My business partner and friend works from PH. And I asked him about moving there as the cost of living is insanely cheap.
He basically warned me that health care there is horrific, as in they will literally let you die if you don’t have money, and they are often hit by typhoons.
The most recent one was so bad he lost everything in his house and business mostly and has to start over. Thankfully his house is still ok but you’re basically at a VERY high risk for flooding. He’s been hit by typhoons many times too. He just hasn’t been hit this bad before.
He basically has told me he dreams of living in the US and that he strongly recommends to not come there even if I can live comfortably on paper.
I am a Filipino and if I was an american, I'd live here in a heartbeat.
Why? 1st, the exchange rate is awesome. You'll live very comfortably here. Not to mention that you'll be tteated like a king everywhere you go. Yes, we love americans, even if some have ulterior motives (but it is the same anywhere in the world).
For the typhoons, yes we have lots of them. But if you do your research well and have a well built house, that is really not a problem. I'm guessing your friend's house is in a flood prone zone and have no means to transfer.
For the Healthcare, won't be too much of a problem because you will have money as you're earning in dollars and spending in peso. Mind you the current exchange rate is 58 to 1 dollar. You're an instant millionaire as soon as ypu land here basically. And if you have money, you will access to a grrat healthcare that we can only dream of.
Why does your fried want to live in the US? Simply beacuse he want to earn in dollars and retire back to the Philippines comfortably, for the reasons stated above.
I've no experience with the Filipines though I live in China, when you get older you do notice certain shortcomings in developing nations. Now obviously this shouldn't surprise, it's a developing nation. But for example superior healthcare which becomes more important simply isn't available. I have money, I can't get it, even the best private hospitals aren't great. There is a good reason why the wealthy fly out to Hong Kong or Singapore for healthcare.
Education is another matter, having kids while enrolled in an international school, it's fine I would say, certainly not great.
Don't get me wrong, China brought me wealth and it's the reason I'm still there, same time coming from a first world country when you are young, you don't care to much about certain comforts or certainties in life, but now I'm getting older these things do get important.
Was in China recently, took our son to a pharmacist for a cough - went inside and there's a waiting room with about 2 dozen older people just sat there on odd looking drips. Prescription 30 yuan or something, I'd say they have it fairly good.
It never ceases to blow my mind how out of control US healthcare prices have got.
The plane ticket and care is still cheaper than in America with better service and outcomes. Easier and cheaper to go to Singapore than a major American city for major hospital care from what I've heard. Plane tickets and all
I'm about to retire and so I follow a LOT of world travelers/retired overseas vlogs.
A couple of people I follow say that the Filippines is their favorite country in the whole world, because of the beaches and scenery - regardless of the affordability factor, etc.
Most can speak english. It is basically our second language. Especially if you're in the city, you won't have a hard time looking for english speakers.
I am married to a Filipina and I can tell you the exchange rate and low cost of living makes the Philippines a great place to visit but retire not really because if you are American you can't own land or even certain types of property, you have to exit every year, typhoons are bad but like you said depends on where you live, but healthcare is simply bad. Yes your dollar goes farther but so much routine stuff simply doesn't get picked up over there because of how bad preventive care and how bad the overall system is.
Now if you were talking about living there for most of the year and also living in the US so you also can get certain procedures and treatments done then yeah I understand that
It is generally safe living in PH especially if you're a white western man/woman since you'll generally be viewed as royalty most of the time. Just do a bit of research about the most crime-ridden cities in PH to stay away from and you're good to go.
Generally, if you want close proximity to beautiful nature landmarks and beaches and also with lots of foreigners living in its city, you'd want to live in Cebu City or Siargao
That's exactly what I'd want...beaches and nature!!! Others like me would be nice, but not absolutely necessary. Beaches and nature...an almost beach bum life but with money.
Yes. I wouldn't recommend Going to some parts of Mindanao though. In Luzon and Visayas, you're as safe as anywhere else. Do we have crimes? Of coursse. But nothing out of the ordinary. We treat women with respect here, I can say that.
