Living In The Philippines
What is it like to live in the Philippines? If you are thinking of moving to the Philippines that is likely to be the biggest question on your mind.
There is no easy answer. The Philippines is quite diverse. Some things are common but even the common things often have subtle differences.
Makati is vastly different than most places in the Philippines. Angeles City is the often thought of the naughty side of the Philippines.
Jessie
I’ve not been there but with all the bikini bars there, I’m certain that many things that are taboo in Cebu or Tacloban are accepted there. Bogo City, the little city I live in is very conservative. Cebu is conservative but not as conservative as Makati.
Now I’ve never been in Makati so what I’ve learned is from reading, watching TV and talking to others. Makati seems like a whole other country from Bogo. Makati is part of Metro Manila.
Though the Republic of the Philippines is a young country, the culture is not young. It has developed over hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. Large parts of the country are separated by water. This makes travel hard and separates the people into many smaller cultures.
There are hundreds of languages in the Philippines. I’m sure this separation plays a large role in that.
Think about it. A hundred years ago, travel would have been very difficult. Using small boats to cross the seas of the Philippines to get from island to the next. The poverty also plays a role in keeping the masses apart and that is true even today.
The country is connected by a network of bridges. I doubt that would even be possible. If it is, the country is a long way from that. The highway from Cebu City to Bogo City is narrow. Like a highway in the 60′s in the USA. Sure there are interstate highways in cities like Manila. There are some highways similar to interstate highways even in Cebu City but they are generally not the same limited access that I am use to. In some small sections they are very similar to an interstate highway in the USA.
More on this, from Memphis, Tn. to Jackson, Ms. there are hundreds of highways one could use to make that trip. But, from Cebu City to Bogo City, a distance of about 120Km there is but one highway. It winds through mountains, there is very little lighting in most places. Buses speed through small towns all along the way.
Most Filipino don’t own a car. So far fewer take a plane trip or take them rarely. Now the planes are full of Filipino. Well off and rich Filipino for the most part. You can get a ticket from one place in the Philippines to another for $50 at times. The price is almost always under $200. I bought a ticket from Cebu to Thailand for less than $200!
At the same time, Filipino have a strong bond no matter where they are in the country. I suppose some Muslim and Christian Filipino don’t always feel so a strong bond. Some Muslim wish to separate from the Philippines and setup an Islamic state in Mindanao. The Philippines government even tried to make that happen but the supreme court struck down the law granting that. Then fighting broke out. Talks are still ongoing though I don’t know if that is a huge priority under the current administration.
I’ve seen government sponsored commercials on TV reaching on to “Our Muslim Brothers” during Islamic holidays. Though officially there is a separation of church and state in the Philippines, in reality the church is also consulted in setting policy and major changes in the law.
A big mistake a new expat living in the Philippines will make is to take what they have learned about the small area they live in and apply it to the entire country. I can assure you, that in many cases you’ll be wrong about other places in the Philippines.
Living In Manila is not Living In The Philippines
Okay, if you live in Manila, then you are of course living in the Philippines but that’s not what most of the country is like. Manila is huge! Over 10 million people but it is still only a little more than 10% of the people. Most of us live out in the provinces, most people living in the Philippines live in the boondocks.
So much of what I see in the West about the Philippines is gleamed from looking at Manila. Manila is not like the rest of the country. People in the provinces might say it is more modern. I don’t know. I guess it is. From what I can tell they have fewer problems with brownouts. But the infrastructure there must be less than the demands the people are placing on it. When people familiar with Manila talk about this huge city of more than 10 million people, traffic and pollution usually are included in the conversation.
Now there are generalities that can be made but when they are made one should remember that there are always exceptions.
Even in Bogo City, we have our nonconformist that don’t care what people say. But that is unusual. In most areas of the Philippines, the family puts much social pressure on their members. Usually, to a Filipino family is everything. This is especially true of Filipina.
Go to any social site and look how often you’ll see mention of God and family in the profiles. Filipina often like to say they are a simple girl. I’ve seen it so much, I find it boring. However, it must be important to them to be see as simple as so many say it.
I suspect but do not know that in Makati family is still important but not as deeply so to most Filipina living out in the province.
