Retiring in the Philippines

[TOM&Riz 4]

We are planning to retire there as well God willing in 3 yrs time.

is a serious decision although there are flights going both ways you will need major adjustment to not having steady electric service not having water sometimes different standards in food storage different values on rudeness and the way you are looked at as a foreigner in thier country. I have lived here for a year now and I am ready to go home.

Just before you make a decision to move permanently consider what you value for comforts and familiarity. If you like camping where you can't go home you get along just fine.

Just my personal observations of course ... YMMV

[edp333 9]

We have thought about retiring in the Phils.

Some of the things I have not had time to research or figure out:

1. Medical costs - Medicare does not cover international medical care.

2. If expensive maintenance drugs can be reliably shipped to Manila.

3. If employment at the USEM would help aaleviate the above issues.

[charlie&pam 1]

ok...here is a quick question???? are the laws the same for owning property as it is for owning buisnesses where I can only own 10% where the rest would have to be put in either Pams name or a family member?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

is a serious decision although there are flights going both ways you will need major adjustment to not having steady electric service not having water sometimes different standards in food storage different values on rudeness and the way you are looked at as a foreigner in thier country. I have lived here for a year now and I am ready to go home.

Just before you make a decision to move permanently consider what you value for comforts and familiarity. If you like camping where you can't go home you get along just fine.

Just my personal observations of course ... YMMV

Good advice.

[Pinay Wife 47]

ok...here is a quick question???? are the laws the same for owning property as it is for owning buisnesses where I can only own 10% where the rest would have to be put in either Pams name or a family member?

You might get info by reading the Q&A here:

http://www.bcphilipp...hilippines/318/

[DARUMA07 25]

We are retiring there too!! Tacloban City, Leyte....

I jumped on the bandwagon too quick! We will retire there if only we have certain conditions met...

1. Our standard of living not taking a step back

2. Medical Care being available since I will be up in age at that time

3. Our finances being able to support us through anything that comes our way

We also have to think about the kids. Mathew was born there, but he was 3 when he arrived here and this is all that he really knows(USA).... Since Ruchie is now pregnant, we have to think about our babies future also.

All this would have to come together before any move would be made. If I am going to struggle, I'd rather it be here than over there. Don't want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire...

[Dakine 26]

Lots of you people are dreamers which is fine. How much time have you spent in PI?

I considered retiring there but after spending a couple months last year I changed my mind.

For one it's to hot unless you live in a place like Baguio or Tagatay. Baguio has terrible air pollution now tho.

I can't handle living with the AC going 24/7 naman.

One of the main reasons for no longer wanting to live there is my lack of understanding the local language. I like to know what people are talking about especially at social functions like a family party or even just everyday living.

To much rain in Monsoon season also.

Other than living a lot cheaper I can't see ANY reason I'd want to live there permanetly.

Hawaii is MUCH better other than the cost of living which I can handle now.

No medicare doesn't help also.

Having to have someone watch the clothes when they are hung out so they won't get ripped off isn't my style either.

"We" do own 4 houses on 2 lots there. Have or own compound. Our family lives in 3 of them at this time. Other one I built for us.

Hope it works out for those that move there.

DON'T BURN YOUR BRIDGES THO!!!

Edited April 2, 2010 by Dakine

[sjr09 155]

Lots of you people are dreamers which is fine. How much time have you spent in PI?

I considered retiring there but after spending a couple months last year I changed my mind.

For one it's to hot unless you live in a place like Baguio or Tagatay. Baguio has terrible air pollution now tho.

I can't handle living with the AC going 24/7 naman.

One of the main reasons for no longer wanting to live there is my lack of understanding the local language. I like to know what people are talking about especially at social functions like a family party or even just everyday living.

To much rain in Monsoon season also.

Other than living a lot cheaper I can't see ANY reason I'd want to live there permanetly.

Hawaii is MUCH better other than the cost of living which I can handle now.

No medicare doesn't help also.

Having to have someone watch the clothes when they are hung out so they won't get ripped off isn't my style either.

"We" do own 4 houses on 2 lots there. Have or own compound. Our family lives in 3 of them at this time. Other one I built for us.

