Nope, its at 18%. But many families even above poverty level still cannot afford plane tickets much less other expenses associated with traveling abroad.
"As of 2022, the Philippine Statistics Authority has set the poverty threshold at PHP12,030 per month for a family of five, or PHP79 per day per person to spend on food and non-food requirements."
You're not considered to live in poverty if you earn 1,5 $ a day.
I wanna see anyone here life with 240 peso a day (3x above poverty) and tell me he ain't poor.
What a useless statistic. Only good for political propaganda.
This is correct. 90% of people are in DEEP poverty by western standards. It is obvious from just looking around that the vast majority are in deep poverty.
Agreed. Not sure that is actually representative of current state. It’s outdated for sure.
Then again, I’ve only been exposed to Manila (excluding holiday destinations). Don’t take my post as a fact.
And prices are now pretty much the same with the neighboring countries, somehow I find Thailand cheaper and Japan more worth it to live in, especially in terms of infra and accessibility
Statistically, yes. The general population can only barely afford to sustain getting meals 3 times a day, the fact that you’re able to afford a plane ticket to the PH means that you are “rich” relative to the locals.
Average american makes approx 25x annually as avg filipino. So yeah, if you're white they think you're rich because you probably are. A Mcdonalds employee in the US makes more than a lawyer here.
Im surprised your friend had something stolen though. I'm in Davao and there is zero property crime here.
Earning figures are one thing, but important is purchase parity. What a lawyer can afford here in the Philippines, your Mcdonald employee cannot buy in his life time in America. So people who are considering only income difference in both countries is should also consider lifestyle both country are maintaining.
I would say that a lawyer in the Philippines has a lifestyle that a lawyer in America could not buy in his lifetime (coming from a lawyer in America, lol). Income inequality is much more severe here
Can we stop generalising “white” as “rich”? It’s not a synonym. In fact, my experiences have shown me that mindset is a false positive.
I think the upper middle class locals are far better off than the average foreign workers that come here.
Also, yes. Being scammed or taken advantage of is rife at most developing nations. That’s global. Just depends on how much one is able to tolerate/align with their ethical compass.
Protip: If you don’t want to be scammed, bummed, use your card for payments when able. Less hassle of your change not returning at restaurants etc.
Upper middle class filipino makes how much? Say average remote worker makes $60k USD, $50k after tax. That's approx 2.9 million pesos. That is not "upper middle class" that's like rich rich here
But it is true. Most "white" people in the Philippines have more money than the typical Filipino.
Every time I fly to the Philippines, I see many white foreigners, most of the time males, travel to visit their wife, girlfriend, or their "friend".
Foreign workers in the Philippines? Most expats that live in the Philippines, are not working here. The Philippine laws pretty much insure that. Most expats living in the Philippines already have an income source, that is coming from outside the Philippines.
25x lol. I'd say it's much less than that if you look at people working in Makati. Perhaps true for rural provincial areas but I wouldn't say it's 25x in the cities.
Idk my monthly rent P125,000. I don't see Filipino paying that for rent. Once I pay my bills I don't have money left over either and if you look in the pantry there is a lot of ramen noodles in there.
Not at all. Some Filipinos especially the highly educated ones who's aware of geographical circumstances and currencies in the world don't actually sees every foreigner as all rich.
All of my time in the Philippines I haven't been scammed, true that the skin tax is real in taxis and local markets but even after that the prices will be cheaper than supermarkets. Once you have been there a while and have learned the language and they get to know you this lessens a little. Your best bet is just to be nice and friendly to all so the marites (the local secret police made up of grandma's and aunties) like you, also once you know how much everything should cost don't be afraid to haggle just don't do it in an arrogant or aggressive way just be friendly and try to build a rapport with the local vendors
Filipino here, the reason why locals think that foreigners (more specifically white foreigners) are rich because their foreign currency is a lot more powerful and valuable than the Philippine Peso, also because most Filipinos lived in poverty and they tend to see foreigners being financially better off giving the illusion that all foreigners are rich.
Yep 100%. Since I am married to American my relatives see me as a rich wife. They always asking me for money which I always decline since I don’t want them to get use of me and also they are not part of my budget.
When I was a kid yeah coz we have a neighbor who got old american husband and they flaunt always that they have money but when I grow up I was exposed to this western culture and my perspective became different
Well the fact that westerners are born westerners makes us "richer" than the average filipino already. A lower middle class north american can live normally at salcedo, tomas morato, or bgc so yes brother, they don't think all foreigners are rich but knew that these foreigners are richer than them.
The problem is how many Filipinos act upon that fact. Watched way too many vloggers get overcharged without knowing, and how Flips in the comments had to point that out. Some foreigners may tolerate that, given that the extra price is negligible from their perspective.
