How to mitigate all of the risks of living in the PI?

[KC813]

14 hours ago, Guam_Haole said:

Does being a higher-income (in my case, $HIGH USD / year, sometimes more) expat help to possibly mitigate the bullsh*t, if I follow all of the obvious rules of being an expat in S.E. Asia? I am not trying to brag, rather, I want to be upfront so that I can get appropriate feedback.

Since we can afford to live in an enclave in, say, Muntinlupa, or even a high-rise condo in, say, Salcedo Village (Makati), would my family's daily life be substantially less prone to all of the dangers that come with living in the province, surrounded by jealous neighbors?

 

Your questions are really directed more to lifestyle than to economics.  You will not find too many lengthy discussions of high living since the goal of many of the expats on this board is to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle, often away from Manila.  And since many (lucky!) members are out relaxing in the provinces, they are closer to the problems faced by the bulk of the population.

But, Yes, if you chose to live and spend most of your time in the more upscale parts of Manila, and associate mainly with an upper-middle class crowd, you will be able to avoid some of the inconveniences and and injustices you may have read about. 

I know and work closely with many who live that life, both Western corporate employees and Filipinos.  Some are very decent folks.  Some (often the kids) are self-entitled and willfully blind to the difficulties faced by those with lower income.  (The social media backlash against ‘Poblacion Girl’ has elevated the visibility of this group).  Just like in any other social setting, no doubt you will chose your friends wisely.

Of course, you will still have to develop your own way of handling the common frustrations of dealing with the government bureaucracy, immigration, and general inefficiencies!

 As far as doing business in the Ph, the answer depends on matching the type of business with the proper immigration status.  That's a whole different discussion completely based on the details of what you may be considering.  The general advice for high/medium business development in the Ph is to follow the rules, choose associates carefully and limit your financial risks since you are in a country with an often dysfunctional court system.

 

[hk blues]

Cannot get this out of my mind - no offence intended!

[OnMyWay]

On 1/4/2022 at 12:06 PM, Guam_Haole said:

Hi, this is obviously my first post, and I tried messaging Jollygoodfellow to ask where to post for starters, but my account is not able to do so for some reason.

 

Anyway, after spending time reading this forum (incl. the crime and law sections) and posting on another PI expat forum, I am a bit amazed at how many pitfalls there are to living as a 'kano' in the PI. I am not totally ignorant of the culture, as I have a Filipina wife of 15 years (I am in mid 30's, she's a few years younger than me), and I am from Guam, which is about 35% Filipino. My wife and young daughters are all dual PI/USA citizens and hold both passports.

Does being a higher-income (in my case, $HIGH USD / year, sometimes more) expat help to possibly mitigate the bullsh*t, if I follow all of the obvious rules of being an expat in S.E. Asia? I am not trying to brag, rather, I want to be upfront so that I can get appropriate feedback.

Since we can afford to live in an enclave in, say, Muntinlupa, or even a high-rise condo in, say, Salcedo Village (Makati), would my family's daily life be substantially less prone to all of the dangers that come with living in the province, surrounded by jealous neighbors?
Of course drive-by shootings can and do happen in the wealthy areas of the NCR, but there must be a damn good reason why wealthy Filipinos and the wealthy 'kano' expats who are VPs of global corporations in Makati actually live in the 'nice' areas, past the obvious reason that they can afford it.

For example, how does a guy like Greg Kittleson, of Kittleson Carpo, manage to become as wealthy and grow as large of a business as he and his partners have, without some jealous local getting him thrown in prison for 5 years until trial? Pay everyone off along the way, or does it more come down to where one lives and the circles they move in?

I figure if we live and mix with the wealthier, more cosmopolitan set (and I know my income pales in comparison to the actually wealthy Filipinos' incomes) will I be able to keep my family safe and above the BS. That is my main question.  

Note

Income removed by JGF for security reasons

What is your motivation for choosing to live in the Philippines, if only part time?  If money was no object, there are many other places to consider.

As for "pitfalls" I think there are two or more sets of those to consider, dependent on one's circumstances.  Most of the expats on this forum are retired, and many of those prefer to live in the provinces, so their advice will come from that point of view.  At an extremely high corporate life level, there will be a different set of pitfalls.

