I’ve lived outside the USA for 14 years now and during these times, I always have a cell phone with me. I am not afraid but over the years, I can think of a number of situations when I needed to call someone for assistance and I needed them ASAP! Ever hear the word “emergency?” Not all emergencies are serious but to me an emergency is when I need help right away! No, I’ve never been a crime victim or even threatened with harm. However, I’ve been lost, I’ve had car trouble, I lost my vehicle keys and for personal safety and security, I like to let me wife know where I am at all times. It makes perfectly good sense doesn’t it? Well, to some foreigners who have retired to the Philippines, they don’t think so! It is best to have a cell phone and never need it than to need a cell phone and not have one! All it takes is one bad incident or one bit of trouble and these guys will pay good money on the spot to be able to call someone they know for assistance.
But I’m Retired
Yes, I have heard that one before. “But I’m retired and I don’t need no stinking cell phone!” Hello! I am not sure if this is justification or if they just do not want to spend the money? It certainly isn’t expensive to own a cell phone in the Philippines and keeping the phone loaded 24/7.
I am retired, too, at least from the traditional work force, but I still have 2 more years before my pension kicks in.
Spending much time talking on a cell phone or sending text messages back and forth is not something I am interested in. Sometimes, my wife needs to communicate with me, so she sends a text or calls me up. My wife and I are not side by side 24/7, 365 days per year! My wife has a couple of businesses and while it does not take up much of her time, she still has responsibilities connected with the businesses that cannot be attended to from home or by a cell phone. So, she has to go out to take care of business.
I am not the insecure jealous type, so I don’t expect my wife to be right by my side every waking moment. My wife is also not the possessive or jealous type, who does not allow me out of her sight! Without failure, almost daily my wife and I send a text or call one another. Sometimes just to drop a line to let the other person know we are thinking of them.
“Hi Hubby. I’m downtown. Do you want me to buy you food from a restaurant?” That is a common one. “Hi Hubby. What do you want me to cook for dinner? I’m at the market.” I receive that message often as well. Yes, it is very important in our lives that my wife and I have fully loaded cell phones at all times.
Save A Buck, Lose A Lot More!
I was meeting an American friend at Italia Restaurant one afternoon and once finished eating, my Crosswind battery was dead as a door nail. I sent a text to my wife and she sent one of her taxi drivers with jumper cables to give me a jump. From the time I sent the text until the driver arrived, it was less than 30 minutes before I was on the road again! Can’t beat that!
It is popular carrying your keys on a ring in the Philippines, attached to your belt loop. I do the same. One day while shopping at SM Mall, the key ring somehow dropped off my belt loop and I didn’t notice it. Once I was ready to drive home, no key! I checked with the Mall Security and no one had turned in my keys to Lost and Found. I sent a text to my wife. Within 30 minutes, one of the taxi drivers arrived on the scene with the spare set of keys. I was on the road again!
I have been driving to a new place in the city for the very first time and could not find it. What did I do? I sent a text to one of the taxi drivers and got better and clearer directions. I could go on and on but the bottom line is, without my cell phone, I would have been SOL!
I like buying Pinoy. I bought a new cell phone this year, a product of the Philippines. Cherry Mobile. I paid P999 for it. I can even watch local TV on it if I like. It has a camera and all the bells of whistles of a much more expensive phone; most of which I never even use! I am not on any plans for cell phone service. I spend P60 per month, less than $2, to keep my phone loaded. I load with Smart. Now this is cheap, di ba?
Don’t get caught with your pants down or your shoelaces untied. When it rains, it pours. Don’t get caught up in something and be without communication. You would gladly pay me Tuesday for a cell phone today!
More great advice! Thanks Gary!
After my father died I spent 2 weeks with my mother to make sure she could take care of herself and get things done. One thing I insisted on was her getting a cell phone, just in case, especially for car trouble, and I loaded numbers for her, including her mechanic. She never thanked me even after breaking down and needing it.
I totally understand this and I couldn’t agree more. I don’t even live in the Philippines (yet) and I have already bought two phones and will load them up both, when I visit there. Just makes perfect sense to me, especially since I have already been caught in positions where they were needed.
As a person with 7 trips to PI now, I can say getting a cell phone is the #1 thing to make your trip a breeze. Weather your trip is 7 days or a few months do not miss on buying one. You can get a cell phone for under 1000 pesos, less than $25 USD. I also suggest getting Smart as the carrier. Most of the common people use Smart, I think? I usually fly into Manila at midnight and the next day I head to Mall of Asia & buy a phone, the first day there. Another thing I do is put a piece of tape on the back of the cell phone with my phone number written on it, so it is easy to give someone my phone number or get load on the phone. Everyone texts in PI. Once you are done with your trip, you can give the phone away to a taxi driver or friend. Plus if you lose the phone, it is not a big deal. Bring a cell phone from another country and trying to set it up is a waste of time and aggregation in my option. I also suggest you putting a lock code on your phone to keep nosy people out of it. The 2 most important things on your trip with be your wallet and your cell phone.
More great advice and thanks for sharing your experiences.
~ Gary ~
Good info. In other words, make sure your wife has a taxi business. lol
No doubt basic prepaid phones are good to have. Primitive LTE/G4 infrastructure has reached the point where unlocked smart phone are worth a try. I have sometimes “LTE” unlimited voice, text, data coverage on an unlocked phone for P995 per month for a six month contract. Voice and text are probably not consistently 3G, but they work well. Data can drop to 2G Edge and be unusable where the Smart networks are badly maintained.