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Who is more Filipino?

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Between Feyma and myself, who do you think is more Filipino?  Of course, since Feyma was born and raised in the Philippines, I am sure that almost all of you will say that Feyma is more Filipino.  Many would argue that I am not Filipino at all.  Am I, though?  Let’s see.

About a month ago or so, our microwave oven broke.  There was something wrong with the keypad, and when you typed in keys, it didn’t register in the unit.  Basically, the microwave was not useable at all.  Well, in the USA, when I lived there, when something like this would happen, we would think to ourselves, “it’s time to get a new microwave!”  However, here in the Philippines, people get things fixed instead of throwing them away.  So, really, getting a broken item fixed is, in my opinion, the Filipino way!

Well, when the microwave stopped working, I told Feyma that she should tell our nephew to bring it in to the repair shop and have them take a look at it.  Feyma responded by saying that she didn’t think it could be fixed.  She said that if it could be fixed, she thought it would be too expensive to have it fixed.  It was, she said, cheaper to just buy a new microwave!

Well, this didn’t sit well with me.  The microwave was only a few years old, maybe 5 years old at the most, and it is a really nice microwave, not a low end unit.  Feyma and I were at a store a couple weeks ago and saw microwaves there, and they were only P3,000 or less.  Not bad, but these were not of the same quality that we already had.  Feyma and I agreed that maybe we should go for a cheap unit, and just consider it disposeable.

I told Feyma, though, that first I wanted to have our broken microwave to be looked at by the service technicians.  Well, our niece took the microwave in to the shop, and we got the diagnosis about 2 days later.  It could be fixed after all!  How much?  P550, only about $11.  Now, that is exactly what I expected it to be!  So, the microwave was fixed.  It worked for a few days and went out again!  But, the technicians fixed it again for free.  Now, it is acting funny again, but we have been told that for about $35 they can replace the whole keypad module, and it should be as good as new.

What will be the final outcome on this?  I can’t be certain.  However, I find it quite interesting that Feyma has taken the more American viewpoint of “let’s throw it away and get a new one.”  Meanwhile, I have taken the stance that we should get the old one fixed!

So, who is more Filipino?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Morning Bob,
    Could be another sign of age creeping up on you! Next thing you will be saving pieces of string! I've got this way myself in recent years. In the west, though, if you can't fix it yourself then the repair cost in terms of parts and labor typically is prohibitive and the unit does become disposable. I've looked at some of the tools in my shed in recent years and thought how they still perform AOK even though there were my fathers or my grandfathers – say anything up to 70 years old. Nothing wrong with repairing things if you can do it cheaply. It can actually be very satisfying.

  3. Hi AussieLee- Ha ha… good one there, Lee. No, I don't think that this has anything at all to do with age, it's more of a culture thing. I have just become very comfortable with getting things repaired as they do here.

  4. Bob: I don't have that problem… Rebecca would get it fixed before I even knew it was broken. I'm normally clueless that way, anyway. Not cultural, but Male, I think. She also saves many things I simply pitch… I can't count how many plastic shopping bags we have. I view it as a good thing, though. She is changing me and I truly thought I was unchangeable!

  5. Hi JohnM- Ah, now you have ruined my theory! I still throw away all of the plastic shopping bags. Feyma saves them! 😆

  9. Hi Ray- Well… in reverence to AussieLee, that is a sign of getting old… I get up a lot earlier than I used to! 😯

  10. Well…You could do this…..fix the old one and also get the new one and then you both would feel like you both were right! Then you would have 2 one for you and one for Feyma and she would be happy and you would be happy.

  11. John I LMAO on your bag comment, my wife saves every single one of them till you cannot shut the cabinet door its so full of them. About every three months I dispose of them all. Its a cultural thingy.
    Toss the micro Bob..electronics are tempermental…mess with one aspect and the gremlin will simply find another part to play with. If you don't you'll have the proverbial rebuilt micro that still doesnt work !!!!

  12. Hi Dan- Ha ha… I guess I didn't finish the story. Feyma was also so happy when she found out that it could be fixed! So, we are both happy already! 😀

  13. Hi brian- Ah, Brian… now you are showing off American-think that everything is disposable. Just throw it out and get a new one! After you've lived here for a few years, you'll get over that! 😯

  16. No don't toss the broken one just keep it in the storeroom. Thats what the gf does. When I asked her why she said the junk man will pay 100 pesos for it. Only one thing I can not figure out though, is how the junk man can buy it if it is sitting in the store room???

