe in God and in prayer, so I am not ashamed to admit I said a lot of fervent prayers that night … but you know, God doesn’t always have time to deal with these small events, and maybe He was teaching me not to be so careless, etc., etc. Prayer is always answered, but we often don’t like the answer we get.
Face it, Dave, you were careless and you paid the price. The wallet is gone … and besides, you “know” how many Filipinos are out to get you, don’t you. There’s no sense even thinking about retracing your steps and looking for that wallet … don’t you remember the Brooks and Dunn song, “Lost an Found” ..
… It’s kinda like a lost and found
In a border town
Askin’ bout a diamond ring
They just look at you
Like you’ve lost your mind
Say they haven’t seen a thing …
I called the credit card companies, cancelled the cards, and went to bed, depressed and angry with myself.
Monday morning I got up, had some coffee, checked my email, wrote an article for PhilFAQS and the told myself, “OK, Dude, enough self-pity and enough time-wasting. You know you need to go to the LTO and file a lost license report and request a replacement, no more putting things off. Get moving!”
“Yes”, I said to myself, “You’re right. I’ll just check my email one more time before I shut down.” Can you guess what I found in my new mail?
A message from a fellow named Josh, subject line, “lost wallet”. Wow, what’s this I was thinking as I clicked to open it.
The message said my wallet had bene found in the parking lot of a service area the night before, and gave the gentleman’s contact numbers so I could get in touch to recover my lost possession.
Needless to say, I wasted no time in a., thanking God and b., getting in touch with Josh.
He’s a businessman, has his office in a town nearby, and I drove there straight away, and met Josh and his boss, Jun, who was the fellow who actually had found the wallet when he stopped to eat at the service area, probably just minutes after I had departed, sans wallet.
I did make one stop on my way to Josh’s office. I stopped at Red Ribbon and bought the biggest cake they had, wishing they had an even nicer one 
Jun and Josh were just two of the nicest people you would ever want to meet (and there were others on the staff of the business, too, who were friendly and helpful, sorry I didn’t write down everyone’s name, but my thanks go out to all, just the same).
Josh is a busy manager. he didn’t need to take time out of his day to spend it tracking down some careless kano.
Jun is a busy executive, he owns several businesses, does some farming, has all the business and family commitments you would expect, and certainly owes nothing to unimportant passers-by like me.
But this is the Philippines. Filipinos, certainly in my experience, go out of their way, time and time again, to be helpfull, in so many different ways.
And also, in my experience, they go out of their way to be honest, to. And it takes a strong sense of honesty to find a lost wallet and spend half your day tracking down the owner, when they easily could have just put the money in their pocket, tossed the wallet away and gone on with their business.
I mean, what did any of them owe me? They never met me, they don’t live next door, and the chances of our paths ever crossing except for the wallet incident would be extremely remote.
But that’s not the way they are made. Their parents, their schools, their churches and the other influences in their lives have taught them to be honest, and to do the right thing, even if it takes some effort, and some will power.
God bless you, Jun and Josh and all the other Filipinos who have helped me have such a pleasant life here in the Philippines. Maraming, Maraming Salamat Po!
For those of you who fervently believe that “the Filipino is out to get you”, and that as a foreigner, you are sure to “pay the skin tax” , and all those other derogatory terms … her’s a thought, based on my real-world experience.
Do yourself (and me) a favor, and stay home … the Philippines is not for you.
Hi Dave,
Thank you so much for having faith in us Filipinos. I do believe in “karma” — you have been good to us and our country, that is why good things also happen to you here.
I often tell my friends about your website, that it is very delightful to see a foreigner have a FAQ site about the Philippines. Honestly, I frequent your site for some tips even though I am Filipino and have been living here all my life.
But just a word of precaution, not every Filipino have the same morals and values as Josh and Jun. So please please be careful always.
