In retrospect, would you move again to the Philippines?

scott1953 wrote:

Hello Corum, I dont consider myself a poster boy for the Philippines.I live my life on my terms and it  happens to work out great here. I am aware that i choose to live in a 3rd world developing country. The USA will always be my country, and the Phili. will always be my hotel away from home. Your smart not to invest in any business or get involved in any real estate purchase in a country where  they dont want us working here and we are limited to maybe a condo purchase with limitations. I always keep my 2 suitcases close at hand ready to pack if i choose to look for greener pastures in another country.

Hi Scott - I was actually referring to the OP by davtjo.......seems he experienced all the bad stuff over the years! Phils has many positives, not least low cost of living, climate I like, and an environment that allows me to devolve and put the North American lifestyle out of mind. If I find the right opportunity there I'd grab it but nothing has come up yet.

Mixknight wrote:

As I read these stories I understand how they happen,it happened to me. As a older man who thought in 2010 my life for love was over,I was contacted in Filipino Kisses by a young woman. I listened to her each time she had a problem, (Father needing a Heart,then dying and they would have to move from their place to an apartment,etc) . After sending about 2 mil php for that,then I started coming to the Philippines to see her. I was on disability from my company at that time and receiving about 6-7,000 per month usd. I put all of that each month into her and what I thought would be a future,helped her brother to start a DJ business,helped mother to start a food business. Then 2011 gave her the money for our dream house another 4 mil php. In 2012 I find out via one of her BFF,she is living with the father of her children. When I am away he is there and then sends him away when I come. I confronted her with my information and data,I had now gotten from a private security service. She cried and said how she was so so sorry about the lies and she now wanted to choose me over him and please forgive her again (lol). I said good luck to her and her family and cut ties. In 2013 one of her other BFF's asked me for help. She was having a child and really needed some help,the father wanted nothing to do with the child,because my former love had told him,the child was not his,because she thought this girl was the one who told on her (But she was not). So I helped her with the child now no longer receiving disability and unable to return to work, but did little side jobs to provide income for myself. As fate would have it I found her (Not my past GF) to be honest and giving, even when I had nothing to offer,but an old man's dreams. Jump ahead to 2015, we have a child (Yes DNA says it is mine). This woman has restored my faith in women of the Philippines,but I will be quick to tell anyone. Go slowly know who and what you giving the balance of your life and maybe life savings too. So to make a long story short,she is my life and my child are my everything. I bear no ill-will to my former,I hope she and her family have used and done well with what I gave out of love and they took out of greed. So would I do it again with the woman I am with "For Sure". With my past GF knowing what I know now,I would have just dropped her sooner. But I believe "GOD" does not make mistakes. So my learning was required to see the greatness in whom I have now. Sorry for being so long winded,but needed to show the timeline.

You sir, have a good heart. God bless you.

pej1111 wrote:

I would not.

I have being living here, over the last several years while working in Australia, so back and forth I go.

I established for my GF and unit, a living budget, and a educations budget.

On reflecting on things, things I did not consider with due diligence prior to starting a relationship here:

* The emotional bye in your are drawn into with the family.
* The financial risks - Mainly currency fluctuation, which can effect  your standard of living here greatly.
* The political risk of this country.
* Personal security (kidnap) risk to both me and my GF, as we live in Mindanao
* The total lack of social security benefits from the Australian Government.

I would have being much happier staying single and living in Australia and flying to which ever country I wanted to, rather than be tied down in the Philippines.

The place is quite the honey trap and it's easy to get caught if you haven't had experience in similar environment before. Even easier if you're a disillusioned  Westerner looking to get away from the rat race. I was born in a poor country so have experience with how things work in similar place and yet it took about a year for me to figure out how things really are.

I'm still choosing to move there because economically it's good, I want to be in southeast Asia, I can communicate with people, and I don't mind being a foreigner. At this stage in life - approaching 50 - I don't want to start a search over for some other place to get away to.

davtjo wrote:

the short answer is yes! The long answer is as follows lol
I met and married a Filipina and moved to the philippines in 2004. i was 56 my wife was 31. As I had some money and I was a taxi operator in UK for about 7 years a few years previously, I thought taxi's, that's the game! How wrong can you be, we operated for nearly 4 years of hard work frustration, theft of car parts, tyres swapped cars abandoned and missing for days. broken car parts swapped about the vehicles, (keep buying replacements) Altered invoices etc etc. So I lost bucket loads of money I had 19 taxis . So that was something I should have avoided. My wife and I decided to return to the UK for a maximum of 5 years to replenish our finances, and for me to top up my pension, Many plans were made during this time. At about the 41/2 year point I returned to Philippines for 6 months my wife stayed in Uk and was to follow in 3 months this did not happen. After  a total of 6 months I returned to UK, Unbeknown to me my wife had decided to play around. I caught texts on her phone. After a lot of argue I decided to stay and retrieve the marriage. After a year I returned To Philippines to sort out her midwife course and sort out living arrangements. On her return, she started the course. Due to various factors, it was a low point in the marriage, but at no time did I contemplate divorce, I paid all the expenses and course fees for her and her daughter. She returned to UK Oct 2013, and was  due to return March 2013 to complete her course. On boxing day I received a text saying  that the marriage was over. Of course she was still mucking about with the other man. So  another aspect that I would not repeat, once a cheat always a cheat. I lost everything, my home because I built an extension on my in laws house, 4 1/2 years of working 7 days a week, to get the money to pay for the build and other  things to improve the house. So never build on your  in laws house lol. I am still in Philippines I have a lovely girlfriend, but before I commit any money to a house or business i will have the attorney to safeguard my interests.
Of course it was my mistake in putting love and trust before sense. so be warned, make sure your life is well safeguarded so that if the worst happens you still have your home and or business.
It sounds like a total disaster and I suppose in many ways it was. But I learned the hard way of what I should have done, never has the phrase "love is blind" been more apt. By all means come and live here I would generally say yes, just don't be blind learn from my mistakes.

Great offering Davtjo. Thanks for your candor. I appreciate your life view, man. God blesd