Yes, being an American in the Philippines has its disadvantages. In a twist on the word, the disadvantages are that Filipinos try, and sometimes do, take advantage of Americans.
My wife is in the US or I wouldn’t have to worry about it. Being a Filipina herself, and the fact that she dresses just like the other Filipinas, she doesn’t get taken advantage of. She’s been gone two weeks and Filipinos are already taking advantage of me. If I attempt to buy something from a local store, without having a Filipino relative with me, the sales person attempts to charge me more than a Filipino would be charged. This has happened more than once and the only reason I didn’t have to pay what they wanted was because I know how to speak the language and can curse at them as well as any Filipino. They change their tune when I throw the lingo at them.
Today, after I spent quite some time waiting to get my money at the bank, I headed over to the Royal Subic store at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to go shopping. This was only my second time ever driving there. I had always let my wife drive there in the past because she’s a pain to listen to as a back seat driver. After I finished shopping, I was looking for another store to get things that Royal Subic doesn’t carry when I went down a road I wasn’t familiar with and failed to stop at a stop line. You see, every stop line has either a stop light or a stop sign next to it. This one didn’t have either one. I got pulled over immediately.
The police officer told me why he pulled me over, and after I explained that I didn’t see a stop sign, he said it was in the middle (there wasn’t one in the median because I looked – it turned out it was on the side where it was supposed to be, but wasn’t visible because a SUV was parked in front of it – the police officer didn’t understand my question). I had my brother-in-law with me (June) and he asked the officer for a warning because I wasn’t familiar with the road there. The officer wouldn’t entertain the idea. June knew they could give warnings if they wanted to because he had seen it happen before. I got a ticket and it wasn’t very much (200 pesos or a little over four dollars) but it’s the principle of it that ticks me off. If I had been a Filipino, I would have received a warning, but because I’m an American (and Americans always have money because they’re rich) I couldn’t receive a warning.
I paid the ticket at the treasury office near the exit gate and drove home. I didn’t feel like looking for any other stores at the Freeport Zone after the incident, even though there are some supplies I need that I can’t find out here in the city. I was pretty pissed off. I watched Filipinos speeding past me and driving recklessly not more than 5 minutes before I got pulled over and my vehicle wasn’t the only one that failed to stop, but I was the only one to get pulled over. I shouldn’t complain. I was guilty of breaking a traffic law, even if I was singled out.
Outside of the Freeport Zone, no one obeys the traffic laws and you never see anyone getting pulled over for anything. In fact, I hate driving in the city because of how congested it is, the fact that people stop in the middle of the road just to talk to someone on the side of the road, the people that like to walk in the road and won’t move off to the side for vehicles approaching, double-parked vehicles, and many other obstructions. The roads are barely big enough for two-way traffic when they’re clear. Imagine how they are when they’re not clear.
I wonder if these people would try to take advantage of me if they knew me personally. What if they knew that more than a fifth of my monthly pension goes out for support of other people?
It’s the little things which add up that hurt more than outright discrimination, I guess.
With outright discrimination, you know where you stand as an alien on foriegn territory. With these subtle inconveniences, you are always unsure and on edge and never know when to protest at it.
It must be hard for you.
The subtle ones are the ones that irritate me. Outright discrimination is fine since I’m just a resident and not a citizen.
I might be silly or maybe just tired but what does SBMA mean?
It’s okay. I’ve mentioned it before and most people know it means something local. It stands for Subic Bay Management Authority, but since that’s hard to remember, it’s easier just to remember SBMA.
It’s not necessarily being an American — although I’m sure that’s part of it. I think it’s more being a “foreigner.” My mother-in-law speaks with an accent; she is constantly charged more for less by auto mechanics, home repair contractors… you name it.
And try driving in Wisconsin with Illinois plates. (Actually — don’t try it unless you’re prepared for the ticket. Which you will get.)
I read once that an expert is someone 50 miles away from home. But so too are victims….
I would normally agree with you, Curmudgeon, but in this city, it’s entirely Americans that get singled out. There are other nationalities here that do not suffer the same. It all has to do with the fact that the Navy base was here for 45 years. The sailors and marines that came here on deployment were easy marks. Some of the people here think that the Americans living here are just as easy.
I sympathize with Americans living overseas. It must be tough for them in every aspect, because in the US, people live in relative affluence and comfort and have so many material things that make life easy for you. Americans take a lot of things for granted that some other parts of the world are struggling with – like a reliable power supply, telephone and internet connectivity, water, well-connected transportation systems, easy air travel, comfortable and independent houses and so on.
I’ve seen a lot of Indians who are born and brought up in the States who find it hard to come back here. Even my cousins always get some illness or ailment when they arrive here and try to acclimatize to the harsh weather and the less-than-100% purified food and water. It leads me to believe that people who are born and raised in a rarified atmosphere tend to have weaker immune systems. I’m not saying that all parts of the US are like that, but compared to many parts of India, I’m sure the US is far more hygienic and sanitized. Even their language and accents are so Americanized that I find that their whole culture is totally different and I find it hard to converse with them normally.
I also think that the US government’s overbearing attitude on foriegn affairs has a lot to do with the attitude of resentment at American nationals.
Edit: I ought to say, I am not targetting anybody here. These are very general statements and should be read as such.
Things to think about.
For someone who has never been to the U.S., Hari, you certainly know a lot about Americans. I’m positive you read a lot and understand more than you let on. Good for you because your observations are right on the money.
Certainly most of my information have been picked up from other people who have visited/lived in the US and also from the Internet. I do read a lot and I think it’s a combination of these things.
You’re right in that I have never been to the US. Did I mention this somewhere earlier?
By email at one time or another. I don’t remember when exactly.
I can take care of that.
