When Expats Go Bad - My Personal Experience! 

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I experienced foreigners complaining about Filipinos and the Philippines the very first time that I visited here in 2006. I'm retired military and I just blew it off. I've now been living here for 15 years, since I was 51, and I clearly remember way back when, foreigners that had obviously been here a while, not even simply acknowledging my existence. A little strange, but I've more or less become the same. I'm of course cordial if one of them speaks to me. And I'll even carry on a conversation. But I tend to keep my distance when it comes to foreigners here. I've learned to live without them I guess 😊

I worked until I was 69. That was because I wanted to have a good income in my retirement. I met my Filipina wife in Hong Kong and we got married in the Philippines in 2001 and I brought her to the USA . She did well there, we bought a house and then I retired from my job as a Park Ranger. After 10 years in the US, my wife asked me if I wanted to move to the PI. I said yes and so we put our house up for sale. Since we lived in Austin, TX, we had no problem with selling the house. Made a gapped profit, and we move here in 2019. We have a nice house and yard, and most of our friends are Locals. I have met a few foreigners, and hope to get together with them soon. I am enjoying living here, and have great family and friends.

One thing you have to consider about other expats in any country: some may have moved to a country like the Philippines for the cost of living, the women, the beaches or whatever, but there are certainly a few expats that have moved overseas because the are criminals or are running/hiding from the misdeeds they did in their home countries, and most of those will not change their ways. I have always been more worried or cautious with other foreigners or tourists when traveling then with the locals.

I had one expat acquaintance just like that here in Thailand. I met this British guy in my language school. Even in retrospect that seems like a safe place to meet people. We really clicked and went out to lunch a few times. I was a newbie to SE Asia and he as dispensing sage advice. Within a couple of months he went back to his girlfriend in Laos and then the stories got weird. He was having problems with his family in England and he was running out of money and his girlfriend got pregnant. Eventually it got to the point where his children were crying from hunger and he wanted me to invest a few thousand dollars in a project of his. I of course said no. My legitimate excuse was that I had just got married to my Thai wife and now had family commitments. He immediately unfriended me on Facebook and I’ve never here from him again. While I read seemingly countless expats moaning on social media I have been lucky to meet nice guys (sometimes a little strange) in real life.

I'm in Cebu province and I have one expat from the usa and one from Europe and we have the same values and beliefs that we are guests here and we respect the phillipino people and culture

I agree about expats. When I had a contract to teach English in Asia, the company during onboarding warned me to not hang out too much with expats because of that exact reason. They complain a lot and you'll end up negative like them. I'll have a few good expat friends in my circle when I move there.

Great video my Floridian brother! Unfortunately, there are people like that all over the world. Two types of people in this world, givers and takers. When people make bad choices they must deal with the consequences. Trying to retire in any foreign country without a pension is never a good idea. All stay positive and have a wonderful year. Keep it real and stay humble.

I learned in the Navy, if the ship before us caused trouble, it affected our port call.. guilt by association… I prefer places with less or no foreigners.

I agree that a few can ruin it for all. I live In Sariaya, Quezon Province. I live about 15 km from any city. It is awesome. I know of one expat about 20 km from me in Lucena. It is a great life. The filpinos are awesome to me. I don't challenge them and I always smile. It would be nice to talk or bs with an expat once in a while and we plan to travel soon around Luzon which will enable me to meet some of my FB friends. My suggestion to other expats is to stay out of the way when another expat is acting stupid. You may be drawn into the trouble. Time to take a siesta!

You ACTUALLY painted a good picture of what a new expat, like me, night experience and how to handle the situation!

Interesting... guilt by association, huh? So the beauty school next to my photography studio in SD had a student from the P.I. for 3 weeks, getting 3 certs. So she did makeup for one of my clients. We worked late. So I gave her a ride to her bnb. She asked me, how can you be black and afford this photography studio and nice muscle car in California? I told her that's a weird question and in the USA race don't determine the success... hard work and discipline does. She then told me there are a lot of old white expats where she lives and she says they told her that blacks in the USA are poor, uneducated and violent and not to go near them. I was shocked! I told her that was a horrible lie. I don't know if she was lying... but I used her for a few clients and she was an excellent MUA. One of my professional portrait clients was a black female attorney opening her own firm. I hired her to do the makeup and she was so shocked when my client told her she is an attorney. We ended up becoming friends till she got her certs and returned to, I believe, Makati. If nothing else, she learned about diversity in the USA. Are there really racist expats over there teaching hate?