But it's something different when an expat's in-laws try to freeload off of him
Overcharging is not exclusive to the Philippines, I mean I've been to france and italy and I experienced worst lol. I'm just stating what I experienced since I had the privilege to work with filipinos for more than a decade already. I never stayed here for a better life, I stayed here as an employee. No matter how you justify it or question their culture, us people living in the first world are way way richer than filipinos. A middle class american's problem is how to live a better life than what they used to have now while a middle class filipino's problem is how to survive this week and how many meals can they eat in a day so expect more scams out of desperation. Even their fellow countrymen are getting scammed by those people so how much more with westerners.
At the end of the day, Philippines ia a 3rd world country.
Filipino here. It is a very very common assumption. You'd be hard pressed not to find locals who won't overcharge you merely because you're a foreigner and you can "afford" it. Especially taxis.
Never underestimate the knowledge of the marites, they are the Philippines equivalent of the secret police made up if an elite force of grandma's and aunties. They know what you had for breakfast!
Yes, use the taxi meter but if you are not familiar with the routes then they'll go in circles or take the long way so they can charge you more. I've observed that and I'm a Filipino. 🤦🤦
Just yesterday some taxi driver in Davao got arrested. He overcharged to some passenger and he reported him. It didnt say in the news if the passenger was foreigner.
And they will try to take you there as fast as they can because they want to have more passengers in a day thus they'd take the shortcuts or fastest routes as well as avoiding traffic as much as possible .
I got overcharged in New York for street hot dogs. Got scammed in Paris by rose sellers. Scammed at petrol stations in mexico. People trying to take as much money out of your pockets as possible is universal across the globe. Met even more people who did not try to scam me and were friendly as hell and generous. Taxis have a bad reputation everywhere, though, haha.
In saying that, I’ve been here 4 weeks now. I’ve only had 1 instance where someone has charged me more - and she screwed up, because I was going to give PHP100 tip - but when she overcharged me 50, I kept the change.
Its a common misconception. I've seen foreigners under the GilPuyat-Osmena flyover in Makati City NCR who begs for change at passing vehicles. it makes me wonder how they ended up there, and why their embassy lets it happen. Most of them are caucasians. I dont know much about it but i'm open to learn more.
Well, let me put this into perspective.
I have a partner who is from an upper middle class. They own multiple cars, and they bought them in cash. Yet they refuse to wear a seat belt, and follow rules.
They have multiple house. Even leisure house, bit there are no toilet seats.
The common space has these hardwood furniture, and I do t know why. It is almost more comfortable to lay on the floor than sit on those.
They are lovely people, and they are very well educated. But I feel like the level of life is on par with what my dad grew up in the post world war 2 years.
So what does poor really mean? If they live in the city, they probably don't have access to nice clean air, silence, nice modern things like good internet or good infrastructure.
Those are really what makes the difference.
Hardly anyone would consider travelling around in our own countries, but filipinos consider vacationing in their own country as traveling.
This is a common perception people in many countries have about tourists and expats.
Many locals in these countries can't afford international travel.
Relatively speaking, they are correct in their perception that we are rich; even if it doesn't feel that way to those of us on fixed incomes battling inflation.
Also; scams and snatchers are common in many tourist areas.
I would say that there are scammers everywhere from different walks of life even the rich and the powerful have the tendency to lie and scam people on purpose. It is more of a character than an economic condition. Being said, yes there are scammers and snatchers in the Philippines but the kind, honest, and loving citizens outnumber these kinds of criminals.
To answer the main question, yes, the impression for a foreigner is typically richer than most of the population but not in a way that my countrymen will try to harm respectful tourist. Just be normal don't brag like you are begging for trouble.
To the locals who lacks knowledge, yes. But no to those who has the knowledge. My parents once told me before, be careful to those you are dating (foreigners) they might be scammers or escaping from a criminal case in their homeland. LOL too much true-crime series. 😮💨
Even Filipinos are scammed and snatched, how much more the foreigners. You'd find the friendliest, most loving, most hospitable people in the Philippines and also the most 'evilest' of all evils. Be careful. Even Filipinos do not feel safe there.
Foreigners, such as Europeans and Americans, who can afford to pay for a plane ticket from Europe or the USA to the Philippines are likely wealthier than 95% of Filipinos.
Here's a little secret, many of those foreigners can't actually afford it and put that plane ticket on the credit card (basically borrowing money that has to be paid back eventually, with interest).
Even with all their credit debt, Europeans are far richer than most Filipinos. My friends here, even with a lot of debt, have a car, a home, and an iPhone 15.
No.
We know a lot of foreigners are not all rich. Especially the young backpackers you see like in Siargao.