I have lived in the Philippines since October 1988. The first 18 years I lived in a rural area where most people live in Nippa huts. The people are very friendly and helpful. I now live in a city. I have noticed that the city people, like everywhere in the world, are more distant,all for ME type attitude. On traffic tickets a person in the know told me they give tickets too westerners because Filipinos just ignore paying the ticket and westerners always pay them.
Well, Olongapo City is different in that there have been Americans here since WWII. You don’t see many foreigners here other than Americans. The Asian foreigners blend in a lot better.
Can’t say I feel sorry for you. You knew what you were getting yourself into when you moved over there. Especially after we lived in Hawaii. Only what is Josie doing in the US without you?
I knew and I still came. It’s not the same as it was in Hawaii. The locals are not instantly hostile here because of your color (or lack thereof). In fact, it wasn’t the Filipinos in Hawaii that were a problem either.
Josie went to the U.S. because she wanted to. I’m not going to stop her. She wants things that she doesn’t want to wait for. I’m more patient.
hahhahahaha.this is very funny.what is josie doing in the usa without you!!!
yes when we choose to move to a foriegn country most of us know what we are getting into.really to me its a matter of character.some people are tougher than others and some depend 100% on thier money putting them into a cush position overseas.me i will always depend on my street smarts and moxy to survive in this world.that does not mean that i cannot fall prey to someone even more savy than myself but people are less likely to try and get over on me just by the attitude i put out.
It’s been over 2 years since I wrote the post. Things have changed. My wife is still in the US, though and I really don’t feel like repeating what I’ve written elsewhere.
I no longer get taken advantage of because I understand and speak the language well enough that the people no longer try.
hahahhaa.yes i think learning the language would help emensly.im trying to learn bisayan becuase my fiance lives in southern mindinao.im very reluctant to bring my filipina wife to the usa because once filipinos set foot in america they dont ever want to go back to the phils.im thinking one day of retiring to the philippines but i really dont want be the guy that has the money that everyone wants.that is just not who i am.it will be interesting to see how this all turns out
Pambihira. Sorry to read what happened to you.
Kinda a bright side, though: at least there’s a place where traffic rules are followed. :P
@Dick:
Why do you think this is? Why won’t the nationals pay the tickets? Then again, why WILL the Americans.
@Hari:
It’s very good that put your “general statements” disclaimer in your comment, because it is very hard to stomach generalized statements, especially from someone who has never been to the country of topic. ***PS…I don’t mean this as a bash on hari’s statement…it’s just the way I feel about the topic.***
People around the world think life is so easy & so great in the U.S., and how United Statesers are spoiled & rich & comfortable & happy-go-lucky & stress-free…it’s a bunch of BS. Life is just as hard here as it is anywhere else…it’s just a different “hard”. In the States we have to deal with a lot of problems that affluence affords, problems that others have no idea about. Also, Americans may make more money & have more things, but 95% of them have earned them through hard work. Also, most Americans are in debt up to their eye-balls, so they’re not really rich at all…in fact they’re poor! It’s just that they’re able to live on credit here, for a little while anyway, before reality sets in.
***Rant Over***
As an American citizen I am so tired of the bashing that occurs, seemingly all over the globe these days. What foreigners should hate is our gov’t, not our people…but it all blends together for them.
That’s my worthless view for anyone who cares.
You have hit the nail on the head in what you said. I try too explain too people about America but all they can think about is the “land of milk and honey”,
It’s hard to explain this to my own relatives. Imagine how hard it is to explain it to someone who has no relatives in the U.S.?
The attitudes of Filipinos, and other people who go to the U.S. for the first time, change when they find out that a dollar is worth less in the U.S. than over here.
I always ask people, wouldn’t it be great if you could work in the U.S. but not have to live there? Teleportation would be awesome.
Cool beans. I drive like a lunatic and I have yet to score a ticket.
Next time they pull you over, just tell them you’re in a hurry to meet the President. Seriously. It works.
You just prove my point Filipinos don’t get tickets like westerners.
You are not alone. every American living in the Philippines has the same complaint about how unfairly they are being treated. Most filipinos see americans as an ATM machine on two feet and will try to suck you dry if they can. One day I wanted to treat my wife to Shangrila Hotel in Makati for a weekend getaway, when I asked the clerk how much is the room? she told me 7500.00 peso per night, then, I asked my wife who was standing next to me to ask her, she told her the rate was 3500.00 peso. When I confronted the clerk about the disparity in the rate, her answer was: “well, u are a foreigner, you can afford it.” Taxi drivers are another bunch you don’t want to deal with – They never have change. NEVER try dealing with government officials here in the Philippines at any level unless u are willing to dish out some serious dough. The whole country is corrupt from top to bottom and sadly enough, they have no shame about it. The whole world opens up their arms and receive filipinos to work, live and enjoy the same laws and privileges afforded to their own citizens. But, when you come to the philippines, you find the laws here to be zynophobic, in that, a foreingner can’t buy land, can’t buy a car can’t, can’t can’t do jack unless he puts everything in the wife’s name. I would like to see a filipino go overseas and put all his cash into someone else’s name. that’s why my friends have left and others including myself plan to follow suit. Let them swim in their stupid mentality and find their own way out of poverty. This place is hopeless.
I think certain areas are worse than others. Lately, I’ve been doing everything myself here in Olongapo City and haven’t run into any problems. I learned to drive like they do or I can’t get anywhere very fast at all.
Foreigners can own land and property now, even though I choose not to. Putting everything in my wife’s name isn’t an issue since we’ve been married over 23 years. It might be if it was a relatively short time.
Granted, there’s a whole lot of corruption going on. I’ve had good experiences with a lot of places though, even the local bureau of immigration.
I like the ATM analogy because when the beggars on the street see us, their eyes light up just like they got paid.
Foreigners still CANNOT own land here except through hereditary succession rights.
There is a bill in the senate at present attempting to allow limited foreign ownership but there is a lot of opposition to it.
