One thing that many people ask me about is what I think about living in this City or that City. During my days of living in the Philippines, I have lived in General Santos City and in Davao. I currently live in Davao and have been living here for almost 6 years now. When somebody asks me what I think about Tagaytay, or Naga City, I am not able to give a really authoritative opinion, because I have never lived in those places! Sometimes I am asked about places where I have visited, but visiting a place is much different than living there!
Since there is so much interest in finding just the right place where a person might want to put his roots, I decided that I would do a little survey of some other expats that I know and get their views of the City where they live. Some of these folks are people that I know personally, others are expats that I only know through the Internet. But, still, each of these people has unique information about the City where they live. In some instances, I even asked more than one person to provide information about the same city, because each person has a different view, and all views can assist in deciding if a place might be right for you.
In the coming days and weeks, I will be featuring these questions and answers in my column. It may be that some people don’t respond for a long time, and that’s ok, but just don’t expect to see every column to be written on consecutive days. For example, my friend in Cebu City might not answer for a month, so that column would be written at a later date. Also, while I do know a number of expats living all around the Philippines, in no way can I claim to have a contact in every City.
For anybody living in the Philippines, if you would like me to cover the city where you reside, please use the Contact Form to get in touch with me, and I’ll be happy to interview you too!
Have lived in Manila, Dumaguete and Tagayaty and will be moving to Davao next year if only to torment Bob and Klaus LOL. all these places have pros and cons. So far in my book, (just to give you a small taste)Dumaguete would have to be hands down one of the most desirable, convenient, friendly places for an expat of any nationality to live. Over 4,500 here already. A Robinsons mall will be completed in about one years time and that will fill a void in some areas such as a Golds Fitness Center, Starbucks and Bo's Coffee and some more spohisticated restaurants and shops. Also a new Robinsons supermarket that will cater more to expat tastes. Dumaguete has no traffic lights and you can get around the town in 20 minutes yet it offers most that anyone would need. Most drive scooters here and public transportation are motor tricycles. No taxis. The area offers Great diving, golf, tennis, basketball, billiards and even Texas Hold'em poker. Over 500 ministries for all you religious zealots. Plenty of girls to keep you single ment entertained. In fact Dumaguete probably has one of the widest age spreads I have ever seen between men and women. Some serious relationships and marriages here have age difference of over 45 years and many men are haviing babies well into their 60's with their 20 year old wives. Definetely a place to come visit and live.
Hi Corey – I'm curious… you are making Dumaguete sound great, and the other day you mentioned a real desire to live in Tagaytay. Why are you coming to Davao? Not saying you shouldn't come, but just interested in your reason.
Hi Bob – Yes Dumaguete is great and we would probably stay except for the fact that we can't find a decent beachfront property to buy at a reasonable price. On the negative side, one thing that expats brought with them here is a total disregard for price stability. That is many found prices here to be cheap compared to where they came from and just paid asking. Thats still is pervasive and now prices are much higher than you would find almost anywhere else. Just to give you an example there must be over 25 houses here renting at over 25,000 peso per month. Remember this is a small place and the province. Also there are many scams you probably won't find in too many other places. Nevertheless, it is still a great place and there are many affordable properties mostly in the prefered mountain area of VALENCIA. Prices there run about 200 to 1,000 per sqm. Tagayay on the other hand is an elevated moutain community and I prefer beach. I also suffer from joint issues and funny enough, it was just too cold for me there. As for Davao, my wife is from there and since we are having a baby in February we thought it might be nice to be there around her family that will give so much love to Alexandra. We already have a house in the city and 2.6 hectares on Samal island which we will start building on in May. 2700sqm of that is beachfront facing Davao.
Hi Bob,
Are you reveiwing towns as well?
I have just had 2 great weeks in the philippines trying to finish my music room.
The nearest city to us is Tagaytay but I find the towns quite facinating as they are so less organised and maybe more interesting to some visitors. Every day I saw something funny that I don't think I would have seen in city.