Hope it works out for those that move there.

DON'T BURN YOUR BRIDGES THO!!!

Point well made!

Funny you pointed out the clothes, DITTO! I even had the gas sucked out of my bike....

For the Dreamer's. If it’s Filipino culture you like so much just move to Hawaii, it's Full of Dakine Brah!

[TOM&Riz 4]

Lots of you people are dreamers which is fine. How much time have you spent in PI?

I considered retiring there but after spending a couple months last year I changed my mind.

For one it's to hot unless you live in a place like Baguio or Tagatay. Baguio has terrible air pollution now tho.

I can't handle living with the AC going 24/7 naman.

One of the main reasons for no longer wanting to live there is my lack of understanding the local language. I like to know what people are talking about especially at social functions like a family party or even just everyday living.

To much rain in Monsoon season also.

Other than living a lot cheaper I can't see ANY reason I'd want to live there permanetly.

Hawaii is MUCH better other than the cost of living which I can handle now.

No medicare doesn't help also.

Having to have someone watch the clothes when they are hung out so they won't get ripped off isn't my style either.

"We" do own 4 houses on 2 lots there. Have or own compound. Our family lives in 3 of them at this time. Other one I built for us.

Hope it works out for those that move there.

DON'T BURN YOUR BRIDGES THO!!!

People have Lot's of reasons for living here and I do know a few ex-pats it suited for but considerations have to be made with a level head, this IS a third world country, chances are you met your lovely wife because she wants to leave here, work opportunities are non existent for a foreigner, property ownership for a foreigner is not possible I don't care what they say law's are made but trust me they are not enforced and that includes discrimination as it is prevalent and abundant. Another consideration is if you are raising kids here the public schools are not up to world standards, face it the government here is in it for the money, where i come from i pay 6% sales tax on everything I buy here in the Philippines I pay 12% but you know what? try calling 911 for a ambulance... you'll die before it gets there, try calling 911 for a cop ha ha you will die before one gets there, want to go to a public park ? there ain't none, having hard times and need temporary food for your family or assistance? wrong place Joe there's nothing here for you.

The bright side of this country is the people, they are cheerful happy people even though 80% of them are poor but if you plan to live here just be aware there will be people at your gate (that's right most all houses have a gate and steel fence surrounding them for good reason) begging for food because the government of this country ignores it's poor even when dining in New York and bragging about a $20.000.00 meal, be prepared in an emergency to have a good amount of cash in your pocket should you need to go to a hospital because if you don't yep you guessed it... you will die and believe me it happens every day here.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

People have Lot's of reasons for living here and I do know a few ex-pats it suited for but considerations have to be made with a level head, this IS a third world country, chances are you met your lovely wife because she wants to leave here, work opportunities are non existent for a foreigner, property ownership for a foreigner is not possible I don't care what they say law's are made but trust me they are not enforced and that includes discrimination as it is prevalent and abundant. Another consideration is if you are raising kids here the public schools are not up to world standards, face it the government here is in it for the money, where i come from i pay 6% sales tax on everything I buy here in the Philippines I pay 12% but you know what? try calling 911 for a ambulance... you'll die before it gets there, try calling 911 for a cop ha ha you will die before one gets there, want to go to a public park ? there ain't none, having hard times and need temporary food for your family or assistance? wrong place Joe there's nothing here for you.

The bright side of this country is the people, they are cheerful happy people even though 80% of them are poor but if you plan to live here just be aware there will be people at your gate (that's right most all houses have a gate and steel fence surrounding them for good reason) begging for food because the government of this country ignores it's poor even when dining in New York and bragging about a $20.000.00 meal, be prepared in an emergency to have a good amount of cash in your pocket should you need to go to a hospital because if you don't yep you guessed it... you will die and believe me it happens every day here.

Well said.

I love the people, food, culture, etc. of the Philippines and I hope that we will visit there for extended periods of time throughout our life, but I'm willing to bet that after a couple of months even my wife will be ready to come back home to the good 'ol US of A.