Okay, so someone didn’t tell me the compete truth in the matter. In my case, I would acquire any land in my wife’s name automatically if I survived her but beyond that, I’m not sure of anything anymore.
After reading this i can say this. WTF are u complaning about! people look at you like a ATM? what about the people here? Can’t but land? well dua i why buy land in the US for about a mil if u can get it for a fraction of it. Look I’ve lived in the gutters of the US when i was growing up. I have to say I can’t complain if they take advantage of some people who look like suckers. most people would. even in the US. So when i see people saying that your not getting treated fairly because your from the US, as a guy who mix with a lot of races and get told by every one that your worthless. hell a person who might use me to improve there life eh. i’ve seen it done but I know how to look for it. I won’t help them I’ll just point them to um….. you!
i went to cebu last august because i was really fed up with america particularly california where i live.i met a girl while there and had a pretty good time although i got sick for most of my stay.i went there because i got this bright idea to move there and live there.well once i returned home me and nonita continued to correspond almost every night.i have grown very close to her and think the world of her.the problem im having is with the philippines.the more i surf the internet researching the phlippines the more i read about these little horror stories of americans being taken advantage of over there.im planning on returning there in may 09 and i want to go to where my girlfriend lives in cabadbaran but i will be there alone with her and her entire family.she has lived there her entire life.i will be in a strange town 7,400 miles away from home and frankly im scared,and i dont scare easy hahahha.oh well i guess ill chance it.my girlfriend is very nice but will she be this nice in her own home town or will she and her family see me as easy prey.also im becoming more and more unsure of my dicision to move there because i have 2 children that are 12 and 13.i just want to live there part time.but will i be able to handle the guilt of being apart from my kids??.i dont know.livinginthe philippines is turning out to be much more difficult than i expected
Ken,
If you have two minor children in the US, I’d suggest that you only take short vacations to the Philippines.
There are some true and honest Filipina woman in the PI, but many are looking for a way out of here and a permanant trip to the US.
I’m not saying your friend is not honest. Just be very careful and don’t make a commitment to live here permantly here until you are sure. I feel that I have been very blessed and lucky with the great lady I met, and am living with here in Olongapo City.
i was in alongapo in 1974 while serving a 3 year stint in the navy.what a time i had.anyway im the guy who wrote the above statements some months ago about moving to p.i. and i have 2 minor children.i find myself sometimes changing my mind about wanting to live in the philippines.the entire idea is much more complicated than i originally thought it would be.also my gf has been talking more and more about wanting to come to the usa.she talks about this a lot.she has managed to get me to put her up in an apartment that i pay for every month (4,000 pesos)and now since i was just there and spent 50 days there she is now talking to me about making a payment on a lot where we can build a house.the problem is i dont intend to live there full time for another 3-4 years.she is really trying to lock me in
and you have no children.am i the only man with younger children.there are thousands of american men over 50 years old living in the philippines.am i to believe that none of them have any children and if so why are they so willing to abandon thier children.of cours this is a question of doing the right thing and we all know that most men dont do the rigt thing.
Gee, Kenneth, don’t be so depressing. I have two children, both grown. One is half-Filipino and lives with me here in the Philippines.
yea your right.im making a very big deal out of all of this.i went through a divorce less than one year ago and already ive been to the philippines twice and am engaged to a filipina.im happy most of the time but really things are moving a bit to fast.now my fiance has me buying a lot on a sub-division in her town.hahahhaha.but really its so cheap and thats why im not complaining to much.i just feel that all this is happening years ahead of me actually coming there for any lenghth of time.or maybe now is the time.i dont know
I spent a wonderful 13 years in the Philippines (USDOJ). Unfortunately, I was reassigned to the U.S. Los Angeles, California. There is something more than just Olongapo City (Sadam & Gamora). It is well known that Olongapo is a melting pot for pick-pockets, muggers, etc., etc.
Being married 34 years to a lovely Filipina lady, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout the Philippines and met some good as well as bad people with the double standards of price gouging. I own various property in the Philippines and yes all under my wife’s name. I have no problem with that. Now that I have retired this year, I and my wife plan to return to the Philippines by 2012.
Ken,
Interesting post! Recommend short visits but understand that if you are involved with a filipina lady you are going to be responsible for the family. The family will be very protective of you. On the other side of the coin, her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews will treat you like an ATM machine. About once per week I receive the “I love you Uncle and please can I have a load” text message. To be fair, avoid talking about politics and don’t cross an elder in the family. My father in law taught me about the “filipino Haircut” so watch out. Be kind with this lady or you could receive a “filipino haircut” which is from one ear to the other ear without touching the hair on your head.
hahahha yea thats pretty good.ive heard of the haircut before.this is exactly why im unsure of our relationship sometimes.not because i find much fault with her but because im an american and i can be a realy big jerk sometimes.i dont trust myself.anyway since i posted the above statements some months ago my relationship has advanced.i went to the philippines again and stayed where my gf lives for 50 days.we got along pretty well except for those incedental little occassions when i couldnt keep my sassy big mouth shut.but really no major problems.but now she has managed to get me to assume the loan on a lot in a subdidvion there.im going along with it because it will only cost me $250.00 usd from now until i return there in april.really though im not comfortable with the land purchase.i think i would really rather just rent.while i was there her family never asked me for 1 centavo.surely though if i live there more full time that would probably change.i excercise the right to say no though dont i.im not wealthy and i wont let anyone drag me down financially
Well, Come to San Diego and run a stop sign or red light!
Your picture is taken by a camera and the ticket mailed to ya.
That will be $450.00 Sir, No if,s and,s or but,s.
OH and by the way your isurance is jacked for the next two years.
You do not have a thing to complain about, so suck it up!