JJ
@JJ (ID 5056): Hi JJ, thanks for being a reader and for your always helpful comments that help build the community. Believe me, I’m not naive, I know there’s plenty bad people around … but I just thought I’d relate a couple real stories of things that have actually happened to me. That’s the way life is, we have to take the bad with the good, but often, people only write about the bad. What happened to me, happened to me, and I’m grateful for all my expereinces.
Keep a watchful eye but you have to do that everywhere you go. There is no reason to put yourself in harms way but I believe it is as safe there (or safer) than it is in the states. God forbid I lost my wallet in my home town with 400.00 inside. I may get it back and may not.
People are people. Good and bad. The only thing that changes is geography. Our problem is that we feel that our geography is better or safer than someone else’s.
@Randall (ID 5060): I lost my wallet becuase I was stupid. Didn’t even put it back in my front pocket where it belonged. The loss was potentially more devastating becuase I foolishly carried more money and more cards and ID’s in it than there was any reason to do. I got it back becuase of sheer blind luck or Divine intervention,whichever belief scheme anyone wants to subscribe to. I like your thought on geography. It really doesn’t affect the basic qualities of people.
I could just as easy have lost it forever, here or in the USA. I also could get knocked over the head and have my wallet stolen, here or in the USA. But that didn’t happen, so rather than pontificate about ‘the odds’, as so many budding mathematicians seem to enjoy doing, I just laid out what happened.
What happened didn’t happen becuase I was in the Philippines, and it didn’t happen becuase my friends Josh and Jun are Filipinos … it happened becuase I was lucky and becuase they were good, honest people. Luck or goodness doesn’t know much about international borders, ethnicity, religion etc. I just happen to be a believer in the theory that goodness is spread pretty equally around the world’s population … may it always be that way.
Dave: I haven’t lost my wallet here yet, but on a number of occasions when I have inadverently overpaid, the eror was brought to my attention.
@John Miele (ID 5061): That’s great, John. Glad you’ve had experiences that mirror mine. Thanks again for being a valuable contributor here at PhilFAQS
I pretty much agree with you. The average Filipino is just as honest or just as dishonest as any other person.
I mean when you are selling something it does not make much sense not to try and get top dollar/peso most Americans are not really into haggling for items.
My concern in the Philippines is aggressive street people, if you have had an encounter with those aggressive street kids you know what I mean. Push one away or heaven forbid hit one and you are in deep doo-doo, what? you pushed that child? Off to jail. The only tactic I have found that worked was to duck into a business really fast, make a scene and let the business owner beat the crap out of the kid. There are also plenty of adult street hasslers that are just as bad. I know you will claim they that they do not exist now days, but lets get real Philippines is a poor country and we all know they do. I like my freedom and would not want to live say in Olongapo and have to travel around with a brother in law or other person as a bodyguard all the time. Please don’t tell me the same thing happens in the US, because it does not !
@zeke_axlerod (ID 5062): Hi Zeke. Hope all is well with you. I appreciate your comments and your contribution to the community, but, oh well, here we go again with this veiled (or not so veiled) insinuation that I give false info or don’t know what I’m talking about. let me address some of your points one by one.
… most Americans are not really into haggling for items…
Yes, I agree. But the point I was making had nothing to do with haggling. It had to do with the motorcycle purchaser buying the motorcycle at whatever price was offered just becuase it was offered by a “fellow American” and not a Filipino. A secondary point would be that the “fellow American” who was selling the bike seemed pretty crooked and cold to me. He obviously knew the bike was busted beyond economical repair and he willing shafted a “fellow American”, rather than just accept the fact he had a busted motorcycle.
It’s a prime example of this racial discrimination problem in concrete, real-world transactions. Operating on the continual “Filipinos are out to get you” precept can save you money, or it can often cost you money … a real example of a ‘skin tax”, in my book.
… My concern in the Philippines is aggressive street people, if you have had an encounter with those aggressive street kids you know what I mean…
Yes, I certainly know what you mean. But I don’t hang out where you apparently did (when was your last trip to the Philippines, Zeke?). There are no street people like that in, say, my local neighborhood where I walk freely, often after dark. There’s no street people like that where I frequent in Makati, Quezon City, etc. Nor do they allow them on the SBMA at Subic, for example.
