Back from first trip to the Philippines , now what?

[Tommy T.]

1 minute ago, hk blues said:

Of course you're right Tom, there are a percentage of people who are genuinely unlucky and in the wrong place at the wrong time and fall foul of things.  But, I'd say that %age is small.

Been there, done that... but I don't have the T-shirts to prove it... I made my own bad luck a few times.... Maybe I have learned a bit after more than six decades of experience? Today I am just glad I was not in El Paso or Dayton in the past two days... That's all I will say about that - but it's on my mind so I said that much...

[Tukaram (Tim)]

10 hours ago, usa32 said:

Thanks for all the great replies here.   Anybody here that has lived there or currently lives there. How do you feel about safety?  It appears foreigners have very little or no rights there. What the chances of getting jammed up on a fake charge from a girl or someone else?

 

Do you feel safe there?   As a first timer when i stepped off the plane and walked out the airport and you are hit with the aggressive taxi drivers, and you start to see some of the "houses" in manilla . Coming from the usa, its a big shock and there is a fight or flight response that occurred. However, after I got in the hotel and  calmed down. I enjoyed it and never really felt any fear after that. It wasn't really the people it was just the shock of "real poverty"

I never felt unsafe anywhere in the PIs, yet.  I visited here a few times over the years, and moved here full time 6 years ago.  I have wandered Manila, Cebu, and Iloilo all hours of the day & night and never felt threatened anywhere. Just use your basic situational awareness, like when traveling anywhere.

I quit work at 48 and moved over here (no girl involved initially, but got kidnapped quick ha ha). The longest visit I could do before moving was 2 weeks at a time. Switching from tourist mode to expat mode is fun. No real culture shock for me, but I am easy going and can get along most anywhere. 

 

On 8/3/2019 at 1:36 AM, Gary D said:

I think there is a cultural difference here that us westerners are only vaguely aware of but miss-interpret. Monogamy is not very high up the list and sleeping around if the opportunity arises is acceptable. The way my wife speaks out barangay is swinger central.

Yeah, that is true.  Pretty much all the local guys I know have girlfriends, maybe not a steady kabit, but playmates. Not recommended... but very common.  I also know a lot of married ladies that mess around (many text me). 

[Tommy T.]

4 hours ago, Nickleback99 said:

makes one also realize just how lucky one is and Most Americans are.

It comes down to the "accident" of birth, don't you think? Nobody can choose where he or she is born, but just has to make the best of wherever that happens to be...

Now that I have chosen to be here, I make the best of it and try to improve what I can also... that's all I can do...

[robert k]

11 hours ago, usa32 said:

Thanks for all the great replies here.   Anybody here that has lived there or currently lives there. How do you feel about safety?  It appears foreigners have very little or no rights there. What the chances of getting jammed up on a fake charge from a girl or someone else?

 

Do you feel safe there?   As a first timer when i stepped off the plane and walked out the airport and you are hit with the aggressive taxi drivers, and you start to see some of the "houses" in manilla . Coming from the usa, its a big shock and there is a fight or flight response that occurred. However, after I got in the hotel and  calmed down. I enjoyed it and never really felt any fear after that. It wasn't really the people it was just the shock of "real poverty"

Don't invite trouble is 90% of it. Go slow, you won't have a choice about that anyway, it's like the road traffic, slow. Bureaucracy moves slow, don't pay anyone to speed it up, most likely, it won't solve your problem and you would be committing a crime.

Don't do anything illegal if you possibly can help it. The instant you do something illegal, it gives others a handle on you, it's like the old adage of it's hard to cheat an honest man. If you do cause some harm, minor traffic accident that is your fault, settle it on the spot if you can. The more people who get involved, the more it will eventually cost.

If you are in a minor accident not your fault? Either have your insurance handle it, pay for it out of your own pocket, or decide how much of your life it is worth to probably not recover anything but have satisfaction of having "won".

I never make loans, anymore. I tried that once to teach a lesson. I took collateral, made the loan and while I did get the money back, it was a disaster. I now only make gifts, if I think it's a worthy cause.

Don't join in anyone's business venture. If it really was a great deal, they probably wouldn't be bringing it to you. Even if it makes money, you probably wouldn't profit or even see your original investment come back. I remember the story of the foreigner who went into a partnership with a family member. The foreigner asked how the business was going? He was told that business was great! Unfortunately the foreigners half of the business had gone bankrupt.

Here is a big one. A Filipino trying to scam you most often is looking for a few thousand pesos. A foreigner trying to scam you is usually looking to take your entire life savings.

I have two helpers. Tongues still wag but not too much. I am never alone with either of them. It's not absolutely necessary, but I considered it worth it.

Like the ref says in boxing, Protect yourself at all times, they can take a point off for a low blow but that didn't mean that it never happened.

As has been said elsewhere, physical safety is the same as anywhere. If a place looks like you shouldn't be there? You are probably right, so act on that.

Be confident, you look vulnerable if you appear confused or lost. Someone once asked me if I were lost and I replied No, I've been lost before and it looked nothing like this. As long as the confusion isn't on your part, you are okay.

Worst case, if you are still hearing the jungle drums(actual or metaphorical), you are okay, the signal to attack is when they fall silent. Those old movies contain a lot of lessons.

Now I get to go to page 6 and see what everyone else wrote

[Arizona Kid]

51 minutes ago, robert k said:

Now I get to go to page 6 and see what everyone else wrote

Most likely they are saying the same things that you are but in different ways. It's a great place for retirement but if you think you can come over here with a great business idea and make it work..you can do the same thing with your money by flushing it down the toilet. Moved here in 2002 and have been involved in living in the Philippines groups since 1996. Only heard of one guy that was successful with a rice milling machine. Better to donate the money that you are sure to lose to the Philippine Red Cross.    

