Before settling down in PH i'd like to spend up to 3 months in some remote island/s where i can be a away from confusion.

[Jack D]

Just wondering about the need for Internet access/speed for foreigners moving (or wanting to move) to the Philippines)... did less (or no) foreigners move to the Philippines before the Internet became a necessity 

[Dave Hounddriver]

36 minutes ago, Jack D said:

did less (or no) foreigners move to the Philippines before the Internet became a necessity 

A LOT less.  Which was great for the more adventurous sorts.

[f5m9v6]

12 hours ago, hk blues said:

I've never been to Dumaguete so cannot comment on the levels of development but Iloilo City alone has a population of almost 500,000 compared to maybe 150,000 in Dumaguete so I think you may may be mistaken.  Iloilo is a very well-developed city but doesn't have a huge ex-pat community hence a perception it's less developed.  

We don't use PLDT, rather Globe who offer a 500mbps fiber plan (non-nusiness) at 4,999.

Dear HK,

I spoke to a filipino friend and recall saying dumaguete was one of the biggest cities but not as crowded and thought lloilo was smaller. Need to do my research better...

Will def consider Globe, and start with smaller plan, and increase to 500mpbs if needed. Hope they are in plenty of neighborhoods in dumaguete or mindanao.
 

[Dave Hounddriver]

6 minutes ago, f5m9v6 said:

dumaguete was one of the biggest cities

Dumaguete is big, due to the surrounding suburb cities of Sibulan, Valencia, and Bacong.  The traffic is horrendous and travel time suffers because they still have the infrastructure of a small town.  But the Internet is better than many places.

Truth is, Dumaguete could do with a few foreigners moving out to places like Iloilo.  There's SO many foreigners near Duma that you cannot throw a rock with your eyes closed and not hit one.

[f5m9v6]

43 minutes ago, Jack D said:

Just wondering about the need for Internet access/speed for foreigners moving (or wanting to move) to the Philippines)... did less (or no) foreigners move to the Philippines before the Internet became a necessity 

Hi Howie,

That depends if their work is dependent on fast internet access or not...

My work relies on good internet connection! Without it i cannot earn my living to be able to live in the Philippines!
 

[f5m9v6]

9 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Dumaguete is big, due to the surrounding suburb cities of Sibulan, Valencia, and Bacong.  The traffic is horrendous and travel time suffers because they still have the infrastructure of a small town.  But the Internet is better than many places.

Truth is, Dumaguete could do with a few foreigners moving out to places like Iloilo.  There's SO many foreigners near Duma that you cannot throw a rock with your eyes closed and not hit one.

Might start there; and if i don't like it will move!

[Old55]

4 hours ago, Jack D said:

Just wondering about the need for Internet access/speed for foreigners moving (or wanting to move) to the Philippines)... did less (or no) foreigners move to the Philippines before the Internet became a necessity 

Some pre internet visitors found other activities to occupy themselves. Of course we were younger then. 

[sonjack2847]

1 hour ago, Old55 said:

Some pre internet visitors found other activities to occupy themselves. Of course we were younger then. 

Yes we all went to the gym.

 

[sonjack2847]

4 hours ago, f5m9v6 said:

Hi Howie,

That depends if their work is dependent on fast internet access or not...

My work relies on good internet connection! Without it i cannot earn my living to be able to live in the Philippines!
 

You need to consider getting a power back up as today in Dumaguete we have a 12 hour power cut. This happens quite regularly. It is to replace rotten poles and maybe move vegetation away from the lines. Then you have the illegal connections which can trip the power regulators/transformers which the local electric company seems unwilling or unable to do anything about. I have lived in the phills for 10 years and don`t plan to leave but if you want to work online firstly you have to make sure a decent internet connection is readily available in the area you choose. 

[hk blues]

9 hours ago, f5m9v6 said:

Dear HK,

I spoke to a filipino friend and recall saying dumaguete was one of the biggest cities but not as crowded and thought lloilo was smaller. Need to do my research better...

Will def consider Globe, and start with smaller plan, and increase to 500mpbs if needed. Hope they are in plenty of neighborhoods in dumaguete or mindanao.
 

Not having been to Dumaguete I can't comment but my good American friend who lives here has and said that it had a more lively nightlife by virtue of there being so many ex-pats - again, I think that's where the misconception is. 

Yep, don't fix yourself on PLDT as there are various service providers who MAY be able to offer you what you're looking for, including Globe. Also, ask around as the level of service is very localised - in my area Globe wins hands down (zero service interruption in the past 6 weeks since we upgraded to fiber) whilst my neighbours who use PLDTline (subsidiary company) have had numerous. CAUTION - sadly, don't take what any local tells you as gospel so get feedback from a few people.