  17. Hi brian- Of course, it can go either way, but I will say this… over the years we have had a lot of things repaired, instead of replacing them. In most cases, you get it fixed once and it's good to go for years again. Let me just add that I am not talking about some sidewalk electronics repairman on this… we took it to the factory service department, so these guys should know what they are doing.

  19. Hi Ray- I still say fixing the broken one is the way to go. The broken on will be fixed for like 1/5 the cost of a new one, so that is the way to go, at least this time. As for getting a broken unit to the junk man, in my experience is that the junk man will come around to your place every so often and ask if you have anything for him. That's when you go get it from the store room and get your P100! 😆

  21. Hopefully you can find a repairman who knows how to really fix it. I had a problem with the starter on my truck once and I brought it to a Filipino mechanic in Los Angeles. Crazy guy put a nail inside the starter and it only started twice before I had a problem again.

  24. You and I are certainly Filipino on nature, Bob. One aspect of living here that I love is, you can get things fixed. I wrote acouple mnths ago about 'letting the smoke out' of my bnatterycharger … fixed the enxt day for aferwe buck. In the US it just wouldn't have been fixable. A long time ago when we had Cheryl the maid with us she knocked over a P999 fan and broke the motor housing and the mount for the blade guard. We continued to use it in a safe corner of the 'dirty kitchen' until one day I finally got around to having it taken to the fix-it guy. he found a replacement housing and replaced the guard but recommended the motor be re-wound as it was starting to short ou. OK, no problem. Total cost, P300 and now we have fan good for another year or two with no plastic and other non-biodegradable waste in the land fill.

    You can't get _everything_ fixed but it's always worth a shot. In China where most of our throw away culture is manufactured, there are huge bookstores stocked with rpair manuals for even the cheapest appliances … the Chinese too don't throw away cheap appliances … in Tagalg we call it "making simot" … getting the last drop out of something … very foreign to many Americans .. it's not just language that's different here.

  25. Hi Bob,
    You are definitely catching on with the Filipino way. It is friendlier and 'greener' to the environment. The US consumption takes more than half of the world's available resources and is the world's biggest polluter. The human race should adapt some sort of this 'recycle mentality'. It is definitely the hip thing/politically correct thing to do now.
    However, before replacing the pads, check what the repairman did the first and second time you have it fixed. It might not be the root cause. It may not be the long term fix, but is worth the try.

  26. Hi Ray- That crazy glue might create some funky fumes when it is hit with the microwave rays! 😆 That might make the cost of repair well worthwhile!

  27. Hi Dave- I believe that repairing stuff was not so foreign in America in the 50's and before. The culture has changed so much, though in this regard. I really do believe that it is an adjustment that most Americans have to make when they move here!

  28. Hi Gerry- Yes, I think that recycling is a good way to go as much as possible. Funny thing is, the Philippines is green in this respect, but if people would just stop throwing trash everywhere! 😯

  29. Hi Bob

    You said

    "I believe that repairing stuff was not so foreign in America in the 50’s and before."

    I remember as a kid watching the Andy Griffith Show and there was a character Emmit the fix it guy or something like that.

    Also as a kid I remember getting new soles and heels on my shoes.

  31. Hi Bob!

    I was riding my sister-in-law's motorcycle around the backroads of the barrio where we live when the front tire went flat. After pushing the thing home for more than a mile; I removed the tire and brought the wheel to a place in the barrio that advertised vulcanizing. It took three attempts to find the leak which turned out to be where the valve stem is connected to the tube. I resigned myself to making a trip to gen-san for a new tube because as an American this is deemed unrepairable. Lo and behold the mechanic slid a patch with a hole in the center over the valve stem and repaired the tube. The cost was 40p but I gave 50 because I told him he earned it because of the three attempts at finding the leak. I have been humbled many times at the ingenuity of the Filipinos. I have worked side by side with my brother-in laws and nephews on projects on our farm and am amazed at how much they can achieve with few resources. I have packed many of my tools for when we return home but I may be ashamed to use my cordless drills. Something funny happened the other day in a hardware store here in the US. Marie saw some tools on sale and suggested that we look at them so we can bring some home with us. I was shocked! Was my wife suggesting that we shop for tools? Scary twilight zone stuff!