Man you don’t know the half of it. I got a jay walking ticket in downtown LA on a Sunday! Ok yes it was by bad but u know there was no cars miles around and it was in a bad part of town (a lot of homeless) and I got it. And if I don’t pay the fine about $200 they can put a warrant out for my arrest. Now do they do that in the Philippines? Um for u wanting to know what a jay walking ticket is. It’s a ticket that issue when u cross the street when your not spouse to. Yes for crossing the street I now am now threaten to be thrown in jail if I don’t pay my ticket. Will I pay it? Hells no! I’ll just move out of LA County. Maybe get one of those cute girls over there to take up a artist :)
i think i will retire to the philippines in 4 years from now.i will be 58 years old.even then i will likely only spend 6 months of the year there.the other 6 months ill return here to the usa.by then my children will be nearly adult age and anyway there is a such thing as yahoo messenger and thats the next best thing to being there that is my plan at present.in the meantime i go there once a year for 50 days and spend that time with my filipina gf.we have a small inexpensive apartment that i pay for each month ($90.00 usd).of course we also talk on messenger 3 days a week for 2-3 hours each time.my biggest problem is going to be whether or not to bring her to the u.s.a.i told her i would not put myself through that as i have been through to much in my lifetime and do not want to deal with anymore nonesense like that.she said she would be fine to live in her country.but if thats true then why does she keep talking to me about the idea of coming to america.(hahahahahaha).
you aare the visa with which she wants to come to the US. Then she will leave you for a younger guy. , What does she need an old one like you? You are not Apollo nor James Bond. you are the instrument. Tlhat is why her family is quiet – they need the first one to be there, and would not start sucking from you – but if you settle there – you will learn that you are not alone, and there are many (lazy, unemployed)needy suckers aroung you
You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Obviously, you have not read any of our history, which is scattered all around this blog.
hahahaha i dont think she would leave me if i brought her to america.i didnt go for one of the young ones.my gf is 47 years old and im just 55.so you see your very wrong.but actually,i told her that she would not being coming to america even if we got married.well as it turnes out the only real mistake i made was not picking a younger woman because really i wont bring anyone here.we have enough filipinos in america.as far as her family sucking from me well i just havnt had that problem at all.ive been involved with her now for nearly 3 years and have never sent her more than $150.00 per month.(ussually much less).i will say this though.overall i regret my involvment with her.i care about her but really.it would be better to just come there and be a playboy type.that makes more sense to me.the lazy,unemployed suckers in the philippines will have no luck with except for on that rare occasion when im feeling generous.what i dont understand are these white guys that send their gf or wives 30 -40,000 pesos per month.what the hell is wrong with those guys?? that really peees me off.they make it harder for guys like me that dont have a lot of money because the greedy little filipinas compare their situation to others and complain. there is one girl in butwan that we know that has been getting 30,000 a month from a black guy she has never even met in person.the guy is terrified to come there but continues to send her a lot of money.this has been going on for 3 years now.and the real sin of it all is that she is not even good looking and she’s 55 years old with 3 teenage boys.what travesty.my god!!!!!
I have worked all over the world and never found a perfect place to live. I now spend most of my time here in Davao City and have never been treated better. I am from the U.S. and not California, you can also find shit holes and low life any place you look in the U.S. . So my suggestion to you is to grow up and get a job. Life is what you make it regardless of where you live. The Philippines is great compared to Russia.
boy.it took 1 year for someone to respond to my last message on here.well,things have gotten more complicated for me now.i went back to P.I. and married my girl friend.I also bought a small 300 meter lot and built a small house.now im back in the u.s.a and my job is sucking due to this california economy.my savings is going fast.meanwhile my wife is in the philippines living in our small house.im planning on going back there in this march. I can afford that.but after that i dont know what will happen.when i first met her,i told her right up front that i would no bring her to the U.S.A.I went there to try and live my dream not help someone else realize thiers.this situation is getting very complicated though and maybe i will have to try and bring her here.my fear is that once she is here she will never want to return to the philippines again.and what about my lot and house.i payed $6,000 for it all.am i to just allow some family memeber of hers to live in it rent free.haha no one ever did that for me!!.I suppose i could sell it.i cant move to the philippines because i have child support payments here in the u.s.a for the next 3 years and i just dont have enough money to do it.man alive ,how did i get myself into this one
Kenneth,
Follow your heart and bring her to live in the U.S. with you until you can do better for yourself. Let her family live in the house and remember $6,000 is nothing compared to what you make in the U.S.
You should never be greedy because they are the more needy and charity starts at home. Also catch up on the child support because your children are yours and they love you buddy.
