COVID Quarantine Philippines

 

Quarantine in the Philippines

Hello, it's been a long time since my last post. Will fill you in a little about what we have been doing.

We have been living not far from Manila since arriving here in 2018.

After arriving in the Philippines we traveled around for a while looking for a place to live. We checked out Angeles City in Pampanga, north of Greater Manila. Found some houses there but 

decided against that area because there are many pig and chicken farms all over Pampanga and the smell can be really bad.

So, to make a long story short, we found a rental house in a "secure" subdivision which I had toured when it was new back in 2007. It is located in the province of Cavite. We are about two and a half hours by bus from Manila.

The house is a two story of about 1,200 square feet of indoor living area. It has a two car carport (called a garage over here), four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The subdivision features swimming pools, basketball courts and tennis courts, a gym and it is not far from a large mall. Security is provided by armed guard services and a good CCTV system. Gates into the subdivision are manned by armed guards and guards roam the streets day and night. Our rent is only $500 per month.

Well for the past 10 weeks the children and I have been on lockdown at our house. My wife is of an age which is allowed to go shopping for essentials. Netflix and Youtube have been our favorite pastimes.

We keep up with news from the USA via Youtube.

Had done some gardening at our home in Florida, USA. Now I am studying and learning about gardening in the Philippines.

So far have planted some Sitaw (produce pole beans which measure up to three feet in length!), Chinese spinach, tomatoes, basil, sweet potatoes, Calamansi (like a small lime but with a great unique taste) and Kangkong (called swamp cabbage in the USA).

We have been watching NBC, ABC and NPR as they have been covering the protests which have spread across the USA. What a dramatic difference from the Philippines! Virtually no demonstrations here. Most islands here have been on lockdown since about March 16th. And, considering that there are MANY people here who are REALLY living in poverty and have been for years, I am amazed how peaceful Filipinos are. No rioting, no looting, no destruction of property.

Will add to this post. Check back soon for more info.

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The article on this page will be expanded. Come back to read more about COVID quarantine in the Philippines. Last updated June 3, 2022.

Moving To The Philippines

We Moved To The Philippines

We Are Moving To The Philippines

So, after the birth of two more children and after living for 6 years in Florida, U.S.A. we decided to go back to the Philippines. 

There are a number of reasons for our decision.

Having married a Filipino most of our family lives in the Philippines.
Our first child was born in one of the hospitals in Manila at Makati Medical Center.
My relatives are scattered all over the U.S. None of them lived near us.

My wife missed her parents, sisters, nieces, nephew and the rest of her extended family.
We also want our children to experience the Philippines. Most Filipinos speak English; it is taught in schools all over these islands. But, in very many ways it is a very different culture.

My mother who is over 90 years of age might have wound up in a nursing home in the U.S. 
If she had needed a caregiver at home the cost would have been at least $20 per hour (about 1,000 Pesos), which could add up very fast to a lot of money. We had moved in with her to be close if she needed us. But, with 3 young children, it meant a lot more work for my wife and me.

In the Philippines Mom will be able to continue living with us in our house and we will be able to afford a live-in caregiver for her. Being with us enriches her life. She goes with us to the mall and other places. The other day she went to see a movie in the mall with me and my wife. On other occasions she has dined with us at a Sbarro's restaurant, Kenney Roger's and other restaurants in the malls. The malls in the Philippines are world class.

In the Philippines our children will have more playmates. They will be able to play with their cousins and their cousins' friends. In our neighborhood in the U.S. there were hardly any children. So, for our children to meet and play with other children we had to pay for them to play. Pay to play is common in the U.S. We lived not far from a recreation complex. Each time my oldest daughter played there it cost us $5 (about 250 Pesos).

So, we fixed up our two houses, sold our furniture and most of our other belongings over the course of about six months. Conducted several garage sales and moving sales. Items which were not sold that way we advertised via Facebook Marketplace. Well almost everything sold on Facebook. Facebook Marketplace is a fantastic free service! At present the only way to use it is to download the Marketplace app to your cell phone. I read that Facebook will be adding desktop and laptop versions in the near future. Facebook Marketplace has already been launched in the Philippines.

We booked flights to the Philippines, packed our many suitcases and carry-on bags. After we left a good and trusted friend of ours did some additional fix up, painting and cleaning at our houses in Florida. He suggested we donate a bedroom set and a few other items which did not sell to a charity named Hospice. So we did.

We will be leasing our two houses to tenants while we are in the Philippines. We have enlisted the services of a property management company to market and manage the properties. The broker has already found a tenant for Mom's house and has prospective tenants for our house.

We flew from Tampa International Airport to JFK in New York. Then we flew on an Airbus A380 to Incheon, Korea. From there we flew to Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines. The trip from Tampa to Manila was 27 hours. Apparently we are now 9,114 miles (or 14,667 km) away from Tampa Bay area. When it is 9 a.m. Sunday in Manila it is 9 p.m. Saturday in Tampa, Florida.

The cost of living in the Philippines is considerably less than in the U.S.