  32. Hi Bob – well if that's the Filipino way, I'm all for it.

    I remember when we were there on our last trip we had some hair clippers we had bought for Rechie's brother. They were 110v and had gotten plugged in without a transformer. I looked and looked for a replacement, but it seems that hair clippers are not a popular item there.

    Someone suggested I get them repaired. I couldn't believe that anyone would actually do that, because here we would have to send them back to the manufacturer. We took them to a place not far from Humberto's, I think it was called Davao Electric or at least something similar. They laughed at the dumb kano for having plugged them in to the wrong voltage, but did quote me a price to have them fixed. I believe it was only going to take a day or so, but the price was more than I had paid in the first place and I wasn't convinced of what I was getting, so I decided not to do it. Also, I was returning home soon and could just get them replaced anyway.

    That was my first experience with repairing an item that I considered replaceable. I certainly applaud your approach with the microwave, especially considering that you were happy with it before the trouble.

  33. Hi Tom Ramberg- Ha ha… Marie is stepping into your zone, Tom! That's great. I agree with you completely about Filipino ingenuity! They do some amazing things here!

  35. Hi Ray- For certain they recycle the aluminum cans here. Not sure on the plastic pop bottles, but they probably find some use for them, I'd guess.

  36. Hi Randy C- You must have been looking in the wrong place for hair clippers, they are very easy to buy here! Very, very popular.

    If the repair guy quoted you a price that high to rewind the transformer for 220v, he must have been charging you the Kano tax. You should be able to ge that job done for P200 or so.

  37. Last month our fancy washer broke and the repairmant said it would cost five hundred dollars to replace the electronics in it. He charged forty dollars to tell me this. We bought a new less fancy washer for 400 installed and the old one hauled away to be made into beer cans. There is the problem with installing new parts. The word is labor costs a lot here. We have five rice cookers just in case one of them brakes down. They are all made in china and not to easy to fix.

  38. Hi don m.- I am not sure… when you say "here" – are you in the USA? Certainly, labor and such repairs are very cheap here in the Philippines.

  40. Hi don m.- Ah,that's right. It's getting hard to keep up with all the readers here! 😆 Yeah, I understand why repair was so expensive. Generally here, they will give it a look and estimate the repair cost for free.

  41. You are just to popular! I dont send you too many messages so I know it be hard to keep track of all the people who talk at you. This time of year here it is cold and foggy and a better time to set at the computer and send little notes., After a few thousand more people move there you will be able to just make local calls to keep in touch with everyine.Ha Ha

  43. The cost of the labor involved makes a big difference in having something repaired or replaced. Here in the USA it probably would cost less to replace the microwave oven with a new one. Even if you could find a shop here to repair it, the labor cost alone would be at least $50 just to look at it if not more. The cost of labor, overhead, etc. thats what makes the difference.

    I believe in The Philippines yes, it might pay to have many things repaired rather than replaced because of the difference in the cost of labor. It was not difficult for me to figure this out when I saw so many repair parts easily available there in electrical, electronic and other kinds of shops there. It used to be like that here many years ago when many things were designed and built to be serviced or repaired but those days are long gone here.

    Today, for the most part, with many things it is either repair it yourself or toss it out and replace it with another one if you want the most cost effective way of getting the job done. For many things exact replacement parts when needed are not even available. Even Manufacturer warranty replacements are nore cost effective to replace an entire item rather than spend the labor cost to even attempt to repair it.

    I was looking at Microwave Ovens there in The Philippines when I was there. A basic model here, lets say a 500 Watt to 800 Watt basic one with manual controls can be had for as little as $39.95 on sale at one of the " big Box Stores ". The equivalent model there I could not find for less than the peso equivalent of about $75.

    Looks like you took the Filipino way Bob, thats the way it used to be here many years ago too but with the cost of labor and overhead unfortunately those days are long gone here and I miss those days. Years ago I used to repair things like that for a living.

  44. How do they collect aluminum here to be recycled? In the states everyone brings their cans to a recycler and gets a dollar per pound

  45. Nice piece Bob; I have been amazed at the professionalism in the towns of Southern Zambales, the quality and work ethic of many self employed and small business gives the term 'bargain' new meaning.
    I'm a bit bummed I didn't know about the affordability of rewinding here, as I just paid P1000 for an electric hair clipper as my aussie one is for 240V. I wonder how many expats will read this in future and save $, environmental costs while promoting ingenuity and self reliance? Lets hope people take note and remember to put what you have brought up here into action.

