Filipino netizens react to Duterte alcohol ban proposal - BBC News Midnight alcohol ban and no smoking in public places, two reasons I have had absolutely no interest in ever visiting Davao. Now that these laws have a possibility of becoming a nationwide thing I'm starting to put together an exit plan to leave the Philippines in case it actually happens. I have no interest in living in a nanny state and the high level of personal freedom is the main reason why I decided to live in the Philippines. If that is gone then the Philippines has very little left that I find appealing. I'm not complaining, if this is what the Filipino people think is best for their country then that's their right to do so....but I'm certainly not going to stick around and continue to inject my money into the local economy or invest another peso into anymore local business. I might not get a vote on the elections but I certainly will vote with my passport and wallet. I suspect I won't be the only one doing so. Keeping my fingers crossed that these types of laws never get made or, if they do already exist, that they continue to not be enforced.
Sounds like those laws are already enacted in a couple of cities in the States (Davis, California comes to mind re:the smoking thing). On a national level and as an ex-pat living as a foreign body in another country, freedom to and freedom from are important factors to weigh. In my mind, I have the following places around your region to keep in mind should I begin to feel cramped: Cambodia Vietnam N. Thailand Guam (if I have to stay inside US soil) It's easy to get a Cambodia VISA - easy to renew. Vietnam has just recently relaxed it's VISA process, too. I have American friends who have lived in VN for 10 years now. They are a regular, everyday-looking Cuacasian couple. They live just fine, eat well, and are able to regionally travel about on less than 1,500 USD per month. Both smoke cigs and drink socially (don't live in the bars, but drink with their meals). Another person I know (US male Caucasian) lives in Cambodia on even less than that. There is an English-speaking university in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where about 10% of the total population of CM are ex-pats from all over the world. There is also a world class hospital there (thanks to Warren Buffet - the 3rd richest man from the USA). He had property up there (may still have for all I know). I know I'd move there as I've been there, and like the elevated and less tropical climate zone of N. Thailand (still hot but less so than in Bangkok). I like their religious/social holday spirit throughout the year (Buddhist). It's good to have a sure knowledge of where to go if TSHTF. V/R, nwlivewire
I would not be packing my bag yet. There are a lot of laws announced, but let us wait and see what happens. If you look at the elementary school children and how they act in regards to littering consider that it will take decades to get the society here to accept and implement these laws, even if there is police enforcement. School children are not taught that littering is bad or that plastic trash kills fish in the ocean (or if they are taught they forget when they walk outside the class room - note the sari-sari stores located by schools and the trash surrounding them). Once you get outside Dumaguete it is still the willy wild west here, with very relaxed enforcement. But OMG what if they have strict enforcement of the smoking ban like they do here in Dumaguete now? Remember how proud the Mayor was when he passed the no smoking ordinance. There are nice big signs on the entries to the City proclaiming Dumaguete a no smoking town, which make for a nice show, but how many tickets have been given for non-smoking here. How many smokers have been confronted? I was told (so rumor: not fact) the food establishment that the mayor here owns has a smoking section and it is one of the only "legal" smoking areas in town. Politics and economics is still going to be more important than law enforcement here for a long time, in Dumaguete and the Philippines as a whole. It is the attitude of the citizens that will make a difference, not necessarily the enforcers, who sit on the street corners and wave to their friends. Duerete has some good ideas, but he was still voted into office with less than 40% of the people voting for him. It will take a long time to see most things change. Do not pack yet.... .
