The book

Contents
2 – Welcome 2 - About the Author
3 - What is a expat? 4 – Where should I live in the Philippines
5 - City Living Verses Province Living 6-7 - What to bring and what not to
8-9 - What to expect at the airport 10 - All about the Visa – do I need one?
11 - Do I need to get vaccines? 12-16 – Cost to live here.
17 – You’re the most popular person. 18-23 – Transportation
25 - Getting Directions 24 - Internet Speeds
26 - Best way to transfer money 27 - Filipino Time
28 - One transaction per day. Period 29 -Don’t drink the water – ever.
30 - Cell Phones – What the heck is a load 31 -The Sari Sari Store
32 - Shipping your items to the Philippines. 33 - Don’t become the 10am bar person.
34 - Age really does not matter. 35 – Online dating
38 - Buying property in the Philippines Food 41- Driving in the Philippines
Housing
Common Terms you will hear
The Culture
Driving in the Philippines
Filipino Traditions
Filipinos abbreviated EVERYTHING
The Traffic Officer
Common Names in the Philippines
Start learning Tagalog now but English is everywhere
Languages in the Philippines
Tips
1

Welcome
Thank you for purchasing this eBook. My hope is that this eBook will answer
most, if not all, of your question about living in the Philippines.
About the Author
Darrell Cheeks has been living in the Philippines as an American missionary
since October, 7 th , 2011. Darrell has traveled to all the major islands in the
Philippines and has lived in 3 different locations on 2 different islands. First
living in Manila for 3 years, then 1 year in the beautiful tourist location of Puerto
Galera (way too expensive) and finally now living in Calapan City on the island of
Mindoro. Darrell lives with his Filipina wife Maria Cristina Cheeks and their 3
children. Allen – 17 years old, Kenneth – 16 years old and Angelica – 13 years
old. Also living with Darrell and Cristina is the mother of Cristina, Baby “Forever”
(Yes, that is her real name) – 16 months old, Shane the older sister of Baby
Forever – 16 years old and Vernon – 16 years old.
Baby Forever and Shane’s parents are going through a rough time and we have
agreed that they live with us until the parents can recover. Vernon is a friend of
my oldest son Allen. Vernon father was beating him on a regular basis and
Vernon decided to live on the street to escape the daily beating. Once we found
out about Vernon’s situation, we invited him to live with us.
We thank God for our children as well as the other children living in our home.
2

What is an expat?
The word expat is a contraction of expatriate, which derives from the Latin word
expatriates. In medieval times, an expatriate was someone who had left his or
her home country to live somewhere else. So, in today’s culture an expatriate is
exactly that; someone who lives in a different location than that which they were
born and brought up.
Becoming an Expat
There are many reasons why people become expatriates. For some it is due to
work reasons, others fall in love with a person or a place, and others still seek a
different life from that which they have been accustomed by living overseas.
3

Where should I live in the Philippines?
I would guess that the majority of you reading this eBook has a relationship with
either a Filipina (women) or a Filipino (man) either online or maybe you have met
in person. Filipino are family oriented people. Meaning, they put family
relationships above everything else. Filipino’s live in close relationship to their
families. It is common to have three generations living in one household. Most
Filipino’s have not traveled more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the place
they were born. Filipino’s want to always be close to their families. So if you are
in a relationship and planning to move here to be with your partner, it is most
likely you will leave where your partner lives now. The Philippines is one of the
cheapest places to live (see more about this in the “How much does it cost to live
in the Philippines”) Homes can be built for $30,000 t $40,000 USD plus the cost
of the land. Land cost can vary depending on location.
4

City living
verses
province
living.
There are three major
cities in the Philippines. Of
course, you know about
Manila being the capital
city of the Philippines
located on the island of
Luzon. Manila is the
world’s most densely
populated city with 42,857
people per square
kilometer, or 111,002
people per square mile.
The Metro Manila
population is estimated at
12 million but the larger
urban area has a
population estimated at
21.3 million. The Metro Manila population swells during the daytime, however, to
about 15 million. (source: www.worldpopulationreview.com) The other two
major cities are Cebu located in the Visayas area of the Philippines. And then,
you have Davao located in the southern island of Mindanao. Note about
Mindanao. It gets a lot of bad press as being a dangerous place. The city of
Davao is one of the safest cities to live in.
5

