A couple of weeks ago, I learned that my on-line friend in Guimaras and his filipino wife are returning to the US next month. They have lived in Guimaras Island for almost a year but decided to return to the US. Another on line friend residing in Davao with his Filipina wife for almost 3 years is now in US and is trying to settle in Las Vegas as a taxi driver. His wife is still in the Philippines and he is now processing the paper work, so his wife could join him in Las Vegas.
I also read from Bob Martins web magazine( LiP) that there are several expats returning to their country of origin from all parts of the Philippines. So why are these expats leaving the Philippines. The following article may have the reasons for their leaving the Philippines.
According to the U.S. State Department's 2007 figures the number of permanent U.S. residents in the
Philippines is approximately 105,000 (250,000 total including visitors and temporary residents). This number
hasn't substantially increased for several years. Why? Could it be people are either moving to other countries,
returning home or just dying? Since I haven't seen many deaths reported, I assume the former. If the
Philippines were the ideal retirement location, the U.S.expat population should be growing in proportion to the
total number of U.S. retirees. It doesn't appear to be happening. I don't have any explanations other than a
word of caution. Clearly making the adjustment to living in the Philippines must not be as easy as we might
imagine. Exactly! Adjusting is difficult for many, and adapting to life here can be a MAJOR challenge.
The reasons for expats departing after moving to "paradise" are varied, but the most common I've experienced are: Inability to adapt to Philippine culture, to include inability to accept corruption as society's "norm," pervasive dishonesty, constantly being overcharged for goods and services, constant attempted scams, and expats often being viewed as a "walking ATM machine;" heat / humidity / typhoons; massive poverty; infrastructure deficiencies of a developing nation; failures in relationships; developing a chronic health problem (often alcohol abuse-related), and the best treatment option is returning to Western medicine; victim of crime; financial problems (resulting from
declining value of dollar, failing to manage money on a budget, business failure); unable to cope with being
fully retired (i.e., need to continue working to feel relevant and making a contribution to mankind)
THE BOTTOM LINE: Before committing 100% to the Philippines, try it for a year or two, and have an alternate plan that will allow you to return to your home country if you are unable to adapt. DO NOT take this decision lightly! Nobody really knows what they're getting in to until they are here and experiencing the trials, tribulations, and virtues of Philippine life on a DAILY basis!
Adapted from the "Living in Cebu" Forums
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