My namesake, Davy Crockett, has been credited with the saying, “Be sure you’re right, the go ahead”. Wise words, but a bit to definitive for me. If I waited until I was sure I was right before making a move, I’d still be back in elementary school. It’s nice to be sure of yourself, but especially if you come here to live in the Philippines, it’s just not possible.
I prefer my interpretation, which I picked for today’s title. I think things through to the best of my ability, ask advice from the best sources I have available, and then I go ahead and “git ‘er done”. So far it has been working pretty well for me. (and yes I know about the well known cautions regarding ass and u and me, but I live my life, in company with the majority of my friends and associates, in the real world. We do our best to be right, but we can never be sure, and when you are as sure as you can reasonably be, we go ahead and do it). Some folks, instead, sit on the fence waiting until there are no assumptions left in the equation … and last I looked they are still sitting.
I wanted to speak about a couple common threads I see over and over again in this Web Magazine community, in other online sources for Philippine information and in personal conversations with many fellow foreigners over the years.
Language: I want to ask a favor here. Please read the next sentences. I greatly admire Bob and the others I know who are studying one or more Philippine languages. I also would be first in line to state that your life here, whether on vacation or long-term living would be enhanced by learning a local language and especially being able to speak it well enough to talk with people on the street regularly. The reason I asked you to pay special attention to those preceding two sentences is because I have been trapped by statements like I am going to make next … if people didn’t read my preamble. You do not need to learn any language before you come here to the Philippines. This does not mean I am critical of those who are learning … just that you do not need to know any other language other than basic English skills before you come to the Philippines. Learning the local language is a great benefit and again, I highly recommend it … but I see far too many people waffling and vacillating in their decision using language as a “go – no go” part of their decision process. It really isn’t as big a deal as you think.
Health Care: I think many many folks are on the health care ‘fence’ in deciding on a possible move here than possibly any other issue. Especially in the USA where we have the 17th or so ranked health care system in the world (check the WHO rankings), yet by far the world’s most expensive. It’s certainly not up to me to tell people to ignore this issue, but I also see a tremendous number of folks who would probably love living here denying themselves the chance to even give it a try because they are paralyzed by the specter of life without US health care insurance and especially without Medicare. A couple facts you might want to consider to help balance out the continual scare talk you hear from groups like the AARP who exist just to get rich off seniors being overcharged for health care in the US.
- Many US health plans will cover your medical care here. You have to deal with the plan itself to find out your true limits, not the hearsay and the ‘what happened to Joe’ stories that circulate on the ‘Net.
- Almost all medical care here is on a cash basis, but you can deal with this in advance by having some savings … not a bad plan even if you don’t get sick.
- For those eligible for Medicare … many seem to get confused when they run across the fact that Medicare does not pay for services outside the US. (actually, they do cover short-term emergency care outside the US, such as a person getting ill while on vacation … check the information with Medicare directly.) A number of folks I know have confused the fact that Medicare won’t pay overseas with the notion that if you live, long-term overseas, you aren’t covered by Medicare. This is not so. You would have to return to the US for procedures or hospitalization … but you are still covered by Medicare no matter how long you live outside the US … Medicare can’t dictate where you reside, only where they pay … an important distinction.
- I have a health plan that covers me here in the Philippines. So far (knock on wood), in three years I have yet to spend enough to even come close to the plan’s modest ($300 per year per family) deductible, so I can’t even tell you how fast they pay, etc. I don’t say ignore the issue, but I do say that health insurance is blown way out of proportion by many. Make sure your caution is not really an excuse for putting things off.
Doing Things On Your Own: This could be a big blog post, or even several all by itself … but I’ll take just a nip out of it for now, because I think it holds a lot of people back. First of all, let me state that I am eternally and immensely grateful to my loving wife and her wonderful family. If I had come there on my own and lived my life every day on my own I would miss their support big time. But do not for a minute think I couldn’t get along on my own if I had to. I’ve had people ask me, “You went and did such and such on your own”? Almost as if it was flying to the moon or something. You are xx years old. You’ve been getting things done for yourself ever since your mom sent you to the store the first time on your own. This is a foreign country, but it’s not another world … you’ll do fine. There are even times having a Filipino along ‘looking after you’ can get in the way … the more people you need to try to explain what you want to, the harder it gets … much like the old kids game of “telephone”, where by the time the message gets back to the start of the circle, no one can recognize it.
