The Philippines is a great place to live
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
Whenever I say I like living in the Philippines people say “well, you’re white and rich so you don’t know what it’s really like.”
But if I say, “Man, the Philippines is screwed up” they say something like, “Well, it’s because you Americans colonized us and treated us badly.”
Hmmmm.
Well, let me recite a few facts (as I see them) and then pull them together.
- The Philippines has a whole lot of poor people.
- The Philippine economy is stable but not very productive in generating wealth.
- The natural resources are stunningly beautiful and rich, and the weather is terrific.
- The Philippines has nasty storms.
- The Philippines has superb entertainers and a broad sporting culture from scuba diving to women’s volleyball.
- Costs of housing and local goods are low because salaries are low.
- A little money goes a long way in the Philippines, for food, health care, and fun.
- The Philippines has many friends among the nations of Asia, Europe, and elsewhere, possibly more than any other nation.
- English is spoken broadly and is the foundation for business success and global friendships.
- Fiestas are fabulous, fun, and welcoming, a feast, a terrific celebration of Filipino style.
- The Philippines is both conservative and liberal, not racist or blind to the issues faced by gays or transgenders.
- If you stick something in the ground here, it grows, and much of it finds its way into delicious food dishes.
- Chicken fighting is a poor man’s bull fighting.
- The Philippines became independent, that is, uncolonized, in 1946, or 69 years ago.
- The roots of colonialism remain, Spanish religion, American schools, failure to accept accountability for one’s condition.
- Politicians are mostly self-dealing dynastic and populist poor performers; the nation does not cherish competence, it gets by on entitlement.
- Joe America truly enjoys the Philippines and Filipinos and is glad his wife chose to live here rather than go to America.
- Leni Robredo is the best of Filipinos, Sara Duterte the worst, and a whole lot of voters can’t tell the difference..
- Social media is a lifestyle but it’s filled with dirty data, and used by new oppressors like China and corrupt dynastic barons.
There, that sets the scene that I see.
The Philippines is multi-dimensional and rich with life, contradiction, beauty, and struggle.
The Philippines is a great place to live.
_________________________
The cover photo is our island hopping charter out of Cebu a few years ago. It was the occasion of my wife flying out of the water like a ballistic missile, having come face to face with a giant jellyfish whilst we were snorkeling. JA
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The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Living here I can wholeheartedly agree with you plus add a reason for staying: I can move around freely without fear of being shot while Black.
as a foreigner you will be given shots
Do you mean tagay?
I thought shots as in vaccinations. all foreigners before they can enter philippines must have their vaccinations like t.b. shots, hep b shots, measles, chicken pox, etc. and sometimes, they are screened for AIDS and HIV and other notifiable diseases. and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, coz they must have clearance also to ensure they are not in the wanted list.
and once they are in our country, they still have to comply with visa requirements. those on tourist visa are not allowed to work here, if they do, they must change their tourist visa to work visa and pay the fee. and those who overstay their visa and dont ask for extension may well become illegal migrant and can be deported like pokwang’s husband.
Yes, the final step to gaining admission is a “quarantine” period during which they assign you to an authorized doctor to check for rabies and other transmittable diseases. I was jet lagged so mumbled through the process which I recall was administrative hoo haw.
same when filipinos go overseas, they too undergo the system with lots of probes, checks and counter checks. and some of the checks are invasive. females are asked if they are pregnant.
Oh yes, those kind of shots.
yep
That is a benefit I suppose, LOL. I’ve been shot nearby twice as warnings, once because I had the wrong Filipino auntie (who was running for barangay chair against the shooters father), and once out of sheer drunken envy. It remains a bit wild west the farther you drift from the big city. Black is probably a benefit in that context.
foreigners should not get lulled into thinking it is okay here, that they can do as they like, but only up to a point. a dutch tourist was jailed once and got deported for joining a rally and loud mouthing a policeman. sr fox a christian nun and missisonary was deported back to her country australia for apparently helping farmers fight for their rights.
there are conditions for staying here and as long as foreigners do what is right and not get involved in shenanigans as in scamming, bringing down the government, pedophilia, etc, they are quite welcome to stay and enjoy what our country has to offer, floods included, traffic congestion, and now that local and regional election is looming, the fun observing how we filipinos do electioneering. lots of snapshots moment that can be used as evidence. got a pic of politicians dolling out money to buy votes?
Right, and Immigration is sure to remind we permanent visa holders now and then that that being here is a privilege, not a right. But, as with Filipinos, some learn that it is not a crime unless you are caught and so they risk their stay here doing untoward deeds. Deportation is not a hard punishment. I mind my manners by letting my wife deal with government agencies as she has a level of patience for nonsense that I am unable to master.
