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Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - calwinston - 09-25-2015

Disclaimer

The following views and experiences reflect those of a mid 30's Black American male living in Bohol, Philippines(18 months and counting)
They may or may not be the experiences or views of people that are of the same or different race, nationality, age, gender, visiting or living in the Philippines

1.Passive Aggressive - instead of telling you directly what is going on they internalize it and it doesn’t come out till later after the problem boils over. Example-employee doesn’t like working just doesn’t show up to the job instead of giving the employer notice or some wat to rectify the problem.

2.Tampo- this goes with the passive aggressive attitude of Filipinos in general. Women don’t tell you what’s wrong, they just don’t talk to you for a couple of days. During this time you are (supposed to read their minds) figure out the problem and provide gifts to till the girl is satisfied. Don’t fall for this and just move on the next 100 hundred girls in your phone.

3.Loaning Money- Don’t get to close to Filipinos unless they are upper middle class and above. If they are below that point be ready for someone to ask you to borrow money. This loan 9.9 times out of 10 will never be repaid.

4.Friends- A majority of Filipinos will befriend you to gain something out of you. If what they want never comes to fruition prepare for them to slowly fade away. I know this happens everywhere but it’s more pronounced here. Just stick to upper middle class and above or other expats.

5. Foreign in the Philippines- 90 percent of women don’t care of your race or nationality (as long as you are not Filipino). Even women that whiten their skin. The whiten skin phenomenon is an internal society thing built on class status that has nothing to do with outsiders. I have dated many women that where actively lightening their skin or light skin in general. Your foreign passport trumps your darkness. In the typical Filipinos mind every country is richer and better than the Philippines.

6.Adaptability- Filipinos are one of the few nationalities than can adapt to any culture you stick them in.

7.Easy to get along- You can make friends easily, but beware of ulterior motives.

8.Catcalling- one of the few places in the world you will hear catcalling from women as you walk the street or drive by on motorbike.

9.Thirstiness- you will have women throw themselves at you which it would be harder for you to get to the quality girls that fit your needs and wants. Many expats and visitors fall or fuck the first girls that throw themselves at them. Reject them and go for the quality you want.

10.Active parents, brothers, friend’s- Many parents will come to you if they find out if you are single and offer their daughters to you. They do this by passively mentioning their daughter’s age, education, and all her qualities and attributes. Example:
Mother of daughter- do you have a girlfriend?.
Me-no' I dont.
Mother-My daughter is going to college at BISU, studying Business.
Me – that’s nice.
Mom- here is her number; you should give her a call.
Me-ummm ok.
Even my trusted Barber tried to pawn his sister on me. If you stay in a location for a long time (months) and get to know people prepare for this to happen frequently. Don’t date these girls if your plan is to pump and dump. You would just start a shit storm that you will never get out.

11.Girl’s working- You will encounter many girls that work in the kiosk, malls, resto’s. Etc. that will just strike conversation without you initiating. Especially if the if you are one of the few customers in the store. Asking “where you are from? how long are you here?, how old are you?” That’s usually your que to take the conversation further and get the number. Unfortunately they are usually in the 5 range or below.

12.Opening a Business- You can open a business and be very successful. Before you think about opening a business make sure you get to know government officials so the process can go much smoother. Study the landscape and area before opening a business. Also look to see if you can fill the number of positions you prepare to offer.

13.Filipinos are hard workers- this is true amongst the older generation. You go under the age of 35 and there seems to be a huge drop off in work ethic. But in turn they are also not the smartest workers.

14.Cash Advances- for some reason employees in the Philippines think employers are supposed to give their employees cash advances. They will make many excuses to receive this money. Most common is someone sick in the family. This will typically happen every month. When you ask for them to pay it back. They will come up with another excuse. Just follow this rule. Never give any of your employee’s cash advances and make sure they know about this before you offer them employment.

15.Many employees steal form their employers. In other words put CCTV in your place of business and watch everything.

16.Most businesses here can’t be passive income. It will fall apart very rapidly. You have to be active in the day to day operations.

17.Many unemployed workers- you usually have one to three people working for the whole family (10+) while everyone else freeloads off the breadwinners.

18.Many OFW’s- 15-20 percent of people of working age- working overseas, leaving their kids behind to relatives a majority of the time

19.Many single mothers- by the age of 24-52 percent of Filipinas have a kid; age 15-19 14 percent have a kid. Basically 1 out of every 2 Filipinas you talk to a chance they will have a kid. Plus many women hide that fact they have kids.