- Going to a government office? Take your time, read the signs, ask for help. In my experience, even government clerks are nicer to foreigners than they often are to their fellow Filipinos. Just make sure you are rested and have time and be patient. You’ll be pleasantly surprised what you can get done on your own.
- Going to buy something and worried about the all too familiar warnings about jacked up prices for foreigners? First of all, if you buy in large, formal stores like in a mall, the price is going to be marked anyway, so what’s the issue? If you are going to buy something in a local market or informal setting, do your research and ask around before you buy. If you are offered a price that sounds out of line, first tell the merchant … with a smile works best … “Oh no, that’s way more than I planned to spend.” If he makes a decent counter offer, buy, if not just walk out … there’s always another place to buy it. I’m sure there are times I paid too much, I also know of many times my family or neighbors have been very approving of my bargaining skills. It the long run it will all work out just fine … especially if you are pleasant and smile a lot .. even if it’s a phony smile (I didn’t just type that, did I? LoL)
- Give the other person ‘wiggle room”. The mistake we Americans commonly make is being too abrupt and “cut and dried” about things. The world isn’t going to end if it doesn’t happen “right now”. Also, even if the other person is dead wrong, and you know they are wrong, and you have every right to insist they admit they are wrong, remember something you have in your ‘hip pocket’ which costs you nothing but a little pride … monetarily. (don’t worry, you’ll get your pride back, most of us have an inexhaustible supply). Just relax, make chit chat and let the person in the wrong work things out in their own way so that they aren’t forced to admit their error. Believe me, this is one of the things I have personally ‘stubbed my toe” on plenty of times, but it’s one of the easiest mistakes to avoid if you just remember something … is it your object to prove the other person wrong, or to get something done so you can move on? It’s absolutely amazing what you can get done if you keep your eye upon the goal, rather than playing the “I am right” game.
Okay, that’s a few of my tips to think about, particularly if you are one of those readers here who is “on the cusp” of making the decision to come to the Philippines to visit or live, but just don’t now if you can do it.
My answer is, yes you can do it … decide what you want to do, assume it will work, and do it … my guess is you’ll be glad you did.
Dave your,last sentence is what I am like ..just do it and move on .stop and help out those who need it , it is easier to help someone then to make fun of them….I think like -if I can do it then anyone can do it…. Good article Dave …Phil n Jess
Hello Dave,
Great article for those wanting to come over. I have not too many doubts about coming over, and already know that I will be moving to Southern Leyte. Actually in that last statement I wanted to say "I have no doubts about coming over", but I would be lying to myself if I said that. Change is sometimes hard for people, and creates doubts, but for me I know I will like it, and learn the ways and cultures there, as well as learn to "bite my American tongue" when I am there as well.
As for the question of health care, it doesn't bother me at all, I have read about the health care in the Philippines, and see it as being very good.
The language, I have already slowly started learning bisaya, I will take lessons when I get there, also Rose and her family will help me with it as well. This is something I want to do, not out of thinking I have to, in order to live there. But I really have the desire to learn, just as I have living here in the Florida, living with a Spanish speaking family, no, I am not fluent in Spanish, but do have a great understanding of it, and can understand a lot more than I did two years ago. Its helped out a lot living here with my friends.
Rose gets a "kick" out of me speaking and writing bisaya to her, it also lets her know that I have a big desire to learn there language and culture. Last Christmas I sent Rose's nanay and tatay a Christmas card, and a letter written in bisaya. Now this took me a very long time, and I had a friend of mine who knows bisaya proof read it for me and fix some things. But when Rose told me about her mother being so surprised at reading a letter from her future son in law in bisaya, Rose said she was smiling for hours. So to me it shows that I am genuine in learning there ways there, and also I want to be able to do business there as well, and not all know English there.