I miss dried mangoes there, even though they sell ’em in Costco here and even after i’ve seen them dried there. and those green mangoes with those fermented tiny shrimps they give you with, sold on Jones avenue. and of course the other avenue which I will not say.
mmmmm avenue
They arrested DU30?!!!!
Confirmed.
The “Roman” in me wants to feed that “barbarian” to the lions in the Coliseum, yes Araneta.. but that is a joke, just like making Harry Roque 🐖 into lechon and having tambays eat him as their pulutan. The restraint of due process is always better.
Besides, the German superstitions (based I guess on millenia of experience) that one should not think a few birds 🐦 singing are springtime, that one shouldn’t declare victory until the war is fully over, that one should NEVER say happy birthday in advance – all restrain me a bit. 🤔
Ha, the ever-present nagging of “it’s too good to be true”.
Well, live reports say he just boarded a plane. The question is to where?
He is not a fish, so I hope PNP didn’t “catch and release” him, but who knows.
ICC probably felt emasculated and or neutered after that Bibi Netanyahu stuff. so they felt they had to get DU30. its a Catch 22. damned if you do, same if you don’t. They had to arrest DU30. but PBBM did not have to comply, he misplayed.
So i think DU30 is really gonna stand trial in the Hague. which in the hearings was what he in fact kept on saying, eg. cuz he’s not getting any younger he said take me to the Hague already. lol.
With said trial. two things will happen. IMHO. its just my opinion. please nobody get offended. just opinion.
Duterte as brand has been waning. lights been flickering on and off and dimming. Now with DU30 in The Hague I’m sure doing his thing, eg. bluster on the int’l stage. Inday Sara’s name will shine 10x brighter.
that’s the first. the second is Trump.
Trump I’m sure could care less about DU30 and the Philippines. i gotta feeling though that he’s got a bunch of Filipino workers, so he’ll have affinity towards Filipinos, Filipinos working for him directly, eg. affable and hard working. don’t complain.
the second thing that’s gonna happen is Trump will pounce at the ICC, saving Bibi sure, but also potentially saving his future self. lawfare, etc.
Trump’s already dismantling NAFTA, UN and NATO. he’ll set his sights on ICC next. DU30’s giving him this opening. and that’ll further brigthen Inday Sara’s name (by brighten I mean only that Filipinos will see a rising star again, thank you world stage).
TL;DR VP Inday Sara just became President in 2028.
Just leaving this Twitter post here with a quote from Wataru Kusaka.
https://x.com/jcpunongbayan/status/1899606232006373760
What you are predicting isn’t impossible or improbable.
This is MLQ3’s take on the matter:
https://x.com/mlq3/status/1899607973829263694
thanks, Ireneo. on Twitter as well, am seeing a bunch of DU30 supporters plead to Trump/JD/Musk to save DU30. but they don’t seem to understand, all those folks operate from a “whats in it for me?” perspective. Filipinos are tweeting like they are tweeting to saints asking for intercession, you gotta say something like we want Space X launch pads in Mindanao or Trump resorts, etc. appeal to their “better” natures (quid pro quo is how they operate). Philippines has to lift her kimono farther up. but honestly, this ICC is a target of opportunity for Trump. there’ll be a pro Trump and pro DU30 vigils soon in NYC etc soon i think also. Maybe Maralago. lots of Fil-Am/Filipino Trump die hards.
PBBM shoulda resisted ICC, making him the hero. let DU30 just die in Mindanao albeit with lots of bluster. but to irrelevance and focus on that criminal case with my beloved Inday Sara, not the impeachment political case. but the criminal case. that. that’s it simple, nip in bud. then her brothers. easy targets they have no following. but now The Hague will consolidate Filipinos. this was a misplay IMHO. my opinion only. remember just my opinion here.
Sharing this Voice of Germany report on YouTube about “how polarized is the Philippines after Duterte’s arrest”..
The Netherlands. Clearly the Marcos Government had a plan, and cut quick. Excellent. +10
netherlands should not have all the fun, duterte’s trial at the hague should be streamed live so we all can see it, not just the privileged audience at hague. too bad joma has died, he would have enjoyed being at the hague and watching his former nemesis duterte put through the wringer.
I hope duterte loves herring and rollmops, fave food of the dutch and not have those tiny fish bones stuck in his throat. and hopefully he had his kulambo with him. make him feel at home.