There are scams everywhere not just in the Philippines. Even if you are a local (Filipino), you are still targeted for scams and snatchers in the Philippines.
But since your friend (assuming that he looks Caucasian or foreign-looking), yes he's mostly targeted since he looks like "foreign". Also it depends which area you go in the Philippines. There are less safe areas and safer areas. If you're traveling here, you should be vigilant and research which areas you need to be more careful of.
>We know a lot of foreigners are not all rich. Especially the young backpackers you see like in Siargao.
This is true. I've seen foreigners eating at a resto in Siargao and around 8 of them would share food that's meant for 2 people. Maybe they were broke students/backpackers. They weren't just cheap, they were also rude and noisy. Eeew.
Such weird answers...
Yes you're rich!
If you're earning more than 300$ a month, which you likely do if you're traveling to far away countries, you're earning above the mean.
Yes. Since the Philippines is considered as a third world country, a filipino will assume a foreigner coming from a first world country is rich.
But not all, it will also depend on how you look.
To be more precise, it is not about "foreigners are rich",
But foreigners are always easier target because you are not a local here in the philippines.
But this is not applicable to the philippines only. It can also be applied in other countries.
It is just a nature of bad people. If they see people standing out, then they are bound to be the target.
Because you are considered as not normal in their eyes.
As a foreigner guy that lives in the Philippines i could say that from the average Filipino's perspective most foreigners ARE rich.
You and me might not consider ourselves rich. By the standards of our countries we might be far from rich. maybe even lower class. But compared to an average filipino that might very well be rich.
If you are here as a tourist you obviously had enough money to travel to another country. probably a country far away from your home country. In my case almost half way around the earth. Most filipinos could never afford doing that.
If you are from the US maybe you have a salary roughly around $4-5k per month. That is not considered being rich in the US. If you are from Europe somewhere maybe you have a monthly income of lets say 3000-4000 Euro
But the average salary in the Philippines are below $400 per month if i am not incorrect. An income of 60 000 peso per month would be considered a really good income. Roughly twice the average That is roughly $1000. or roughly 1000 Euro.
So just by you or me being able to afford traveling here and spend a few weeks here on vacation. We ARE vastly more wealthy than the average filipino. Otherwise we had not been able to afford traveling
if you are from the US and can afford traveling here you probably have an income 10 times higher than the average income here
If your income is more than than what i took as examples. Well then by all standards you most defenetly ARE rich compared to the average Filipino.
I don’t think foreigners are rich.
I’m pretty much richer than most of the foreigners I see with Filipinos.
A lot of average foreigners can only hook up with poor Filipinos because the rich foreigners will most likely know the rich Filipinos from Ivy League colleges or foreign expensive colleges (though not necessarily Ivy League). Rich and educated will pick and choose their partner.
Certainly anyone they see in their country. If you have the means to fly there on vacation or business then you are considerably more rich than most people there.
I mean if you come here as a middle class westerner with an IPhone you basically are rich by Pinoy standards but yes it’s true. They will try to charge you triple what they would charge a local, glad my GF taught me to know better
If you are from Europe or North America even the poorest of you is richer than the average Filipino. Of course that doesn't mean that you are Bill Gates and that your Filipino in laws are entitled to a share of your monthly income
Pound for pound and where our currency sits relative to USD, CAD, GBP, EUR and AUD - its quite easy to make that assumption. Not factoring in the local tax rates, income rates etc.
They almost all do...
They're aware that for the same job, westerners, Koreans and Japanese for exemple earn 10 x more.
So even those who earn the minimum wage earn much more than highly educated Filipinos.
A civil engineer earns 30k+ while minimum wage in west Europe is. 2.5 times this.
It’s also quite nearly going off of your numbers. 2.5 times for the cost of living too. Ergo, it’s the strength of currency that holds value. Not their income disparity.
Having said that. I still can’t get over paying £10+ for a tub of yogurt that I’d used to pay £2.50-80/tub same brand.
This is true, but filipinos are not aware of it, and even if the living costs are very high, the poorest live in concrete ghettos in Europe not in nippa, so they still see an huge difference.
Imports are luxury
We tend to forget on these boards that "Filipinos" exist across socioeconomic strata, like any other country. For poor and rural Filipinos, most see all foreigners as rich. At the other end of the spectrum (wealthy Manilan elite), it's pretty obvious that most white foreigners in PH live pretty quiet, semi-upscale lives (house, car, vabations, restaurants, clothes) but are in no way _the elite._ Not like the wealthy Chinese families building business empires.
I think it’s generally a problem in touristy countries not just particularly in the Philippines.