Keep em' coming Dave…and thanks so much,
Take care,
Danny 😉
Thanks for commenting, Phil n Jess. It's difficult to write an article like this in the sense that it would be a real disservice to someone if I were to entice them to think too 'bold'. Obviously there are dangers and negative factors in every decision. But the reason I did write it is, I think there are many people sitting on the fence out there who actually 'know' they can but just can't let go of the edge of the pool.
Thanks Danny, wow the first two comments make me breath a sigh of relief .. becuase even after I put in (probably too many disclaimers) I was worried people would perceive what I was saying as anti langauge learning … and I surely am not. I think it is so, so cool that you've already written to you MIL in her language. Let me tell you, that letter might mean more to her than a diamond.
I just don't want people 'sitting out the dance' becuase they think they can't get by on English to 'get them started'. Keep on learning, though, it will pay dividends you might noot even know about at first.
Hi Dave,
So how do I go about buying health insurance over there? Its not for me, but for my wife's family. Is health insurance available away from the major cities, like in the providences ie. Bukidnon?
Thanks
good article. With so many different dialects which one do you learn anyway? Tagalogs next to useless when you go north or south and my english is hard enough for filipinos to understand anyway, seems they are tuned into the american accent not a kiwi one 🙂
Sure is hudson. Philhealth i believe but i'm sure Dave can tell you much more, also don't forget if you are on medicare and need services Guam isn't all that far away and will accept medicare for payment at most hospitals there, all two of them plus the base i think 😉
Hi Hudson. One of the good things about the Philippines is the country does have a national health scheme that is available to all Filipinos (and even foreign spouses too). Now when you look at it from American eyes, with the health costs and insurance premiums we back back there in the States, some people may tend to think of it as too little, too late … but for the Filipino environment it's actually a great thing. It's called PhilHealth … website is here: http://www.philhealth.gov.ph/
There are three basic categories, some free, like senior citizens and some have to pay .. a whopping 100 Pesos per month … a little over $2 US at today's rates. Of course it doesn't pay a lot, either, but in our expereince you always get back way more than the modest premiums.
There are PhilHealth offices in all major and many minor cites and they also go out to a lot of country locations on a regular basis with oputreach programs to sign folks up. If a husband or wife signs up, the other spuse is covered as well as all minor children. In my view, well worth it even if your family is in the category that has to pay … almost sure to eventualy get an ROI on a $26 a year investment.
There are many commercial companies here too, including the well known Blue Cross http://www.bluecross.com.ph/ They have many levels of plans,the ones that pay in the Philippines only are actually quite cheap. Many other commercial companies our there too, Google is our freind 😉
Hi Dave, Some really good advice here! I agree totally that there are so many different ways to exist and adapt be when visiting or living in the Philippines. Having a good head on your shoulders and being receptive to the fact that you are in a new place is really the main thing you need to know. You know that I get a big charge out of "going native", but that isn't necessary for others who want to enjoy or live a full life here. Also, I have to credit your website for helping people learn many facts that will help them–I've learned a lot of things that I wasn't aware of pertaining to passport facts, Immigration issues, PhilHealth etc.
Hi Daryl,
Here's athought I have had, for those who are very poor at the mechanics of langauge as I am .. ask me questions abouyt conjugating vowels and technicalities of parts of speech and such and I'll only be able to lgive you a a blank stare … if you are not sure where you might land in the Philippines and you want to be able to 'hit the ground running' with the lanagaue that is in local use when you do land here .. study badic Spanaish. It's easy to find lessons in the US, and many of the words in all the major Filipino languages are Spanish 'borrow words', and most of the sentence structure, rules for verbs and such have similarity to Spanish structure. Off the wall idea, perhaps, but it's a thought.
Hi Danny, I find your attitude to be really a delight sometimes. I think that you're going to do really well here and be a popular guy in Rose's family!
Thank you, Queeniebee, I appreciate the words, especially from someone who has accomplished the difficult task of moving to another culture like the USA but still keep firmly grounded in her original heritage.