[Jack Peterson]

3 hours ago, Arizona Kid said:

Most likely they are saying the same things that you are but in different ways. It's a great place for retirement but if you think you can come over here with a great business idea and make it work..you can do the same thing with your money by flushing it down the toilet. Moved here in 2002 and have been involved in living in the Philippines groups since 1996. Only heard of one guy that was successful with a rice milling machine. Better to donate the money that you are sure to lose to the Philippine Red Cross.    

 Funnily enough I liked your post  AK but and there is always a But, here in Dumaguete we have quite a few foreigners that have made it, " "Casablanca" for one ( A pretty good Restaurant) PhilEx ( A building and Real Estate business) an Ozz guy that has 4 Pension Rental Properties.  +  a couple of Other Bar proprietors Just to say that it can Work, BUT again, it has to be said that we need a Good and Solid Trustworthy Filipina or Filipino to even get off the Ground 

[fillipino_wannabe]

16 hours ago, usa32 said:

Thanks for all the great replies here.   Anybody here that has lived there or currently lives there. How do you feel about safety?  It appears foreigners have very little or no rights there. What the chances of getting jammed up on a fake charge from a girl or someone else?

 

Do you feel safe there?   As a first timer when i stepped off the plane and walked out the airport and you are hit with the aggressive taxi drivers, and you start to see some of the "houses" in manilla . Coming from the usa, its a big shock and there is a fight or flight response that occurred. However, after I got in the hotel and  calmed down. I enjoyed it and never really felt any fear after that. It wasn't really the people it was just the shock of "real poverty"

I feel safe walking round the decent areas but to be honest a 3rd world country is never going to be as safe as the US. People get killed for 5k pesos here, the police go round murdering drug addicts and people fairly regularly get sent to jail for no reason.
You'll probably be fine though, maybe a 5% chance of a girl seriously fuking you over if I had to guess

[hk blues]

5 hours ago, robert k said:

Don't invite trouble is 90% of it. Go slow, you won't have a choice about that anyway, it's like the road traffic, slow. Bureaucracy moves slow, don't pay anyone to speed it up, most likely, it won't solve your problem and you would be committing a crime.

Don't do anything illegal if you possibly can help it. The instant you do something illegal, it gives others a handle on you, it's like the old adage of it's hard to cheat an honest man. If you do cause some harm, minor traffic accident that is your fault, settle it on the spot if you can. The more people who get involved, the more it will eventually cost.

If you are in a minor accident not your fault? Either have your insurance handle it, pay for it out of your own pocket, or decide how much of your life it is worth to probably not recover anything but have satisfaction of having "won".

I never make loans, anymore. I tried that once to teach a lesson. I took collateral, made the loan and while I did get the money back, it was a disaster. I now only make gifts, if I think it's a worthy cause.

Don't join in anyone's business venture. If it really was a great deal, they probably wouldn't be bringing it to you. Even if it makes money, you probably wouldn't profit or even see your original investment come back. I remember the story of the foreigner who went into a partnership with a family member. The foreigner asked how the business was going? He was told that business was great! Unfortunately the foreigners half of the business had gone bankrupt.

Here is a big one. A Filipino trying to scam you most often is looking for a few thousand pesos. A foreigner trying to scam you is usually looking to take your entire life savings.

I have two helpers. Tongues still wag but not too much. I am never alone with either of them. It's not absolutely necessary, but I considered it worth it.

Like the ref says in boxing, Protect yourself at all times, they can take a point off for a low blow but that didn't mean that it never happened.

As has been said elsewhere, physical safety is the same as anywhere. If a place looks like you shouldn't be there? You are probably right, so act on that.

Be confident, you look vulnerable if you appear confused or lost. Someone once asked me if I were lost and I replied No, I've been lost before and it looked nothing like this. As long as the confusion isn't on your part, you are okay.

Worst case, if you are still hearing the jungle drums(actual or metaphorical), you are okay, the signal to attack is when they fall silent. Those old movies contain a lot of lessons.

Now I get to go to page 6 and see what everyone else wrote

I think each of the above points is fair and sound in isolation, but put together it makes the place sound a little more unsafe/difficult than it actually is.  

[robert k]

2 hours ago, hk blues said:

I think each of the above points is fair and sound in isolation, but put together it makes the place sound a little more unsafe/difficult than it actually is.  

Collected wisdom would look like that. All of it based on good information of things that have happened. If anything, I abbreviated it, assuming the OP was a really nice guy who didn't need the heavy duty advice. Like when Someone told me to be on the lookout for illegal activity? I told them I didn't plan to engage in any but what do you have in mind?

[Tommy T.]

9 hours ago, hk blues said:

I think each of the above points is fair and sound in isolation, but put together it makes the place sound a little more unsafe/difficult than it actually is.  

Hmm I disagree with you a little here, HK. I think what Robert wrote is mostly just common sense spelled out by the numbers. Yeah, if you read it all at once it could sound intimidating, but it would be similar if I gave you a run down on how to live and work in Chicago or LA? I think we are all helping give USA enough good suggestions that, if he follows through on his plan, he can hit the ground running and be prepared.

7 hours ago, robert k said:

Collected wisdom would look like that. All of it based on good information of things that have happened.

I also think these comments by Robert say a lot more than face value - "things that have happened." So USA gets some learning without, maybe, some or all of the pain that others have experienced or witnessed or read about?

Other than some minor discomforts (like the "staring" I wrote about a while back), life is good for me here. I would never consider leaving because of and of those. I have been in a couple of minor accidents - amazing what 1k pesos will do to make the other guy walk away happy... No point, as Robert also wrote - paraphrased here - in pressing your luck in hopes of "victory."