What to bring and what not to bring to
the Philippines
Clothes for men - If you are going to live outside the 3
major cities, you will need to bring clothes from your
country. It is very hard outside the three major cities to
find American size clothes. My advice for men is to bring
only a few pairs of blue jeans, a few pair of dress slacks
and as many pairs of shorts and non-cotton t-shirts as
possible. Why non-cotton? You will be much more
comfortable here wearing a dri-fit shirt such as this on.
Click here to see the shirt. You should also bring two
pairs of high quality flip flops. Common daily attire is
shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.
Clothes for women – Same as above for the men, but add summer dresses.
Electronics – Most of all of the modern electronics
operate on dual voltage. 110 or 220. Meaning you
do not have to have a voltage converter. You may
need a wall outlet converter, but that can be
purchased here for $2.00 USD. By all means, bring
your computer equipment. Electronics are
considered a luxury item in the Philippines. Anything considered to be a luxury
item is expensive here. You will also want to bring your smart phone. If your
smartphone is unlocked, you can use a local SIM card. Contact your cell
provider and make sure your cell phone operates on the GSM network. If your
cell phone operates on the CDMA network, it will not work in the Philippines.
Note: You can have your GSM network cell phone unlocked here in the
Philippines for around $60.00 USD.
6

What not to bring
I have seen many people
load a container in
America and have their
things shipped here. First,
it is very expensive to ship
and you will most likely
have to pay a high fee to
get your container out of
customs. My advice is to
sell what you have in
America and buy it in the
Philippines. With the
exception of a few items
(grits, in my case) you can
get pretty much everything here in the Philippines. Sometimes it is better to pay
a higher price here on electronics rather than bringing from your country. I
learned a hard lesson on this 3 years ago. I shipped a sound system that we use
in our feeding program from America and after two years of service, it finally
died. I took it to the repair shop in Manila and there were no parts available for
the brand I had. I ended up buying a new system here so if I ever had any
trouble, the local repair shop could repair.
JUST LEAVE IT
7

What to expect on your arrival at the
airport.
There are three
international
terminals in
Manila. So please
know what
terminal you will
be arriving at to
advise your
partner for the
meet up. The
most common
international
terminal is
number 1 for
American
arrivals. I have
also arrived at terminal 3. The first thing you will notice once you clear customs
and walk outside is the heat. It will hit you like a ton of bricks. Even in the dead of
night, you will notice the high humidity.
DID SOMEONE TURN ON THE
OVERHEAD SPRINKLER ?
8

Next, expect people to be yelling at you to ride in their cabs or vans. Do not hire
a cab or van if you are alone. They will over charge you. I mean really over
harge. Have the person who is meeting you at the airport negotiate the price
before you arrive.
If this is your first visit to the Philippines and your partner is meeting you at the
airport, except the whole family to be with her/him. I mean brothers, sisters,
cousins, aunts, etc…expect that you will pay for food and transportation for all
the family members.
DON’T
TRUST
THEM.
9

All about the Visa – Do I need one?
When you arrive at the Manila Ninoy Aquino
International Airprot (NAIA), you will be
issued a 29 day visa by the customs officer.
If you plan to stay longer, BEFORE the 29 th
day, go to the nearest immigration office
and apply for a vistors visa waiver
extension which will take you up to 59
days. If you plan to stay even longer, go
back to the nearest immigration office and
apply for another extension. If you are applying in the main branch in Manila, you
can apply for a six-month extension. If you are applying in the smaller satellite
immigration branches, you can only get a 2 month extension. Please note that
after 59 days, you will also be required to purchase a ALIEN CERTIFICATE OF
REGISTRATION IDENTITY CARD (ACR-I) Card. You can keep applying for the
visa extention as long as you want but you will be required to leave the country
after 3 years stay. If you want to stay longer, you will need to do a “Broder Run”.
A border run is when you leave the country for 1 day and return the next day.
Most people go to Malasia to do their border run because it is the cheapest
ticket.
If you are married to a Filipina and she is traveling with you, the custom officer
will issue you a “Balikbayan Visa” which is good for 1 year. Please note that your
wife should be in the same line with you as you see the customs officer. Even
though she is a Filipino national she will go the foreigner line with you.
There are many other types of visa – click here to see the list
10

Do I need to get vaccines before
traveling to the Philippines?
Let me say that I have never taken any vaccines before coming to the
Philippines, which was probably not a good idea. I just simply forgot to get them.
For the latest vaccine recommendation, please click here.
11