20.Manipulation-no need to explain

21.Jealousy- we treat jealousy in the west as a sign of insecurity, here they think it’s a normal thing. Plus the more jealousy you show, the more you love a person. This can be irritating.

22.Gossip- stay away from lower class Filipinas and this seems to magically diminish.

23.Staying here long term has made me realize how much better the quality and sophistication of women is in Eastern Europe and less so Latin America. The higher supply of 7’s and above, where as in the Philippines that’s five times in a month in the province and just a little more so in the cities.

24.Don’t marry a Filipina, just have fun with them.

25.I would rate 15-20 percent of the women under the age of 24, here in the fuckable range.

26.You are not gaming the women here, the women are trying to game you to support them and their family for life. If it involves sex, they will happily give it up.

27.Take advantage of the incentives you get with you ACR-I card. Opening a bank account, health insurance, driver’s license, etc.

28.Inexpensive place to live when you live outside the cities. In Thailand you get more for your money.

29.Beautiful landscape

30.Many outdoor activities, hiking, scuba, mountain biking, swimming at waterfalls, virgin beaches, snorkeling, fishing, the list goes on.

31.Filipinos think of the now instead of the future. This involves everything from money to love. Instant gratification seems to be the motto in the Philippines.

32.Family is very important. Filipinos will use this to manipulate breadwinners in the family to give them more money and buy them things.

33.The poverty level is extreme in some areas. Especially the large cities.

34.Girls being religious but are in your bed five minutes after church. At the same time saying they are a virgin.

35.Median age of country 23. Good- for the endless supply of young girls. Bad-that you are walking into a very immature society.

36.College age is from 16-21 in the Philippines. Many guys say college age girls in the area, but fail to mention one-third of college age girls are under the age of 18. This will change when K-12 is implemented in full affect next year.

37.Underage girls trying to get your attention. Don’t fall for it. Sometimes this will come from family members offering their young daughters.

38.Lying is a big thing here for some reason. Still can’t figure it out till this day. My rule is never trust anyone here, just show on the surface it looks like you trust them.

39.Corruption is rampant.

40.Respect of elders……good and bad…

41.Caring women

42.Girls are usually down for anything

43.Overeating is encouraged here…makes you think of the future when the economy expands

44.Most manufacturing is for domestic consumption.

45.A protectionist economy…closed too most outsiders

46.Economy needs to diversify, instead of depending on few industries (mainly BPO’s) plus remittances to bring it out of poverty. One place is innovation…

47.Squatting is a bigger issue in the country than given off. Plus the government encourages it. 25 percent of land is squatted land on in Metro Manila.

48.Slums account for 40 percent of Metro Manila

49.Filipinas have low standards.

50.Just being a nice guy with a little edge will give you the easy layup.

51.If you have approach anxiety, just come to the Philippines to get over that hump. The girls are open, friendly and willing to talk. Plus a majority will speak English.

52.If you like bang missions, the Philippines is for you.

53.Internet speeds are not up to par compared to most of the world. Unless you live in the larger cities and some major tourist areas.

54.Saying you live in the Philippines changes many girls reactions towards you. This in turn will give you a higher success rate.

55.Since you live here, girls will try to muscle their way into living with you.

56. One of the few places where you can find a barber than can give you a proper shape up.

I am leaving the Philippines soon for another adventure. Likely to my favorite place in the world for women, Eastern Europe. But will be back soon in the Philippines by the beginning of next year. This is a random thought list I just typed over 45 minutes. I will keep adding to the list as time goes and thoughts come to mind


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - calwinston - 09-25-2015

57. One of the most diverse Asian countries in terms of looks of women. You have all the way from the latin look to the native indigenous look. Plus many mixed kids especially on Luzon.

58. If you are looking for lighter girls then Luzon is your best bet. The further south you got darker she gets.

59. Girls on Luzon are taller, lighter, plus heavier. Visayas and Mindanao shorter, darker, and skinnier. Some exceptions is Cebu and Zamboanga.

60. Basketball is the national sport. Seems like ever other block has a basketball court.

61. One of the few Asian countries you can find women with ass. Unfortunately this comes with a tummy.

62. The food is not that great.

63. Rap and R&B is big in the Philippines.

64. American culture consumes a large percentage of the Filipinos daily life.

65. If you are 5'4", then you are taller than 90 percent of the women here. 5'6" or taller you are considered tall to them.

