Every single day, I am contacted a number of times by expats from around the round world with a variety of questions about retiring to the Philippines. Including , the cost of living, medical care, cost of insurances, safety and security, the best places to live and the whole nine yards. Without failure, at the top of the list is about relationships with the women of the Philippines. Yes, with Filipinas. I always tell them that while most every Filipina, no matter where they live, have some general similarities, we cannot paint them all with the same wide brush!!
Many expats seem to focus on the horror stories, which are widely circulated, but in fact,this is not the overall picture of the women of the Philippines. These stories gain attention because, let’s face it, many people are negative instead of positive and they like to see bad in everything, especially about the Philippines. They had one bad experience and now they are going to shout from the roof top that this is the way it is in the Philippines and this is the way it is with all Filipinas. Nothing could be farther from the truth!
The Last Strong Hold In The World
Conservative, liberal and moderate are adjectives but they do not apply to only politics! The Philippines is probably the most conservative Christian nation in the world. The Philippines is the only nation in the world that does not have a Divorce Law. Abortion is illegal in the Philippines. Adultery is a crime in the Philippines. Libel and Slander are not civil issues but they are crimes in the Philippines. Other than in the USA, the Philippines is the only country in the world that allows gun ownership and issues permits to carry firearms so generously, for self protection. These issues are not actually political in nature but politicians are the ones who use these during election time.
The love and closeness among family members and not only knowing but also caring for your neighbors have long been thrown out the window in the USA! All these are alive and kicking in the Philippines!
Losing Your Religion?
The Philippines is the only predominantly Christian country in the world, with about 93% of the country claiming to be Christian. In stating this, I am not going to debate religious topics but my statement is true. Being a Christian has many different meanings to the world population and while I know what being a Christian is like for me personally, what you know or believe is on you! As to whether you are a believer, a non-believer or just do not care one way or the other.
Between 5pm and 6pm in SM Department Store in Bacolod, a prayer is broadcast over the sound system. Shoppers are expected to be respectful, regardless of their beliefs, and stop their movement in the store and cease loud talking. Every Sunday in many retail stores in malls in Bacolod, Gospel and Christian songs are played over the stores sound system. If stores and malls did this in the USA, they would be sued! Because a non-believer would say their rights are being violated and the ACLU would most likely join in stopping the store owner’s rights to broadcast prayer and the music of their choice. That type of law suit would be thrown out of every court in the Philippines!
Hard Cold Facts
Have you ever heard of the Pew Research Center? The results of Pew Research for 2013-2014 concerning the morality of Filipinos may be surprising and may even shock some expats! I know, without doubt, that many non-religious people in the world still have morals and a high standard of morality in their lives.
In Pew’s Research, it was discovered that 90% of all Filipinos believe it is unacceptable for married people having an affair! 93% of all Filipinos reject abortion. Concerning having sex before marriage, 70% of Filipinos agreed it is not acceptable. I am not going to bore you with a long list of statistics, however, I think over the years, many websites and some media outlets have commercialized and promoted a side of the Philippines that is not The Real Philippines. The things depicted, such as the exotic dance clubs, the prostitution, the bank robberies and other crimes, the scams and all the things committed mostly due to the social ills, including poverty, do happen but not on the wide scale as projected! Yes, some Filipinos have several wives and families but they are not in the majority. We know many poor Filipinos and the vast majority of them are not turning to a life of crime, the women are not prostitutes or club dancers and some would cut their hands off before they stole anything!
To the expats who bring their way of thinking into the Philippines and try to change the country, I would like to ask, “Who were you thinking of?”
Will medicare ever be accepted there for Americans that retire there.
Hi George,
There is a lobby group in Washington DC that is working hard in trying to get several Philippine hospitals Medicare accredited but so far, it has not happened. Some expats travel to Guam from the Philippines for treatment and Medicare is accepted there.
Take care,
Gary
Hi Gary. I heard that there is a Mayo Clinic in Macau, perhaps affiliated with the famed Mayo Clinic here in the USA. I hope that American expats, along with Filipino-Americans who have retired there, will join forces to petition some large hospitals and their umbrella corporations in the US to set up a branch in the Philippines, and to have it recognized/licensed by Medicare to provide health care to retired expat there. You mentioned in one of your blogs that Bacolod City has world-class hospitals that you trust to provide care for your family. May I ask if private insurance companies in the U.S. had readily refunded what their insured expats spent for regular checkups and hospitalizations, especially when they involved catastrophic health issues?
HI Ron,
I had not heard about a Mayo Clinic in Macau. I haven’t been medically covered by a US health insurance company since I moved from the USA in the year 2000. In the past, I have heard some expats report that their US medical insurance was accepted at a hospital in Manila and it indeed paid but I cannot recall the name of that insurance.
There are 4 hospitals in the Philippines that are JCI Accredited: Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City, St Luke’s Medical Center, The Medical Center and Makati Medical Center, which are in Metro Manila.
The hospitals in Bacolod City are not yet JCI Accredited, however, Riverside Medical Center and Adventist Hospital are excellent in Bacolod. Doctor’s Hospital and Our Lady of Mercy Hospital are the other two private hospitals in the city.
I highly recommend expats to check out Caritas Health Shield as their medical insurance in the Philippines. Raffles will also insure expats in the Philippines but their premiums are much higher than Caritas but still cheaper when compared to the USA prices!
Have a great day!
Gary
There are several hospitals and health care providers in the Philippines that are approved by TRICARE, the medical coverage for US military, military retirees and family members. Medicare and TRICARE generally have the same requirements and reimburse at the same rate, so there is no reason that Medicare could not provide coverage at the same facilities except that Medicare does not provide coverage overseas. The rate paid for care in the Philippines is often significantly less than the cost in the U.S, so it would likely be cheaper to pay for your care overseas. There will never be coverage overseas without an organized, well funded group lobbying for it harder than the ones receiving the money here in the US, so it is not likely to happen. Just my opinion though.
Thank you for your comment, Jeff. Yes, there are a number of TRICARE providers in Bacolod City, where I live.
Gary
I always found the various Filipinos I’ve known over the years to be very upright and decent people. Always polite and willing to assist or participate. And further the article, I admire their simple and pure vision of common decency and goodness. It’s one of the traits that draws me to go and live there (in October).
As to the health insurance thing. I feel sorry for people who rely on “doctors” to maintain their health. I haven’t any kind of insurance since ’79. And have never required the services of a doctor to keep me healthy. I do that. It’s my responsibility, as it is every individual. But after seeing what “doctors” did to two members of my immediate family, I would chew my right arm off before I visited one of those creatures!