How much does it cost to live in the
Philippines?
If I were to ask you how much does it cost to live in your country, you would
probably say it depends where you live and your lifestyle. Well, the same goes
for the Philippines. I will list some of the locations and living cost below. I will
also list the advantages and disadvantages for each location.
Living in the city of Manila, Cebu or Davao
Rent: Low as $40.00 USD and up to $2,000.00 USD per month. Depending what
area, you are living in the city.
Electric Bill using Air Con: $100.00
Electric Bill using electric fan only: $30.00 USD
Water Bill: $20.00 USD
Satellite T.V. : $20.00 USD
Transportation Cost : Depends if you ride a jeepney or cab – from .16 cents up to
$10.00 – also depends the distance you will travel
12

Pros of living in the city :
1. You will have access to pretty much everything you need. Food prices are
cheaper because of the competition.
2. You have access to many food choices.
3. You have access to all the big department stores and movie theaters.
Cons of living in the city:
Traffic – Manila is always listed in the top 5 places in the world for the worst
places to drive in the world. Whenever I have to go into Manila, which I try to
avoid, I drive to the out shirks of the city and take a cab to where I need to go. A
recent study showed that people who live in Manila and drive a car spend 30% of
their life in sitting in traffic. Wow 30% of your life sitting in a car.
Pollution - A recent study conducted by the Department of Health in cooperation
with the World Health Organization & Western Pacific Regional Office
show that the air people breathe in Metro Manila contains pollutants in excess of
tolerable levels. The worst victims are the children.
Metro Manila authorities will have to employ drastic measures to solve this
problem. The way we see it two basic steps will have to be taken: First, is to take
preventive measures so that the pollution stops getting worse. Second is to
clear the pollution that is already there. It is common knowledge that a strong
typhoon helps blow the pollution away. But a strong typhoon is a problem in
itself.
Overcrowded - Manila is the world's most densely populated city with 42,857
people per square kilometer, or 111,002 people per square mile. The Metro
Manila population is estimated at 12 million but the larger urban area has a
population estimated at 21.3 million. The Metro Manila population swells during
the daytime, however, to about 15 million.
Crime rate – Since the inauguration of president
Rodrigo Duterte on June 30, 2016, the crime rate has
dropped 13% from 2016. But, the crime rate is still at
high levels. Here are some examples:Safety Index:
40.09
Crime Index: 59.91
Level of Crime – 68.58 High
Crime increasing in the past 3 years – 59.49 Moderate
Worries home broken and things stolen – 56.83
Moderate
Worries being mugged or robbed – 63.05 High
Problem people using or dealing drugs – 63.99 High
13

Flooding: If you look at
a topographic map of
Manila, you will notice
that all the water from
the island of Luzon flows
down into Manila. It is
just like Louisiana in
America. Very prone to
flooding. Before the city
was built in 1565,
Manila was one of the
best places for rice
farming. Since that
time, it has become a
concrete jungle. People
often blame God for the
flooding, but it has been
that way for thousands
of years. God is not to
blame, people are the
ones to blame for
building a city in this
location. A famous
saying here is “If you
spit real hard, Taff Ave
will flood”.
THEY CANCELLED
SCHOOL AGAIN ?
14

I have lived in Manila for 3 years and now living in the province. For me, there
is no comparison. Province living my choice.
Living in the province
Rent: Low as $20.00 USD
Electric Bill using Air Con: $75.00
Electric Bill using electric fan only: As low as $15.00 USD
Water Bill: As low as $5.00 depending on your usage.
Satellight T.V.: $20.00 USD
15

Transportation Cost: : Depends if you ride a jeepney or cab – from .16 cents up
to $10.00 – also depends the distance you will travel
Pros of living in the province
Fresh air! Can I say it again Fresh air. Living in the province is so nice
because of the fresh air with no pollution.
Lots less traffic.
People tend to be much friendlier and have constrictive values.
Simple Life (I will explain this term in the “Common terms section)
Cons of living in the province
Not having easy access to those hard to find items.
In most provinces, your food cost will be higher than the city due to shipping
cost unless the food is locally grown.
Fuel cost is higher due to transportation cost.
As you can see, I much rather prefer province living compared to city living.
16

You are the most popular person in the
Philippines.
After moving to the Philippines, you will notice that everyone wants to be your
friend. There are several reasons for this. First, Filipinos like to brag to their
fellow Filipino friends that they have a foreigner as a friend. Next, they may have
a hidden agenda. They may be thinking that they can ask you for a loan in the
future once they become friends with you. For the record, I have learned the
hard way. There is no such thing as paying you back if you loan money here.
They will never pay you back. Speaking of paying back, there is a Tagalog word
called “Magbayad ng utang” – it means pay back. If a Filipino offers to help you in
any way, they are expecting Magbayad ng utang. Be very careful who you get
help from.
17