Grooming in the Philippines

Man's haircut 80 cents
Ladies haircut 80 cents
Manicure $1
Pedicure $1
Facial $4
One hour full body massage from $4 to $5 (in a salon or in-home)
Full body scrub $6
Foot massage $5
Foot scrub $5

Food Costs in the Philippines

We are a Vegan family and most of our food cost less in the Philippines.

A fresh coconut 35 cents
Coconut milk, 12 ounces for 17 cents
String beans 40 cents per pound
Organic white rice 50 cents per pound
Organic brown rice 78 cent per pound
Loaf of whole wheat bread $1.10 (1.3 pounds)

Health Care in the Philippines

Hospital and Medical Costs:

A doctor's office visit in a clinic $5.00.
An emergency room visit $23.00.
A semi-private room in a top quality hospital $39.00 a day.

Eyeglasses consisting of exam, refraction, frames and Transition lenses cost $50.00.

Housing in the Philippines

There are Airbnb accommodations all over the Philippines.

We rented a 3-bedroom 2 bath townhouse in Imus, Cavite, South of Manila for $16.00 a day.

If you want an annual lease, there are many properties to choose from. If you want a short-term rental don't waste your time trying to find one, just visit Airbnb.com and search for facilities.

See my article about finding rentals in the Philippines. I will be updating and comparing the rental rates then and now in that article which was written in 2012.

Cost of living in a few major Metropolitan areas in the Philippines.

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This article will be expanded upon. Please check back for more information about moving to the Philippines. This page posted July 2, 2018. Last updated June 3, 2022.

More Fun in Philippines!

Fun in the Philippines

It's More Fun in The Philippines

As of now I no longer endorse any of my former food blogs.

I went Vegan in 2013.

Visit our online Vegan Tribe Cafe and order now.

Do you want a Guided Tour of the Philippines?

Read more about living in the Philippines and about fast food restaurants in the Philippines.

You will probably like some of the Filipino foods Americans and Europeans like.

Be sure to meet some ladies of the Philippines. There is a very good chance you will meet a lady, who has been waiting for you, while in the Philippines.

Get ready to have a good time in the Philippines.

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This article will be expanded upon. Please check back for more information about it's more fun in the Philippines. This page posted March 9, 2017. Last updated June 3, 2022.

Security Guards Philippines

Bank Security Guard Philippines

Security Guards Are Everywhere!

When I first arrived in the Philippines I departed the plane at the international airport in Manila.

A friend met me at the airport and drove me to his family home. His family served a snack and soda. We ate on their front porch. 

I asked about good low cost places to stay. They referred me to an apartelle. It was the first place I stayed in the Philippines.

After resting up after 3 flights and a total of almost 24 hours of air travel I went across the street to the local SM Mall. It was there I first began to see armed guards. They were at the entrance to the mall. 

Armed Guards At Mall Entrances

They poked a stick into the sling bag I was carrying and searched it. There were guards at the entrances to many shops and stores inside the mall. At the bank branches, drugstores. At the cinema.

During the next five years in the Philippines I have ridden jeepneys and taxis into and out of the main business districts of Manila and several other cities. I have been walking on sidewalks near banks when the armored trucks arrived. When the driver stops in front of a bank guards get out and join the two or more bank guards. They are armed with pistols, shotguns and even automatic weapons (Armalites). Guards facing all directions around the truck. Probably not a good idea to stick around when the armored car pulls up.

Gated subdivisions have guardhouses and armed guards at their entrances. I was looking for a house to purchase and visited a subdivision that had guards at the entrance and even had guard towers around the perimeter wall. I was told that several armed guards patrol the subdivision day and night.

At first it is somewhat disconcerting to see armed guards everywhere but one gets accustomed to it.

In fact I got so comfortable with living in the Philippines that eventually we rented an apartment in a subdivision which had no security other than the local police force. We never saw them in our neighborhood until once, when we had only a short time left on our lease, I called them to complain about our landlord who started remodeling while we were still living there.
It seems he had hired a couple of guys to start knocking a hole in the wall adjacent to us so that he could create an archway in order to combine our unit with the one next door. He thought one larger would bring him more money than two smaller units.  The workers accidentally knocked a hole all the way through our wall and debris fell on our sofa. Well I deemed that an invasion of privacy. 

The police jeep pulled up in front of our unit. The officer in charge got out with several of his troops formed a circle around him and me. Dressed in black uniforms they had rifles and shotguns at the ready. Apparently routine procedure in this rural area. 

Magalang City Hall

The officer advised me that, if I wanted to, I could go to the police station at the city hall and file a formal complaint and have the landlord "blottered." Which I did. Not long after the incident our lease was about to expire, and we moved out.

If you move to the Philippines, I am sure you will get used to the presence of armed guards. In fact, you may soon appreciate a feeling of security you may not have known in your own country.

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This post will be expanded. Check back for more information about uniformed and armed security guards in the Philippines. Posted December 15, 2016. Last updated June 3, 2022.