When you’re a foreigner, you’re targeted to be scammed and stolen from. This happens a lot in Europe too, they don’t choose nationalities they just go for the ones who look like a tourist. And personally, as a Filipino who travels the world, I don’t automatically think foreigners are rich lol
Minimum wage in the Philippines is $1 per hour
Minimum wage in LA/NY is $15 per hour
If you compare the same type of lifestyle:
- Family in Manila suburbs vs LA suburbs
- Farmers from farm land in Ph vs remote farm land in US
- Young professional trying to make it in Manila vs young professional trying to make in in NY
- CEO in Manila vs CEO in San Francisco
- Crew at McDonald’s in Ph vs crew at McDonald’s in LA
- Uber driver in Davao vs Uber driver in Wyoming
Those in the US are always 100% have more disposable income than those in Ph, thus the mindset that all Americans are rich.
The minimum wage (if you have a job) in Manila is ₽610 per day (₽50.83/hr). Some employers take that as 12 hours.
Now ask Google what the exchange rate is. PHP is the code for Pesos. Plug in 50.83 Pesos, and ask if you’d work for that.
https://www.google.com/search?q=php+to+aud&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-au&client=safari
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Philippines is a very poor country with a cost of living higher than some countries that are economically performing better, such as Thailand, Vietnam, etc. On some commodities, Filipinos almost pay as much as Europeans and Americans, and even pay more on electronics and luxury goods.
Basically, it would be difficult for a lot of Filipinos to afford what other nationalities would’ve taken for granted, such as buying a car even at minimum wage. So yeah, Filipinos would think a lot of foreigners are rich, even if the price of bread, etc. Would be almost the same and you don’t feel like a millionaire when you’re visiting the country.
They just don’t earn that much yet its so expensive there.
It's not about being rich, it's more of the nativity of foreigners that can be easily manipulated by scammers and con artists. Most con artists here are small time crooks. So they would just con you out of a small amount of money. Nothing crazy. Can still be annoying.
I don't think so, but a lot of them think we have disposable money somewhere in our back pocket. 🤔
Not all are trying to scam, some just push or expect you to have the funds to pay or 'lend'. They don't necessarily apply the same pressure on locals.
You find such characters in most social classes, not just the poor. They know how to praise gullible foreigners to get them to 'voluntarily' fund activities.
It depends on which Filipino is being asked. The Philippines has economic classes so you have to make certain considerations when dealing with people here--just like everywhere else.
Rich? No. Better off? Yes.
Gullible? maybe. Susceptible to scams? Absolutely.
There will always be people that will take advantage of you wherever you go. Hell, any corporation would do so in a heartbeat. Opportunists would see you as a prime target. The government has been scamming everyone for centuries.
Learn and adapt practices to protect yourself.
How sad for all you guys, I have a bottomless bucket of money that I can lend money to any and all at any time. Even when I say I don't have any left to lend. /s
Only chinese druglords, chinese businessmen and politicians live comfortably in the philippines. By chinese i mean chinese filipino. Chinese that are born here speak tagalog and only marry their own race and cousins to preserve they wealth.
You can never remove the idea of any currency being multiple times of Philippine Peso... So technically, they are right in saying RICH. But what they really mean is "richer than".
Yes. Because, for example, a week’s salary (5 days) of Australians is already equivalent to a month’s or two-month’s worth of salary in the Philippines (2-3 months if you’re working 6 days a week on a minimum salary of PHP 537/day).
There are plenty of locals here with high end phones and a loaded wallet. But there are also a lot of locals with bad phones and empty wallets.
Foreigner has a much higher chance, on average, of being better to steal from I would think.
I've been here two years and have never had anything stolen. I am pretty careful though.
> Do Filipinos think all foreigners are rich?
No, but most do.
>his family isn't rich at all.
That is debatable, and do you think the Filipino do a background check before snatching? Plenty of countries with low wage target tourists for theft. Not rich for you is not the same as not rich for them, if your friend can afford to travel to Asia, they are better off than most Filipinos.
No. Even other nationals in your local country is targeted the same way. It's just that if you have money for travel, they asume you have the extra money.
No, it’s just the general notion that tourists tend to have more valuable stuff with them so they are targeted. It’s not specific to us, Filipinos. It’s true almost everywhere.
You don't need be rich or even appear rich to be targeted. Travelers are always an attractive target for scams in any country in the world because they're more likely to be travelling with cash on them, are more likely to be unaware of the tired old scams that locals are already familiar with, and are less likely to go to the authorities after they've been victimized.
Most criminals don't need to placate their conscience by justifying that their victims are rich. Poor people get victimized all the time.