Phil
Hi Corey – The thing about foreigners coming here and pushing up prices is indeed true, and can be a real problem. Not only land prices, but basic commodities too. One thing that happens is that people will come here for vacation and through around a lot of money, for instance, they might give a taxi driver P100 for a P35 fare, and then the taxi driver comes to expect that from every foreigner who steps into his cab. That can be a problem for expats like me (and you) who live here full time.
Hi Phil – Sure! I'll review any area of the Philippines! I'll e-mail you my survey so that you can fill us in on the details!
Hi Bob. I don't have any special requests, but I'm really looking forward to this writeup. Well, maybe I do have 2 that are close by. GenSan and Zamboanga look interesting. They may already be on your list since you've already written a bit about both, but I'd love to hear more.
Hi RichardInSC – I do plan on writing a column about life in General Santos. Unfortunately, I haven't lived in Zambo, and I don't know anybody living there, so as of now I would not be able to write a column about living there. Perhaps somebody reading this will contact me and offer to answer my survey about the place.
Great topic,. Corey thanks for a great comentary..I plan on checking Dumaguete this Jan. Lookin gFWD to it. By the sounds of it the only draw back is lack of beach front.
Hi Brian – There are two main hangouts and centers of conversation and information for expats in Dumaguete. Both are on the seaside blvd called Rizal Ave. 1. WHYNOT – Swiss owned and has a fairly regular clientell. Very Very good food. you can talk to anyone sitting around there and they will be happy to help you find your way around. WHY Not also has a disco every night located in the same premises 2. COCO AMIGOS – similar to Why Not but I don't go there so not familar with it but I know it to be a good source of info as well. NOTE: pay no more than 25 peso per person from the airport to Why Not or downtown Dumaguete when using a tricycle. the in-town rate is 7 peso per person. Talk to lots or people bout things to get a concensus on prices for rentals and buying property. The place I rent will be available mid April and it is very nice. I pay 10,000 month and it is a two bedroom. Suggested Hotels would be Bethel or Check-in both located in town and walking distance to almost anything.
Hi Bob and to all of you. I know a German, who is living in Zamboanga since a couple of years. I met him last year in Manila. He told me, he would never like to live in another town then Zambo. Maybe I can write more about it next time.
Hi Bob — You may be surprised but, I too am interested in your survey. I'm not a foreign expat but I do have a small interest in moving back home and am curious as to how the other cities figure. I'm Filipino but I do relate with some of the poster's sentiments, and I'm sure other overseas Pinoys are too. Places like Tagaytay have now piqued my interest from what some of the readers have described it. Zambo and Gensan, not so much. I've been to Dumaguete in my college years. nice and quaint. A little small for me, but that was a few years ago. Davao's still my pick if I do move back, but I look forward to the results of your study.
Hi Corey — Just wanted to let you know that I read your blog about a month ago and thoroughly enjoyed it (what happens after page 54?). You may be interested to know that I saw a friend of mine in one of your blog pictures. His name is Toti, one of the Davao divers you met in that diving excursion. He's a good friend of mine and if you bump into him in Davao, tell him I said hi.
Hi Brian – Let us all know what you find in Dumaguete, I am sure that many would be interested in another viewpoint.
Hi Corey – Thanks for sharing those sources of further info!
Hi Klaus – Please do share what you can about Zamboanga. I went there once myself. it seemed nice, but I found it difficult to get around town, as there are no taxis. I found the tricycle drivers to really want exorbitant prices from foreigners.
Hi Macky – I have a friend in Iligan who also has nothing but good to say about Dumaguete. It will be interesting to hear more!
Corey thanks for the info tip , printed and pouched in my pport folder. Will let you know what I see Bob.
COREY YOU forgot to mention that dumaguete city" is the city of gentle people" Im from dumaguete too! STAY SAFE!
Hi bob! Milper's from zamboanga though he's not an expat. 🙂
I love these slogans City of Gentle People" reminds me of the State license Plates in the USA. Florida – The Sunshine State Georgia – The Peach State. Would be more fun if we could come up with more creative ones. Utah – The Mormon State or The Polygamy State Nevada – The Gamblers State. How about we think of some for cities in the Philippines.