We do have several business owners here, but nothing on the scale of Greg Kittleson, that I know of.  I had never heard of him, so I looked him up.  My guess is that he either came to PH as part of a multi-national company, or he came here with some big capital to partner up with Filipinos.  Big businesses need to have heavy hitter Filipinos on staff.  I don't think he is with Carpo anymore, and she is running the PH branch of the company that absorbed them.  His main gig now is CEO of KMC, mainly into real estate.  He appears to be a go getter and entrepreneur.  And K & C business was all about making contacts for businesses entering the Philippines.  Like many poor countries, doing business at a high level is all about who you know.  He has been here for 17 years, so I am sure he has built an extensive network and knows how to keep the wheels greased.

I don't think your income will get you into Alabang, unless you have millions in the bank.  When I first moved here 10 years ago there were still some affordable houses, but now it is ridiculous.  Probably 1.5 mil USD minimum to buy.  $8-10 k USD to rent.

If you are into condo living, BGC is the place to be now, I think.  Head and shoulders above Makati.  Spent last weekend there.  Several Int'l schools there too.  Of course, everything is very expensive in BGC.  Might as well be in Singapore.

If you want the top int'l schools for your girls, that will set you back too.  Figure in $15,000 per head per year.  I can't afford that for my girls.

[Freebie]

On 1/5/2022 at 4:41 PM, OnMyWay said:

I don't think your income will get you into Alabang, unless you have millions in the bank.  When I first moved here 10 years ago there were still some affordable houses, but now it is ridiculous.  Probably 1.5 mil USD minimum to buy.  $8-10 k USD to rent.

I was going through some old leases the other day as part of a clear out.. i rented 3 houses over 5 years in Alabang 1999-2004 and most were in the P140-180,000 range back then.  So yes your US$ 10k per month is about right.

BGC vs Makati.. horses for courses... I had a condo in BGC  way back when there were only 5 condo buildings. Was a glorious place to live then as almost no traffic lights, no people, and this was before SM Aura and even before Market2. It gradually got developed and more traffic, more traffic  lights, endless security guards, lots week visitors and it lost that special feeling and just became anonymous, very singapore like. Now I hardly ever go there. I live in a decent condo in Makati . My neighbour rents the same sized unit for P 120 per month. For me both San Lorenzo and Salcedo way more " real " than Makati.but then as I said at the start its horses for courses.

[Maxheadspace]

On 1/3/2022 at 11:06 PM, Guam_Haole said:

Does being a higher-income (in my case, $HIGH USD / year, sometimes more) expat help to possibly mitigate the bullsh*t, if I follow all of the obvious rules of being an expat in S.E. Asia? I am not trying to brag, rather, I want to be upfront so that I can get appropriate feedback.

 

From my experience, people who really have money don't describe themselves as having big money.  And doing so in the Philippines paints a target on your back.  I take great pains to project that I have no money.  

[softail]

Myself, I just go about my business. I have done well in my life and done well, however that is my business. I just go about my business and live my life. Why should I show off in front of folks that have had no such opportunity and are just getting buy. 

[jimeve]

Thought it was going to kick off in the noreco 2 electric payment office. A Kano was having an argument about his bill and was holding everyone up, he was at it for 15 mins then an enraged Filipino got up and started to shout at the Kano, the kano was not taking any sh!t and told him to F off. This made the Filipino more angry and told the Kano F you and got his wallet out of his bag and said I'm an American citizen too and showed his card I thought he was going to chin the Kano or shoot him. The guard just looked on. Some foreigners are so stupid he should not do this. I was ashamed to witness this sort of thing from a foreigners point of view. Gives us good guys a bad name. 

[Guest]

In my opinion, the more money you have - and spend - the farther removed from "the risks of living in the Philippines" you can be.

But then why not live in Uruguay or Chile? Or Florida?

 

[hk blues]

6 minutes ago, JDDavao said:

In my opinion, the more money you have - and spend - the farther removed from "the risks of living in the Philippines" you can be.

But then why not live in Uruguay or Chile? Or Florida?

 

Yep.

The farther removed from "the risks of living in the Philippines" you are, the farther removed from actually living in the Philippines you become.  Which begs the question, why not live somewhere that doesn't have all the baggage that the Philippines has?

If I was rich, I'm not sure I'd choose to live in the Philippines.