For folks who don't want to become 'part Pinoy' like my family sometimes calls me … I take that as compliment, believe me … this is an easy place to live. The more you learn and the more you try to fit in I think the more rewarding your life here will be, but life is short and if you wait until you are "dead certain' everything is exactly right before you make the move, sadly the "dead" might come before the "certain".
Salamat kaayo Quennie,
I look forward to moving and starting a family there in Philippines. Rose is a great woman, and her family are very hard working and loving family too. I am hoping to be there by 2010, but I really want to be there by Christmas..
Ingat,
Danny 🙂
Although I have not had to use any health care facilities while visiting, I have reviewed medical bills of some of my Filipino friends and at times it was not easy to keep a straight face. Not that I was laughing at the individual or the services rendered but at the amazingly low cost compared to here in the USA.
I feel it is all these Insurance Companies here in the USA that have driven health care cost through the roof. Quite a few Doctors have or are getting out of medical practice because of all of the complications and added costs created by HMO plans, etc. the additional paperwork and these insurance companies pay so little for the services rendered by the doctors office or other facility yet the CEO and other biggies of these insurance companies seem to get quite a " Big " paycheck if you know what I mean.
I reviewed health care plans there in the Philippines over a year ago as I wanted to purchase one as a gift for a friend there, a lot more useful and a lot less costly than a lot of other things I could have bought as a gift for a friend.
There is a grass roots type of health plan that has begun here in the USA known as " Simplecare ". You have your own lower premium health insurance for " the big stuff " but pay cash for everything else. The Doctors and facilities involved in this program charge less because they don't have all that overhead of having to deal with insurance companies for every person that comes through the door. I am Not a participant in this program but have been following it to see if it grows. When I reviewed the Philhealth policies a year ago it reminded me of the same thing, pay cash at a much lower price for the routine things, have a " lowered cost " insurance plan for the big things. Makes sense to me !
On Language, I had no problems on my visits in Mindanao or for that matter at the Manila Airpots, in dealing with local merchants etc. I read in a travel book once where people in The Philippines " appreciate " it if a visitor makes an " attempt " to learn maybe just a few words or phrases to show their interest.
I bought a couple of Tagalog books and one came with a couple of audio CD's to listen to the language as spoken. I thought knowing what is supposed to be considered as one of the " national " languages might be the best choice. The places I went, Bisaya is the most commonly used language in addition to " Filipino English ".
In any verbal communication all I am fluent in is American English ( northeast USA style ) and thats all I used. I found speaking a little slower and more distinctly at times was helpful and listening a bit more carefully then I would here at home, I don't recall having any problem. In fact, some there spoke English almost as if they were Americans themselves !
Dave very informative post especially on health care issues. I often receive inquiries about health care in the Philippines from colleagues here in US who are contemplating retiring in my island paradise, Marinduque. In rural areas like Marinduque, our hospital, diagnostic and emergency facilities are still 3rd world, compared to the modern hospitals in Manila and other big cities, like Iloilo, Cebu or Davao. Your comments about paying cash, philhealth and bluecross insurance companies with their websites are very much appreciated. I put the two websites on my "FAVORITES" in my browser for easy reference. Cheers and Have a good day! Very informative article, indeed!
Hi David, I forgot to name Dave's site by name, which is PhilFAQS. You might want to check out a lot of his info and relay some it to your colleagues. I have to say, he does a lot of research on topics and even provides a way to download related forms. (I'm not getting paid for this endorsement lol)
Quenniebee: Thanks for the additional info on Phil Health. Have a good day or night!
You hit on an important key there, Bob, 'slow and distinct'. Regional differences can completely frustrate what is otherwise perfectly understandable English. _All_ English speakers tend to get a little 'lazy' or regional with certain phrases or we slur or run words together in ways that are perfectly natural to us (I'm from New Jersey, fugedaboudit), but can't be understood by others who don't speak in our own 'code'.
Another thing I have found that helps … if only I could remember to do this more often … if your first attempt doesn't get through, re-word what you are trying to say. If the 'other side' of the conversation didn't 'get it' the first time, it's likely they won't get it if you repeat it again and again, louder 😉 … but different wording may come through 'loud and clear'.