Transportation – Getting around in the
Philippines
1. The world famous Jeepney
Filipinos liked to converse even if they don’t intimately know each
other, and the jeepney’s interior made it easier. Its seats facing
towards each other and its close proximity is perfect for a good ice
breaker and making instant friends for a less-boring travel time.MADE
BY A FILIPINO, FOR THE FILIPINO. Jeepneys are a Philippine icon.
Often appearing in flashy and colourful fashion, and present almost
anywhere, they are considered as kings of the road. They are the
primary transportation on land, especially since buses cannot travel in
smaller areas. The jeepney is a product of the Jeep that was left by the
Americans after the World War II
18

2. Tricycle
Tricycles are less visible in major highways in the Philippines. Being smaller in
size, they are used in short-distance travel, and are most commonly seen on the
side streets, subdivisions, smaller cities and towns. In some instances, tricycles
are hired to ferry people and merchandise from the market. You can ride
tricycles along with other passengers, and pay an average rate, or you can ride
it privately, which they also call “special”, where you pay a higher rate or the
equivalent rate of the number of passengers.
19

3. Pedicab
Man-powered, quiet, environment-friendly.
Also goes by the name “padyak” or “trikad,” pedicab is a bicycle with
attached side car, much like a tricycle, though they are a silent
version, and uses human pedal power to transport passengers. This
type of transportation is more commonly allowed to travel in some
secondary streets, small towns and villages, or areas where jeepneys
and buses are prohibited. Pedicabs have the capacity of 2 to 3 persons
per ride.
20

4. Habal-Habal
In Metro Manila, it is an everyday picture that you see 1 to 2
persons riding on a motorcycle. However, it is not the case
when it comes to the streets of Mindanao and some parts of
Visayas. Habal-habal is a highly improvised two-wheeled
single motorcycle usually ridden beyond its passenger
capacity. Since it is used as public transportation especially
in areas with narrow roads, and steeper, rougher terrain, it
could possibly carry up to 6-8 passengers, at the least. Yes,
some people might have said that a habal-habal could
accommodate more than 10 persons, with baggage’s
ranging from vegetables and groceries to livestock like
chicken yet to be included.
21

5. Calesa
A calesa is a horse-drawn carriage that used to be around
the streets, but is now mostly ridden for tourists’ use. If you
happen to visit Vigan, Ilocos Norte, a calesa ride completes
the whole experience. Tour along and feel the quaint
ambience in the Spanish lanes of the town. Manila,
specifically Intramuros, also offers a calesa ride the oldfashioned
way with your coachman serving as your tour
guide, in complete costume and all. ONLY IN THE
PHILIPPINES. While in some ways this phrase makes
people shake their heads with its several meaning, more
often than not, this has made Filipinos proud. Because the
Philippines is the only place in the world where you find not
only several modes of transportation, but a journey forever
etched in your heart. Great Expericnce.
22

6. Trail Rail Carts
One of the funniest and most dangerous forms of transportation in the
Philippines. You really should try this when you come here.
Check out this video – Click here
23

Internet Speeds in the Philippines
Unless you live in one of the three major cities or close by, you can expect to
have slow internet speeds in the Philippines. Even in the three major cities, don’t
expect speeds seen in America or other countries. Although I have noticed over
the past few years that the speeds are picking up, you will still be disappointed
as the Philippines has the slowest speeds in South East Aisa. If you are going to
live in the rural province area, expect no internet service.
24

Getting Directions in the Philippines.
Oh no, you need directions in the Philippines. Always very happy to be helpful,
Filipinos will give you directions but, sadly, they are lacking in accuracy. Not
wanting to lose face by not having the right answer, Filipinos will almost never
admit they do not know the answer to a question you asked.
You will soon learn to ask multiple
people the same question and
take an average.
Here is an example of a
conversation by me asking for
directions:
Me: Can I ask sir, what is the way
to the Mall of Asia.
Him: Just go straight (poking out
his lips) and ask again.
Me: Thank you
Next stop:
Me: Thank you
Me: Can I ask sir, what is the way
to Mall of Asia.
Him: Just go straight and then
turn right. (Note: they do not tell
you where to turn right, they
assume you know)
Next stop:
Me: Can I ask sir, what is the way
to Mall of Asia.
Him: Just go straight and then
turn right and you will see it
If you noticed in our conversation, you first need to ask if you can ask a question.
Next, they never give road names, just landmarks.
It can be very frustrating sometimes here to get directions, but keep cool and
you will always make it to your destination. You may also want to research online
the directions before you leave for your destination.
25