Best regards and the best of luck
Well Hello All,
I just wanted to say I am a proud American that is now in the Philippines for the second time. Last year was in Manila and that place is wide open, trust me. I first came here to help Ministries and also start a Church of my own. While here then I was divorced and lonely. I happen to meet a Filipino here and I spent time with her most of the time when I wasn’t busy with ministry work. I tried to keep a low profile but being an American that was next to impossible. I was often stopped on the streets in Manila, mainly Quezon City by guys renting out hookers asking me if I wanted a date for the night for P500, of course I rejected and moved on with them hanging on to my arms like they could entice me to taken them with me. I found out fast, never go out alone here until you know your area but then continue to use caution. I was also faced when I would be passing night clubs by a bunch hollering at me to come on in. They must have thought I was stupid enough to fall for that one but they seen it got them no where fast. Yes watch the vendors here because most will try to take advantage of you if your American. The price always goes up from the last place you bought the same thing and I don’t mean a couple peso’s. Now not all are like this and not all Filipino’s are bad, as a matter of fact MOST will treat you with high respect including the law. As long as you stay cool, mind your own business and keep someone with you till people know you know them, your safe for the most part. One thing you need to watch though and that’s hiring taxi’s, they love American’s. If you watch closely when you get in the car or van’s that have the meters they are never reset from the last drop off and after you get where your going the price is as much for a short trip as a long one and trust me the long ones go as high as 200 to 300p. That’s the same or more than $6.00 in America and you may not go 4 blocks. ALWAYS have someone with you who is Filipino that values your friendship because they will speak up and say NO, we will give you only 100P, they may get upset but will just drive away. When you go to the Hotels get one that’s in the main Cities and also have a Filipino friend with you because if you don’t the price just may double and take a can of bedbug killer. The key in all you do here is to have close friends you trust that speak this language and know the areas you intend on visiting. In all this is a Beautiful place in a lot of the area’s to visit and the people do respect you. Just remember to always, mainly in high crowded places to keep your wallets in your FRONT pockets, never your back ones because if your bumped, mainly at the train stations and darker area’s you may not come out with it. So far NO ONE has tried to much with me, but it may be because I stand my ground but with Love and kindness. I am now married to a Filipino and Loving everyday and moment with her. The family use to try to take advantage of me but after I started saying PAY BACK WHAT YOU BORROWED THE LAST TIME AND I MAY LOAN YOU MORE, THEY STOPPED ASKING. One more thing if your in Cebu and want advice or you want to visit a great American speaking Church, come and visit mine in Toledo. We would Love to meet you and I promise you want leave unhappy. We are located right in the center of Toledo near the Sports Complex Center. We are ( Word Of Life Ministries Assembly ). God Bless and we hope to see you soon. If you need more information about the Philippines, write me @ (wordoflifeministriescrusades@yahoo.com).
While it may not seem so, I’ve been living here about 4.5 years, give or take a month. This is something I would not do if I didn’t believe there were more good apples in the basket than the bad. I have no problems on an ordinary day and I seem to get by better than most Americans I’ve met here. Perhaps it’s because I took the time to learn the language and the culture and to find out what traps there are. I’m not really sure, but I feel no more trepidation about where I’m at or what I’m doing than I would in the seedy part of Los Angeles. This is my home and I don’t regret moving here.
Congrats for being so brave in publishing insightful and honest entries. I just discovered your blog today and I am glued in my chair reading entries after entries… my initial impression is that these logs of your domestic life in the Philippines must have its roots from your frustrations and disagreements on the way Filipinos handle businesses of all sorts.
Anyhoo.. even a full-blooded Pinoy like me gets dizzy of the “freestyle” approach we have on things; i could only empathize with foreigners like you who grew up in a system-organized country and who would later chose to spend time living in this canival of a country.
While I have never tried living long term abroad i have a pretty clear idea on the term that they call “culture shock”, thanks to the magic box they call TV. There are few (ok, A LOT of) things an outsider would never understand (and probably will never get used to) why most Filipinos are behaving they way they do, pathetically & shamelessly. I assure you I will not try to change your mind by convicing you that Filipinos are not really that, hell, somewhere in my core is ashamed that I belong to a group of people 90% of the world would throw glances of pity and disgust simultaneously.
Filipinos are gifted and cursed all at the same time. A good number of our countrymen are out to prove the world that we are as good, even better than the players of almost every field there is. Unfortunately the rest of the country could only care less, they are busy doing what they always do in their own little backyards, shitting and trying to survive… the easiest way possible. How credible can we get?
Able-bodied urban poors are at peace with themselves to be living under the bridge and beg in the sidewalk for food. Im no purist, if they are happy that way who am I to preach but come on, they are everywhere like flies and believe me if I were God, I would have thrown giant flytraps at them. For a good number of years I could not understand why many of us would rather beg for provisions than work to get them.
In one of my “a-ha!” moments I remembered the things they taught us in school about our history. How we were colonized, abused and then later saved by foreigners. Its a fact that Filipinos have no shame asking from others for something and how the poor have their stupid sickening mantra of declaring that they could not do anything because they are poor. If we are to look at our cultural psychology it may be explained why the self-esteem and self-worth of the Filipino mass never get past the positive line.
For more than three centuries, Filipinos were fed daily by their colonizers of abusive words that they are not worth anything. They were practically slaves in their own land kissing the smelly feet and asses of their captors, priests and all. For centuries Filipinos worked as laborers, household helps and just about every single other dirty jobs there was including being the subject practice for the upcoming hybrids, the pervert priests. Naturally the stigma of our history would live on for centuries more to come.
Maybe i could get my point at a better view with this comparison. In the US, the Blacks were sold to slavery in the early 1600′s and it went on for about 150 years later. 150 years further in the future, the present, they are still fighting for “freedom & racism”. Who are keeping them from being free anyway? Just imagine the Filipinos thrown to slavery for more than 300 years, beat that you, niggers lol (opsss I got too excited there). You see the scar would always remind that there was previously a wound in that spot.
The only diffence between the blacks and the Pinoys is resistance. The blacks were angry because they were forced to become slaves, the ever innocent pinoys were sweet-talked into becoming slaves without them realizing it by way of brainwashing, religion. They were happy to do that, in giving their service they are gaining dignity, or so they were told as the friars were undressing our grandmothers inside the confessional box of the church.
Both blacks and pinoys never won their battles. Centuries came and went yet boh groups are still licking their wounds, or scars. Both egos will never be restored. For me, who lived the aftermath it took many years figuring out while digesting the way of life that we lead. But when the damage made is as vast, after a while people would stop trying to fight to restore things back to the way they used to be. They carried on with their life humbly and eventually (and sadly) becoming a permanent new way of living.
On the brighter side, when you see people lighting up at the first rays of your presence, do not be surprised. They are the grandfolks of the people your ancestors saved. Just like the many before them who saw help and hope at the sight of Americans (hey! Didn’t they call every other person emerging from the exits of the int’l airport Americans regardless of nationality, oh well except for koreans).