While the Filipino has a strong common bond, even the many different languages in the Philippines cause some difficulty in communication. There are two official languages of the Philippines. Those are Filipino and English. Filipino has come to mean Tagalog on the streets but officially that is not actually true.
Most Filipino can speak Tagalog but how well they speak it and how they translate it into their own language does differ.
My eBook will help you understand the culture of the Philippines. I don’t claim to know everything or even to always be 100% correct. On the other hand, I have gained a lot of knowledge about the people of the Philippines. I’ve always been a people watcher. I love to understand people, as best as I can. If you are new to the Philippines or still thinking about coming here. I honestly believe the eBook Philippines Experience — Basic Expat Training Manual will be a very helpful source for you. For more information, visit Living In The Philippines.
These are some of the things that I’ve noticed that cause the Philippines to be a rather diverse nation. It will take some time before most of us new to living in the Philippines will understand this. I’m still learning. I have much to learn on this topic.
So tell me, what do you think it is like to live in the Philippines?
Tagged with: family • Living In The Philippines • Moving To The Philippines • Philippines Experience • Travel
Filed under: Expats in the Philippines • Living In The Philippines
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you have a great site rusty……..I learn a lot from it
Thanks Ralph!
Hello Rusty,
Great perspective Rusty. I just can’t resist but point out that you are generalizing again over something that’s hard to prove.
You said:
I suspect but do not know that in Makati family is still important but not as deeply so to most Filipina living out in the province.
I, for one, do not agree that “people in the province” seems to have this image of more virtuous than city folks.
Of course, this is farther from the truth.
Hey Roy,
You kind of lost me. It is possible there is no difference in the family ties in Makati than in Samar. I don’t know, I was only guessing.
I’d be surprised to see you agree with me. haha
Now virtue. Rather than disagree with you I will only say that is is possible that what one considers virtuous depends on what is acceptable. What is acceptable does change from location to location in just about every part of the world.
I don’t think I said one area is more virtuous than the other. I just don’t think that way.
But what I do know is that in some areas of the Philippines even holding hands is taboo while in others it is not. I personally don’t make a judgement related to virtue on that.
Ok, Rusty, put it another words, there are some areas in the Phil that there’s higher concentration of hypocrites. They are shocked to see, as you say, PDA like holding hands. But I tell you in areas like these that they do get their fair share of scandals making the Ermita where I grew up look like Mayberry or a town where nothing ever happens. Borring!
My point is just because they are provincial people they value their family more as opposed to city folks, that they are more conservative, that they are simpler. People are people.
Oh yeah, there is so much finger pointing going on in the Philippines one wonders how they ever get time to do the things to Tsismis about.
So, are you saying there are more hypocrites in the province than in Manila?
Yes, I agree people are people. I will also stick with there are different cultural expectations based on where you live.
There will always be those rebels that will not conform to those expectations and will even go out of their way to cross every social taboo in a flamboyant way. But, that doesn’t change what is accepts in general and what is not. Hypocritical or not, it still isn’t accepted.
Fair enough. But yes, there are more hypocrites in the provinces. A friend from the province argues however that it’s the other way around. Now I’m finger-pointing.
I don’t know anyone that has never been guilty of pointing a finger now and then.. I don’t know anyone that hasn’t done something to generate a little gossip either. Life might be a little boring if we didn’t generate some.
Unless you’re a vampire like me, you must be back in the states?
Yes Rusty, I’ve been back since Christmas. I’m watching F. Scott Fitzgerald’s bio as I check out your site. If i were in the Phil, I’d surely spent less time online. It’s 3 am there, right? Wow…you are really an aswang.
That sounds like a good one. AE Biography? I might look for it on Netflix.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/fitzgerald_f_homepage.html
It’s really good Rusty. Gorgeous docu of Fitzgerald’s bio. I had to savor-I kept pausing it, take some pictures or just go some site like yours. Now I am curious w/ his other works. I didn’t even know Robert de Niro also made one of his movies.
I just picked it out of a whim at the Chicago Public Lib. Netflix sends you their DVDs their in Bogo?! That reminds me to mail the last netflix DVD I just watched.
I’m sure I would enjoy it but it isn’t on Netlfix. ;(
Maybe it will be later. I take it is currently showing on PBS?