66. Karaoke is big here just like any other Asian country. Which means KTV's

67. You are expected by the men to have women on the side. If you don't you are looked at as less of a man. (Common with the older guys)


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - CleanSlate - 09-25-2015

68. Filipino taxi drivers are among the most obnoxious in the world, especially near the Manila airport.

Not much else to add... you've covered just about everything [Image: thumb.gif]


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - chochemonger1 - 09-25-2015

69. They cook the best whole pig....in the world
70. Most girls have first names that sound tacky.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Merenguero - 09-25-2015

Quote: (09-25-2015 03:55 AM)calwinston Wrote:  

56. One of the few places where you can find a barber than can give you a proper shape up.

The only people in the United States who have any clue how to cut my hair are South East Asians. Puerto Ricans and Cubans break out the straight razor and mess it up as badly as possible.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Mentavious - 09-25-2015

Vietnamese do a bang up job with the fade and taper


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Il Bersagliere - 09-25-2015

Eh...when I was abroad, I hated going to barber shops for some reason. Need to learn how to cut my own hair.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - ball dont lie - 09-25-2015

Hey calwinston, I loved bohol as a vacation spot. 2-3 weeks, I also traveled to some islands in the NW of bohol for scuba diving.

Is there enough going on in Tagbiliran to not get bored? I saw a few colleges do plenty of women, but seemed like outside of that city and the beach it's mostly very hilly and remote.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - El Chinito loco - 09-26-2015

71. If you rawdog you'll eventually run into a pregnancy scare or girl trying to claim you got her pregnant at some point. Don't believe anything.

72. You are not financially obligated in any way or at any point just because you're a "rich" foreigner.

73. Pay close attention to the quality of company your girl keeps. A girl who seems solid otherwise but has trashy friends probably is also trash but just hides it better.

74. Use uber. The metered taxis always end up being more and are generally untrustworthy.

75. Most Filipinos are terrible liars and some mistakingly think you are as naive as they are. If you point it out to them they will get deeply offended. Just politely decline or ignore whatever line of b.s. they are going for.

76. Don't give second chances to people who try one on you in the Philippines. When they try to screw you over once and get away with it they will do it again thinking you're a pushover.

77. Get your girl to do most of the shopping at the local markets. Get to know the local prices and write down a list and hand her a bag with some money. When she gets back count the change. If she short changes you then see #76. If she keeps it real (the vast majority will keep it real) then she's decent. If she's not decent then fuck her hard one last time and sever contact. Don't explain why.

78. Never tell a filipino of your intentions. Just quietly observe and react. Don't make them or you lose face. Play this game better than they can and you will win everytime.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Bushido - 09-26-2015

79. The girls have some of the biggest racks in Asia.

80. If you mention that you operate an online business, prepare to be inundated with people wanting you to employ them. 99% will be useless but you might just find a hardworking student for outsourcing purposes if you are looking for one.

81. Filipinos have zero shame asking you to foot the bill. They believe that all westerners are rich. If you are invited to something (and the people inviting aren't rich) then tread carefully. They might invite the whole family to dinner on your dime.

82. Filipinas love taking selfies in nice condos or swimming pools and posting them on Facebook. They don't realize how slutty it makes them look.

83. Girls never ask you to use a condom. Some claim to be "safe" and want you to cum inside.

84. If you visit someone's house, you are expected to bring food. It's the opposite of most cultures I've experienced.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Robert Plant - 09-26-2015

Great list... but one thing I will continue to disagree with many forum members about is that the girls are below average looks wise. For me, Filipina girls press all the right buttons looks wise and I would rate them as slightly above average looks wise and way above average for sexiness. Maybe I'm just a dirty pig (or pig hunter), but out of the women below 30, I thought about 80% of them were bangable. It is true that 8s-10s are hard to find but that is true almost everywhere. Having said that, I was with a cougar who I would call an 8 and my girl on one of the islands had a friend who was a legit 9.

I guess if other guys think the girls are below average though that leaves more for me[Image: smile.gif]


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - nick_ - 09-27-2015

18 months in Bohol? Sounds like torture, what did you do all day?

Anyway, something that's happened quite a few times now is that I'm "scammed" via the girl i'm with. Example one: Toilet was clogged, 2 guys come over to fix it. Just sitting there watching TV but one of them see's me foreigner) and the free service is no longer free. To be fair it was clogged pretty bad, so maybe that was fair. Girlfriend strikes up long conversation in her language with the men, as she always does (or they always do...). Comes over to me and she says they want 1000 Peso (lmao) and she bargained them down to 500 (still laughable, 10 hours work here is like 300 Peso for the average labourer) because she is Filipina and shouldn't have to pay that much. When they're nearly done she comes over to me 3 times, almost tearing up the third time, saying i should pay them now before the're even finished, i just say ok each time. Let it slide this time, 500 isn't much.