Gio, you are correct with your assumption, as whenever my wife and I have had to travel to Cebu or Manila for an appointment and, when we decide to go shopping (being one of the first several hundred people entering into a Mall, the first thing that I see is some foreigner walking with his very young Filipina Girlfriend / Spouse, make their way to a Shakey's, where he whips out his wallet and hands out a wad of Pesos to his female companion. She then saunters off with her young girlfriends, while he orders a large pizza and a pitcher of beer and, it's only 10:00! Within a short period of time, he's joined with other foreigners and my first thought is, don't they have anything better to do that sit and drink? We have even seen foreigners begging for money on street corners much like you are used to seeing in many cities in the U.S., with people standing around on street corners, asking for "hand-outs". Unsure what this is all about, unless they are looking for more money to spend on alcohol or drugs. Additionally, when we drive down to Ozamiz CIty, to take care of either banking, grocery shopping or, whatever, we will see foreigners complaining about the Philippines, the weather, not having the kind of food that they like to eat, nor the correct TV Programs that they like to watch and, after being stationed most of my Air Force Career overseas here in the Far East, I often wonder if these foreigners had made the wrong decision, by not properly planning ahead of time, as to me, there are many that are here enjoying themselves, while there are also many that seem to complain about almost everything that has to do with their decision to live here in the Philippines. With ourselves, we chose to retire here, in a farming / fishing community on Iligan Bay, outside of Clarin, Misamis Occidental and, we are quite happy with our decision, as life is what you make of it and, my wife and I (both formerly widows) are enjoying all that life has to offer, with nothing to complain about. On an additional note, we don't drink nor smoke, as we have more important things to do with our pensions, than wasting it on non-essentials

My first trip to Cebu I met a guy at Ayala Mall who gave me a sob story and asked me for money. He said that he was denied benefits by the VA. Later in the conversation I asked what branch of the military he was in and he admitted that he never served. 😅

Being 61, there is a great piece of mind knowing I have a steady income every month for life from several sources. Living in Davao city I haven’t seen too many expats, maybe they aren’t here or it’s just bad timing on my part. I won’t go out of my way to make friends with expats, but I won’t be too obnoxious about it either.

This sounds like when I was first stationed aboard my ship at Guam. Some sailors and their wives bitterly complaining about everything and being stuck at the end of the world. Fortunately my sponsor and my senior chief warned me about that attitude and I met some active locals and a couple of outgoing expats who enjoyed life and Guam. It was a great duty station and introduced me to the Philippines. Of my time in the Navy, my ship and Guam were the highlight and I have been waiting to return to the PH.

On a recent trip to Cambodia I saw more Down and Out Expats than anywhere in Asia. Liquor is very cheap and most any kind of Drugs are readily available. Its really sad to see so many retired people sitting in the bar all day and night drinking 50 cent beers or homeless expats walking the streets, stoned out of their mind. I am really glad that the Philippines is tough on Illegal Drugs.

The worst scammer i came across was a foreigner. He would hang around outside hotels and tell you he was an ex-serviceman and needed $70 to get the ferry home because he was robbed. The reception staff told me he had been getting money all day and night (it was a nice hotel i was in).

All I can say is that I hope I don't run into one of these beggars. If an expat can't make it in the Philippines then he/she has a serious problem.

I met a begging expat in Costa Rica several years ago. I walked out of a bakery somewhere North of Dominical. About a block away this guy comes up to me, trying to sell me a zip lock bag full of cookies. I instantly noticed they were the same cookies from the bakery I just visited. He started carrying on about how his girlfriend scamed him and he couldn't go home because his family had turned on him etc, etc, etc. I just had to tell him no. The last thing he said to me was "Come on, man! I'm so hungry!" I said, "So eat the cookies". He gave me a priceless look and walked away, talking to himself. I saw him around town a few more times during my time there and could tell he wasn't really starving. I wonder what ever happened to him.