  46. Hi don m.- I have a Vonage VOIP telephone, so I can call anybody, anywhere in North America for no cost in addition to the monthly fee I pay ($24.95) It sure makes it nice to stay in touch with friends and family.

  47. Hi Bob New York- You are right, the cost of buying things like a microwave oven, any kind of electronics here is much higher than in the USA. Probably that's part of the reason people prefer to get them repaired.

  48. Hi Ray- At the most basic level, people throw it away, and then people scrounge through the garbage cans, and at the dump to collect such recyclables. Those people sell the stuff and earn their living that way. Here in Davao, the City also provides garbage cans that allow for separation of recyclable items.

  49. Hi Chris- The Aussie hair clipper should work on the local voltage, right? 240 is close enough to what they use here. I agree with you that a lot of expats will probably get more into the repair side instead of simply replacing. It seems that there is something nostalgic about it, the topic has sure drawn a lot of participation!

  50. Whilst on the theme; a friend was recently in San Juan, Pampanga Province; the beautiful far west of Luzon. He told me of an initiative the community has turned into a daily festive event: the whole beach gets cleaned every day at sunset by cooperative voluntary community members! Hundreds if not thousands meet every day at sunset chat, whist doing themselves and their community proud. Being a major tourist area local venues promote this daily 'festival' to their guests as a 'must see event'! Thus among the crowd cleaning the beach are many foriegners helping, bonding with the people in a real and tangible exercise to benefit all. Wouldn't it be nice to see this spread around the country? In the west the 'Tidy Towns' campaign was instrumental to attitude change in many countries. Philippines equvalent: 'Tidy Barangays' with award signs and school donations as prizes.
    Your point on the Philippines becoming an environmental example to the world is far from an impossible dream; it will take concerted affort over a generation but it begins with people making changes in their own lives and setting an example.

  54. Hi Ray- I know that there are some scrap places in Davao that buy such recyclable things, but I don't know many details, especially up north where you are. One big problem here in the Philippines is that kids steal things like electrical wiring, just stripping it out from businesses, electrical transmission lines and such. They take it and sell it for the metal content. If you could find some of those people they could surely tell you where you can sell it.

  55. Hi Chris- I see. I figured it would work fine! Heck, Chris with the amount of hair that you and I have, even with the clippers working very slow, we should be OK! 😆

  56. Hi Ray; You could try fishing for them through the front fence? An evenings entertainment? A new form of bargain hunting?

  57. I have to get my money's worth even from the things I haven't bought; ex: my mom phone squeals and makes funnny noises in certain positions. My sister went out and bought a new one. That was months ago. The new phone is on stand-by as I am stiil trying to get my money's worth on the old one (one which I did not purchase).

    The batteries on the remote control for the satelite always says battery low; has done so for months now. With the financial crisis we have in the U.S. I am somewhat prepared. My habits could be that I am not "old school," but "old, old schoo" having been raised by my great-grandmother.

    I had a '93 Cutlass Ciera once that had 347,000 miles until someone came along and totalled it in an accident. I was still trying to get my money's worth at the time. Hahahaha!!!

    I have the philosophy of "waste not, want not." Also, "to live like no one else" so that one day "live like no one else. In other words, to sacrifice now and become debt free so that later when I move there I will have no baggage left behind.

  60. hi bob,

    there's a lot of junk shop in the philippines, they buy scrap metals per kilo, there are also people who buy them, you can easily spot them on the street, usually they have a wooden cart (kariton) and carries a weighing scale, a scrap copper wire goes for at least 130 pesos a kilo and iron is about 100 a kilo, aluminum is about 150 a kilo i am not really sure about the price nowadays it might have been higher now.

    and oh, my wife collects all sort of plastic bags, although we use black bin bags, she still prefer to use plastic market bags hanging just on side of the sink, she uses it to dispose wet scraps like food scraps and fish innards.

    as a matter of fact, she collected too much junks, old vacuum cleaner, old washing machine, old sofa etc..etc.. i made a storage at the back of the house just for that, and of course (would you not make one to save marriage?? hahaha) i have my own junk too (electronic equipment etc) which is housed in another storage.

  61. Hi Bob

    You wrote "Generally here, they will give it a look and estimate the repair cost for free."