Dumaguete – City of too many Tricycles
General Santos – City of Tuna Processing
Boaracay – Island of Partying and Deviant Behavior
NENG – I find it amusing Dumaguete lays claim to City of Gentle People. Pretty funny. One thing I do like about the Philippines are the gentle people located everywhere in the country save a few here and there.
how about bacolod?
Hi Juls – I would be happy to feature Bacolod if you can help me find somebody to do a review of the place! Unfortunately, I don't know anybody living there.
Hi Bob,
I think this is the second time one of our interests have crossed on one of your sites, but for the life of me I cannot remember the other one.
I have just published a website, as a matter of fact I'm still playing around with it trying to get it right. Actually I'm trying to get more or less the same info but for a different rerason, my requirements are based mostly for tourism information. I hope you dont mind, if I request to get a cc on some of your replies. I could do with a kick start.
Hi Bob&All Any info. on Baguio City. Thanks for a GREAT SITE. Guy
Hi Jack – Thanks for stopping by. Honestly, I would prefer not to share my surveys. The results will be showing here on this site, and if we have duplicate content on our sites, then Google will penalize us. Sorry.
Hi Guy – Right now I don't have a contact in Baguio, but if I can find one, I will be glad to report about that place too.
Ok Bob
No problem
Hi Jack – Good luck with your site! I will even help promote it through my various sites when it is done. Sharing content, though, will hurt both of us in the long run.
Thanks Bob
I appreciate it. 😉
Hi Bob, Just to correct Corey, there are TWO whole traffic lights in Dumaguete as of August of this year (both not working!). We also found ONE stop sign – photo here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Misterex/PhilippinesA…
Hi John in Austria – Oh boy! Two traffic lights? That much development might drive some people away from considering the place! 😆
Hi Corey,
I think what Neng means about the gentleness of Dumaguete's people are the way how they converse. A friend of mine from that place said they talk so very mild that if you were overhearing two people from that place in an argument you wouldn't even know that they're already on the verge of killing each other. Wonder if that's true though but this friend of mine does talk so very gentle and I haven't ever heard him raise his voice. 🙂
hi bob thomas here still in bacolod and i think i will be here till after christmas now when i head down south to mindanao i have been scanning your site and learning everything i can about davao i am going to give it my best shot to settle there i hope you can help me with any good advice you have.
I love the philipines but has i said before i have just not clicked with that feeling you get,yes im home im here.I suppose the closest i have got is dumaguete but after while you struggle to keep the cultural side interesting because it is small if you cant get a certain book in the national book store just opened by the way you wont get it anywere else.I am hoping after reading your views and those of other people about davoa i can get that infrastructure of a big city but at the same time that community feeling of my childhood that i love i would like to ask a question i know its more south in davao so does that mean its hotter there than say bacolod i have been to cagayan de oro a few years ago and i remember it being hot but it might have been the hottest part of the year.They have a place called valencia in dumaguete and its a god send to us foriegners because it is cool it would be great if there was somewere like that by the city of davoa.I have so much i want to learn i have been to all the book stores here in bacolod to find a book on davao and its liveability if you know what i mean,unfortunately the nearest you get is some sort of travel tourist book that has a couple of pages on davoa you know bob i am actually excited about going there its the first time i have felt like this about a place in the phils for a long time god bless thomas
Hi thomas – Best to not make any decision on where to settle until you visit! After visiting, maybe you will like it, maybe you'll decide that it's not your spot! I will be happy to help you as much as I can.
I don't think that Davao is so much further south that it is appreciably hotter here. As I see it, on my travels to other areas, they are all pretty similar to Davao. I mean, Manila, Cebu and other places I have been in the Philippines seemed similar in temperature to Davao, I'd say.
Speaking of cool places, a short trip up to Bukidnon will cool you off nicely! It can actually get downright cold up there!
Looking forward to meeting you in January, thomas!
hey guys… i've got tons of informations about zamboanga city.. simply because i live here ahaha! want any infos? im ready to share he beauty of zamboanga! God Bless! Adelante Zamboanga! Viva Asia's Latin City! :p
Hi Arvin – I'd be happy to write an overview of Zamboanga. I'll send you a copy of my survey.