Go downtown on Magsaysay Drive after dark? You’ll experience plenty of them. Fields Avenue in Angeles City? Oh yeah, you bet, plenty of them. My thought is, Zeke, you aren’t picking the places you visit very wisely. Everyone’s experience will differ. Why does it seem to be difficult for you to accept the fact that you might have experienced what you have experienced, and I might be experiencing what I am experiencing… and becuase we are both different people at different times and places, we could both be right. Ever consider that?
… Push one away or heaven forbid hit one and you are in deep doo-doo, what? you pushed that child? Off to jail. The only tactic I have found that worked was to duck into a business really fast, make a scene and let the business owner beat the crap out of the kid. ...
I was going to let this comment pass, but upon reflection, I can’t.
By what right would you ever push children around or stand by while they are beaten? This statement/attitude both shocks and angers me, so I’m going to be very careful not to say too much. Pushing, shoving and beating, especially of children, even when they annoy you, is assault and/or child abuse.
You have no right to do this, to a Filipino child or one of any other nationality. Dealing with frustrations by physical violence is wrong, wrong, wrong … (and possibly a very dangerous thing to do in the Philippines). That’s all I am going to say.
… I like my freedom and would not want to live say in Olongapo and have to travel around with a brother in law or other person as a bodyguard all the time…
This speaks to what I alluded to in the first paragraph. I’ve been to Olongapo many times. It’s inconceivable to me that anyone would require a body guard … see my exceptions above, re the bar districts. Olongapo is so much more than Magsaysay Drive and Barrio Barretto … which seems to be all that many ex-servicemen ever saw.
However, given you attitude toward physical confrontations, maybe you would feel more comfortable with a body guard. However, it is my opinion that nothing like that is needed, assuming you don’t decide to take up residence in the red light district. Like all opinions, YMMV.
… I know you will claim they that they do not exist now days … Please don’t tell me the same thing happens …
First of all, do me the favor of not telling me what I am going to say … as I didn’t say what you “knew” I would say, so what do you know?
Secondly, I guess to end this exchange clearly, let me say this. This is my house. I say what I want and I would never dream of going into your home and telling you what to say.
I’m really not sure why you keep reading here and casting aspersions, telling me what I do and don’t know, and telling me what I can and can’t say … you remind me quite a bit of a number of obviously disenchanted and unhappy foreigners I’ve met here in the Philippines. If they dislike it here so much, I am always puzzled as to why they stay.
You obviously aren’t interested in living in the Philippines anyway, which is fine with me. I’m not selling the place, I’m only keeping people abreast of my expereinces and trying to answer questions in so far as I am able. Different strokes for different folks, as they say. Be well, Zeke.
Hi Dave,
I know of a few people in my area of the UK,i would not trust,real rip off merchants,they exist everywhere in the world,thankfully they are in the minority.
I would say your chance of getting your wallet back in the UK,would only be around 10%,especially in these recession days.
regards,Chas.
@Chasdv (ID 5069): Yep. I lost mine in the US once, in Colorado Springs, which prides itself on being one of the “Evangelical Christian Capitals” of the US. As you might guess, never heard from that wallet again …
Well written article with a happy ending. It’s good to know there are kind-hearted people out there!
@Tom (ID 5072): One of the few Tagalog phrases I learned early ion is “suwerte ako” … “I’m lucky” or “I’m fortunate”. It’s easy to remember, becuase it’s true.
Philly,
I do have any interest in living in the Philippines, I probably owe it to my wife who has lived here for the last 30 years. I also love many things about the Philippines, the food being high on my list.
However, I am not going to ignore my concerns. Seems you have not had an encounter with AGGRESSIVE street kids, that is the very worst of situations, when you are getting poked in the face and hands are in your pockets you will react. No matter what you do it will be wrong. Do a web search of Philippine street kids, The things you read will scare you( death squads etc). 60,000–600,000 street kids, in areas that include Caloocan, Manila, Pasay, Quezon City and most other cities with substantial populations. I read these blogs to get an idea of what is going on in the Philippines from an Americans point of view and how they deal with every day situations. By the way I miss those wild and wooly days of libo out in Barrio Barretto and Subic City, I don’t expect Sainthood anytime soon LOL.