Fabulous video, I have a Filipino wife and when we visit there I purposely avoid ex-pat groups, we go there to enjoy ourselves, visit her family and have a great time, if I want to be with my own nationality (Aussie) I will stay home.

Thats the spirit Gio. 🙂 Let the locals make their opinions based on your actions ✔ not the actions of others.

Good topic, Gio. It's good to cover this again every so often. Thanks for the reminder.

Good friend of mine living in RP once told me that the locals might take a few hundred pesos from you, but it's your fellow X-pat who can steal your life savings.

Well, in all my time spent in the Philippines I have heard some expats that do minor complaining but they usually know that they chose to live here for the good of it. I chose to pick the right expats to associate with as well. They are easy to pin-point within the first meeting, so you can make your decision quickly to not associate with them there after. I agree with you Gio, I came to the Philippines to experience a new culture so I’d rather spend my time with the local people. I do have expat friends and they are all pretty cool people.

Very well said my friend. If they're that unhappy then they should leave, not make people around them miserable. Too many negative people in this world and others living by the seat of their pants with no plans whatsoever 😒. Stay safe and healthy. God bless

Awesome views from that restaurant and good advice Gio! Enjoy your meal!

Gio’s a smart man, one of the few I would take advice from. Good wake up video.

Lets not forget people it's not just irresponsible Americans there are many other westerners from many other countries around this world who are also in the Philippines misbehaving and of poor character and I'm very sure the countries they came from are very happy to se them gone because they were like it there , in PI it's cheaper for them to drink more and of course abuse young Philippine women .

That:s a sad reality! People are people no matter what race anyway!

Well said. 👍🏻 I could write a book on it!

This is REALLY! INFORMATIVE especially at the end!

Excellent subject Gio. I will be in Philippines sometime in next 2 months and have been thinking exactly about what you're talking about. I am married to a province girl and was seriously thinking about moving to area with more infrastructure (don't want to give location) but have second thoughts for reasons you describe in video. Don't want to experience "guilt by association " If you live in expat community and something criminal happens by another expat, it can only cause trouble for yourself and family.

Gio, first time seeing your channel. Well stated. Sad times we are living in....I believe there are far more good people in this world than bad one. Handle your business and all will work out the way it should. One Love!

It took me only twice in my life to get burned from loaning money out and that's been over 30 years ago. It's bad business because 95% of the time you'll never see it again...........I'm 51 now and I'm a kuripot with my money, I worked hard for my pension!

Fortunately I keep to myself love living in the Philippines it's been just over 5 years enjoy watching videos of all the beautiful places

Beautiful background or scenery especially the last part of the video.

Another great video thanks

Yep. VFW post 2485 Angeles City. Old men, bar girls. and Walking Street. Cirrhosis of the liver and STD’s.

Great vlog! Probably only a matter of time before PI changes Visa rules to more closely mirror ^Thailand. It's a bit of a pain but it eliminates foreigners coming in without realistic expectations, sufficient savings and/or income.

Good content, more like this✌

My first trip to the Philippines I was approached by a thin American guy around 30 years old with long blond hair and a beard wearing a dirty t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops asking for money. It happened right in front of the Mandarin Plaza hotel in Cebu City.

Those who seek the worst will find it, no matter where they live.

Great topic G.

What sad story. The must personal or personality issues! I don't live there but from doing all my research my opinion is the Philippines is a great country with amazing people! I have subscribed to so many ExPat and Filipino channels. They may need healing or learn appreciation !

10:30 hopefully now with remote work a lot more of us younger folks who work remotely will start traveling abroad. I know that's on the agenda for me. I work remote as a Software Engineer and I would love to learn about their culture more, meet some filipina women, and explore a bit more.

Very relevant topic! 🤭💪

Absolutely correct Gio. It's understandably guilt by association. We all have individual responsibility to behave as we would as guests in someone's home. As always, its the very few who harm the many good.

Very sage advice.

"They started staring at me" They probably felt uncomfortable with the guy shouting at them an weren't starring AT you but looking TO you to make the situation go away.