    Is the estimate the final price? I ask because with dealing with tradesmen here they can not estimate correctly. I did a project in Ozamiz and those guys never could estimate the amount of materials needed. If they said I needed 10 bags of cement it would be 12 or 13 that was needed. Same with carpenters, painters and on and on.

  62. Hi Bob! (and gentlemen) For a Filipino like me reading this exchange of comments, it's an interesting take on Filipinos knack for recycling and repairing. I think it's also how you look at things or your possessions or how you value them. I know of Filipinos who think the American way, it's broken, throw it away. My father-in-law is a good example of how he values things. Their backyard is full of old, rusting refrigerators, washing machines, stoves, etc. and doesn't have plans of selling them to the "bote-bakal" buyers. Super LOL on the plastic shopping bags. my mom taught me a way to keep the bags in order so that you can stuff so many plastic bags in one plastic bag. we use the bags to line our trash bin.

  63. Hi Ray- In my experience, when they give an estimate, that is how much it costs. I can't say for sure, maybe if they run into a more serious problem when they get inside, it may run more, but I don't recall that ever happening.

  64. Hi Cathy- 😆 We also use the plastic bags to line our trash bin. And, we always have one bag filled with dozens of others too! 😉

  65. Hi dans- Now, this is funny… you are becoming an American (having to build more storage units for all your junk), while I am become more Filipino, by getting stuff fixed instead of replacing it! 😆

  66. hi bob,

    i think i am more of being a "sentimental" person, something like.. oh my very first radio, its broken but i don't want to throw it away because it brings memories.. hehehe. you would not believe me, i keep all my junks in storage because i will buy the same model and i could use the junk for "parts replacement" hehehe.. well that is just me.

  67. Hi dans- Now, I sometimes do that… buy a replacement of the same model, and keep the old one for parts. That's just smart! 🙂

  68. Chris is right about the 240v hairclippers not running quite fast enough to cut the hair properly, as the first time I visited R.P, I bought a set of clippers with me, thinking I would " win over" my new relatives by giving them some haircuts, but was embarassed when my fancy western clippers COULDN'T CUT IT!

  69. Hi Anthony- I can imagine your embarrassment! Everybody thought that clippers from abroad must be so much better than the ones here, only to be shocked that they weren't very good after all! Good story, Anthony.

  70. Hi Bob,

    Seeing as this column has got into *recycling*, what do they do with compostable materials in the Philippines? Is there any recycling for that or is it just dumped with the regular waste for landfill?

  71. Hi John in Austria- I can't speak for the entire country, but I know that here in Davao garbage must be segregated by type before it is collected. There is a special can for biodegradable items that can be composted. Now, beyond that, I do not know for certain what happens to it, but I do feel sure that it is properly disposed in some way.

  72. ha ha ha you guys are so funny with your tales of low power so your " fancy clippers " don't work right … 🙂 My wife called a neighbor to cut my hair she cuts hair in the area i have my house , so she came over and with a comb and scissors did a good job of cutting my hair for 25 pesos …no power,no clippers,no problem …and my wife likes it ..and of course that is all that counts ..So the few weeks i was there in the Philippines I think I was a domestic person too ..did burn up one computer too wrong current "oooops " …..:) 🙂 Phil R.

  74. Bob,
    Microwave???? I was here a year before I thought about getting one but, the wife said it would make the kuryente bill too high. When ever we look for any appliance now, i tend to look at the wattage before anything.

    One thing I noticed in most of the replies is the reference to "plastic" bags. It didn't take me long to learn that it's "cellophane" bag…….of which neither my wife or I can bring to throw away. You know you can use the plastic….oops ….cellophane bag to reset a knife blade in it's handle? But, still we sometimes are always looking for one. Plastic bottles are never just tossed. The milk cans the babies milk comes in become flower pots or cook stoves for some of our friends and family in the mountain.

    I've learned to fix a water pipe leak with the old inner (inner tube) from my trykes and the worn out tires are sometimes used by the drivers as inners for emergency repair until they can get to a place to get the inner "valcanized". The used oil from the trykies becomes medication for sores on the carabao, cabio and cow…….and sometimes even the people. So now I don't toss that either.

    There's such a list of stuff I save now that I'd have tossed when I was in the US, it would take a page or two to list.

    My wife tells me I'm getting a pinoy brain now because I understand "Pinoy time", I say "off the light", "for a while", it's not a big deal", "i'll get to it tomorrow……next week", "aboce the (whatever)" instead of, 'on top of', etc. She says I drive like a Pinoy now, also. I tell her I drive like I would have wanted to in the US if it wasn't for the jail time.