@zeke_axlerod (ID 5077): Hi Zeke. Thanks for the additional information. No one suggests at all you should not voice your concerns. I value them. I appreciate you taking the personal barbs out of your comment, that makes for easier reading from “onion skinned” people like me.
I don’t dispute the street kid problem at all … although I will say, you’ll find a lot of over-wrought information on line, especially about the Philippines, given the well-know penchant for drama and “OA” (Over Acting) of many Filipinos, and especially the news media here. But there’s no argument from me that such problems do exist. And, yes, I do watch were I am going and there are plenty places I wouldn’t go, especially at night or in crowds. Will I ever get caught someplace I wish i hadn’t gone? Well, could be, I’m certainly not all that smart, and it’s also well known that bad things happen even to good people. But I certainly don’t dwell on it, and I won’t be losing sleep any time soon.
That’s one of the reasons I always advise people not to be in a rush to buy property and not to be in a hurry to say, “I am gong to live in XXXX.”. May well turn out that they don’t like their first choice … you need experience “on the ground”, for sure.
I’ve not been to any of the bars that remain in Barrio Barretto, funnily enough I have visited there a number of times, there’s a couple good foreign-owned meat stores there that we often stop at for special cuts or sausages or something else we can’t buy locally. My wife (and her five sisters) would be able to tell you more interesting tales from the past. her parents had a rather interesting child-rearing/child teaching technique. When they were traveling up to Zambales, whee we have family, still, they would pass through Olongapo and barrio Barretto at night and drive slow and point out things to the girls so that they got a real ‘show” … along with the message, “Do well in school or this is where you might wind up
. I’ve driven through there as late as 8 or 9 at night and things look relatively tame, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to go down any dark alleys, none the less. If you decide to visit some day, let me know,and I’ll pick you up at the airport and we’ll go hoist a few at my friend Johan’s on Baloy Beach … food is good, rooms are cheap and the only sound after 9 or 10 at night is the surf … although barrio Baretto is just a few blocks away.
Thanks again for contributing here, Zeke, and take time to enjoy life no matter where you’re living.
Hi Dave,
Nice to hear that everything went well for you and your wallet. I find most of the folks here are good honest people. Like every country in the world you have your good and bad.
When I lived in Kansas everyone had a gun. I always had some kind of gun with me at all times. As long as the gun wasn’t hidden it was OK. In Michigan you could never carry a gun so I didn’t.
I don’t even have a gun here in the Philippines. As a kano I cannot own one so that is the end of that story. If you remember I was almost shot and killed in my own home. Here in Tagum City a man was shot and killed in our back yard while we were out of town. Our maid was really scared! The street kids are a real problem in every city. Here in Tagum City they mostly steal and rob to pay for their next glue sniff fix. Lots of beggers downtown but they ask once and that is that. While in Butuan last month a street kid slapped Meriam’s hand because she would not give him money. That was the first time in her life anyone like that touched him. The trike driver said the kid was from Iran and not the Philippines. I wanted to “reach out and touch him” but knew all I could do is hurt the kid and then go to jail. Don’t care for the orange jumpsuits they have here and Michigan.
I tend to vote with my pocketbook. If I think the treatment wasn’t fair at a store I just don’t go back. Their lost. I enjoy the people here. So many nice folks here. The kano? The most stand offish people I have ever seen. Why can’t they act more like the Filipinos? I met a American on the bus that was from Tagum City. He said the same thing. All the kanos acted like he wasn’t there. Maybe too many bad motorcycles been sold? Andy the “Hobo Traveler” said the same thing. He never run into a bunch of Americans that just did want to be friendly. Andy has traveled the world for over 10 years and this is the only country he ran into that. Maybe it us that need to change and not Filipinos. Just a few thoughts Dave, hope I didn’t P O any kanos out there.
