Dumaguete the best City to live?

Yes you are correct, only 30 foot. but I'm so happy with my family.
It worked out good. Thank you

 

Having worked and lived in the Philippines for 28 years my opinion on retiring to Dumaguete 3 years ago, was a massive mistake.
I should have gone to Puerto Princesa.
Food, mostly fast food quality with one restaurant on the Boulevard serving half decent food.
Power, frequent drops & outages.
Beaches, dierty.
Seafood, crabs, prawns etc. virtually non existent. fish is available.
Dishonest Governance. Too many trikes, no rent raises since late 1980s in the Public Market. Why? loss of votes.
I could go on but will not.
I am leaving next year.
Sirmoori

 

I certainly agree with some of your listes points. You kept hidden for us a long list of other minus points.
Can't have 'zero understanding' why you leave next year.
Don't know if you were most of those 25 years (before these last 3 years in Dumaguete) elsewere in this country where it seems so much better.
Dumaguete is surely changing in the 5,5 years I am here. I do join you in the opinion that the changes in general do not make my appreciation better than it was 5,5, years ago.
However .....no plans to move (yet
Will soon find out myself if Puerto Princesa is much better.
Can you explain what you mean with the quoted part of your post ?

 

Sirmoori,
I don't know where you shop but my wife has never had any problem finding prawns, shrimp, or a variety of shell fish in Dumaguete. Corruption is the Asian way. Having lived in this part of the world for 25 years I am sure you know that. It's a lot better than it used to be. I agree the power outages suck and are really inexcusable but the whole country used to be this way. Maybe in the future it will get better.
What they charge for rent at the market is of no interest to me. Doesn't affect me at all.

 

But I too am interested in your reply. Of what concern is it of yours that rents in the market are kept low so that at least locals can have a business and place to run them?

Concerning your disappointment with Dumaguete, would you say that you were misled by all the positive hype around Dumaguete?

O-|

 

I have spent quite a bit of time in Puerto Princessa over the last 20 years. I would rate it on a par with Dumaguete in terms of corruption. (Lots of first hand experience)

However, Tourist numbers in Palawan have climbed exponentially and if the Underground River wins the New Wonders of the World Comp, you will see Busloads of Tourists and all the associated price increases, etc that go with it. Lets see what that does to the transportation prices, food prices, etc.

You are also a Looong way form anywhere, at least in Dumaguete, you can get buses and ferries as well as Commercial Flights to go to other provinces. Hospitals were very basic last time I looked many years ago, but the best place in teh world to contract malaria, they sure knew how to deal with that.

Palawan is a fantastic place and definitely worthy of consideration, it was my other option, but Duma won out because of the central location, accessibility, schools, and reasonable prices (at least what I was used to)

Cheers

 

It is of no personal concern to me about market rentals. What is of concern is the corruption both fiscal and moral in allowing this to happen. Dumaguete businesses have to pay about 2 million pesos a month to sustain the market because City Hall is not prepared to lose votes.
Having lived and worked in the Philippines for 28 years and a further 20 ++ years in SE Asia I do not believe any hype about anywhere until I have seen for myself.

 

I see it as a good thing (if it's true) that the rental prices for the market stall's have not gone up since the 80's. Let's try and calculate the food prices now, if it had gone up 10% per year? And how would the less fortunate family live? I'm not a guy that argues over something that isn't important, but had a great Prawn and cream sauce with mashed potatoes yesterday at one of my favorite restaurants.

Ron

 

What a great thread. For someone like me who is gathering information with the plan to someday retire in phils its great stuff.

 

Market stall rents are of great concern to all businesses in Dumaguete as it is they, outside of the market, who have to pay an extra 2 million pesos in local taxes each month to subsidise those stalls