Best way to transfer money from your
bank account in your country to the
Philippines.
The best way to transfer money here is to open a pesos bank account at a local
bank. Then write yourself a check from your account from your home country. If
you use one of the large banks here, it will take about one month to clear and
you get the current exchange rate with no fees.
List of the large banks in the Philippines:
BDO – Click here for website
BPI – Click here for website
Metro – Click here for website
PNB – Click here for website
RCBC – Click here for website
ChinaBank – Click here for website
LandBank – Click here for website
I have used both BDO & BPI and had very good success with both.
Online Transfers
Never use Western Union – the fees are way too high. The two companies I
recommend are:
Xoom, which is a PayPal Service. If you link your Xoom account to your home
bank account, you can send yourself up to $2,999.00 USD for a fee of $4.99 USD.
BUT you do not get the actual exchange rate. For example, if the exchange rate
is 50:89, you get 49.61:1 using Xoom. The positive thing about Xoom is, you can
pickup your money right away at many different locations in the Philippines.
The other company I recommend is TransferWise – with TansferWise, you get
the actual exchange rate, but it takes 2-3 days processing time, So your money
is not available right away.
26

Filipino Time
In the Philippines, if someone tells you that the church service starts at 8:00am,
you can be sure it will start at least 30 minutes later. I love Filipino’s, but, they
are late for everything. You can expect to be waiting for everything. I know have
a rule and all of my Filipino friends know it. I give them a 30-minute buffer. If they
say we will meet at 12:00 noon, I wait until 12:30 (unless they send me a txt
message) and then I leave.
YOU LATE
AGAIN ?
27

One Transaction per day
In the Philippines, we do not have to sophisticated computer system as most
developed countries. With that, most transactions are still done by hand. It takes
FOREVER to get anything done here. Most recipts are still hand written using
carbon paper. This is a cash country. If you ever get behind a person in line at
the grocery store and the person ahead of you wants to use a credit card to pay,
expect to wait at least 10 minutes. Most places do not take credit cards, but, if
they do, it takes FOREVER for the transaction to go through. Hince, slow
internet speeds.
When I was applying for the paperwork to get married here, it took us three
months to get everything done.
I recently had a Skype conversation with my mother. She asks me “Son, what
are you going to do today?”. I replied, I am going to get my driver’s license
renew. My mother asks, “What are you going to do after that”. I said, mom, it will
take all day to get that done.
28

Health is wealth. When it comes to
water, you should know if it is drinkable
or not. There are lots of researches
made whether one should drink distilled
or tap water. In Metro Manila, it is NOT
ADVISABLE to drink tap water. Although
it may be safe, as it can be used for
cleaning or brushing your teeth, people
do not really use it for drinking as it may
be contaminated.
According to a Rappler interview with
former Health secretary Enrique Oña,
“clear water is not necessarily safe to
drink.” But if tap water is your only choice, you can still do so as long as you purify
it.
When purifying, the water should be filtered to remove any impurities that it may
bring. The easiest way to purify water is through boiling. When water is boiled, it
kills the germs that you may get if it is contaminated. Also, you can use chlorine
solutions to help you disinfect the water.
The best thing to do is buy bottled water which are distilled or purified. But, you
need to be careful when buying bottles water from a street vendor. They will take
empty bottles and fill them with tap water and sell as filtered water. My advice is
never buy water from a street vendor. That way, you know the water has passed
certain standards that make it safe for drinking. Even though tap water can still
be safe, you should take all precautionary measures to ensure that you don’t harm
yourself by drinking contaminated water. Better safe than sorry!
From my experience, if you drink the water here, you will get sick.
29