73,
Gary
@Gary Wigle (ID 5079): Hi Gary. Thanks for sharing your experiences. It’s very interesting to me to learn more about life in the other parts of the Philippines where I haven’t had the chance to visit … yet, at least.
Since I don’t live in a city of any size (even though I am close enough to Manila to smell it), my experience is much different to that of many other people who chose to live here … as will most everyone elses be different to that of ‘the other guy’. I notice Zeke has just posted another excellent comment with a lot of good info, also.
If any of our fellow kano get offended by your words, or mine, well, sorry about that, their skin is too thinn (or, as we say here in the Philippines, they have “onion skin”. (remember carbon paper, onion skin paper and typewriter ribbons?
). I’ve met some really nice foreigners here … and I’ve also met some real “a-holes”, and I expect both groups are well aware of who they are.
The only time my wife and I have been out-and-out “flim-flammed” and taken for any appreciable amount of money (a bit over $50 USD as I recall), was by a “fellow American”, right outside the gate of the US Embassy … and it was so well done, we never even felt the pain of the knife going in … we still laugh about it.
It would also be naive to think there aren’t plenty of Filipinos who are more than willing to lie, cheat and steal. As long as I can laugh … or learn … or both … it’s all good.
Dave,
I appreciate the opportunity to agree with you 110% about how honest Filipinos are. The only exception was an architect who cheated us. We had dozens of employees when we built our house. We supplied all tools and materials. None of them took anything, although they had many opportunities. The business people we bought materials from were a good bunch. Some are now our personal friends.
I too have a lost wallet story so similar to yours. I left my wallet, full of money and other goodies on the counter of the Iloilo City Central Post Office and left the building. Eventually I had the same “something is missing” feeling and felt for my wallet. It was missing and I had the same horrible sinking feeling. I made my way back to the post office. The guard recognized me and handed me my wallet. Nothing had been touched.
Another time when I was riding a jeepney home and had lots of packages, I left my bag with my cellphone and digital camera on the seat. Passengers stopped me from getting off and made sure I had my bag.
Your post got me thinking back to these and many other instances of honesty and kindness from Filipinos. I feel very privileged to live among these people.
Bob Hammerslag
Tigbauan, Iloilo
@Bob (ID 5085): Hi Bob, nice to hear from you, and for the vote of confidence. There are people who would say I am headed for big trouble, writing about my good luck. If one is superstitious, who knows, maybe that is so. After all, I could get robbed, cheated or otherwise have a bad experience any time. (and in any country, for that matter).
But if something bad does happen to me, I’ll write about that too … life is made up of good and bad things, or so I have been told
Interesting your experiences with your building project. I haven’t done anything so extensive, but have had my share of people working here, and my experiences have been the same … scrupulously honest regarding stealing anyhting, a bit had-headed about doing things my way, but that’s part of life.
There are times this fervent desire to ‘save me money’ has made me mad enough to just spit, actually. I don’t know if you ever rad my classic “money saving” article, but it’s one of my favorites and Mita and I laugh about it often.
I’m one of those who thinks everyone (erm… from Philippines) is out there to get you (anybody who’s been abroad)….
My experiences is similar to what you guys call the white skin tax—I am very much dark(er) skinned Filipino… I don’t flash my stuff around but word does get around and I get screwed with higher, motorcycle fees and food prices. In saying that, I get those from “local” very small operators. The shopping centre/complex staff are fine. The ones I have dealt with are all honest. But I like to support the smaller operators the … calenderia’s around the corner where you’re not sure if you’re going to get sick after eating there kinda places….(well not to that extreme of-course but you get the idea.. small operators)…
The motorcycles—they often take off and charge me the what’s the word I’m looking for .. pakway??? pak-something… you know as if you hired the motorcycle exclusively… it doesn’t help I suppose when I speak tagalog with a slang or even worse!! speak visaya and whatever comes out of my mouth seems to have no releation to what I was meant to say.. just ask my wife.. she laughs badly.. and I grew up from bisaya region!!