Great advice unfortunately it's a world wide problem , thx for sharing Good 👍🌴🍀🇺🇲

That's really sad story,,keep safe always Gio,God Bless

I can think of two vloggers. One lives on 800$ month and talks about buying cruise ships. Either delusional or running a scam. Another is a complete jerk who got 18 year old Filipina pregnant. He collected money for Odette and now has bought a new car and seems to be on a spending spree. Isn’t someone in the Philipines government watching these guys?

well I've worked in SE Asia going on 26 years and yes have met all these and 90% of the time my issues are with other expats. given loans. and then had issues getting the money back. it transfers from being their problem (no money) to your problem ( getting the money back). then again I've met some top blokes.

Point on Gio! Glad you brought this up. I had issues with them arsoles, shites expats whilst living in Moalboal. Complaining about this and that, so, I told a group of them this, “if you’re country is so perfect, why da fek you are here and marry Filipinas?” Stay clear from them. Don’t walk, but run!!!

Yes....we Filipinos as long as you do respect us ....we will multiply that and gave you back.

Maayon buntag...Hiya Gio.... I could not have said it better myself except there would have been quite a few xtra choice words added, Stay safe on your travels ... Enjoy the trip and stay healthy. Take care and Kind regards T

I have a few expats friends but we dont vc see a lot of eachother we go for lunch every couple off mounths they are all great guys I came here to retire and enjoy life not to sit in a bar with other foriners and ramble on I do think where I live helps it's not exactly where foriners want to live

You hit the nail on the head!! I'm not going to another country to hang around a group of American ex-pats. Second, I'm looking at Spanish-speaking countries. I must learn the language and customs. I agree with your comments about wanting to avoid living around and socializing only with ex-pats. I instead find my cafe and out-of-the-way eating spots and mingle with the locals. Don't get me wrong, Some ex-pats can provide important information. But I don't want to live in an ex-pat enclave and limit my exposure to the locals. I follow Shakespeare's saying, "neither a lender nor a borrower be." I've given to my family, knowing it won't come back. I don't have a problem with that. Everybody else? Forget about it. I laughed at your statement about the "old guys." Yep, that's me. I'll be the 70-year-old guy. I was retired before, then the municipality I worked for went bankrupt, cutting my pension, and I lost my retiree healthcare. I had no choice but to go back to work. Fortunately, I could get another job and earn another pension by 2027. So as you say, two steady pensions and Social Security (not my full SS income--the tax laws force me to lose fifty percent because it's considered "double dipping." I always had part-time hustles, which paid into Social Security. But the municipal pensions did not. So the SSA reduces my full benefit by a maximum of 50%). Stashed away money in deferred income and so forth. Plus, I'm working on starting my part-time online gig, hence the importance of having solid WiFi access to work abroad. Since getting burned before in retirement, I want to minimize my exposure to income loss. Sorry about the lengthy pontification, Keep doing what you're doing.

Great information!

yes hello they do that and more i was in duma last year for 6months and i made mistakes spending with filipina so i will be back later and i will have a simple spending and simple life without expats who are trouble. thanks

I’ve heard this from more than one RU-vidr, it makes sense.

Some people do not have an understanding of money. I have learned the hard way from medical issues and other reasons to keep a reserve. Understand what I need verses my wants. The Philippines is just an opportunity to live simple and at a minimum. But if you never learned that !?

Thx ,I'll keep my ears and eyes open when I get there.

Lol mskes me think of Robert , a Yank I met by chance in Manila. Tried to sell me a gold mine for about $5000 cnda. He talked a big story, had a fancy SUV and pressured me hard with his sales tactics. I knew it was bogus cause he had the water and power shut off in his apartment.

Around year 2000, while living in Manila I contacted a Blue Cross broker ( a brit guy) to buy a medical insurance. It was not cheap but I paid the whole 1 year premium. After almost a year I wanted to renew but couldnt reach to the guy. I finally contacted another guy (an american) brokering for the Blue Cross as well and after checking my insurance policy number he told me the guy never registered my policy. He just catched the money for himself. So, if anythig had happenned to me I was not covered! Finally, I could find the brit guy and ...he paid me back. So, yes, always be alert and aware of scammers.

Help the brother out till his cruise ship gets off dry dock. 😁

i love the honesty of this content.. being a Filipino i would love to hear honest reviews about you living with us, living in our country. stay safe, don't be so trustful. i am an expat too living in Abu Dhabi UAE.. lol enjoy the rest of your stay.