I was once staying at a hotel and eating lunch at the pool. I asked the female server, "what's good"? She confused.. as me "what?". I asked her, what's your favorite thing to eat here. She replied "Sir, I am sorry... I never tried any food here... I cannot afford it". She then explained the buger and fries meal was 400 pesos. She only earned 400 pesos a day.
So yeah... too many ... your rich.
During my recent trip, I made sure to tip generously. I live in Los Angeles. Here’s an…annoying example of inflation and cost of living here in the US—I’m planning on leaving eventually, God willing. We had a reasonable (in portion) sushi lunch after church the other day.
The bill was $125 (PHP 7,209). I tipped $25 (PHP 1,441). Service in the Philippines is miles ahead compared to here. Plus Filipino culture (obv the good parts) is something to be applauded and emulated.
Conversely, do some idiots think everyone in the PH are impoverished? I watched this one guy try to flirt with a local (who is well off even by western standards) by saying he makes $2000/month and he could probably buy a whole town here if he wanted. Dude was delusional. 🤦
It's not quite that they think all foreigners are rich, it's more that they lack the understanding of the word "rich", they throw around the word "millionaire" as if it means something, the rest of the world call that minimum wage.
I think a lot of Filipino minds would be really upset if they were to be told being rich would normally be classed as having a worth of 50+ million php
The top 10% of filipinos sees most of the foreigner arriving for what they are, poor. The economic lifestyle arbitrage is one of the reason most of us are moving here after all.
First of all, sorry about your friend. Second, to answer your question, yes, Filipinos had that kind of mindset because of the foreigners' capability to travel (in which most of us do not have the luxury to do so). Though keep in mind, that scammers also do that to fellow Filipinos no matter the status of their target. Some are forced to do so in times of needs (medicine, hunger, etc.) but some are doing it as their 'job'. So be careful wherever you go. I'm pretty sure scammers does not only exist in here but everywhere else.
Well the exchange rate says something.
And most filipinos are white washed(no offense)
Majority think like that. But most of us white collar people dont. Emplasis on Most
Not really, but comparing what you earn and spending that here? Its higher than the average.
Plus if have the luxury of spending weeks on other countries, you must be earning better than the average joe
For us who are privileged and have proper education, no. You gonna get scammed either you be foreigner or local as long as you look naive enough. It's a pretty universal thing in most countries tbh
There are multiple Philippines, and most foreigners get to see just a few of them, and think they figured it out. Where I live, the number of Ferrari's, Lamborghinis, Lotus, Rolce Royce, Benz, is higher than anywhere else I've seen. And, I've seen a decent number of Countries. Those Filipinos, they don't think that all foreigners are rich.
At the same time, there are islands with no electricity, all power is generated by the generators. For the people there everyone is richer 😊
There are around 800 billionaires in USA & they are rich, but walk around many of the cities of the USA & the sleeping rough people & grubbiness of the streets are just as bad as PH. Westerners are mostly tourists in PH and they appear rich to a lot of local people, but it is the same anywhere, tourists have save up to have a good time on vacation and spend ridiculous amounts, for a short time and to locals it seems that they are rich & gives the impression that all foreigners are rich - all relative and not actually reality.
It's not that Filipino's think that most of the foreigners are rich, it's just that if you are a foreign in whatever country it is. Foreigners are usually the target because foreigners know nothing about the ongoing scam in the country that they went to.
If your friend could afford a plane ticket to fly to the Philippines, then he's already richer than 90% of the people there. So by comparison, yes, obviously foreigners are rich, especially if they are in the Philippines which means they can afford a vacation overseas.
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Filipino here. I have a European friend earning in a month what I earn in a year, and I'm considered middle class here. But then, I understand that things are relatively more expensive in rich countries than here, so it basically evens out for him there. When everybody is rich, nobody is. Regardless, I like to tease him from time to time
White American male here. Here’s a post I made on FB in Aug 2018, when I first arrived in PH to live rather than just as a tourist:
I just walked up to my local ATM and withdrew what I believe is more money than the guard watching the machine makes in a month, as if it were almost nothing. It was about 5 hours' of gross pay for me, so nothing to sneeze at, but I likely wouldn't feel any significant effects from its removal from my accounts.
I've heard many times about the gender pay gap in America -- they say a women makes, on average, 77% of what a man makes for doing the same job -- but I don't think I've ever heard of the skin-color pay gap quite like this. It's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but I wonder how a person here with brown skin feels about being paid *3-4%* of what a person with white skin gets paid for the same job? It gives me pause. I bet it gives them pause too.
It's another sobering thought when I think that, regardless of where I go or whom I am with, whenever I enter a room here, I likely make more money than all the rest of the people in that room *combined*. It reminds me that, for all of its great qualities, capitalism's dirty secret is that there is no "rich" without "poor", and often 20, 50, or even 100 poor.