They too are living a haunted past, thinking that every American is Jesus Christ, the way to salvation. After all didn’t the Americans save the Filipinos from the cruel Spanish madam and gave them education, corned beef and chocolates? Your people didn’t see it coming huh, that someday the next generation Filipino would drool and become clingy at the sight of every American because they see ahead a comfortable life and yes, ATM in the flesh. Pinoys are just big babies, perennially needing to be saved & yearning for the attention that they were robbed off, even if it means playing rough most of the time.
Much as I would like to hang my head down and be ashamed of my neighbors, unless somebody can come up with a time machine or a mass amnesia energy drink, majority of the population would have to wake up and sleep carrying a century old baggage. This would leave us, a small group of Pinoy idealists and many of you, foreigners standing looking around, heads shaking. Life’s a bitch, huh?
Goodluck on your blog, keep the entries coming
Damn RoYap… That is some crazy stuff you bring up. I am an American, and having studied the culture, history, and many other respects of the best parts of your culture it hurts to know the other side of the coin which is hidden.
I can understand the instant anger that is generated from someone saying bad things about the Phil as a country, and pinoy’s as a people.
I love my woman from Mindanao, and after hearing all of what you said I am some what hurt and angered at the same time. As most filipina’s she is Catholic die-hard and completely. It bothers me what you said about the dirty priests as well. I believe myself to be protestant/non-denominational but i was baptised catholic at birth. It is incomprehensible how priests are special above others, and how they are treated so much differently than a common person. If they are expats of a different country and a priest it is as if they can do no wrong.
Of course this is my fear mixed with my opinion on what I have been told.
I am only beginning to try to understand and comprehend the thought processes of someone who was born and raised in Phil. I love the culture, the ideals, and definitely Utang na loob and to some degree (I do not know everything) looking from the outside in I would have loved to been born in Phil because of the strength of family.
The only part of your culture I hate really hate is how men are not responsible for anything to do with their virginity but rather it is all cast on the woman and then the women are constantly tempted by the men whom have no intent on marrying them if they take their virginity outside of marriage.
I agree… in the past it has not been good at all but what gives men the right to mistreat women in this way? I understand it is part of the culture but at the same time it allows men to rule over women in the same way that you claim others have ruled over you.
Double standard anyone?
Of course this does not go for all pinoy’s because for every pinoy that does not respect women there are ones that do. Sad thing is since this is occurring pinoy’s themselves are westernizing women in their own country by creating liberated women.
I guess what I am trying to say is… Yes the past effects us (if we allow it). But what are pinoy’s doing now to their own women?
The priest thing out wright disgusts me. If my woman ever had that happen their would be one less priest in the world but one more priest in hell.
Hmm I am still confused in what I truely wanted to say…maybe im just rambling as a first reaction to what you have written.
I am just upset that there is alot of truth in your words and i now understand why Phil people are subservient and it pisses me off. It makes me want to take my woman and treat her as equal and if ANYONE steps on her to plow their asses into the ground.
Of course…I must control myself in Phil after all I am white and kano’s picking fights (no matter if it is a just cause) against kin is a big NO NO….could end up dead or at the least get the hell beat out of me by the surrounding pinoy/ay’s.
But at the same time I want to thank you for giving me a look into the background of the filipino’s mind and heart. I really hope to do as much good as I can in giving to my woman to where on a deep level she can be happy not by being reliant on me but by being free with me.
Thanks again, Ryan from Kansas USA
Hi Ryan… thanks for the comment. I already psyched myself before I replied to the main article that my comment would stir and poke some readers. The gist of the entry was to try to give light on why Pinoys behave the way they(we) do. Things that foreigners don’t know and things some pinoys may have forgotten.
You see, we (as people in general) see the world at face value and usually judge others that way. Sometimes things don’t appear to be in-sync with what we are accustomed to back home, especially when we talk about people from the other side of the world. There would be confusion on how different another person’s behavior is from ours, then the disparity upsets us in the long run. Unless we look back and try to understand what they went through to become that way, can we only get exasperated.
The 300-year Spanish influence on Filipinos significantly altered the psychology of our ancestors. They lost their authority on their land and their self-worth. The spill-over is still very thick in this present time.
That is why many of us is in rage if others pick and say nasty things at us for being Filipinos because it hits home. We are in denial that the dark centuries have passed and don’t want any association with it ever. But it’s still there, somewhere. Like old clothes you shoved to the far back of the closet, you can’t pinpoint exactly where they are but you know its just in there. haha bad analogy.
I, for one thing, am very vocal with my displeasure of my culture possibly because I am resisting it and desperately wanting to change the ways and the ways others do but i can only do so much. I also have this long-time annoyance to the catholic church that planted untrue, hallucinogenic seeds of belief in my (our) head. Through the years, this has grown from simple annoyance to full-length resentment when i realized how the church used God to satisfy their greed. That cant be denied, it is in the recorded history of my country. The spanish friars who brought the “true” religion in our land used God to scare the native people and make them give away their properties happily. How they played mind games was commendable but IF I were God (again), I would have zapped those pot-bellied priests crispy, how dare they use my name in greed. I stopped hearing mass and prayed to god directly instead. My growing resentment and the knowledge that many scholars are exposing against the catholic church has educated me and many others. Hold that against me but I have read somewhere that the church is bothered by the increasing decline of its members going to mass. The faithful are getting educated yet the church has not upgraded their strategies to keep their devotees in. their centuries-old scare tactics don’t work anymore in this present time.
we are slowly learning to move on, one day at a time. The media is instrumental in opening our eyes to new ways and things. The girls are learning to enjoy their individuality too and many chose careers over early domestic confinement.
Other areas of concern are slowly evolving as well. The priests, as we call them now, no longer exploit the faithful en masse like the friars used to 200 years ago. Every now and then there’s a harassed little boy or a raped cleaning lady story that leaks to the news but the priests have learned from the PussyCat Dolls, they now go Hush! Hush!