Example two: Taking taxi to the airport, tell the driver to park so i can run in and grab my laundry, back in the cab in like 3 minutes. Get to the airport and she tells me they agreed to, with my money and no consent, it's +40 because he waited despite keeping the meter running (also being a long fare and able to get another long fare from airport pickup). It was a dollar, but shit like this pisses me off. Leave the cab for 2 minutes and he's such a pussy he can't even confront a man about it.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - calwinston - 09-27-2015

Quote: (09-25-2015 07:55 PM)ball dont lie Wrote:  

Hey calwinston, I loved bohol as a vacation spot. 2-3 weeks, I also traveled to some islands in the NW of bohol for scuba diving.

Is there enough going on in Tagbiliran to not get bored? I saw a few colleges do plenty of women, but seemed like outside of that city and the beach it's mostly very hilly and remote.

Its what you make of the place. Most places you go to is the fun you create. Not what the place offers you. Many outdoor activities to do and places to explore. Just have to know where to go and they are not on tourist maps. Example is if no parties going on to your liking, invite some tourist and some friends to a barn fire on a deserted beach, grab some beers and a tent. Many other ideas I have done and can think of. Cebu is only a 2 hour ferry ride away for a weekend getaway. To be fair I fly out to Hong Kong once every 2 months.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - calwinston - 09-27-2015

Quote: (09-27-2015 04:29 AM)nick_ Wrote:  

18 months in Bohol? Sounds like torture, what did you do all day?

Anyway, something that's happened quite a few times now is that I'm "scammed" via the girl i'm with. Example one: Toilet was clogged, 2 guys come over to fix it. Just sitting there watching TV but one of them see's me foreigner) and the free service is no longer free. To be fair it was clogged pretty bad, so maybe that was fair. Girlfriend strikes up long conversation in her language with the men, as she always does (or they always do...). Comes over to me and she says they want 1000 Peso (lmao) and she bargained them down to 500 (still laughable, 10 hours work here is like 300 Peso for the average labourer) because she is Filipina and shouldn't have to pay that much. When they're nearly done she comes over to me 3 times, almost tearing up the third time, saying i should pay them now before the're even finished, i just say ok each time. Let it slide this time, 500 isn't much.

Example two: Taking taxi to the airport, tell the driver to park so i can run in and grab my laundry, back in the cab in like 3 minutes. Get to the airport and she tells me they agreed to, with my money and no consent, it's +40 because he waited despite keeping the meter running (also being a long fare and able to get another long fare from airport pickup). It was a dollar, but shit like this pisses me off. Leave the cab for 2 minutes and he's such a pussy he can't even confront a man about it.

Bohol is not that bad, it grows on you after awhile. Plus you have new people coming in every week to keep you entertained. It is also growing quickly with the new airport being built, new resorts and bars popping up every month. Plus I had some tourist comment to me that I live in paradise. I actually had to think about for awhile. Then I realized that most people in the world would trade places with me in a heartbeat and I actually do live in a paradise in western terms.

Tropical weather check
Clear blue water and white sand check
palm trees check
tropical vegetation check
tropical fruit check
friendly people check
waterfalls check
a plethora of outdoor activities to do check
many women to keep you company check
the list goes on...


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Beyond Borders - 09-27-2015

I haven't been here long but so far I disagree about the long-running story of the food being bad.

I've walked into food courts in malls (even if you're not BB Bourdain, you can't get any more easy-to-find than that) that rivalled what I saw in a similar setting in my many years in Thailand, and I've found great stuff in plenty other venues too.

Yeah, I've definitely had some shit meals here, and there's a lot of unhealthy food floating around (though the giant platter of fried chicken in the KTV last night was bomb enough to be worth it), but in my opinion so far, it's definitely not the barren cuisine wasteland a lot of people assert it is, at least not where I'm at now.

I for one am anxious to dig into the food scene more.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - dodol - 09-27-2015

Quote: (09-27-2015 07:20 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

I haven't been here long but so far I disagree about the long-running story of the food being bad.

I've walked into food courts in malls (even if you're not BB Bourdain, you can't get any more easy-to-find than that) that rivalled what I saw in a similar setting in my many years in Thailand, and I've found great stuff in plenty other venues too.