This by no means just a Phil-Am thing. One of my favorite channels on our cable TV system is ABC … the Australian Broadcasting Corp. They have some great shows and carry some US PBS shows (something I miss here a lot). But my wife and I can't watch a number of the Australian produced shows becuase we can't follow enough of the conversation. "Separated by a Common Language' indeed.
Thank you David. One thing anyone needs to consider if they are going 'out in the provinces' indeed is that you won't find the same level of medical care .. it's not like the US where if you fall in a canyon in New Mexico a commercial air ambulance or the USAF even will come and helicopter you to some shiny medical center. Part of the decision needs to be that the 'decider' weigh the facts for his or her own self. Example, one reason I live where I do is easy access to decent hopitals. But, of course, that's only one factor to consider.
Something that isn't so easy to define as the amount of the equipment and costs of the hospitals is the level of care you get here in the Philippines. In our family expereince, the doctors are not only competent, but they really know and care about each patient … way different than my US experiences. Example, how many people in the US have their doctor's cell phone number stored on their phones and how many would text their MIL's doctor at 2 am and receive a direct response? Medical care like that can make up for a lot of shiny equipment. Anyway …
ha ha you are so right you aren't getting paid, Queenie, but I really do appreciate the shutout anyway, and I appreciate Bob being generous with letting people link and recommend other sites.
To my mind, it all makes for a better community. My blog is http://www.philfaqa.com and I try to welcome everyone … but bear in mind I am a crotchety old reiree who is subject to an occasional rant or two 😉
So True Queenie! Danny has yet to make that trip to the Phil accdg to him. He's still a future-in-law.
Danny, have you met Rose?
Hi Daryl,
My native language is tagalog & trust me, you'll get by with it from North to South. The only place where you might not use it as people will respond to you in english instead is in Cebu. That topic has been covered in previous post.
As to Dave's suggestion to study basic spanish if you want to get by in the Phil, well I can only say, study spanish for its sake but not because you want to get by in the Phil. I imagine that every basic dialects in the Phil is liberally peppered with spanish words, i.e., Ybanags would call the tagalog's store "tindahan" as "tienda". In the same manner that enlish has lots of borrowed words from latin & french & so is Filipino language to spanish. But does one study latin to be able to understand english?
Dave
Thanks for the info. Also Im trying to see if this gravatar thing works
Youe gravatar worked … that's one handsome vehicle there, I had a '51 three window that I dearly wish I had never parted with. I notice my gravatar only seems to show up sometimes, not sure of why that is.
No I wouldn't study Latin, Roy, becuase the 'rules' of Latin and the 'rukes' of English differ so much. But the way one constructs sentences in Spanish and Tagalog are much closer to the ways one contructs English sentences.
Actually, feel free to throw my suggestion away totoally, becuase what a lot of Americans ought to study as a preparation to learning a second language is English … most of my English errors are misspellings mainly becuse I learned reading without learning spelling rules (like today's 'hooked on Phonics' gimmick and becuase I am a sloppy typist and lazy proofreader.
Most of my sentences and word usage come out pretty much ok, but I would not be able to tell you 'why' I constructed a sentence the way I did. When I do make a grammatical error, for example, and someone says "you slit an infinitive there" or some such technical rule violation I normally just shake mt head in amazement … most of my writing and spoken sentence structure come out the way they do becuase 'they sound right', not becuase I know English. (and for all I know I dangle more participles than the law allows 😉
Hi Dave – I get a lot of inquiries about Gravatars not working. About 99.9% of the time the reason that the Gravatar does not work is because the person has more than one e-mail address. Only one e-mail address is registered at Gravatar, but they use the alternate address on the comment. You must use the same e-mail address that is registered at Gravatar, or else the Gravatar will not show up. Alternatively, you can register multiple e-mail addresses on the same account with Gravatar. Hope this helps everybody who asks about it.
Just wanted to add that the link to your website is: http://philfaqs.com/ I tried your other link and it did not work. I really enjoy your column. Very informative.
