RETIRE PHILIPPINES

Mabuhay – Welcome! This web site is here to provide you with a reference point from which you can roam high and low as you learn everything you need to know about retiring to the Philippines. Living on any one of the seven thousand Philippine Islands can be the most enriching experience of your life but it pays to make sure you know what to expect.

Filipinos (which refers to both men and women with Filipino specifically the man and Filipina meaning the woman) make great friends and are naturally very friendly people who will welcome you to their community. Simply joining the local Golf and Country Club can open up a world of valuable contacts and wonderful friends. If you are a Rotarian, Lion, Knight of Columbus, lodge member or a member of any other kind of community service group you will find Filipinos are very gregarious and exceptionally generous with their time when it comes to serving their community.

This site will only examine the very best the Philippines has to offer the retiree. The Top Ten  in real estate, leisure, medical, business, banking and shopping facilities will be listed to make your retirement planning as smooth as we can.

If you are looking for information about retiring to the Philippines on a shoe-string budget, visit our sister site, Retire To The Philippines – Budget Planning.

Filipino Bread

One of the first things I noticed the very first time I was in Manila, way back in 1988, was that the bread tasted funny. At that time I didn’t know that most Filipino bread is heavily sugared whereas we prefer our bread to have some salt in it. Perhaps it is the lack of dairy products to make butter from or it could be that since a major crop here is sugar the people were encouraged to prefer the taste. Whatever the reason finding a loaf of bread that tastes similar to that back home is problematic. Unless you know where to go.

Fortunately today you can buy western style bread in the big city supermarkets and even European style black bread if you wish. In the smaller towns and the provinces it can become difficult but Julie’s Bakeshops are everywhere and they do offer a ‘Special Loaf’ for about P25 which is pretty western in taste. Some supermarkets have bakeries and of course there are specialist bread shops in the larger malls such as The French Bakery in SM Malls.

Filipino Beef Steak

Good quality beef steak requires a visit to your specialist providore, someone like “The Tinderbox’ or the ‘Swiss Deli’. You can buy lamb, steak and great bacon that has the big bit still attached and not just the streaky tails. It is also usually honey free so it tastes more like bacon from back home.

These specialist stores offer a wide range of condiments and other hard to get items but in all fairness the mainstream supermarkets like SM and Robinson’s are doing this more and more also. In a nutshell you can find almost everything you might miss from home if you just spend a little time looking.

This year is an election year and that means it can get pretty interesting in the Philippines. I was there for the 2004 round and it was an experience.

First of all it can get dangerous at times as candidates adjust the ballot with the odd bullet to the back of the head. Of course unless you are a candidate you have nothing to worry about. If you were living in Manila, particularly a more upscale area then you would have no idea of anything untoward going on. Live out in the provinces and it might be a different matter.

The most obvious sign the election is drawing near will be the increased police checkpoints and road blocks. They never bother foreigners, they are after illegal weapons and wanted criminals. Just smile, be polite and you won’t have a problem.

You will see a lot of posters for candidates and many of these will make you laugh. I recall one hopeful was shown wearing a Stetson cowboy hat and boasting about his invention of an ointment to cure chancres. Only in da Pilipeens!

All in all it is a very interesting time. Do take a little extra care about where you go, who you are with and what you say. Use common sense, stay out of local politics and keep your opinions very much to yourself and you will find it all a part of the rich tapestry of retirement life in the Philippines.

The short answer is Yes, you can. However if more than 40% of the condos in the one block are owned by non-Filipinos you are technically in breach of the law. The issue lies in the law that states Foreigners can’t own land in the Philippines. You can own the building upon the land, but not the land itself.

The good news is that there are a lot of top quality condo developments available and at very good prices thanks to the current global financial crises. Just as with the Golf and Country Club shares do be aware some apartments are sold off the plan and they may never be built if the developer goes broke.

As with anything, do your due diligence and get good advice before you show your Kano face anywhere. If you have a local act as an agent for you make sure they are well known to you and acting in your best interests all the time. Many act more for themselves or the other party since they are Filipino too.

The bottom line is there are plenty to choose from. Go with a reputable developer who has been around for a while such as Ayala Land and choose carefully.

One of the things many of us plan to do when we retire is to play more golf. Or even take it up for the first time. One of the big attractions of retiring to the Philippines is the plethora of golf courses to choose from.

No matter where you choose to set up your new home you won’t be far away from a golf club. Some will be first class and some will be a little more provincial but all will be well stocked with many new friends and golf buddies.

Just like back home there are some clubs where you must be a member or a guest of a member and others that are open to the public, at least the members of the public that can afford to play. Green fees are very reasonable, even at the best courses in the country by our standards but of course they are beyond the reach of the majority of the population.

This can be a good thing if you are getting a little tired of being the center of attention everywhere you go and stared at by children and old people. You can rest assured the Filipinos who share your love of the game are upscale and very sophisticated people.

When it comes to the member only golf clubs, they often have Class B Shares available. A Filipino citizen can buy Class A shares and own a share in the club as a member, keep in mind members who own the club actually own the land the course and clubhouse are upon. Foreigners can’t own land in the Philippines so when it comes to gold clubs, they have a Class B share. This gives them all the rights of a Class A member but without a claim on the land.

To become a member you can be nominated by existing members but you can also buy your membership from a broker. Usually brokers who deal in upscale real estate also handle sales of golf club (and marina) shares. These are advertised in the newspapers and the prices asked give a good indication of where in the hierarchy of clubs, or social scale, your particular club sits.

You will usually pay more for a B share than the locals pay for A’s. I have seen them from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands and for the top clubs you will be waiting a long time unless you have connections. The shares are transferable and do usually appreciate in value, so they can be something of an investment.

Be aware though that many developments are sold off the plans and the club might not be built yet. The developers will be relying on advance sales to fund the project. You can get a great deal at a low price or you can lose the lot, caveat emptor. Always check the club exists by visiting and enjoying a round as a guest. Filipinos are hospitable by nature and I am sure if you were to call ahead and politely request a tour as you are considering purchasing a share, you will be invited to a round.