[oliver-chris 3]

All of these comments are enlightening ... we will keep them in mind

[TripleG 3]

I think using the word PARADISE to describe the RP is not a realistic way to describe it at all. It all depends on where a person chooses to live and I have literally been all over the entire country, and lived in 2 different places. I have yet to find this paradise some people use to describe it. What I did find is a place where the cost of housing, transportation and medical is more affordable. As far as the cost of living being cheaper goes? Other than these 3 things, I guess it depends on how a person chooses to live. I have found if I want to live what I would consider a normal middleclass American lifestyle then the cost are not that much different and in some cases more expensive in the RP. If a person is willing to change how they would normally live in America and adopt more of a Pinoy mindset of doing with less, then the RP can be a great place. Living like a king in the RP is like living a middleclass lifestyle here in the U.S.A. and the cost are not greatly different based off my experience. I have had great medical care in the RP and I have also had terrible medical care. I spent 4 days in the Asian hospital in Alabang. I blew a disc in my lower back and pinched the sciatic nerve so bad I couldn't get off the ground and was taken by ambulance. The neurosurgeon that did the medical procedure was top notch and I walked out of the hospital 4 days later. I still had more major surgery done in the states the next month, but this Pinoy doctor got me mobile again. On the other hand medical care in the province can range from bad to mid-evil. If I would have had this situation happen to me in the visayas where I built our house, I would have been in REAL big trouble.

The thing that makes the RP attractive for me is being able to live with less, but still being able to be happy doing it. The unattractive things for me are of course the same things alot of Filipino's also don't like which are: the corruption, the crab-mentality, and the extreme poverty of others.

Eventhough I am 33, actually I have been planning on retiring to the RP for the last couple of years. I met my wife when I was an expat and we built a house together over there on some land her dad gave us, before we even got married. Trust was never an issue for our situation. At the time it was a popular belief amongst expats that K-1 was the best route to go, so we waited to get married until here in the U.S.A. We have operated several different types of businesses there from Jeepney's and boarding houses to all sorts of farming and livestock trucking. I have worked in the oil industry my entire life thus far and will recieve a good pension, but a plan B of making the move to the RP before that time has always been in the works. My dream is not retiring to the RP, my dream is retiring to the RP still a young man. Many have tried this and failed but I know a handful that planned well and are succeeding. If a person can live atleast 40% pinoy style it makes it much easier. Like another poster stated you also need to get your mind right. A two week to two month visit is nothing like the six months of isolation province living can make you feel. I speak Bisaya and have a great relationship with my wifes immediate family, but I still miss American conversation while there. I once drove an hour in the rain on my motorbike just to have coffee with a retired American living in the RP. I didn't even really like this paticular guy that much, but he could provide me with the commrodary my inlaws can't. Loneliness can happened to you even if your surrounded by people in the RP. The feeling of isolation I have been through in the RP has made it so much easier for me to identify with what my wife has had to go through adjusting to life in the U.S.A.

An American cannot own land in the Philippines. There is some discussion on whether once the Filipino spouse dies if the ownership can be transfered to the American spouse, but I wouldn't ever count on that being the case even if there is a law stating it. As far as business I would never put anything in my name as American owner even if I could. The corruption makes running a business in the RP hard enough, why would anyone ever want to draw more attention to themselves? Basically what I am saying is: is that it takes absolute trust in your spouse and her immediate family to do anything concrete in the RP.

This is just my 2 cents, and only an opinion and like previously stated I am not an expert and don't pretend to be.

Wyatt

[Ronald and Elvira 0]

Yes.......... We are going to retire there as well Somewhere either in the Butuan City Area or Cebu

[Dakine 26]

Yes.......... We are going to retire there as well Somewhere either in the Butuan City Area or Cebu

Hopefully the MILF hasn't taken over Butuan by the time you retire.

The way things are going. Mindanao isn't looking to good for puti in the future.

Other places like Cotobato are already history.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Dakine

[Atencio 43]

Leaving for Butuan again next Saturday. It has seemed safe to me. I don't think I would want to retire there though. Don't think I could deal with the daily power brown outs.

I wouldn't mind having a vacation house in the Philippines but not sure about retiring there. I work with a lot of Filipinos and none of them has expressed a desire to retire there.

But who knows. May change my mind when the time comes.