Expats gone bad. I look forward to hearing this

Gio, if you like to live in a quiet, peaceful with beaches place in the Philippines, try Ilocos Norte, where there's not that many foreigners living there and people are very caring, specially to strangers.

Pretty depressing video. I just keep my distance. I’m not in the Philippines to meet foreign men.

Retired expat from the US, lived in Thailand the past five years. Haven't met many expats. We don't frequent bars. Don't really miss them. Enjoy hanging out with the friends of my Thai Wife. The Thais are great people!!

Where I live there is a english man have not meet him locals say he is not very friendly. Been here for 3 years only spoke to one expat for a few minuits on the road one day seems a nice man.

Damn...."Happy Days" is like a City on its self.

It’s the same people in Vietnam and Cambodia like that. I have a rule do not lend Money. Keep up the good work.

Thank you, the information you shared was very good for people to know. I also want to thank you for the video you did on Ayang's Place. I saw it and then moved there and my wife and I are very satisfied.

Good information,coming in may to retire I'm 61 and have my revenue stream. I have been doing my research but also rely on vloggers like you cal,Steve for boots on the ground information.

Spot on. Very true.

Looking forward to your trip vlogs in Bacolod City.

I agree with what you say. I stay away from the same type people. I do not go to the cities. I love the province.

Great video

Gio - I have lived in Colombia for 15 years - and all that you said is spot on. It is not the majority, but I avoid Gringos like the plague. The one's that are bad, players, party guys (drugs) and loud mouths, are f n' toxic. It is the same in most Asia and Latin countries that have Expats, they give a bad name to all of us. I don't have the capacity to stay quiet, I rarely run into them (and as you stated, the small groups that drink together) but when I do read them the riot act, they hurt us all. But very well said.

For me some expats have too much free time on their hands. IMHO you need to redefine your purpose here and spend part of the day being productive and making a difference in your life or others. For me, I stay away from the areas where high concentrations of expats are. It's best to take your time and find like minded people but keep your circle small. Having a hobby and exercising daily really helps as well. A good partner is probably the most important aspect of aging well and being fulfilled with retirement here. Thanks Gio for what you do, have a great day ahead and take care always.

Thanks for the video. Better name for the restaurant would be happy days deserted dining. Where are all the people?

Beautiful day outside over there.

maybe i will watch this tomorrow coz i sleep at 9 pm ok u aired at 11pm lol.

HI Gio. When I meet other western men. They are to nosy. I keep my life here private.

Good video

You are wise! You and I think alike

Though Americans take the cake, every culture sees their own culture in this way when they see them abroad and in the same way you suddenly see your own model of car everywhere after you’ve bought it. The reality is good people are good people and jerks are jerks everywhere.

Totally agree you are being kind to say the least goodVlog

I’d heard that is illegal to ask for donations unless you got a permit from the barangay.

Good channel gio

I’m going to comment on the behavior of expats. I find your comments interesting. The difference is I’m living in Bangkok Thailand. I’m 66 years old, retired. I have lived here for about two years. Moved here because I wanted to experience living overseas. I have good pension, health insurance, no financial issues. I’m a member of an expat forum for Thailand. A good number of the members bash what others post. Even if it’s for general information. And from what a number of these expats say. They moved here because they dislike their own western country other western type countries. They have small insufficient incomes and complain about the cost of things. They have no health insurance and complain about the cost of medical care. Their main focus is worrying when the bars will open again They also seem to think they don’t have to abide by rules because they are not citizens here. Again not all but a good number. They hate their own country, dislike other countries, and move here. But from what they say they aren’t happy here either.

awesome video sir..new sub...great you love PH

i get it i had that in Thailand some of other travellers are not good to be around

I like your honesty

Thank You Gio :-)

Thomas Sowell said we can judge people as individuals or as members of a group but I always thought this idea was a bit naive: I judge people BOTH as individuals and as members of a group. So when I see a table of loud people drinking alcohol, I can judge them individually, as some will be louder than others, or as a group, as some tables are made up of quiet non-drinkers etc. This thought process can be applied to any group I wish to classify or analyze and often takes one in a politically incorrect direction. I make no apologies for that. I will continue to judge groups based on their group behaviour.

Gio my friend that is the sole reason that I want to live internationally, away from the negative and entitlement of west. Good show topic 😉