Video by Gio On The Go
Problems With Other Expats in the Philippines
Gio On The Go says most expats they meet in the Philippines are good people, but the majority of the time expats have more problems with other foreigners than with Filipinos. An acquaintance they hadn't spoken to in about six months asked to borrow a couple thousand pesos. They ignored the message and later blocked him.
Their situation
- Place
- Philippines, filmed at Happy Days Cafe outdoor dining ▶ 0:00
- First trip to the Philippines
- 2015, in Davao ▶ 3:35
- Cities they have lived in
- Dumaguete and Cebu, among others ▶ 6:41
- Who asked for money
- An acquaintance they had met only a few times, in the city where they used to live ▶ 8:13
- Their situation
- Still working; they say most expats there are above 60 and have a pension ▶ 10:17
Questions this video answers
What problems do expats have with other expats in the Philippines?
Gio On The Go names broke expats and scammers. They say that the majority of the time, expats have more problems with other foreigners than with Filipinos. ▶ 7:12
What happened when an expat acquaintance asked Gio On The Go for money?
A man they had met only a few times said he couldn't feed his wife and kids. He asked for "a couple thousand pesos" and promised to pay it back. They put him on ignore. ▶ 8:44
Why did the loan request seem suspicious to them?
Two days earlier, the same man had asked for donations on Facebook to hand out food to Typhoon Odette victims. They call it "a bit suspicious" but say they can't tell whether it was legitimate. They unfriended and blocked him. ▶ 9:46
Why does Gio On The Go avoid places with many foreigners?
They want Filipinos to judge foreigners by how they themselves behave, not by groups who drink and complain about the country. They say they don't really like places like Dumaguete or Cebu, though they have lived in both. ▶ 6:41
What would Gio On The Go do if their money ran low in the Philippines?
They say that if they were down to their last thousand dollars, they would buy a ticket home to make money rather than stay until they had no pesos left. ▶ 10:50
The moments, in order
Press ▶ to play the video from that second.
- ▶ 3:35
He says most expats he meets are good people. On his first trip to the Philippines in 2015, in Davao, he waited in line for a mall to open near a foreigner who seemed homeless and was shouting religious messages.
- ▶ 4:37
Local people in the line started staring at him as if he were with the man; he guesses it was guilt by association, since both were foreigners. He had to show them he didn't know the man before they laughed with him.
- ▶ 5:08
In Dumaguete, a group of expats drank on the boardwalk from morning to night and complained about their Filipino wives and the country. Filipino waitresses heard all of it, and he felt it shaped how locals saw every foreigner, him included.
- ▶ 6:41
That is one reason he prefers places with few foreigners and doesn't like Dumaguete or Cebu, though he has lived in both. He wants locals to judge foreigners by how he behaves, and thinks he will probably settle in a quiet province one day.
- ▶ 7:42
His view is that expats usually have more problems with other foreigners than with Filipinos. He names broke expats and scammers as the ones to watch.
- ▶ 8:44
An acquaintance he had met only a few times, and hadn't spoken to in about six months, messaged him to say he couldn't feed his wife and kids. He asked to borrow a couple thousand pesos and promised to pay it back. Gio put him on ignore.
- ▶ 9:15
Two days before asking him for money, the same man had posted on Facebook asking for donations to hand out food to victims of Typhoon Odette, probably through PayPal. Gio worried that photos from a few handouts could be reused for every donor, though he says he can't tell whether it was real.
- ▶ 9:46
He unfriended the man, ignored the message and blocked him, saying he doesn't have time for that kind of thing.
- ▶ 10:50
Unlike most expats there, who are over 60 and live on pensions, he still has to work. If he were down to his last thousand dollars he would buy a ticket home to earn money rather than stay and end up begging. He says he has seen expats begging from Filipinos on the street.
- ▶ 11:20
He has heard of expats who lent money for a joint business, only for the partner to move to another island or say the business failed and the money was lost.
Worth knowing before you go
- ▶ 5:08
In Dumaguete, a group of expats drank on the boardwalk from morning to night and complained about their Filipino wives and the country. Filipino waitresses heard all of it, and he felt it shaped how locals saw every foreigner, him included.
- ▶ 8:44
An acquaintance he had met only a few times, and hadn't spoken to in about six months, messaged him to say he couldn't feed his wife and kids. He asked to borrow a couple thousand pesos and promised to pay it back. Gio put him on ignore.
- ▶ 9:15
Two days before asking him for money, the same man had posted on Facebook asking for donations to hand out food to victims of Typhoon Odette, probably through PayPal. Gio worried that photos from a few handouts could be reused for every donor, though he says he can't tell whether it was real.
- ▶ 11:20
He has heard of expats who lent money for a joint business, only for the partner to move to another island or say the business failed and the money was lost.
This is their experience, retold in our words, and not medical, insurance or financial advice.