    Well, gotta go….need to register my car. It's only three months overdue but, it's not a big deal. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow…….next week.

  75. Hi Bob,
    The first time I went to the Borocay in the 1980's I mentioned to the restaurant owner that I have an A/C business here int he states. She asked if I could look at repairing her kerosene refrigerator which I did with a few borrowed tools. After a few days I had requests to fix a few more all over the island. I felt like I could have sayed and started my own business!

  76. About the Hair Clippers, if they were from a country that uses 50 Hertz ( cycles per second ) AC, and used on 60 Hertz 220 V Philippine AC Mains the difference in frequency may have more of an effect than the slight difference in voltage. Inductors such as transformers, motor windings, Flurescent light Ballasts ( the inductive type anyway ) will have a reaction when used on a different frequency of Alternating Current even if the voltage is the same. Electric Clocks ( not electronic ) with Synchronous motors will not keep correct time either.

    I have electronic items I have brought home from the UK designed to operate on 240 V AC 50 Hertz including a couple of turntables for playing records ( remember those ? ) to compensate for the difference in motor speed due to the frequency change, I installed " 60 Hertz Pulleys " available from the turntable manufacturer. That compensates for the difference in speed but the motors run a lot hotter on 60 Hz than the 50 Hz they were originally designed for. The same works in reverse, certain 60 Hz equipment I have brought to the UK for my friends there, even with a stepdown transformer to supply them with 120 Volts, the difference in frequency makes such things as transformers, motor windings etc. run hotter.

    Things from a country using 60 Hz frequency taken to The Philippines, all you need is something to compensate the voltage difference such as a 120 V North American item requiring 120 Volts. At least the frequency is the same and that is the more difficult thing to compensate for. 220 Volt 60 Hz power as used in the Philippines is one of the most efficient of all in the world.

    Bob, I have been trying to find out what the cost of electricity is there and have not been able to find anyone with an answer. Can you tell me what the " Kilowatt Hour " rate is there in Davao if that is the unit of measure for poser consumption ?

    I think I am paying about 13 cents per kilowatt hour where I am in the suburbs of New York City although closer to NY City and Long Island I believe they are one of the highest costs in the USA ( Consolidated Edsion and Long Island Power Co ).

  77. Hi Francisco San Giorgio- Of course, you are correct…. cellophane! I have seen those milk can flower pots all over the place too. It sounds like you have really gone native, Francisco! Congratulations, I think you are enjoying your life here! I am too!

  78. Hi Rob- Yep, it does sound like you had a ready made business here. Just buy a few tools of your own,and you're good to go! 😆

  79. Hi Bob New York- I was also thinking that it might be a frequency problem, but was not certain.

    Electricity is very expensive in the Philippines. Last I checked we were paying about 20 cents per kilowatt hour.

    When I lived in the USA, in the Pacific Northwest, our power rates were among the cheapest in the USA at only around 5 cents per KWh. Lots of hydro power there, keeping it very cheap.

  80. Hi Bob, 20 cents per KWH, WoW thats like New York City electric rates. I would have thought with all of the hydro electric plants there it would be less than what I am paying here. I will continue to see if I can find out what the rate is in Iligan City as I visited the Hydro plant at Marina Christina Falls. This confirms some of the conversations I had with friends there about certain appliances and other power consuming devices why some people dont have them. They could afford the item but not the cost of running it.

    To me it is beginning to appear that some things in The Philippines compared to here in the USA are a lot less costly while other things are about the same or more costly. With the average wages paid there, this answers some questions I was reluctant to ask.
    Thanks

  81. Hi Bob New York- Iligan power rates should be the same as here, or very close. All of Mindanao is served with the hydro power that comes from the Iligan area.

    Yes, you are correct, some things here are cheap, some things are very expensive. I have written about that many times on this site.

  82. Mindanao Bob… You are now "unofficially" FILIPINO!!!!! I'm proud of you. 🙂

    I'm sorry Feyma but you can join all of us here in the "americanized Filipino" section. Since I started living here in the US, I had forgotten all about the "fix it before you think of replacing it" attitude. Things are pretty much disposable here… I remember buying a new laptop after my PC started acting up in the Philippines, I would have fixed my PC until the PC tells me to replace itself… 🙂