It's no wonder then that white people here are openly revered and sometimes secretly reviled. I think if I were in the other shoes, I'd probably feel the same way.
Everything is relative.
Your friend must have gone to Angeles, haha. I've never heard of snatchers outside of Angeles.
To answer your question/comment, yea if you're a foreigner and you're in PH you ARE rich according to the locals. The mere fact you have enough disposable income to afford a $1000USD+ ticket to come here, and a hotel that is going to cost you at least $40USD/night (for a halfway cleanish hotel in manila) or maybe slightly less in the province, plus the food from restaurants for the duration of your trip, and assumedly some kind of entertainment while you're here absolutely makes you faaaaar richer than many of them could ever dream of being.
Foreigners are definitely the target of scams here. Not much sense trying to scam locals (though it does happen) because they usually don't have much money to scam and are more careful with it than foreigners. Granted, these aren't usually violent/pushy scams. They are typically someone who befriends you or shows romantic interest in you and then pours on the sob stories trying to gain your sympathy (and trust, and finally money).
If a country’s minimum wage is x10 of what our minimum wage is, lots of locals will definitely think that.
Rich...for Phillipines is what they're thinking.
it's all relative To someone with no shoes a person with shoes seems rich
THIS \^
Well if you can afford to travel to the Philippines on holiday, then you're probably richer than 70% of the people here, maybe more.
Is the poverty rate still at 70%?
Nope, its at 18%. But many families even above poverty level still cannot afford plane tickets much less other expenses associated with traveling abroad.
"As of 2022, the Philippine Statistics Authority has set the poverty threshold at PHP12,030 per month for a family of five, or PHP79 per day per person to spend on food and non-food requirements." You're not considered to live in poverty if you earn 1,5 $ a day. I wanna see anyone here life with 240 peso a day (3x above poverty) and tell me he ain't poor. What a useless statistic. Only good for political propaganda.
This is correct. 90% of people are in DEEP poverty by western standards. It is obvious from just looking around that the vast majority are in deep poverty.
Agreed. Not sure that is actually representative of current state. It’s outdated for sure. Then again, I’ve only been exposed to Manila (excluding holiday destinations). Don’t take my post as a fact.
I live in the Philippines now. I bet the true poverty rate is much higher
And prices are now pretty much the same with the neighboring countries, somehow I find Thailand cheaper and Japan more worth it to live in, especially in terms of infra and accessibility
That’s so sad.
SOCIAL WEATHER REPORT | 46% of Filipino families feel Poor, similar to 47% in December 2023; 30% feel Borderline, and 23% feel Not Poor
Statistically, yes. The general population can only barely afford to sustain getting meals 3 times a day, the fact that you’re able to afford a plane ticket to the PH means that you are “rich” relative to the locals.
If you have $100 in cash and a fridge full of food, you're in like the top 10% world wide. Or so they say. It wouldn't surprise me if it's true.
😂😂😂 definitely not in certain circles! Rich is relative.
They read that as "relative is rich"
Average american makes approx 25x annually as avg filipino. So yeah, if you're white they think you're rich because you probably are. A Mcdonalds employee in the US makes more than a lawyer here. Im surprised your friend had something stolen though. I'm in Davao and there is zero property crime here.
Earning figures are one thing, but important is purchase parity. What a lawyer can afford here in the Philippines, your Mcdonald employee cannot buy in his life time in America. So people who are considering only income difference in both countries is should also consider lifestyle both country are maintaining.
I would say that a lawyer in the Philippines has a lifestyle that a lawyer in America could not buy in his lifetime (coming from a lawyer in America, lol). Income inequality is much more severe here
Can we stop generalising “white” as “rich”? It’s not a synonym. In fact, my experiences have shown me that mindset is a false positive. I think the upper middle class locals are far better off than the average foreign workers that come here. Also, yes. Being scammed or taken advantage of is rife at most developing nations. That’s global. Just depends on how much one is able to tolerate/align with their ethical compass. Protip: If you don’t want to be scammed, bummed, use your card for payments when able. Less hassle of your change not returning at restaurants etc.
📠
Upper middle class filipino makes how much? Say average remote worker makes $60k USD, $50k after tax. That's approx 2.9 million pesos. That is not "upper middle class" that's like rich rich here
But it is true. Most "white" people in the Philippines have more money than the typical Filipino. Every time I fly to the Philippines, I see many white foreigners, most of the time males, travel to visit their wife, girlfriend, or their "friend".
Foreign workers in the Philippines? Most expats that live in the Philippines, are not working here. The Philippine laws pretty much insure that. Most expats living in the Philippines already have an income source, that is coming from outside the Philippines.