It would be great for the Philippines if it were televised. Such a regrettable time.
digong was heard saying he will take responsibility maybe that also implied he will take consequences of his dastardly action. when once in power he has acted in haste and now that he is nearing 80yrs, he’d be celebrating his birthday on march 28 in detention and maybe, repenting in leisure.
He always talked tough. But bullies when confronted seem rather to whine.
https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/mr-rodrigo-roa-dutertes-initial-appearance-scheduled-14-march-2025-practical-information the hearing is tomorrow at 14:00 hours CET.
Instructions on how to livestream it or download it for later viewing are in the link.
Terrific. Thank you.
Asian food is plentiful in the Netherlands. Most stuff in Asian stores here in Europe passes through Dutch importers. Oh, the scenes yesterday night in front of the prison with DDS waiting until after 8 p.m. in the cold, and the two dark police cars with tinted glass passed quickly. There were livestreams. Dutch police, all young, tall, and athletic, one blonde policewoman towered above the DDS people who were waving Filipino flags and holding placards. Possibly Duterte is close enough to the beach to hear the waves, Scheveningen in the Hague is a popular summer resort, so he might even hear people having fun starting around June.
digong would love that: center stage and center of attention and among people that dont speak his language. his mugshot will be on public record and seen worldwide. dds would not be able to visit him willy nilly, and they would have to sign in. communication will be monitored.
he’ll probly be initially put on suicide watch until he acclimatize to his new normal. usual protocol for detainees, he’ll be sighted every 15minutes, then scaled down until he is no longer deemed at risk of harming himself.
Medialdea today was telling the Philippine press that Duterte wasn’t in jail but in a hospital and they wouldn’t tell him where, even saying “lokohan na ito.”
Possibly, he hoped he could stoke up DDS in the Netherlands, but they will only go SO far for Digong Duterte, when push comes to shove, they know that their hanapbuhay depends on them toeing the line and following the laws HERE, so no DDS stormed The Hague hospitals.
An hour later, ICC confirmed that Dutz was in the ICC jail but had been subjected to a full medical exam before going into jail, as is the SOP for jails here, not just the ICC jail. Nice try, Medialdea. An hour ago, there were videos saying PNP was trying to raid Dutz’s Davao house.
Seems the DDS are desperate and getting OA as a result. That includes Honeylet, who hit a SAF lady cop with her cellphone at Villamor. She will be facing a case.
In other news, Heydarian stepped into a pile of shit online.
so much drama and misinformation is spreading. apparently, there were not dds chanting duterte, duterte in netherlands, but the pic was manipulated. the chanters were serbians.
there was also a pic of digong on charter flight to netherlands, reclining with nasal prongs in his nostrils apparently he was short of breath, but the oxygen tube is not connected to oxygen tank! as per doj remulla’s remark. similarly no pulse oximeter is seen attached to his finger so no way of measuring the oxygen level in his blood.
honeylet refused to accompany the old man to netherlands she has no passport kuno but managed to fly in to hongkong with him priorly. well, well, if digong was hoping to avoid arrest and escape to hongkong and then on to china with wife and daughter in tow, nabigo siya.
methink, honeylet did not go with him to netherlands dahil she has to keep eye on their excess luggage left behind, those suitcases that may have been filled with money! much like when the marcoses fled to hawaii, they have so many suitcases full of money and tons of priceless belongings!
There really were DDS in front of the jail, I saw the livestreams, they had Philippine flags and all, the Serb demonstration on Dutch streets that was manipulated was something else. It wasn’t really many people though, 80 people max and freezing as they waited even after the sundown.
They chanted send him back, sang Lupang Hinirang, and three of them at least waved Philippine flags, plus the timing of dusk was similar to where I am, so it wasn’t a fake livestream, the sidewalks and roads looked Dutch and so did the police cars and uniforms.
https://x.com/alexcadier/status/1899893493637525628 here..
thanks, I am skeptical though. I have come across deep fakes and they are so lifelike, many are fooled. deep fake until verified then.
There was more than one live cam yesterday night. You may stay skeptical, of course, but I know from 2022 how many DDS and loyalists are here in Europe.
The cams were from different perspectives, and I tend to believe them as the sequence of events match, even how the cops asked them to get away from the entrance and very typical for Holland off the bike lane.
Observing the political fallout of everything sa Pilipinas with wonder and worry. Also something I shall expound on this Sunday.