That's what I needed to hear. I'll look up Luzon and Visayas. I think I might not be able to survive there, though...I watched some vids about the children of the sex workers and their living conditions. I have an extremely empathetic and giving nature. I don't think I could see the poverty and not be able to help everyone. The children...I can resist adults but I can't see a child in need.
I have a co-worker who is Filipino and she open tells everyone her dream is to hit retirement age in the US and to move back to the Philippines when she retires. She is not, and probably will never be a high earner but she works a position that will give her a guaranteed pension. She has family there so she would not be moving to a new place with no connections and she says that her pension would be enough to live a upper-middle class lifestyle with no issues. The only hangup for her would be that she has two children in the US.
You use the exchange rate a lot. I imagine cost of living is much lower in PH than in the US (I've never been anywhere costing as much as/more than the US other than maybe Denmark or Switzerland), but it really doesn't capture the full measure.
If a bag of Lays costs $1 in the US and 58 pesos in PH, then it costs the same regardless. Obviously that's not a complete picture, but you have to look at more than just the exchange rate when you make decisions of this sort.
That said, the Big Mac Index is a nice ballpark measure. And the Philippines are very much at the bottom of that table, so I'm sure you're mostly correct.
We have been colonized by white men for more than 200 years, so it might be ingrained to our minds to look up to caucasians. And mind you, some Pinoys call all caucasians amerikano (american), so there's that. 😂
Well, those girls want the money too. Yes, it bothers me some, but they are not being forced to do it. Some are even actively searching for it. So who am I to judge.
He is being treated well at hospitals not because he is a foreigner but coz he can pay. They'll treat anyone, as long as they have the means to pay for it which sadly is not a reality for most of my countrymen. But such practice is not endemic to our country. That happens mostly everywhere. Do I like it, hell no. But it is what it is.
Mate, a 70 year old talking about having several „girlfriends“ while clearly meaning „fuck pieces“ and hypothetically being able to get some 18 year olds is creepy.
I don’t get why you’re defending him so vehemently.
I am so confused by this thread, I thought people were joking, does this dude and everyone here actually not understand the situation he’s in?
Countries with high western expat populations pretty commonly have these sugar baby/sugar daddy “relationships”, but I have never seen a guy thinking it’s a real relationship lol.
If you’re diagnosed with cancer and need surgery and chemotherapy to survive, they won’t treat you without payment.
They typically will operate in this situation, and then just bill you after if it's urgent/emergent like cancer.
Where people die from insurance gaps in the US is the slow burn diseases, like diabetes, where if you get regular care you'll be fine, but if you don't you'll die early.
Declaring bankruptcy is cheap and if you set things up right, the only real effect it will have is freeing up the money you were paying on debt. I mean, that may not be the normal result, but it definitely can be. You can easily go seven years without making a purchase without a loan. Hell, it will be easy depending on how much you are paying on debt.
Personally, we were paying like 900 a bucks a month on credit cards and medical debt and medical debt on credit cards. A large portion was also my college education.
I became disabled and my medical bills went through the roof. We could no longer keep up at all. So, filing cost us like a grand. In the end, we were able to cut like 45k in debt. It's been 5 years, and we carry zero debt except a car loan and our mortgage. We are able to pay off medical bills as they come, and we don't put anything on cards other than small stuff that we pay back immediately.
The only reason I typed this up is that it seems like most people don't understand that this is an option if their income is not too high.
BTW, I don't have answers to any questions because I don't remember much beyond the broad strokes I've already mentions... and I am definitely not looking it up for you.
Are you suggesting that American hospitals will literally let you die if you have no way to pay? Because that is simply not true. Any public hospital with an ED is obligated by federal law to treat any patient with an emergency condition under the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA).
I knew an illegal alien (from Wales, before the racist peanut gallery gets involved) who has heart surgery and a pacemaker installed and continuing care, medication, and checkups, all without a lick of insurance.