No, Netflix doesn’t ship to the Philippines.
I could get them shipped here but that would be a bit expensive or take a long time.
I have a subscription to their online library only. To watch those I have to use a VPN which gives me a US IP address otherwise I’d be blocked.
Opps I meant..I did not know that de Niro also acted in one of his (Fitzgerald) works.
so really they where just going to hand Muslims Mindinao? What would go about all the native Filipino living there? I though the government want them driven out because of crime and violence and not just give them the rights of there own island..The largest island even? ODD
No they are not. There is a region in Mindanao that is primarily Muslim and they are native Filipino. Muslim have been in the area for hundreds of years.
The prior administration worked out a region that would be free from control of the Philippine national government but the supreme court struck that down.
I haven’t heard the current administration address this issue much. At least not in public.
Some of those already in power there are not real big on the idea.
I don’t have too much first hand knowledge of that area. Some of it is extremely dangerous. Some of it dangerous but not extremely. Some of Mindanao is fairly safe even for foreigners.
when I was in Mindanao a guy was telling me about a place that I could buy this huge land plot, it’s in the very heavy Muslim area. He told me I could buy the plot for about 1000$ and I could build a mansion on it too cause I would have saved so much money. Then he said after I have lived there for a week then I would go back home to the United States…In a wooden box! hahaha That was crazy! But if I can add that around where I was there are not Muslims and if there where they blended in well. I felt safe enough, I would never travel at night time that for sure though
Aaron, was he trying to sell it to you directly? You can’t own land in the Philippines. You can own a condo. You can take out a long term lease. But only Filipino can own land. A corporation can also buy land if it is owned 60% by Filipino (I think). Only a Filipino can buy land in the Philippines.
I thought you were headed to Dipolog? I think there is a lot of Muslim there. I don’t think you’d really know they were. I THINK they are in the majority in that city? I’m not at all sure of that though.
Dipolog isn’t too bad. South of there gets a bit iffy. There are areas of Mindanao I wouldn’t go but I would like to visit Dipolog. I would go out at night.
In some areas you’ll find mosque and prayers and chats that I associate with Islam.
He was just joking around with me because we where talking about the dangers of Mindanao. Thats when he mentioned a place that sells land very cheap because nobody will live there, it’s too dangerous! Dipolog was south of there I was. I was in Ozamis, Oroquieta City and a small town called Lopez Jeana. That was all northern Mindanoa. I was in Manila too for 2 days. Many people there, that is the place I felt most at risk. Mindanao was nothing but nice and respectful families.
Hi.
Makati City is a more modernized city compared to any other cities in Manila and the rest of the Philippines knowing that it’s the Financial and Business capital of the Philippines. Here you can find the tallest buildings ever built in PH, fancy restaurants, five star hotels,bars and big shopping malls. There are also many career opportunities here in Makati and the whole Manila that’s why most people in the province move to Manila for work after they graduate from college. Just like me. I am originally from Legazpi City, Albay, Bicol region. It’s a small town located in the southern most part of PH. I think it’s 12 hours away from Manila by land. I was raised and studied there. Right after I graduated from college in 2007, I moved here (Makati) for work. The reason to that is because the minimum wage in Manila is higher than in the province. I think the highest wage you can get in the province is 10,000-11,000 php per month, much lower than in Manila which starts at 14,000 to 25,000 or more (depending on the industry you are working for). BPO companies or “call centers” (which i’m currently working in)normally provides higher compensation to their employees. There are hundreds of them here in Manila that’s why newly grads are attracted to work in this industry, even nursing and engineering graduates. It is true Rusty,(based on your previous article) that Filipinos particularly pinays thinks most of their families than themselves. Even if we are not obligued to helped the family, we feel that it’s a responsibility and an honor for us to help them especially our parents. it’s a part of the filipino culture. I send them money every 15 days even without them asking for it and it feels great to help you’re own family at a young age. It always feels good when you show love in every way you can especially for your family.I can say that living in the province is quite very different than living in Makati or any cities in Manila. I love it more in the province because i love the simple life there.You will find everything that you need there without you spending much unlike here. You will get the most finest,reserved and conservative girls unlike here..Most girls here are somewhat liberated and more independent compared to the women in the province.