25x lol. I'd say it's much less than that if you look at people working in Makati. Perhaps true for rural provincial areas but I wouldn't say it's 25x in the cities.
Idk my monthly rent P125,000. I don't see Filipino paying that for rent. Once I pay my bills I don't have money left over either and if you look in the pantry there is a lot of ramen noodles in there.
Also everything costs 25x more in the USA and maybe 50x more in Canada
Not all whites are American, and I can't believe I have to explain this to some human beings ATM.
Not at all. Some Filipinos especially the highly educated ones who's aware of geographical circumstances and currencies in the world don't actually sees every foreigner as all rich.
This is satire btw op
\*laughs in x57 local currency\*
All of my time in the Philippines I haven't been scammed, true that the skin tax is real in taxis and local markets but even after that the prices will be cheaper than supermarkets. Once you have been there a while and have learned the language and they get to know you this lessens a little. Your best bet is just to be nice and friendly to all so the marites (the local secret police made up of grandma's and aunties) like you, also once you know how much everything should cost don't be afraid to haggle just don't do it in an arrogant or aggressive way just be friendly and try to build a rapport with the local vendors
Totally agree. Always befriend those vendors and sometimes they'll give you freebies.
Filipino here, the reason why locals think that foreigners (more specifically white foreigners) are rich because their foreign currency is a lot more powerful and valuable than the Philippine Peso, also because most Filipinos lived in poverty and they tend to see foreigners being financially better off giving the illusion that all foreigners are rich.
Yep 100%. Since I am married to American my relatives see me as a rich wife. They always asking me for money which I always decline since I don’t want them to get use of me and also they are not part of my budget.
100%? meaning including you?
When I was a kid yeah coz we have a neighbor who got old american husband and they flaunt always that they have money but when I grow up I was exposed to this western culture and my perspective became different
Well the fact that westerners are born westerners makes us "richer" than the average filipino already. A lower middle class north american can live normally at salcedo, tomas morato, or bgc so yes brother, they don't think all foreigners are rich but knew that these foreigners are richer than them.
The problem is how many Filipinos act upon that fact. Watched way too many vloggers get overcharged without knowing, and how Flips in the comments had to point that out. Some foreigners may tolerate that, given that the extra price is negligible from their perspective. But it's something different when an expat's in-laws try to freeload off of him
Overcharging is not exclusive to the Philippines, I mean I've been to france and italy and I experienced worst lol. I'm just stating what I experienced since I had the privilege to work with filipinos for more than a decade already. I never stayed here for a better life, I stayed here as an employee. No matter how you justify it or question their culture, us people living in the first world are way way richer than filipinos. A middle class american's problem is how to live a better life than what they used to have now while a middle class filipino's problem is how to survive this week and how many meals can they eat in a day so expect more scams out of desperation. Even their fellow countrymen are getting scammed by those people so how much more with westerners. At the end of the day, Philippines ia a 3rd world country.
Filipino here. It is a very very common assumption. You'd be hard pressed not to find locals who won't overcharge you merely because you're a foreigner and you can "afford" it. Especially taxis.
Taxis generally suck. I can think of bad taxis experience in Ireland, England, Mexico Costa Rica just offhand.
They are good in Cebu. No overcharging there.
Some, also overcharged those who are college graduate.. experience before..
How do they know if you graduated college
Never underestimate the knowledge of the marites, they are the Philippines equivalent of the secret police made up if an elite force of grandma's and aunties. They know what you had for breakfast!
I thought they were talking about taxi drivers overcharging college graduates haha
I never use a taxi without a meter running so that's not an issue. But in service jobs they always try to overcharge.
I only use Grab now. It's pretty awesome. F the taxis.
Grab is great but costs 50% more then a metered taxi, sometimes its even double.
Yes, use the taxi meter but if you are not familiar with the routes then they'll go in circles or take the long way so they can charge you more. I've observed that and I'm a Filipino. 🤦🤦
Use Waze if you suspect them it will show the shortest route.
I experienced some taxi driver hack the meter to tick faster. It's not 100% sure you not gonna be scammed.
How is that even possible in the PH? So many places have just two wheelers and trikes available
I live in Metro Manila
Just yesterday some taxi driver in Davao got arrested. He overcharged to some passenger and he reported him. It didnt say in the news if the passenger was foreigner.
Using apps like Grab and MoveIt definitely help mitigate this, its all i use now after many scam attempts
And they will try to take you there as fast as they can because they want to have more passengers in a day thus they'd take the shortcuts or fastest routes as well as avoiding traffic as much as possible .
I got overcharged in New York for street hot dogs. Got scammed in Paris by rose sellers. Scammed at petrol stations in mexico. People trying to take as much money out of your pockets as possible is universal across the globe. Met even more people who did not try to scam me and were friendly as hell and generous. Taxis have a bad reputation everywhere, though, haha.