@JC (ID 5086): Hi JC, thanks for that comment. Many people may not realize just how much internal prejudice there is in the Philippines. I was shocked at first by how many Filipinos would speak or think badly of fellow Filipinos who came from a different province, spoke a different language, etc. It’s part of life here. Just one of those things.
I change my intnet service more often than my towels!! My family in the Phil. is always worried that the people one block from there home wil knock me out and take my money. They dont have much desire to see what is on the other side of thw mountain. I always ask the police in Tacloban for directions if I get lost. It makes my family very worried even though my brother in law is a policeman in that area. In my eight trips there I have often been asked for money but never felt unsafe. I had a guy ask me for money in downtown Medford, oregon today so no big deal when I am there.
@donm (ID 5107): Pretty much tallies with my experience too, donm. Of course there is crime here .. there is everywhere, but I feel much safer here than I did back in Colorado. I do, however, avoid a lot of places just as a precaution.
Hey Dave!
I’m a full blooded filipino, born, raised and educated in Phil. married to a beautiful filipina, migrated and became a US citizen. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I like it due to the fact that I can relate to as being a filipino and as an american at the same time.Obiously I’m interested on how you feel, see, think, and react in every situation you incountered inview of being an american,( born, raised and cultured), in my native country. To tell you frankly I learned a lot in your site about philippines in depth. Codos for you and the rest of the bloggers that contributed. I,m originally from Iloilo (Hi to Bob H and Dave, like their site too). BTW, I commented coz as I’m reading this @ work(I knew no admin people reading this blog otherwise be in trouble blogging while @ work) my colleage’s car just almost broken in by fellow american, thanks to security guard that chased them away.(And tell you I’m in a little suburb area in NorthEast Texas wherein people are still “Redneck” and layedback) But, the main point here is that where ever you are, develop or 3rd world country, there will be always somebody who’s a crook. Even in a family there always be a” black sheep” as they say. More power to you Phill. I loved Philippines and still waiting for the right time to live back there( don’t say a world Phill, I know what you’re thinkin about the “right time to move”…ha ha ha).
@psychRN (ID 5144): Thanks for being a reader, and for contributing. I especially value real comments from my Filipino readers, because it’s so easy for a foreigner to ‘put his foot’ wrong and insult Filipinos or the Philippines. If I explain things so that foreigners and Filipnos alike can read them and ‘get the meaning’, then I know I’m not too far off base (most of the time, anyway
)
Don’t worry about the time to come back … you’ll know when 9and if) that time will come.
One of my fav sisters-in-law is a critical care nurse in Florida, bene there for years now, and I know there are many, many times she wanst to return too … but it’s not time for her to do so… yet.
Don’t worry abut blogging at work, either (unless the admins is watching) … I know from the time of day and my server logs how much my traffic builds up when it’s work time in the US .. and people are reading and sometimes writing in to tell me how much they hate their job.
And for sure there’s plenty black sheep everywhere. I mean the night that wallet as gone, I “knew” it was gone forever. I would have felt the same had I been in the US or in any other country … I mean, that’s the way life works, you do something stupid, you usually pay the price. But when my hero Jun came through I figured it was well worth a shout-out.
Stop by any time, maybe we can hook up some day in Iloilo, not only are Bob H and Dave my online buds there, but I have a real good non-blogging US buddy there that I haven’t seen in way too many years. I’ll make sure I have my wallet shoved way down inside my pocket if I make the trip, though LoL.
There are many cities in Canada, where you avoid going to certain places. We have gang drug wars and shootings, very, very, far too often. I know people from the Philippines. One was a nurse in a seniors care home. She was full of fun and usually had us in stitches, everyone in the home loved her. I value people by their person, not by their race. Anyone thinking, there are no bad people in Canada, need to rethink that one.