Dave, to add to your comments on the quality of care, how many doctors in US does a home visit? NONE! ZERO! In Marinduque, the director of hospitals (Happens to be my wife second cousin) does home visit if the patient is too sick to go to his office. Home visit is part of his medical practice "modus operandi" ( mode of operations).
Dave
The truck you see is where all my money goes…Its a 1953 Studebaker with a flat-head 6. Three on the tree with an overdrive.
Yep, we got that too, don't we. A lot of folks relate shiny equipment to top level care … the two don't necessarily go together.
Hi David,
You may be interested to know,in the UK we get home visits by doctor if needed.
regards Chas.
Interesting, Chas, thanks. When I lived in the UK forty years ago or so I remember being amazed by the National Health scheme .. and how much it covered. Of course "anyone who knew anything" in the US was happy to tell the world back then how the scheme was doomed to fail, fatally flawed, socialized medicine, bankrupt the country, etc. Didn't happen that way, did it?
Hi Dave,
It is actually a misconception that our "National Health System" is free.In addition to our taxes we have to pay a compulsory "National Insurance" which is our contribution towards Health care and State Pension.The ammount is automatically deducted from wages.
However, retirees have full access to health care without further payments,having paid there dues whilst working.
regards Chas.
Excellent choice of topics Dave. I totally agree with you. For me (and I would guess many others) the more important question we have to answer is this: Would we be happy living in the Philippines?
We give up a lot leaving the comfortable surrounds we've become accustomed to. I realize there's a percentage of people unhappy with their lives (for whatever reason) who are looking for a change. Sadly, people moving primarily because they don't like where they are now are least likely to be happy in a new country.
For people looking to retire, a big question is what will we do with our new found spare time? Philippine work laws can be somewhat restrictive. For westerners (even city dwellers); Can we adopt to the higher population density of Philippine cities? While it would to contemplate moving to the countryside, living without the Internet, a reliable power supply, basic amenities like western style stores, movie theaters andaccess to modern medical facilities may not be acceptable.
If you find the time, it would be great to hear about how you made the adjustment. What were the biggest hurdles you've had to overcome? Are there any things you'd do differently now that you've been in country a few years? Why did you decide to relocate to the Philippines? In hindsight, do you feel your original justification is still valid?
Besides reading the many excellent posts on this and other websites devoted to the Philippines, what other ways are available for westerners to learn the ropes in the Philippines? Should one make prior to moving there or can one get an accurate picture merely by reading what others have written?
I've been to your website. Lots of great information there. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences?
Thanks for the clarification, Chas, indeed there is no such thing as afree lunch. However, one should note that in the US we pay, just the same way. In fact, for those willing to strike out and start a business on their own (which is one of the onlky viable solutions to our now shocking unemployment figures … 'buggy whip' jobs are not coming back in many cases) the government imposes taxes of over 15% in addition to the variable income tax. The difference in the US scheme and the UK is … in the UK the program covers essentially everyone, in the US, _everyone_ pays but evryone is not covered.
This is a huge issue in and of itself, and I don't want to go down that route much further, but just wanted to bring up thepoint that most other 'advanced' nations have found a way to provide health care to the population whereas the US has steadfastly stuck to it's guns that only those who can pay (or those who reduce themseleves to poverty, as with Medicaid, can have health care. In the actual words of a former governnor of Colorado, Dick Lamm, the rest "have a duty to die" back in 1984. (ps, he wasn't elected). I haven't seen many politicians with a different attitude since.
I am far from smart enough to know all the answers, but mygut feeling is the US is smart enough to find a way … if we turned off the lobbying money from the insurance carriers and decided that we were going to provide rather than think of reasons we can't. If we think we can or we think we can't, we are right.
Hi David S., thanks for your comment and suggestions. From time to time I'll write more on many of the subjects you mentioned. I would, though, like to point out I have written at leangth on a great many of those issues already … there are three or four hundred articles on my http://www.philfaqs.com blog and I just wanted to point out that poorly constructed and typo-ridden as they may be, you and everyone else is invited to read them. Just another resource you might be interested in.