Why Did You Move To The Philippines

[Jollygoodfellow]

Just an offshoot of another topic where I stated that I would like to ask the reason why anyone decided to move to the Philippines. If you intend to do so one day please add your reasons.

Lets hear some real life expat stories of how you ended up an expat.

[Methersgate]

I'll answer in two parts:

 

I moved (past tense) to the Philippines in the 1990's because my Filipina girlfriend was pregnant, and I could get a job in Manila. Lived there for a couple of years but was offered a higher paying job in China and by that time we were married so the family came to Beijing with me. We settled in the UK, divorced five years ago and our son is now 20 and speaks fluent English and not a lot else. He is doing well as a deck cadet in the Merchant Navy.

 

I intend to move to the Philippines again when I retire, or sooner if I can get a job there, because the divorce left me "cleaned out"  and I can afford a better standard of living, in my reduced circumstances, there, than I can here in England, and it is a nation that I now know a little about, so I would not be "starting from cold" .  Needless to say I paid a visit to the Philippines to check it out four years ago and promptly acquired a new Filipina girlfriend, complete with "baggage. The baggage was then two years old and is now six.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Methersgate

[Jack Peterson]

I can afford a better standard of living, in my reduced circumstances,

 

 At First I was determined not to be the first to answer this First so Thank You Mr Meth, The very Words as in Red mean a lot, I knew 15 years ago that a fixed Income was not going to be easy to cope with. I was already married to my Wife and had a chance to let her see the World but, WE made a decision, if we were to bring our daughter up with a degree of Success and fairly Good living it would be better done here in her Home land, We set a 5 year stage on most things, all went well for the First 8 years  3 years in to the 2nd 5 year  Stage, Bought the Lot, Built the house and then Bang, the STROKE, so all in all I know that we made the Right decision, As we said in Tom's last Topic, As a Country  the Inflation was at a stage that We worked out my last 10/15 years would give the Fixed Income a better chance to give me (Us) The life we wanted and to this day I see no reason to think any other way, I have the Sun, the climate, the Time and the lower cost to see me through my Twilight years. I could have never given things or leave enough for my little family to enjoy the rest of their lives anywhere else.

We researched many places in Europe and places I would feel comfortable in,  Even Given the Unpredictability of any Administration here, I feel that what we have and what they will get after I am gone will maintain them in the best possible way.

OH! I know many knock the PI for all it's problems but as I often say, Integration is the key word and let yourself be encompassed bye the Culture join in and be part of it. Life is all about making the best of Everything that we have. Here, we can have it all, if we are prepared to accept the day to day problems we all suffer, which sometimes are not as bad as in our own Countries :thumbsup:  

 

That's my take and reason!

 

JP :tiphat:

[jon1]

After meeting my wife here during a military deployment, I chose to live here. I had an excellent opportunity to work here for almost 5 years and was able to give us a great start. I worked abroad for 2 1/2 years further building up our situation (house, rental property, vehicles, house/land for the in-laws) and it is all paid for 100%. I still have to get a few more years work (maybe 5) in before I am 100% retired but I am way further ahead of the game if I had been working in the US these last 8 years.

 

The climate, food, where I live is all great to me and I have true peace with my wife here.

[Larry45]

To "Live like a king on $1000 a month"  lol.  I had worked 80 hours/week for the previous 10 years planning an escape from the U.S.  Was looking at Peru and Ecuador, but fate played a hand and I ended up in Asia. I got lured in by some Fil-Am friends that I have and also being 41 and never married at the time, I realized it might be my last chance to have a legitimate marriage and family.  I'm sure there is irony and humor in there, but that's why I came here. :) 

[Larry45]

The climate, food, where I live is all great to me and I have true peace with my wife here.

You are so very blessed....many of us here have yet to find true peace. 

[Hey Steve]

My particular reason for moving to the Philippines is two fold. Expense and the people. I enjoy the simple, yet somewhat comfortable lifestyle and what it offers in the Philippines. The people don't complain so much as they do here in the "land of milk and honey" with all it's riches and opportunities-that is more or less constant. I'm just tired of it, myself. Happiness, to me, does not necessarily lie in the environment you are in but rather how you percieve, accept, and even embrace your surroundings. I have always (while remaining realistic of the negatives) enjoyed my environment on my many trips there and so therein lies my (our) decision to move with hopes more than expectations that all will go as planned. 

[stevewool]

Not there yet, but the house is,

So why am i looking at calling the Philippines my home,

Of what i have seen all ready it is a beautiful place, yes the tourist areas are very beautiful indeed, but i am sure there are better to find , there must be places to avoid too, but hey thats everywhere on this planet,

The cost is one of the reason, the climate too, 

I am getting older and wearing out too, so to find a place that my budget can stretch further and to have a good life too,

My wife Ems wants to look after her dad and so trying to kill two birds with one stone as they say,

We agreed to build the house so we could share, but we could also tour the whole Philippines knowing that the house will be safe no matter how long we are away,

To me it all sounds like a dream, so why not try to live the dream ,

To be able to finnish work sooner, less stress, to enjoy the warmth of the sun, fantastic, to do what i want when i want well thats priceless , and all this could happen when living in the Philippines,

some may say i am looking through rose tinted glasses, but hey if they help to keep the sun from out my eyes whats it got to do with others , just a thought

[Lou49]

I spend half of my time in Canada and hallf in the PI. I can't live in the PI full time cuz the pollution, the nosie, the traffic, the overpopulation, the corruption, and the inefficiencies just grind on me and wear me down. So I go back and forth. What I like about the PI is the girls : ) . Otherwise I would never go there. 

[Jack Peterson]

the overpopulation, the corruption,

 Tongue in Cheek maybe but.......... just How does this affect you personally? 

 

Corruption is everywhere apart from the BOI (Enough said) but can you tell us how it affects you Directly when we have no rights My area is not Over populated  Plenty of Room to move if I wanted.

I spend half of my time in Canada and hallf in the PI. I can't live in the PI full time cuz the pollution, the nosie, the traffic,

 

there are 7.000+ islands and many Areas that you have no need to suffer, From what you say you can afford to live in Areas many of can only Dream of. 6 months here = 1 house . 6 months there = 1 more House I get your Drift on the girls, a little Tacky I thought but each to our own.

 

Just asking and a little saying my Friend.

 

JP  :tiphat:

Morning All  :morning1: