Retiring in the Philippines

Reasons not to retire in the Philppines

• • Retire in the Philippines? What You Need to Know About the Climate. If you don’t like tropical weather, then retiring in the Philippines is not for you. Mostly there are two seasons. hot and wet and hotter and dry. If you can’t handle hot weather you will be spending a lot of time in door in aircon.

    Many people dream of retiring in a tropical paradise, where they can enjoy the sun, the sea and the low cost of living. But before you pack your bags and book your flight, you should be aware of some of the challenges that come with living in a hot and humid climate like the Philippines.

    The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, located in Southeast Asia. It has a tropical climate, which means it has two seasons: wet and dry. The wet season lasts from June to November, and brings heavy rains, typhoons and floods. The dry season lasts from December to May, and brings high temperatures, droughts and wildfires.

    The climate can have a significant impact on your health, comfort and lifestyle. Here are some of the problems you may face if you retire in the Philippines:

    – Heat stress: The average temperature in the Philippines is around 27°C (81°F), but it can go as high as 40°C (104°F) during the dry season. This can cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration and skin problems. You will need to drink plenty of water, wear light and breathable clothing, use sunscreen and avoid strenuous activities during the hottest hours of the day.
    – Air pollution: The Philippines has a problem with air quality, especially in urban areas. The main sources of pollution are vehicle emissions, industrial activities, burning of waste and biomass, and volcanic eruptions. Air pollution can cause respiratory diseases, allergies, asthma and eye irritation. You will need to monitor the air quality index, wear a mask when necessary, and avoid outdoor activities when the pollution level is high.
    – Infectious diseases: The Philippines has a high risk of infectious diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B, tuberculosis, rabies and leptospirosis. These diseases are transmitted by mosquitoes, contaminated food and water, animals and human contact. You will need to get vaccinated before you travel, take preventive measures against mosquito bites, practice good hygiene and sanitation, and seek medical attention if you have any symptoms.

• • If you have not spent time in the Philippines, you should not move there. You would not be the first to move to a different culture and decide you should have not have given up everything in your home country and starting over back home won’t be easy. You need more than two weeks to test an area out. Many people have this idea of finding a beach to live on cheaply and you can find that in the Philippines. Problem is as time passes you might find that very boring and want to give up the beach life for something more interesting.

• • If you don’t have a large savings or some form of retirement income, don’t retire to the Philippines. Jobs are not easy to get and you need a special work visa to get a job and that might not be easy. Also, you might not like the pay scale so best if you have enough money so you don’t need to look for work.   There are books on retiring to the Philippines on $800 USD a month. Ya, sure. If you live alone, don’t eat out, don’t use aircon, don’t have a car, don’t travel the country, and don’t have health care (so you better not get sick), you can probably live on even less. But who wants to live this way? Some expats try to start up a business. You will find that the rules and employees are a bit different from western culture so without a really good plan, you will lose money. You will need local help to understand all the rules and permits.

• • Don’t retire to the Philippines without a good health care plan. Sure, the prices are cheaper for most things but there is no credit. Even if you have insurance they want you to pay cash and get your money back from the insurance company. If you have conditions that could require a good hospital at any moment, you might want to stick to living in a major city and not on a beach on a remote island. Many areas have very little modern equipment in their hospital if there even is a hospital and even finding a doctor nearby might be difficult.

• • Don’t retire to the Philippines if you need really good internet unless you make a plan to have something special. Yes, hotels might work fine but they pay more than you will so your internet plan probably won’t be any where near your needs if you want fast and consistent internet. Like medical care, the further you are from a major city, the worse the internet will be and it can be nothing at all.

• • Don’t retire to the Philippines if  you don’t have any patience. You will find you have to wait in line and for some things it could be hours and that means more than two hours.  Even paying your cable bill can be annoying so if you can’t accept taking hours for some thing that you just did online at home, Philippines might not be for you. Along with the topic of lines, it should be mentioned that the traffic can be absolutely terrible. Manila traffic is considered one of the worst in the world and you can also forget about drivers following the rules. You can’t just observe rules and expect not to have an accident. You must be prepared for others running red lights (if there is one) passing on the right or sidewalk, U-turns any place they can, and right turns from the left lane. Many expats have learned that you really need a webcam front and back of your car to avoid a court case.

• • If hate noise, don’t retire to the Philippines.  There are not many areas with noise restrictions. Chickens are every where. Loud motorcycles, jeepneys blowing their horns, and out door videoke all night long will all challenge you. If you like quiet you must either stay in your country or be very careful where you choose to live.                                                                                                                               
  • Don’t move to the Philippines if you can’t accept a different lifestyle. Filipinos are easy to get along with but they are not interested in living the way a westerner would with all the rules. They don’t want you to tell them how to live and certainly stay out of their politics. Drinking with the locals and talking politics is asking for trouble. Sometimes you might come across a group of demonstrators,  do your best to get out of that area. You can be deported and black listed for taking part in any demonstration and that might not be the worse that can happen to you.

• • If you think you are above people who have less than you, don’t retire to the Philippines. You might quickly learn that many uneducated people have street smarts and might take advantage. If you think your Embassy will protect you or help you if you get into trouble because you are a westerner, that might even work against you. Your Embassy will maybe give you the names of some good attorneys if you get into trouble but that is about it. Following the rules is a must for a foreigner like them or not. Thinking you can set your own rules or that you are above the locals will get you into more trouble than you can handle. Breaking any laws can mean landing in a jail that you don’t want to see. Trials can take years, even more than 10 years so you don’t want to do something stupid. Also be aware you don’t have to break a law to be deported. You just have to be undesirable.  To see what can get you deported, https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b500f.html can give you some good ideas.

Reasons to retire to the Philippines

• The Philippines offers a high standard of living at a much lower cost – with great weather, beautiful scenery, and rich culture friendly people, and a very social life if you like to be social. In general the people in the Philippines are considered to be more friendly than the Thais. For those that are single, the Filipinas are known for being friendly not adverse to having a relationship with a foreigner.

• The Philippines are islands full of fantastic mountain scenery with rice terraces, active volcanoes and tropical shores. With thousands of islands you could spend a lifetime exploring the islands and waters if you really wanted to. 

• Led by Calamba, in 2019, the World Health Organization ranked  11 Philippine cities on the list of cleanest cities in Southeast Asia. It had 9.3 µg/m³ of PM2.5, which is pursuant to the annual mean exposure threshold of the World Health Organization at 10 µg/m³. The city of Valenzuela City (9.9 µg/m³) and Carmona City (10.9 µg/m³) ranked second and third, respectively. Other Philippine cities on the list were Parañaque (12.2 µg/m³), Davao (12.2 µg/m³), Makati (13.7 µg/m³), Manila (14.3 µg/m³), Mandaluyong (14.5 µg/m³), Balanga (16.1 µg/m³), Quezon (17.5 µg/m³) and Las Piñas (17.9 µg/m³), overtaking countries like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 

• The lower cost of living is the number one reason why expats choose to retire in the Philippines. Number two is the people will be friendly and accept you no matter how old you are unlike the western cultures.

• Other than Manila where all the hustle and bustle takes place, try to look into famous tourist spots like Clark, Subic, and Dumaguete, as they are top retirement destinations for foreigners in the Philippines. If you like cooler weather, Baguio might be a good choice.

• According to the World Happiness Report, the Philippines is the third happiest country in Asia. The Philippines is home to happy, family-oriented individuals and more and more expats agree that the Philippines is a great place to sit back and relax for good. 

• Aside from offering a highly welcoming environment for expats, the Philippines provides several special benefits for expats and foreign retirees. If you are not too mobile or you need help around the house, maids and even nurses can be had at an affordable cost. You can get personal care and your home work done at prices you would never be able to get in the western countries. 

• Another huge plus: as of writing, the Philippines has started participating in the Social Security Administration’s International Direct Deposit (IDD) program, which means expats can have their benefits directly sent to a Filipino bank account.

• A major come-on that has attracted foreign retirees to the Philippines through the years is the ability to invest or start a business.
  When residing in the Philippines, expats often invest in real estate in key areas or make extra money by making a business out of their passions and skills. Getting a job is not easy or high paying usually but you can start your own business with a small amount of legal help. Since English is spoken almost every where, selling to or hiring the locals is not difficult. Many western banks, tech companies, and others have call centers in the Philippines. It is estimated that over 1 million Filipinos work in call centers because they have good English.

• The Philippines offers a worry-free, permanent residency for foreign retirees. There are also several different visa programs to choose from if you don’t wish to be a permanent resident. Visas are easily renewed by yourself or there are many  travel agencies that will do it for you for around $10 USD. Visas in the Philippines are so much easier than Thailand.