Cells Phones - What the heck is a load?
In America and other countries, your cell phone is usually on a “Postpaid” plan.
Meaning, you choose a plan and every month you pay your bill.
In the Philippines, while a few people have a
postpaid account, the majority have what is
called a “Prepaid” plan. Basically, a prepaid plan
is that you buy a cell phone and then you
purchase a sim card. Next you need to buy a
“load”. A load is a certain number of pesos you
will apply to your sim card. For example, most
Filipinos will load 50 pesos onto their sim card.
Then they will send a txt message to register the sim card. When the registration
is complete, the user can have unlimited txt message for 1 day and limited calls.
Loads can be purchased literally everywhere in the Philippines. Don’t be
surprised if your next door neighbor sells loads.
The two biggest are Smart and Globe. There is also Sun, Talk-n-Text and TM. But
you will finds most people either use Smart or Globe.
Now here’s where it gets tricky. There are several companies in the Philippines
that sell the sim cards. Say for example that I buy a
Smart sim card and insert it into my cell phone. If I buy a
50 pesos plan, I will not be able to txt a person who has a
Globe sim card in their phone. Crazy huh ? But, the good
news is, you can purchase a larger load, say 250 pesos
for example. Then you have the option of what plan you
want to register.
Here are a list of the plans available for Smart and Globe
So what sim card should you buy, well that will depend on your location and your
friends. In Manila and the other large cities, Smart or Globe has a good signal. In
the provinces, you will need to ask someone what network is best for your area.
30

The Sari Sari store
A sari-sari store, or neighborhood variety store, is a convenience store found in
the Philippines. The word sari-sar is Tagalog meaning "variety". It is present in
almost all neighborhoods, sometimes even on every street. Most sari-sari stores
are family-run privately owned shops and are operated inside the shopkeeper's
house. Commodities are displayed in a large screen-covered or metal barred
window in front of the shop. Candies in recycled jars, canned
goods and cigarettes are often displayed while cooking oil, salt and sugar are
often stored at the back of the shop. They also distribute prepaid mobile
phone credits. The sari-sari store works with a small revolving fund, and usually
doesn't have the means to refrigerate and store perishable goods. However,
they may have refrigerators that can store other products such as soft drinks,
beers and bottled water. The Sari Sari store are everywhere !
31

Shipping your items to the Philippines.
At some point while living here, you will want to get some items shipped from
your home country. In our case, we have shoes, school supplies and other items
shipped here by many different churches and organizations. You may be asking,
why we don’t just buy the items here that we give away? We could do that and
safe and lot of money on shipping, but the people who send us items, want to be
more involved than just giving money.
The way you ship items here are by “Balikbayan
Boxes”. They come in three different sizes. 18” x 16” x
18” for the medium size, 18” x 18” x 34” for the large
size and 24” x 18” x 24” for the extra-large.
There are many companies around the world offering
balikbayan services. The biggest one here in the
Philippines is LBC. Others include U MAC, Alas Cargo
and Unifrieght Cargo. Here is the complete of accredited carriers for your
country.
We always have the extra large boxes shipped here. There is no weight limit for
the shipment. As long as it will fit in the box, you can put has many items as
possible. The cost to ship from South Carolina in the U.S. to our door step is
$90.00 USD per extra large box.
WE LOVE
GETTING
BALIKBAYAN
BOXES
32