I am thinking of moving to the Philippines. I am now retired. I had thought to move into a gated community, purchase a home for cash. My pension, is not that large, I thought to free up my pension from mortgage payments or rent. However, there seems to be a lot of chatter, of not buying a home there, as you don’t own the ground your home is sitting on. It is said, your property can be taken from you, and therefore lose your house, is this so? Another question, do you have to become a Philippines citizen, to live permanently in the country? Or can you retire there on a visa?
Any advice would be appreciated. I haven’t started to do any research yet. I have to first, sell my home here, and all of my earthly goods as well.
Thanx….Gloria
@Gloria from Canada (ID 5320): Hello Gloria, thanks for dropping by and for contributing to the community. Buying a home here for a foreigner can be problematical. Foreigners can not own land. Foreigners are fee to buy condominium units, also to lease land long-term (50 to 75 years). You should read my series that starts here Owning Your Own Home — in the Philippines. There is no more chance of the government taking your land here in the Philippines than anywhere else I have lived.
If you are a single retired woman I personally would look very closely at a condo, preferably near good medical facilities. There are many to chose from. You’d have the advantages of full-time, on-site security, no outside repairs or yard maintenance, and a property management office n site, so if you want to take a trip there is always someone there to watch you house or even rent your unit out for you.
The other big advantage of a condo is the visa situation. The common way a foreigner can retire here is to use the SRRV (Special Resident Retirement Visa). This is a lifetime visa that greatly simplifies life for a foreign. It does require an investment (varies with age) and one approved investment is the purchase of a condo unit. See this article for a rundown of the SRRV and info on a contact person, Ms. Susan Dudley, a fellow Canadian whose been living here in the Philippines along, long time now. Philippine Asteisms
Thank you Philly.
I will look into the SRRV, that sounds great, and is valuable information for me.
The reason I was looking at the gated community, of a semi detached or single house, in a gated community. I have a dog. I am amazed you can buy a 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom for around $25,000, even with a pool, clubhouses, jogging trails, all kinds of goodies. They also have townhouses, in gated communities. I’m not that fussy for a condo, I feel closed in. In my younger years, I rented an apartment, and got out as soon as I was able, into a rented house. As it is in the U.S. there is space, we Canadians are really used to our space too. Some of the gated communities, offer shuttle service. Do you think the SRRV would work for a townhouse, or a gated duplex, or a detached house?
I presently live up in, northern British Columbia. The snowplow, pushed the snow into my view, of my front room window. The mountain of snow is so high, I can’t even see the street. So, the Philippines, sound wonderful to me. Not knowing the country, I’m not sure where to live. I guess a person, has to watch out for flood and slide areas. I love the sea, however, I hear there can be, wicked typhoons. My son has a fear of tsunami’s, and tells me not to live on the beach. I did see a gated community, on a high plateau with a gorgeous view of the sea. They said, because of the higher altitude, (they called it a cold climate), it wouldn’t be, so unbearably hot.
My son is contemplating, moving his wife and little daughter, to the Philippines. He would have to work though. He is an Electronics Engineer. He also does house renovations. He is also a journeyman painter. He earned that from, a German journeyman painter, while he was going to university. In his younger years, he did road construction. He hasn’t researched the work situation there yet.
Anyway, I much appreciated your advice. If there is anything else you and anyone else can advise me of. It would be very welcome.
Thanx, Gloria
This is one of those comments that deserves its own dedicated answer, and I think I’ll put it reight on the main article section so that all can see my response. You’ve raised a number rof interesting questions here, and I do appreciate the contribution to the community.
There are so many accounts of the locals out to get the foriegners. That also applies here in New York as well as just about anyplace else in the world to some degree. Recently many of the New York Taxi Drivers got caught even scamming fellow New Yorkers !