20? There is a new middle class that has the money to go to concerts. That is, I have realized one reason behind the rise of modern Pinoy Pop, which is SOMEWHAT inspired by KPop, but by now has its own vibe. The video below shows the sheer size of the Philippine Arena well. It is THE place for huge acts, the largest indoor arena in the world with 55K seating capacity. Used to be only foreign acts like Bruno Mars (who, unlike Olivia Rodrigo, remembers his Filipino heritage only when he is in the Philippines. Otherwise, he is fuller of himself than Michael Jackson was) performed here. And ONCE there was an Aldub fan meet in this INC-owned place in Bulacan. Yes, Bulacan, so NLEX is full of traffic from Manila. It was the same when they had basketball games there like Dominican Republic versus Philippines at the end of 2023. Anyhow, the nation’s girl group BINI (formed by ABS-CBN) is shown performing below. The noise of 55K Filipinos fans of literally all ages (two of Will’s daughters were at one of the 3 Araneta concerts last year and were amazed) in front of 3 huge LED screens and a massive stage. May 31st has SB19 performing in the Philippine arena to ALSO kick off their World Tour. BINI will be in the USA by June and SB19 just after in July. Both have landed places in the UK charts, the young men at 4th place with a single and the young ladies at 20th place with an album, aka “EP.”
Well, typically Filipino would also be that there were occasional sound system issues, and that people online can’t quite decide whether it was the fault of ABS-CBN, of the Arena (therefore INC) or the sound checks didn’t figure in feedback from such a loud 55K crowd. Some who were there say no issues on the ground, it was just the TFC (The Filipino Channel) livestream abroad that sucked. In the Philippines, there allegedly were entire barangays watching the stream like a Pacquiao match back in the days. And allegedly, there were thousands of bootleg streams. Anyhow, the Temecula, CA venue of the BINI world tour already sold out. The largest overseas barangays of the Philippines are in Socal. Daly City near San Francisco is known, too. This all just gives an idea of a nation that isn’t rich yet – but isn’t THAT poor anymore either..
Wow, that captures the energy for sure. Who’d worry about politics or corruption if you can party like that.
“Isn’t THAT poor anymore.” Seems the best way to put it. Wealth rising, fools or not, lol.
Billboard has been in the Philippines for about a year now. Rolling Stone is coming soon as well and has Maria Ressa on its cover.
https://x.com/rapplerdotcom/status/1899678329529077833
So the country is starting anew from where it took a wrong turn by throwing out the Beatles.
That’s good to know. No more “Band on the Run”, lol.
Well, the Philippines for better or for worse didn’t take the turn the USA took from the late 1960s onwards, meaning civil rights movement and hippies deeply changing how the USA acted, with Jimmy Carter putting human rights quite high on his political agenda. Now the USA is probably from the MAGA POV correcting what they see as a wrong turn back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the USA of today looks more like that of the 1950s or early 1900s.
Germany is very different as we have to deal with one part of the country having had democracy since 1949 and the other just since 1989/1990. Though part of the issue is how the more established institutions and corporations of West Germany bulldozed the East in 1990. Somewhat like the North took control of the South in the USA after the Civil War, necessary but humiliating, yes I say necessary in East Germany because Russia had to be made to leave, Soviet troops were over there until 1994, I have heard stories of close encounters with them..
It only looks like a wrong turn to white male racists and to women who are fine being second fiddle. The rest of us believe the world is multidimensional and individuals should be treated with respect. Period.
And a lot of those who voted for Trump are misled somehow, I believe. Here in Germany, the showing of AfD does correspond to the full potential they have here, based on polls, in terms of those who never quite liked democracy.
More in the East, where they had some sort of dictatorship for 66 years, and they were fed with propaganda about the evil West since 1948, but also in the West, where some stuff was in suspended animation like a virus or a fungus in a sci-fi horror movie.
Lunacy abounds. The FBI is going after Habitat for Humanity and others who received Federal funding under acts that defrauded the US by claiming that global warming is real.
it clearly shows that for those who work hardest and make their dream come true, make their own luck. talent, hard work and untold sacrifices make success!
It’s a great place as long as one has a pragmatic, entrepreneurial, adventuresome and open mindset, along with street smarts and a strong stomach. Furthermore learning the language is a bit faster than other Asian languages, helped along with liberal use of the American English language more than the former British colonies.
The proverb “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” is highly applicable as in here is a largely extroverted, communal society where participation is a must.
The only real pressures living here is when one has to balance budget against daily expenses, like paying for the utilities, rent and food. That here it is far more favorable to have a personal business, to be one’s own boss than to be working in a low-paying position.