Yeah, I've definitely had some shit meals here, and there's a lot of unhealthy food floating around (though the giant platter of fried chicken in the KTV last night was bomb enough to be worth it), but in my opinion so far, it's definitely not the barren cuisine wasteland a lot of people assert it is, at least not where I'm at now.

I for one am anxious to dig into the food scene more.

Agreed. I was in Manila for only a short time but found several places that I really liked.

Some examples: El Chupacabra, Kanto breakfast, Raffaele pizza place, Burgers and brewskies, and random places in the food court.

Much better than Jakarta for affordable and decent western food.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Beyond Borders - 09-27-2015

Just because I'm sure some of you suspect I'm just trying to be a contrarian at this point, here are pics from the food court I mentioned. There were 7 or 8 other spots just like it in a row. That's not a flattened baby dead duck on the plate at the end. haha It's a big fat barbecued squid. You can see piles of crab on the far right of the pics.

[Image: attachment.jpg28299]   

[Image: attachment.jpg28300]   

[Image: attachment.jpg28301]   

[Image: attachment.jpg28302]   

I honestly can't see how this is bad food - this is EXACTLY what I'm looking for, cuisine-wise, when I head to a new place.

Unique, fresh, delicous...even healthy depending on what you order.

My only complaint at this place was they cooked the rice a bit too long, which seems to be the way they prefer it here.

But anyhow, who am I to complain about how an entire country prefers their rice? As the one who was curious enough to travel all the way across the world and see something new, I see it as my job to wrap my tastebuds around what they like about it.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - El Chinito loco - 09-28-2015

Quote: (09-27-2015 07:20 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

I haven't been here long but so far I disagree about the long-running story of the food being bad.

I've walked into food courts in malls (even if you're not BB Bourdain, you can't get any more easy-to-find than that) that rivalled what I saw in a similar setting in my many years in Thailand, and I've found great stuff in plenty other venues too.

Yeah, I've definitely had some shit meals here, and there's a lot of unhealthy food floating around (though the giant platter of fried chicken in the KTV last night was bomb enough to be worth it), but in my opinion so far, it's definitely not the barren cuisine wasteland a lot of people assert it is, at least not where I'm at now.

I for one am anxious to dig into the food scene more.

I agree that Filipino food gets a bad rap but a lot of it is due to the careless way a lot of the filipino joints slap together food or let dishes just stew in oil. When it comes to selling food to others they tend not to care as much. In places like Thailand and Vietnam they tend to care a bit more on average.

However, home cooked meals in the Philippines are great. The food itself needs to be prepared fresh to taste good in my opinion because of the reliance on souring agents, coconut, fresh seafood, etc..

For people reading this who are unfamiliar with Filipino food i'd go with these dishes first:

Chicken Adobo
Bicol express
Chicken curry
Beef Mechado
Fried Tilapia
Mangrove Crab cooked in coconut milk
Tinola
Pancit Canton
Homemade Longganisa (find a good butcher who will hook you up)
Lechon the kind that's carved in front of you and not sitting in a glass display.

There are some filipino style dishes that are legitimately atrocious though. Their version of macaroni salad (and spaghetti) is unedible to me because it's almost always too sweet. The habit some Filipinos have of dipping sweet fruit into vinegar is pretty nasty too. Plus the habit of overcooking food is definitely a thing in Manila. They will cook the hell out of things like Shrimp and Squid until they taste like rubber at some of those canteens.

Quote:Quote:

[Image: attachment.jpg28302]

Btw is that kinilaw on the right?


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - calwinston - 09-29-2015

85. Most Filipinos cant swim.

86. Always have exact change or close to it when purchasing something

87. Many Filipinos are very sensitive to constructive criticism. (thin skinned)

88. Many parties and fiestas every weekend

89. Foreigners are not the only ones scammed. Filipinos also scam each other.

90. Many Filipinos leave many things to fate (God) instead of doing something about it

91. Don't take a Filipinos advice on a good place to visit unless they have been there themselves and have visited other places to compare.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - El Chinito loco - 09-29-2015

Quote: (09-29-2015 09:30 PM)calwinston Wrote:  

89. Foreigners are not the only ones scammed. Filipinos also scam each other.

When you discuss their daily lives and family you realize they frequently get fucked over. Aside from leeching relatives they all have a few dead weight useless friends looking for handouts or some angle in one way or another.

One girl I know (stupidly) agreed to allow her friend to use her name/id to open up some service with a contract. Then of course the friend didn't pay a single peso and allowed collections to go after the girl who allowed her name to be used.