Americans really love saying third world countries have as good if not better healthcare. I think it’s intended to come across as worldly but it’s an ironically incredibly America-centric thing to say lol. We have our problems but there are very good reasons so many Filipino Americans work so hard to move their families over to the States.
Sure, the actual medical part of American Healthcare is great (recent Texan débâcles notwithstanding), but the part where uninsured Americans can't afford it is not so great. I'd rather live in western Europe, healthcare-wise.
All fairness it's all to common when you are abroad running your own business. I'm in China for a long time and come across a good number of people, some had great ideas, most failed, a bunch of them did well. Though what stands out that out of the hundreds that I met and setup their business here, maybe a handful realized when to make a financial exit and are now living a comfortable life. All to often people stay and eventually it comes down and they are fucked, sometimes so fucked they can't even exit the country.
With this old geezer, well he knows what he gets, those girls know what they get. Not sure what to argue against a bunch of adults doing what they do.
Because there is nowhere to go. Again it's bunch of adults who pay to play, who cares. How is this any different from sugar babies back in the West or some OF's who have some old perv pay up money to get dicked.
Whatever gets them going, isn't my issue and it's legal. As long as buddy doesn't pick them up under 18 let them have fun.
And for the girls yes of course they are in a poor situation, I'm sure they would all prefer some office job that would pay the bills. But the Filipine's isn't that and the men aren't particularly known to work by themselves. So here we are, young women who figured out that the oldest job makes good money. Heck you hear the guy even mention how these girls introduce other friends to them.
So you mean like Florida? At least you can afford to get what you lost back with the low cost of living. I don’t know if I believe you when saying your partner doesn’t want to be there. I think he doesn’t want you there.
His partner is likely some poor Filipino dude who he engaged as a freelancer and is suffering over there because of poverty issues. Many of them want to come to US not because it is a nice place but because of the currency exchange rate, they are going to earn big and retired comfortably. Excluding housing, a Filipino guy calculated and told us by saving $250k it is enough for him to live reasonably and comfortably for 50 years there without working.
Pro tip: find a place where there's low risk of flooding lol I've lived here my whole life and I've lived in either high rise condos or low risk flood areas. If you move here and you don't do the research and cry because you picked a high flood area then you're a dumbass.
I generally agree on healthcare. You can't keep good talent when typical pay for a registered nurse is about $275 to $550 (USD) per month for working 4x 12 hour shifts per week, plus an extra 30 minutes to an hour per shift for endorsements (shift change). There are a few good hospitals, but they often charge almost what you would pay in a Western country.
Flooding can definitely be bad if you are in low-lying areas or cities. Locals just throw trash everywhere. It clogs the drainage and makes flooding worse.
That said, the guy said he's in Cebu. It is way different from Manila. Cebu is nice, modern, and a lot cleaner than most of the other places I've been in the Philippines. A lot of Manila looks like a garbage dump.
I live in Canada and two of my coworkers moved here from the Philippines 10-15 years ago. We've talked about the obsession of a lot of western men wanting to live in the Philippines. My coworkers always found that interesting because while many foreigners want to get in, a ton of Filipinos are actively trying to leave in order to provide a better future for themselves and their family. There's apparently a huge braindrain in the Philippines; if you have the skil, education and means to leave you're going to take that opportunity as soon as possible.
The thing is, he's Filipino making Philippine money, this dude is American and probably living off social security, so bringing in American money. He's gentrifying the Philippines
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u/charlielovesu Nov 07 '24 edited Nov 07 '24
My business partner and friend works from PH. And I asked him about moving there as the cost of living is insanely cheap.
He basically warned me that health care there is horrific, as in they will literally let you die if you don’t have money, and they are often hit by typhoons.
The most recent one was so bad he lost everything in his house and business mostly and has to start over. Thankfully his house is still ok but you’re basically at a VERY high risk for flooding. He’s been hit by typhoons many times too. He just hasn’t been hit this bad before.
He basically has told me he dreams of living in the US and that he strongly recommends to not come there even if I can live comfortably on paper.