I've read just a little on the alcohol and curfew for minors idea laws. I'm still not quite sure how to take them myself if its a negative or positive assuming it gets enforced. First off I think minors being banned from being out after 10pm (I think it was) w/o a guardian is a good thing. Minors to me don't deserve all the rights of an adult yet as they are still often to immature (yes plenty of adults are also). As far as the alcohol and cigarettes go I'm wondering what they are defining as *public* and for where specifically the ban will be. If they mean by public you can't go walking down the street smoking but an establishment that allows it like a bar then your fine I'm good with that. Same thing with alcohol if it means you can't sit out in the park drinking alcohol, on the boulevard, or at some random street corner I'm again all fine with that. What I have an issue with is if they start telling bars and restaurants after X O'clock they can't serve alcohol anymore then that is going to far. Same in a way goes for sari-sari stores and convenience stores that shouldn't be banned from selling alcohol after a specific time as long as the person is taking it home and that isn't on the business to determine. As far as looking for another place to go that Wyre suggested I've been debating that for sometime yet my fiancee is in her 2nd college degree currently and we don't want to disrupt that. Problem is where to go. Places like Thailand from what I have read have become very difficult for long stay foreigners unless married to a local especially if younger. Other Asian countries seem to be cracking down on expats bit by bit making it seem as if we aren't so wanted anymore beyond our money. Cambodia is the one I keep hearing but really know nothing about it. Plus where can we realistically go with our Filipina wives as well is an issue as well as a westerner we may have it easy in a couple of countries they don't always have the same acceptance.
At least the Philippines still has restrooms for men and women. I think the US is going to end up going to men's, women's and whatever's.
Once in a Cebu Disco, there was a sign on the woman's CR door.... "Lady boys use the men's CR"... there were no protesters outside, and from the crowd, very few seemed to boycott the Club either.
A huge component in the freedom you feel is a lack of enforcement. There are lots of laws, but little enforcement. The U.S. feels less free because the U.S. has the resources to enforce laws. The U.S. even has the resources to hound people overseas for not filing tax returns and to hit foreign banks with fees for not reporting accounts for U.S. residents. I'm thinking what happens in Manila largely stays in Manila. For example, last I checked, poker was regulated by the state owned PAGCOR, which has a monopoly on gambling in the Philippines. In Dumaguete, none of the poker games have licenses with PAGCOR as far as I know. The games that do exist are allowed to run at the whim of the big wigs here. If you are messing with someone else's cheese, then you will get a phone call. PAGCOR enforces these regulations in Manila. Outside of Manila, it's anything goes unless you are doing something big enough to attract attention. This is a cycle you can't get away from. Politicians create laws. Resources enable the politicians to enforce these laws. As long as the Philippines is resource starved, then these laws won't get enforced. Of course, the above issue is also on Duterte's agenda. I believe part of the reason he wants to get rid of congress is so that he can setup a system which will give more power to regions outside Manila. As it stands, Manila is the ivory tower collecting rent from the rest of the nation. He wants to end corruption, which is part of the problem for lack of resources. If you don't live in Manila, you won't be bothered by these laws.
I know that many of the laws I will have a problem are already on the books but just haven't been enforced. Problem is, I don't have a problem with how the Philippines currently works. I don't care about the drinking/smoking in public, bars being open until people are no longer buying drinks and I certainly do not think that crime is out of control (I'm out until the wee hours of the morning and I have never once felt like I was in any danger....and I've been in some pretty low income places on expensive bikes with lots of cash on me, it's simply not that dangerous in Dumaguete unless you are involved in the drug trade). My exit plan is in case some of these laws do start to get enforced country wide, which I see as a possibility. If they don't get enforced that's great, if they do then I'm not sticking around.
Ahhh the trouble with getting older. I no longer drink after midnight, nor smoke, so the only change for me is that I may notice things are quieter here. But I do agree that an exit plan is a good idea. Makes me wonder about buying a condo though. Just a dream at the moment but owning a condo (or anything you cannot pack in a suitcase) is not conducive to a quick exit.
Drinking a beer at the promenade watching the sea shouldn't be a public offense as long as the person in question isn't bothering anybody else and (obviously) is allowed to drink by age. Sadly law makers tend to create such overly broad regulations because they don't know what else to do, but they need to do *something*. I think Duterte will soon notice that ruling a city is very different from ruling a whole country, especially one that consists of thousands of islands. Worst case Metro Manila will be a bit more like Davao, but even this might be too large already for a real change in the near future. Fingers crossed.