My first visit to The Philippines, my luggage got misplaced by the airline somewhere in Taipei and never made it to Manila. My destination was Iligan City in Mindanao. I filled out the appropriate claim forms in Manila and at that point I didn’t know if I would ever see my luggage again or not although the airline said it would be forwarded to the hotel address I gave them. They also gave me the Manila phone number so I could call and check on the status of my lost luggage. I don’t have a cell phone so I had to rely on the phone in my hotel room for calling Manila which had to be dialed by the hotel front desk since it was a long distance call. When I explained to the Hotel what had happened with my luggage, they said if I cared to give them the details, they could make the phone calls for me and do the follow up so I would not have to stay in my hotel room instead of going out sightseeing. I gave them the details, they relayed all the messages for me and told me when they heard from the airline that my luggage was on the way to be delivered by LBC. A couple of weeks later when I checked out of the hotel they gave me the bill and the long distance calls to Manila were not shown on the bill. I could have said nothing, paid the bill and leave but I liked that hotel and wanted to return someday so I asked about the long distance charges for all of the calls to Manila. They smiled and said ” No Problem Sir ” ! ( No Charge ).
I had read in travel guides long before going, it is better for foriegners to shop in places where the prices are posted and for the most part I have done this. There were some things that I wanted to buy that the only place in the city my friends there knew the items were available, were at a small independent hardware store. I had my filipino friends go into the store and get the things while I waited out of sight on the sidewalk until all items had been rung up and a total for the tiems was reached. Then my friends came out and told me how much it was. When the store owner saw an American ( me ) come in and that I was paying for the items they not only smiled but even threw in a few accessory items No Charge !
I like to go into stores in another country to see what kind of products are available and any major differences in those products compared to an equivalent product sold in the USA. On things that interest me, I usually know before hand the price range of the item such as the ” Walmart ” price and the ” Independent Dealer ” price as obviously an independent dealer or small store can not offer the lower price that a huge chain store can offer from buying in massive quantities. I also try to ckeck out country specific websites and get an idea fo what something is selling for in that country. I went into an independent Computer store in Iligan City to buy some PC accessories as gifts for friends there. I felt I was charged an appropriate price for the items I had bought and later had those prices confirmed as being the same price that a Filipino would have been charged. They were.
I visited a well known appliance store where prices were plainly marked on all displayed items. The sales person on the floor was very polite and accomodating. When I decided to buy what you could consider a couple of ” Major Appliance ” items, the sales person comfirmed the posted prices and then also commented that he could discount for cash ( if this store was out to get me do youthink they would have told me that ? ) Additionally they even threw in a couple of nice multi speed electric table fans No Extra Charge !
Any of these places could have tried to charge me a ” foriegner ” price if they wanted to, maybe I would have paid it or maybe not but in the end they made more money by giving me the same price and the same deal that they would have given to a local Filipino. How is that you ask ? Very simple, Repeat Business. I have made several more visits to Iligan City since that first visit. I remember these stores and have returned to them for additional purchases in addition to recommending them to others that live there. It is more than likely that I will make additional purchases from them in the future as well.
Yes, I may still keep my guard up when buying things in The Philippines but I think these three samples of my experiences would indicate that they are ” Not All ” out the get the foriegner.
Bob New York (ID 5631) » Thanks again for another really valuable contribution, Bob. You know there are times I am sure I have been overcharged for something, but on the average, after nearly 5 years here now, the times I have been dealt with fairly, at times even more than fairly far, far outnumber the times I was charged too much. One problem we Americans have is, we tend to always just pay what price is asked, and many times the price asked is not the price the vendor expects to get, anyway. It never hurts to ask.
Once my wife bought some really good fish from a market vendor for P100 a kilo. A few weeks later she asked me to stop by the same vendor and get another kilo. I went to the market, found the same vendor and was charged p140 a kilo, which sounded fair enough to me becuase I didn’t remember what my wife had paid in the past, and I brought the fish home.
My wife said, “You paid WHAT? That crazy woman tried to get P150 a kilo from me a couple weeks ago and I told her she could just forget the sale, which is how I then got her down to P100 … you paid the asking price? Haven’t you learned anything?”
I did learn from that deal, sweetheart, I did learn
. I probably got more out of that learning experience than the P40 I paid in ‘tuition’. Education always costs money, if it’s worthwhile.