When I asked why the hell she would agree to that she just said it was her friend asking her a favor so what was she supposed to do?

This is the sort of "common sense" you are often dealing with in the P.I.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Onto - 10-02-2015

92. Most every girl can and will sing. Sometimes even better than famous pop-stars.

93. If she knows you're sick, her inner Florence Nightengale goes into overdrive. Even if she is currently mad and distant toward you.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - RawGod - 10-02-2015

Quote: (09-29-2015 10:16 PM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  

Quote: (09-29-2015 09:30 PM)calwinston Wrote:  

89. Foreigners are not the only ones scammed. Filipinos also scam each other.

When you discuss their daily lives and family you realize they frequently get fucked over. Aside from leeching relatives they all have a few dead weight useless friends looking for handouts or some angle in one way or another.

One girl I know (stupidly) agreed to allow her friend to use her name/id to open up some service with a contract. Then of course the friend didn't pay a single peso and allowed collections to go after the girl who allowed her name to be used.

When I asked why the hell she would agree to that she just said it was her friend asking her a favor so what was she supposed to do?

This is the sort of "common sense" you are often dealing with in the P.I.

This is true. Sometimes, in fact often, the hard-luck stories you hear are true - phones and cash being stolen by coworkers, girls going without food for days because their lazy family took all their pay, etc. It's a harsh place.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - El Chinito loco - 10-03-2015

Quote: (10-02-2015 08:04 PM)RawGod Wrote:  

Quote: (09-29-2015 10:16 PM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  

Quote: (09-29-2015 09:30 PM)calwinston Wrote:  

89. Foreigners are not the only ones scammed. Filipinos also scam each other.

When you discuss their daily lives and family you realize they frequently get fucked over. Aside from leeching relatives they all have a few dead weight useless friends looking for handouts or some angle in one way or another.

One girl I know (stupidly) agreed to allow her friend to use her name/id to open up some service with a contract. Then of course the friend didn't pay a single peso and allowed collections to go after the girl who allowed her name to be used.

When I asked why the hell she would agree to that she just said it was her friend asking her a favor so what was she supposed to do?

This is the sort of "common sense" you are often dealing with in the P.I.

This is true. Sometimes, in fact often, the hard-luck stories you hear are true - phones and cash being stolen by coworkers, girls going without food for days because their lazy family took all their pay, etc. It's a harsh place.

Some of the theft that goes on isn't just laziness either some of it is out of pure desperation. There's one incident I was told of where a woman in a pretty good job stole the entire cash reserve fund (in property management) to support her family. It was very obvious she would get caught.. she knew that and they knew that but she did it anyways. It turns out her parents were sick and she was taking care of a bunch of people. She was deep underwater and decided to go ahead and do it. She got fired of course and was reported to the police but sometimes people do stupid things out of desperation. The Philippines can be a very desperate place where seemingly irrational (to us) shit happens but there's a twisted logic to it sometimes.

The hardest thing in the Philippines is getting from lower class to middle class living. It's brutally hard because education isn't really cheap comparatively speaking for the living wage they make either.

Those girls working service positions in Robinsons or SM would NOT be able to make ends meet on their own. Their salary barely covers rent and food in Metro manila many cases. It's real subsistence level living unless they live with family and the reason why they can sometimes do well is that they have a whole family support structure there.

That's why some of these young girls are so quick to push for marriage (and want to get knocked up) they believe it brings some kind of stability. In many families the understanding is that if they have a family of their own then they are off the hook from having to kick in money to support siblings and other relatives who may be leeching happily off big sis/big bro who is barely making ends meet.

Of course if someone is a big dumb foreigner willing to kick money into the family till there is no end to the fleecing with that...


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Beyond Borders - 10-03-2015

My breakfast this morning in the cheap hole-in-the-wall, no-name family restaurant tucked below the shitty apartments close to my hotel:

Fried Ahi tuna in a brown pineapple gravy sauce.
Jackfruit salad in a cream sauce.
Followed with some fresh banana.

70 pesos.

Yes, please.

I think these little family-owned diners are the sweet spot - not quite home-cooking but maybe close enough. Just make sure there's lots of turnover - if the locals are religious about a place, you can be reasonably sure the food is safe. And high turnover also means fresh.


Philippines Observations, Suggestions, and Comments - Bushido - 10-04-2015

Yes BB you are being a contrarian. [Image: biggrin.gif]

I'd rate Filipino food as "OK" overall. There are some nice dishes for sure, but I don't think I'll ever love it.

However, I have to say that they do some of the better western food in Asia.