Don’t become the 10am bar person.
Before moving to our current location in Calapan City, we lived one year in the
tourist spot of Puerta Galera. There are many expats living in Puerta Galera.
Lots of sports bars where you can purchase more than alcohol. While living in
Puerta Galera, I noticed that the bars open at 9:00am and there were men
drinking already. It happens to a lot of guys who come here. They come here
with good intentions, soon get bored and find their comfort while hanging in the
bars having conversations with other expats.
Please don’t let this happen to you. I have lost some close friends because they
got bored and were in the bars all day. Their health quickly left them. I have also
seen expats living in the streets because they got caught buying ladies for the
night. Lost everything they had.
So what can you do to avoid this happening? I can only tell what I do.
We currently manage 6 different feeding centers where we serve 8,000 meals
per month. You may be thinking that has to be expensive, but our budget is only
$180.00 USD to serve the 8,000 meals. It is very cheap to feed here. My wife and
I are also the National Directors for Samaritan’s Feet Philippines where we give
away thousands of pair of shoes every year. I am also the facilitator for LIVE
SCHOOL which is a 6-month full time school, training 10 local Filipinos to reach
the lost for Christ. We are also in the middle of a building project which takes a
lot of my time looking for materials. Other program we do involve giving reading
glasses, school supplies and clothes to the poor. As you can see, I have no
desire or time for the bars.
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Age really does not matter in the
Philippines
I am 53 years old and
my wife is 36 years old.
It is very common in
the Philippines to see
older men with
younger women. We
have close friends,
Martin & Roxanne.
Martin is in his 70’s and
Roxanne is 27 years
old.
So why do Filipinas like
older men? There are a
few reasons
• Older men are more responsible – The majority (but not all) of Filipino men
don’t take relationship seriously.
• Older men are more mature - The majority (but not all) of Filipino men
don’t tend to live in their teenage years.
• Older men are finically stable - The majority (but not all) of Filipino men
don’t work or look for work.
So, do these Filipina women really love their partner? I see many cases where
the Filipina women absolutely loves the partner, no matter the age. In the tourist
spots, I also see the women who are with the older man only for money. On the
following page, I will explain the attitudes of the Filipina in the different areas of
the Philippines.
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Online dating
I would say that most men looking for a Filipina do it online. Here are some of the
best websites while you are looking for a Filipina partner.
Site Review Website Rating Members VIP
Subscription/Month
FilipinoCupid Join Free 4.7/5 Over 3
million
PinaLove Join Free 4.5/5 Over
480,000
AsianDating Join Free 4/5 Over 2
Million
Christianfilipina Join Free 4/5 Over
200,000
Filipino Kisses Join Free 4/5 Over
500,000
Cherry
Blosoms
$10-$30 USD
$25 USD
$10 USD
$97 USD
$46 USD
Join Free 4/5 Over 50,000 $29.95 USD
Warning: I still believe that most of the Filipinas who join dating sites do so with
good intentions: they want to find a good guy who will love and provide for them.
Sadly, the scammers king of ruin it for everyone: they harm the reputation of the
women from the Philippines and they harm the men who are sincerely looking
for love. What that in mind I thought I’d share another aspect of scamming:
“Bargirl” is basically another name for prostitute. The girls who work in the bars
usually available to spend the night with patrons who are willing to pay a “barfin”
– an amount paid to the bar for her to “leave work early”. The bargirl gets a
percentage of the fine and then presumably gets a tip from her customer for
what they do in private. Prostitution is technically illegal in the Philippines, but it
seems these laws exist on paper only. You will find that most of the big cities
have bargirls that work without the fear of legal consequences. Malate, for
example is one of the red light distircts of Manila. Angeles City is infamous for
Fields Ave. A pedestrian streel lines with bars.
You may be wondering how this affects you if you are a guy who justs wants to
find a good woman to marry. You have to remember that the young women is
working in the bar because she is deserate to make money. Some of them have a
side business, an online dating business. They create profiles on Filipina dating
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sites with the intention of scamming their online boyfriend. Once they have your
attention, they will start asking for money for emergency medical bills, etc.
Victims of these particular kind of Filipina scammers loose in two ways. They are
wasting money on someone who has no intention of doing anything other than
ripping them off. To make matters worse, they aren’t aware that they are
chatting with a prostitute. She isn’t the kind of girl you would bring home to
mom.
How do avoid this scam? The same way you avoid all other varieties of Filipina
scammers. I would recommend you start with a god dating site like Christian
Filipina who does a better job in screening their members. From there you have
to be careful and follow the advice below. Move slowly, chat often (with video)
and never give money to someone you have not met in person.
Step 1. Choose a good website like Christian Filipina
Step 2. Watch for scammers – The bottom line is that park of your
task will be to weed out those who are misrepresenting themselves. It is not that
hard to do. First do a social media background check She should give you her
Facebook information – every Filipina has a Facebook account, if they say they
don’t, forget her. Do an image search The website Tineye is a great search
engine you can use to find out if the Filipina you want to meet is using a genuine
picture. Use video chat Services like Skype are good for a couple of reasons.
You will be able to see her and verify that she is the women that looks like in her
profile picture. I have found that it’s much easier to get a sense of chemistry
when you are actually talking instead of typing. Understand this Internet cafes
with webcams are now widely available in the Philippines. If she refuses to do a
video chat I can promise you she is a scammer. It’s one thing if she is
occasionally unable to do a video chat but do not trust her if she always makes
excuses not to be on camera. VERY IMPORTANT never, never, never give money
to someone you haven’t met in person! Don’t blame me or anyone else if you
ignore this rule and get ripped off. I have heard quite a few times of guys that
have started sending money to a girl only to discover that she was using him.
These are the nightmare stories that give Filipina dating a bad name. Women
who ask for money or start giving you “hints” about their desperate situations
are not worth the trouble. I would advise you to simply cut off communication if a
Filipina asks for money directly or indirectly. Check her name/email in other
social networking sites like Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, etc. I would
36

