Best Posts in Thread: Is the Forbes article about Dumaguete really making a difference?

Speaking of foreigners supporting their girl friends here. We go to the money sending place(ok I don't know what it is) for my wife to send HER money to her mother and orphaned nephews every week. Every week there are always a few nice looking Filipina's there picking up money from their "One and Only" Trouble is some of them have 6 or 8 "One and Onlies". I can only guess that they stay in touch with all of them because they are too kind to break any hearts. Sweet girls. They are certainly doing their part to bring money into the local economy.

 

I would agree if that wallet pocket don’t bulge, they aren’t going to care about other distortions in the waistline area, if any. Usually they can get what they need from their boyfriends or husbands and the old man is just the ATM. But in Dumsguete, maids are relatively cheap if you can find one who doesn’t steal your things...for 4K a month. Strictly an employee OF COURSE but very useful and much cheaper than the gold digger millennials.

 

My wife just came back from Negros.....Had a great 50th High School Reunion there....Gives an indication of our age - LOL.....And she is really thinking we should utilise our large block of land - and build that house - in a well-known gated community.....It is in Talisay, and everything there from security to the pool and gym etc.....seem to doing what they should do and very viable...She was still very impressed. Five/ten minutes from the new 'airport' and very close to great shopping - north end of Bacolod so avoid the traffic, and the great restaurants of Silay are a right turn and five minutes away.....Silay reminds me of old Bacolod, but now with better food and almost half the price.....It does have me thinking...
Just for fun, I did some city cost comparing on Numbeo.com.....I first compared Bacolod with equivalent Japanese cities.....only because we love Japan and spend a lot of time there.....But we do know we would be in and out on 90 day tourist visas....in Japan....Fair enough, sadly. Of course bacolod left all Japanese cities for ded......4-5 times cheaper generally.....

Then I dug a little deeper....Compared Bacolod to Perth, Australia - where we live now.....and was pleasantly surprised.....The figures are a bit hard to decipher as everyone has different circumstances and life-styles...For example, you may not need a car even if that Corolla figure is included.....Anyway, Bacolod turned out to be roughly, in a Western lifestyle....as that is what they quoted for foods, utilities, transport etc.....about 80% cheaper than what we pay now - here.......I thought that was fairly compelling....Would I shift to another country that I like - to save 80%....bloody oath I would......I was expecting around half as the AUD has been fairly static last couple years - bouncing around .75 USD....So I dug deeper......Compared Bacolod with Dumaguete....That also surprised me a little.....The difference in total cost of living between them is a bit under 10%.....I would have expected Dumaguete to do better - but food prices, for example were slightly higher than Bacolod. No big deal really - an extra 10% for the lifestyle would be well worth it for many...You won't be snorkeling within 50k's of Bacolod for sure......I am just saying that living out in the province.....is not always the best deal.....And that fooled me as well!!

Posted for what it is worth.....Not advertising for bacolod or dumaguete.....Frankly I like both....Personally I would be just as happy in either of them.....maybe a bit happier in Dumaguete with the more vibrant expat population and access to decent snorkelling and diving.....Hop on to the Numbeo website and compare the world......It was very interesting.....But if we make the move- it will be Bacolod, or staying in Perth......My wife is very firm on that....and we did a lot of research before we bought our land.....The good news is I like to drive and Dumaguete is half a day driving at worst.....for 3-4 days of relaxation......LOL...maybe a week? LOL.....

 

Yes noticed that at one Western Union Branch one day. I sat outside in our old Tricycle while my wife went in to pick up the money from my Son after he sold my car back in Oz. While I was waiting I was watching others pulling up on bikes, often a Filipina with a guy riding. The Filipina would go inside, then around 10/15 minutes later come out, often dividing the money with miles of smiles, and off they would ride together. One only incident would not have raised my interest, but having to wait longer due to a hiccup with my money, I got to see this repeated maybe a dozen or more times over the period of around an hour, some of them arriving together in small groups and leaving together chatting away with a handful of cash. Maybe they had OFW Family sending, maybe they were collecting payment from an 'Online Business' but who really knows?

Actually I had a Filipina friend who lived in Bislig City who had a harem of friends and one PC in a Unit who had many one and only's. She use to get me to check online with WU to see if their 'One & Only's' had actually sent them money to save them having to go out for a false call. She made no bones about what she did or why. Not all are dishonest about what they do.

 

Go to "Ipswich, Queensland, Australia"... 'They' walk among us! jeje
Actually; go to Youtube, look for "HOUSOS" and try and watch an episode. I lived amongst THEM and almost everyone one of their dumb @ss kids were a clone of that 'thing' in the video, 'Voices with Attitude' I sometimes call them as it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck each time I hear them speak. The Mothers; well that is another story, reminds me of someone dragging their fingernails down a Blackboard!
I lived there for 33 years, 33years TOO LONG! d*mn I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES! lol