No matter how far this evolution would take us the mark of oppression will be forever in our genes and many of us won’t always be aware or remember it someday.
I may not like the way we do things but at the end of the day I will have to give in that this is the only way we know on how to interact with the rest of the world.
For me right now, its not important for us to become civilized overnight. What’s important is we are making baby steps of progress. You can help us too by sharing what you know to us.
I think the best thing for you to do right now is to continue treating everything as you see fit, you may adapt to the things you think are pleasing to you but altogether just ignore those things or people that don’t sit well with you. They may annoy you but if you don’t give attention to any of them, they will move away.
You may be a foreigner under pressure with the kins but keep in mind that you don’t owe anybody anything here. Some shitheads would try to make you feel that from time to time. Ignore them. Best of luck to you, my friend
…. ok i’ve visited davao and have to say this.
you are force fed this lie that america is the green paster. you are told that what ever happens is gods will not your own, I am a freelancer and when I got here I saw 1 thing. corruptions and people who want other people to help them. sorry in the bible it says charity is a sin. earn your keep in this world. Don’t look for hand outs and stop saying your lufe is bad. cause your the only person who making it bad. In hawaii i ran into alot of filipinos who has the same mind set as the people here but unlike the US where they have american status the people over here try harder.
Davao has a transit system that i wish that was in america. i can never go down the street and find a replacement phone that would work with any carrier like how you can in PH, most good girls want to have a guy who won’t use and leave them for the next peace of ass. and if u get that 1 girl who is a person who u need to spend money on then hell upgraid every once in a while. i look at it like this. anything with a price tag has a upgradeable value to it. when it time go replace it for a better 1. you know younger better bod and would want less money.
Remember to say that you wish you can help people in the philippines but do nothing about it your just adding to the problem.
i’ve been here for a short time but i would know that if i was a broke ass person here i would do what alot of homeless in america would do. stand on a corner with window cleaner and a rag and clean people windows, get a bron and dust pand and tell a shop owner for 100 php a day i will come and clean his sidewalk wash his window tell i get enough cliants then hire more people to help out.
the roads are in bad shape i would see what i can do to bypass the government and get the community to help improve it.
hell atleast make bootleg baby can read videos and cards to give out to the poor so they can learn. when i hear people saying america is his grand place its only cause we learn to take care of our selves more. most of us know that our life is bad cause we fucked up. not cause god will us to be in a hellish life.
Pride is the sin, not charity. If charity is given for something (anything) in return, it isn’t charity.
I understand the points you’re trying to make, but you make a lot of assumptions. People behave in certain ways sometimes because they’ve never been taught anything else (or learned anything else for themselves). Please don’t stereotype people. There are good and bad people in both countries and it isn’t always their fault when they’re bad.
Sad to say but the women you talk about and the “corruptions” you talk about are fueled by who? Western culture? I think so… America has fucked Phil up in more ways than I care to state on this forum but I will give a few ways. 1) Western culture is a disease where a woman is turned into a body instead of a woman and is used like a piece of trash and then only value a woman has then is her body. All women in the US are screwed up…damn near ALL. The majority would leave you if anything ever got finanacially hard or if you were going through a hard time in your life.
Filipina’s (avoiding the americanized brainwashed yuppies who are like american women yet are called liberated) value family and even in shittiest of states still seek to start their own family with a respectable man who love them and take care of them only. Maybe you should stop hanging out in the damn bars and discos where the liberated girls are easy and find a real filipina because then you will realize you are all damn wrong.
By the way my money is on the girls who are costing you money…they are called prostitutes or bar girls…your paying their tab. Damn for being there you are pretty ignorant.
I have a solution for you go find an American woman and see how they treat you ya whiney bitch ohh wait that is probably why you went to Phil in the first place because can’t land a woman in the US who has unbelievable strict standards.
Message: Get a grip you are not anything special with that attitude and if you don’t like Phil stop dissing the filipinas while what your saying is true for a select minority I know my woman is real therefore I know your just an ass and the problem is really you.
PEACE Ryan from Kansas.
Well said my friend, I am from the U.S. and I am very proud to say that I have many Filipino friends there. I work as an electrician in Las Vegas and the Filipinos in our union are great workers and very
honest as well as the African Americans. We should never put a color or race on a person and only judge those for who they are. The streets in the U.S. are full of beggars with one on every corner. In the U.S. I feel the need to carry a gun or guns everywhere I go. If anyone complains about the Philippines being unsafe, then let them try getting on the wrong street in any large city in the U.S. If any American complains about the poor or needy here in the Philippines, please remind them of the unemployment hand out in the U.S. and the 4TH and 5Th generations of welfare families. Just try going to the Social Security Office and find an old person sitting there. The place will be full of young, fat, lazy and dirty people with a bunch of kids signing up for a free hand out. Just tell them that you have a mental problem caused by long term drug use and one of your kids is a slow learner and you will qualify for $2,200 dollars a month for the rest of your life. I spend much time here in Davao City and find the people to be respectful, kind and helpful. As I have always said, just show respect and you will receive respect. Only give to those that you choose and move on with your life. We are guest in this country and should act like so, if we don’t like it then we should just go home. So stop your complaining, stop your crying and man up. Life is life and complain only after you correct our problems at home… I love Davao City and the Great Mayor here, just try pushing drugs on every corner here like we do in the U.S. and you will see what real justice is like.
I live in Las Pinas, south of Manila. As an American merchant marine, I know almost ANYWHERE you go in the world, you get challenged with what I call “the American discounted price”, which of course is usually twice or three times as high. These little annoyances don’t bother me, because I know the local value of things before I even being to shop for them. And if the price they offer is too far from the price I am looking for, I won’t even begin to negotiate, I simply walk away. Secondly, my Filipina wife is a RUTHLESS negotiator. And if her and her cousin both start negotiating a price for me, I’ve seen salesmen literally begin to sweat.