—-
As an aside, the tables have turned upon the so-called Eagle Father of the South.
https://www.inquirer.net/431815/live-updates-duterte-icc-crimes-vs-humanity-case/?utm_medium=gallery&utm_source=(direct)
Yes, excellent posting of asterisks attached to the headline. Thanks for the update on Duterte. That will improve investments and tourism.
where’s the photographer when you badly need one! it would have been super scoop had a paparazzo taken a close up pic capturing the facial expression of ex pres duterte when arrested. just like that japanese photographer who was on the plane with ninoy aquino and owned the copyright of the last few pics of ninoy taken just before ninoy met his death at manila international airport decades ago.
yes
I was born in the Philippines and grew up there and had a great time. At age 28, I immigrated to the US with my wife and have an even greater time! I haven’t been back and to be honest, I don’t miss the place. For one, the places I used to visit are now overrun with humanity!!! I love the energy of the United States. Too often I cannot even keep up, so I do spend a lot of time in personal retreat as opposed to constant pursuit of something. I found that here in the US you can easily find places to do that, including my own home and yard.
I try to blend east with west, as I heard the Japanese are good at. I try to take the best of what it is to be Filipino and blend it with the best of what it is to be a Westerner or American. Then I just hope it works, and so far it seems to have worked.
Oh, the US is terrific, no doubt. Seas, mountains, cities, whatever you want or need. I grew up in Colorado, fantastic place, and lived in Los Angeles for almost 40 years. Ate every cuisine known to mankind and didn’t even have to leave the city to do it. Now the Philippines provides a completely new set of adventures. I don’t think it’s a competition. I do think Filipinos here need to be prouder of their homeland. Then they might vote better.
Rizal tells us in his “Indolence of the Filipino” that “In the Philippines, a man is an individual, not part of a nation.” That is his knock on our “national sentiment.” Now he had national sentiment….but he was and probably still is one of the very very few exceptions. There are a lot of items on your list of 19 facts that a Filipino cannot quite be proud of, eh? Oh well, it is what it is. Americans cannot be proud of the way they treated Native Americans or blacks. But what I like is the way Americans can talk frankly about such shortcomings. They don’t go the “denial” or “excuses” route. I was shocked that my daughter learned in high school about how this country was built on “stolen land.” We took US History in high school in the Philippines and there was no admission of that in the textbooks we used (which were American for that subject). This would have been in the 1960s. In 1970-71 I was an exchange student in Michigan. I had heard the term “black trash” even in the Philippines, referring to African Americans here in the US. My foster father who was of Scandinavian heritage said to me that “White trash is way worse that black trash.” I was shocked by that admission. I actually did not know what white trash was. My foster mother explained to me how my foster father made sure to contribute to causes of the Native American because of what White settlers had done to them. I’ve always had this general guideline for life: “It is okay to make mistakes. What is important is what you do after you’ve made the mistake.” That, to me, is something one can be proud of.
Most of us agonized over imperfections along the way. I joined some of the street protests in the 70s, a freedom that may soon go away as new imperfections meet old ideals. We press on as best we can. I think a lot of the blaming and excuse making in the Philippines is the orphan speaking, the unwanted child, the kicked-around kid. It would go away if people dropped the need to compare themselves with others and took pride in the Philippines because it persists with honor through good and bad. It is an honorable country, at the core.
The blaming and excuse making may go away, but would things get done? Or would they not get done except for a few things in the “puede na” fashion and just not have the complaining and blaming? When I was growing up in the Philippines I did a lot of complaining and excuse making. Don’t get me wrong. I guess it was a form of venting to help with the stress release. If I couldn’t leave, I would have found a way to make lemon juice…no doubt about that. It is my attitude towards life.
But fortunately, thanks to the forward thinking of my wife’s family, we were able to get through the opening in immigration of extended family thanks to Pres. Johnson. So we fight life’s battles over here, while you folks fight your battles there. Has pickleball become the rage in the Philippines like it is here?
Nothing changes unless we try. I don’t think pickleball is a thing here.
Big in the elite enclaves in Metro Manila. Ayalas famously played a family match 2 to 3 years ago to promote the sport
Ah, thanks Gian. To me it looks half way between ping pong and tennis, but exercise is good no matter how you get it.
Two perspectives on one’s country of birth – neither of which contain rancor nor regret but thanksgiving for the privilege for one’s place of birth; both well-expressed! Thank you for sharing.
Sure, sonny. Thank you for being one of the reasons I like the Philippines, odd though that may be. But character is where you find it.
Hi Joe-Am, I’d say thank you for this piece. Lots of praises and love for the Filipinos. Say, what’s the chance of getting back to your FB account? I/we miss you there. Lots of love.. IR.
Hi Isabel. Thank you for your kind words. Let me think about that.