First World Philippines

[MikeB]

Or is it just all the expat whining from the seats at the bottom of the escalator?

What does this comment mean?

[i am bob]

Sorry about the rant but I get so tired of hearing stories

 

And yet, you just told a story with no references to make it real.

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Thanks, Dave! I wanted to see if anybody would notice that!

2 points on this... 1- can a newspaper article be a valued and accurate reference when they don't include all the facts? Philippines newspapers are infamous for their slanted news coverage.

Point #2 - I'm stuck doing this on my phone at the moment... Very difficult to cut and paste... Still, I'd be happy with others references by naming their sources when presenting statistics. It's easy to look the sources up!

[scott h]

Great topic JGF....anything that gets for pages of responses in 24 is a good one. :thumbsup: 

Will the Philippines become to expensive with the rising number of middle class with more disposable income to spend upping prices?

 

I don't see it happening. The larger the middle class, yes the more luxury goods at higher prices. If you want them? You'll have to pay for them. For the basics? I believe they will still be within reach. Examples: I first came here in 1996, haircut was 40 pesos, my barber now charges 50, but then he moved into a larger, better air conditioned shop and can charge more, still lots of places charge 40. Jeepney fares was 7 pesos now its 8. Prices in the wet market are still very low, and fluctuate with the seasons. Tapsilog was 55 pesos a serving now 60. So I believe that folks will still be able to live well on pensions.

 

Having said that, what Ironmaiden said earlier is the real problem:

 

And certainly now that certain foreign currencies are way down,

 

The above really isn't the fault of the Philippines, warts and all....It will still be cheaper to live here then in our home countries if we are on fixed incomes :cheersty: .

[frosty (chris)]

 

Or is it just all the expat whining from the seats at the bottom of the escalator?

What does this comment mean?

 

Bob was probably referring to me, I was on my zimmer frame trying to get up the escalator at the mall, the one that breaks down every other day :tiphat:

[i am bob]

Or is it just all the expat whining from the seats at the bottom of the escalator?

What does this comment mean?

I was trying to make a semi-humorous comment by referring to the expats who never have a good word about anything and will often be found sitting at the cheap coffee or food stands that are usually placed at the bottom of the escalator. By many of the negative comments in this thread, I was starting to feel like that was where I was.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Great topic JGF....anything that gets for pages of responses in 24 is a good one.  

 

Yes and I hope it keeps civil and everyone's views are respected.  :thumbsup:

[Jollygoodfellow]

I came prepared for the long haul(I/we thought)built a beautiful home, that is less than 2 years old, and we are chucking it.

 

As a matter of interest, after you have returned home for 6 months or a year can you come back and post how you feel about living back in the US. More often than not the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence so would be interesting to know if you made the correct decision.

 

:1 (235):  thanks 

[ironmaiden]

Great topic JGF....anything that gets for pages of responses in 24 is a good one. :thumbsup:

 

Will the Philippines become to expensive with the rising number of middle class with more disposable income to spend upping prices?

 

I don't see it happening. The larger the middle class, yes the more luxury goods at higher prices. If you want them? You'll have to pay for them. For the basics? I believe they will still be within reach. Examples: I first came here in 1996, haircut was 40 pesos, my barber now charges 50, but then he moved into a larger, better air conditioned shop and can charge more, still lots of places charge 40. Jeepney fares was 7 pesos now its 8. Prices in the wet market are still very low, and fluctuate with the seasons. Tapsilog was 55 pesos a serving now 60. So I believe that folks will still be able to live well on pensions. 

If you can live the Filipino way, there might not be a problem. But how many of us foreigners can eat rice and fish or tapsilog every day? A decent meal, the way we are used to it costs way more then in our home countries. For example, i love dairy products but yoghurt costs 3 to 4 times what it costs in Belgium, and it's not exactly a cheap country. Milk double or more, orange juice double, vegetables double or triple (and they are grown here, not imported). Everything that seems to be healthy is extremely expensive. That's what I hear a lot of expats complaining about.

[MikeB]

As a matter of interest, after you have returned home for 6 months or a year can you come back and post how you feel about living back in the US. More often than not the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence so would be interesting to know if you made the correct decision.

It would also be interesting to hear how the people who don't live here or have been here < 6 months feel after living here a couple years.

[John Michael Kane]

Off-topic: I was quite surprised at the cost of veggies at the supermarket. Granted, it was at the SM Hypermart, and I'm not sure if they are the best value or greens.