The one Key Point I make any time I go shopping in Manila, is that I make sure they understand that I live there. And then I ask them that because I live there, would they like me to be a regular customer? Usually the idea of having a repeat customer changes their thinking, and when they start thinking of increased business instead of increased price, the price becomes reasonable.
Regardless of the minor inconveniences, I am still happy to live in the Philippines. Their hospitality and values are unmatched. Their work ethics far exceed those I’m use to working with in the U.S.. And to be specific, when it came down to the choice of being able to pay off a house in 3 years in the Philippines vs 30 years in the United States… that pretty much settled the issue. I am proud to say that although born American, my children will be raised in the Philippines, because I have seen how American children act, and I have seen how Philippine children behave, and I am confident that the will grow to be much more mature, better educated, and have the future opportunities of both worlds as the become adults.
Very well said my friend, I know exactly what you are saying. Most that complain have not
been back home for awhile.
i think that the philipines experience can be great, but in many other countries too, if u are a tourist, they will raise the prices,
Getting whacked for a couple of hundred pesos is cheap. At least you got to pay it at city hall. Often it is just beer money that goes into the cop’s pocket.
Sometimes it is because you are “kano” but often the pricing works for anyone they think can pay it. I’ve seen Filipino tourists taken advantage of at vacation spots just like foreign tourists. But pricing is a game to be sure. I was quoted a price of 2000 pesos or about 25 bucks these days for a small aluminum bracket to hold some bricks. I sent my Filipino brother-in-law for a price at the next shop we tried and he came back with a 400 peso or 10 dollar price quote. Guess which one we had it made at!
I believe that the book at the below link could help those who are wanting to move to the Philippines understand what they are getting into. Great info that I wish I had before I had moved here. Not all Filipinos will try to take advantage of an American, but anyone in a foreign country should expect to be taken advantage of to some extent. I myself have been to many countries and have experienced it first hand.
http://74e45muiww-lrg69mcr6tlnjel.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=RGZ9TT8J
Joe in Baguio
You need to leave the Subic area. I have been coming here since 1975 and have lived here for more than 13 years (I am from Oregon).
I was stationed in Olongapo from ’85 to ’88 and have lived here in Lucena City since 2002.
I knew I would move here after I retired from the Navy and I vowed to get as far away from the “American influence” which is Subic Bay, Angeles and parts of Manila. These places and other tourist locations like Puerto Galera and Boracay have been spoiled by the dollar and tourists. If that is the atmosphere you enjoy, have at it.
Move to the province, respect the people, the culture and understand how to speak to them without anger, you can live here without a problem. Live simply… after ten years here in Quezon province I realize how little I truly need to live and be happy.
Humility and awareness my friend, will take you a long way towards that path of freedom.
Wow. I wrote this article back in 2007 (almost 6 years ago). I haven’t had any more issues where I live but I suppose it doesn’t matter because I’m most likely moving back to the US between May and July, and it doesn’t have anything to do with where I live in the Philippines.
Well maybe you should take a few minutes and write that. I found you by accident because I am planning a mover next year. I go to visit in June. But reading you article made me a bit uneasy. So you will have many who come here and take you word at face value influencing their decision perhaps. So may you should write that in SIX YEARS (A VERY LONG TIME) you have had no problems. That will give us reason to balance what you wrote. I am glad to hear that things have been fine for you. Makes me feel a bit better. :-)
Me and my (Filipino) wife bought a house in Bataan. We are about 45 minutes from Olongapo, and Subic Freeport Zone. As far as paying more, yeah, that is a daily occurrence, even in the province, at the market. Now, when we go there, I stay in the car, and my wife does the shopping…But, charging us more when I am there is really relative. It is still cheap for the product. Our house is paid for, our car is paid for, and me and my wife drive around Bataan, and to and from Olongapo. We go there often, and it is not that bad. Our electric runs us about 1500 pesos, a month, and that is with an air conditioner running all night in the bedroom. Our water is about 320 pesos for a month. We just spent 2 months there, and those were our bills. We are planning on living there in the future. I understand most tagalog, but don’t speak it too well. I get along with and still communcate with the neighbors, and they have all accepted me as one of the barangay residences. The police on the old base in Olongapo, though do give warnings, are not very forgiving, even to Filipinos. 3 of my brothers in law have all gotten tickets on that base, and there was no foriegner in the car. They told me all the time, to be careful, because the police on that facilty are strict.
Where in Bataan? Dinalupihan? (just guessing).
I’ve been living here for seven years. I’ll probably be moving back to the states soon… for one to two years. I’m sure I’ll be returning before my ACR I-Card expires (I have a permanent resident visa).
Once you figure out what all the scams are and who you can or can’t trust, it seems not so different than living in the US. If you come from a rural area, you won’t notice the lack of convenience. If you come from a big city, you most definitely will. But… it’s getting better. Real department stores, the SM City mall outside the Magsaysay gate, the Harbor Point mall just inside the Rizal gate and a host of new businesses make shopping so much easier now. Even the Royal supermarket has expanded to two locations. I used to have to go to Manila or Pampanga to find the things I needed but now I can find most of them locally.
Hi everyone. Thank you for the info. I too want to retire in the Philippines. I really don’t have much of an idea of where at. I have read a lot about it but it’s very hard to get at the truth or maybe what’s right for me because so much of it is subjective. But I’m open to any and all suggestions. I guess I just don’t know where to start. I would like to start communicating with other folks there and a routine basis so as to get a feel for things and answers to questions I know I will have. I do plan on finding a local girl to be with / marry. I would like to bypass the scams and find an honest / true way to start that search while still in the states (cali). All the Filipino women I have had interaction with here have been very nurturing and yes seem to mostly be in the health care business. Are they that way in country? Anyways thanks for all the help / advice….
John