also advise you to search both her name and email address in Google and other
search engines. Do a image search while you are at it.
Step 3. Cautiously build a friendship and trust. Let’s say you have
met a girl that seems sincere. Chat with her as often as you can and build
friendship. Do not profess your love to her or start making promises about
engagement if you have not met her in person. You may think you love her, but
there are just too many things you will not know without meeting her in person.
Step 4. Plan to meet her within a reasonable time frame. Let’s say you have
narrowed your search down and believe you have found the girl of your dreams.
I would encourage you to book your ticket to the Philippines and try to meet her
as soon as possible (within a few weeks). As I mentioned, this is the only way you
wwill know for sure she is the right one for you I know men who have chatted
with Filipinas for months or even years without any end game in mind. No
definite plans to come to the Philippines. Do not do this if you are serious about
love and marriage – just go meet her! Do not waste your time or her time.
I would suggest you avoid women who live in big cities. Look for the young ladies
who live in the provinces. They tend to be more honest and loyal.
Check this website often about Filipina scammers
Read these scammer articles
Facebook identity theft
Victims of online romance scams
Filipina women detained over “e-love scam”
Online scammers
8 signs she is fake
37

Buying property in the Philippines
More and more foreigners are now becoming interested in buying properties in
the Philippines because of many factors like: our tropical climate, the warmth of
the Filipinos and great opportunities for investments. On the other hand, many
people are still not sure whether foreigners can own property in the country.
The answer is yes, foreigners may own real estate property in the Philippines,
but they are not allowed to buy and own land. Foreign ownership of property in
our country is not absolute and subject to restrictions.
NON-FILIPINOS MAY PURCHASE AND OWN CONDOMINIUM
UNITS BUILT ON PHILIPPINE SOIL. THE OWNERSHIP OF CONDOMINIUM
UNITS IS STILL SUBJECT TO A 40% RESTRICTION FOR FOREIGNERS
BECAUSE A CONDOMINIUM PROJECT IS SIMILAR TO A CORPORATION
38

SET UP WHERE 60% MUST BE OWNED BY FILIPINOS. ALTHOUGH IT IS
CLEAR FROM OUR LAWS THAT FOREIGNERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO
OWN LAND AND THEIR OWNERSHIP OF OTHER FORMS OF REAL ESTATE
PROPERTIES IS LIMITED, THESE RULES ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN
LIMITATIONS. FOREIGNERS MAY ACQUIRE AND BUY REAL ESTATE
PROPERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES UNDER THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:
1. The property was acquired under the 1935 Constitution.
2. Acquiring real property through hereditary succession.
This means that a person (not Filipino) inherited the property or land which may
have been acquired under the 1935 Philippine Constitution.
3. Not more than 40% of the units of a condominium project.
4. If the property was bought by the owner when he or she was still a natural
born Filipino citizen but subject to the restrictions provided by law.
5. For former natural born citizens, the ownership of an urban land shall be
limited to 1,000 square meters while for rural land, it must not exceed 1
hectare and must be used exclusively for residential purpose in
accordance with Batas Pambansa Bilang 185.
For married couples under this rule, one or both may own land as long as the total
area of the combined property shall not go beyond the maximum limit.
For Filipinos who married a foreigner, Philippine citizenship is not automatically
relinquished. Under Article IV Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution, “Citizens
of the Philippines who marry aliens shall retain their citizenship, unless by their
act or omission, they are deemed, under the law, to have renounced it.” An
example of renouncing Philippine citizenship is when a spouse would swear
allegiance to become a citizen of the spouse’s country. Any person although
married to a foreigner can buy and own land in the Philippines for as long as they
have not renounced said citizenship. They may acquire and own land without
restrictions since they are deemed to have retained their citizenship.
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6. Under the Dual Citizenship Law of 2003, natural born Filipinos who
eventually lost their Philippine citizenship to another country because of
naturalization may regain their Filipino citizenship after swearing
allegiance to the Philippines. After the reacquisition of the Philippine
citizenship, they are again considered as citizens and may own real
property without any constraints.
7. Foreigners may own houses or building but not the land where the
structures are built on. A foreign individual or corporation may only lease
and not own Philippine land. Such lease shall be in a long-term contract
which must be good for 50 years and after which, the rent is renewable
every 25 years.
I JUST WANT
MY OWN PLACE
TO CALL HOME.
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Driving in the Philippines
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