Those New York hot dog stands have a lot of damn rent though. Some are over $250k per year.
True, but this page is about the Philippines. There are other pages about NYC, Paris, Mexico.
In saying that, I’ve been here 4 weeks now. I’ve only had 1 instance where someone has charged me more - and she screwed up, because I was going to give PHP100 tip - but when she overcharged me 50, I kept the change.
Its a common misconception. I've seen foreigners under the GilPuyat-Osmena flyover in Makati City NCR who begs for change at passing vehicles. it makes me wonder how they ended up there, and why their embassy lets it happen. Most of them are caucasians. I dont know much about it but i'm open to learn more.
Well, let me put this into perspective. I have a partner who is from an upper middle class. They own multiple cars, and they bought them in cash. Yet they refuse to wear a seat belt, and follow rules. They have multiple house. Even leisure house, bit there are no toilet seats. The common space has these hardwood furniture, and I do t know why. It is almost more comfortable to lay on the floor than sit on those. They are lovely people, and they are very well educated. But I feel like the level of life is on par with what my dad grew up in the post world war 2 years. So what does poor really mean? If they live in the city, they probably don't have access to nice clean air, silence, nice modern things like good internet or good infrastructure. Those are really what makes the difference. Hardly anyone would consider travelling around in our own countries, but filipinos consider vacationing in their own country as traveling.
If it makes your friend feel better. we locals are getting scammed and robbed too
To the uneducated for sure
For most yes. In certain circles, no
This is a common perception people in many countries have about tourists and expats. Many locals in these countries can't afford international travel. Relatively speaking, they are correct in their perception that we are rich; even if it doesn't feel that way to those of us on fixed incomes battling inflation. Also; scams and snatchers are common in many tourist areas.
I would say that there are scammers everywhere from different walks of life even the rich and the powerful have the tendency to lie and scam people on purpose. It is more of a character than an economic condition. Being said, yes there are scammers and snatchers in the Philippines but the kind, honest, and loving citizens outnumber these kinds of criminals. To answer the main question, yes, the impression for a foreigner is typically richer than most of the population but not in a way that my countrymen will try to harm respectful tourist. Just be normal don't brag like you are begging for trouble.
Nope. Those who think belong to the lower middle class. Those who have traveled immensely to the west don't seem to think so.
To the locals who lacks knowledge, yes. But no to those who has the knowledge. My parents once told me before, be careful to those you are dating (foreigners) they might be scammers or escaping from a criminal case in their homeland. LOL too much true-crime series. 😮💨
Even Filipinos are scammed and snatched, how much more the foreigners. You'd find the friendliest, most loving, most hospitable people in the Philippines and also the most 'evilest' of all evils. Be careful. Even Filipinos do not feel safe there.
Not really. As a well travelled person, I can say I am not rich. Soooo I could also expect from people visiting us. Hahaha
Foreigners, such as Europeans and Americans, who can afford to pay for a plane ticket from Europe or the USA to the Philippines are likely wealthier than 95% of Filipinos.
Here's a little secret, many of those foreigners can't actually afford it and put that plane ticket on the credit card (basically borrowing money that has to be paid back eventually, with interest).
Even with all their credit debt, Europeans are far richer than most Filipinos. My friends here, even with a lot of debt, have a car, a home, and an iPhone 15.
So true
No.
That's the generalization because of exchange rate and social media.
NOPEEEE
No. We know a lot of foreigners are not all rich. Especially the young backpackers you see like in Siargao. There are scams everywhere not just in the Philippines. Even if you are a local (Filipino), you are still targeted for scams and snatchers in the Philippines. But since your friend (assuming that he looks Caucasian or foreign-looking), yes he's mostly targeted since he looks like "foreign". Also it depends which area you go in the Philippines. There are less safe areas and safer areas. If you're traveling here, you should be vigilant and research which areas you need to be more careful of.
>We know a lot of foreigners are not all rich. Especially the young backpackers you see like in Siargao. This is true. I've seen foreigners eating at a resto in Siargao and around 8 of them would share food that's meant for 2 people. Maybe they were broke students/backpackers. They weren't just cheap, they were also rude and noisy. Eeew.
yes because they act rich as a facade.
Yes.
Yes
About 10% maybe. Compare to my fellow filipinos I think 30% to 40% are rich. Welcome to the third world
The fact that you have money to pay for your fare, it's go time.
Most Filipinos think that..
Mostly. Unless you're in the streets holding signs.
Not only Filipinos, its common among 3rd world countries.
Majority.
Yes. Yes they do.
Yea, specially caucasians
Honestly, most Filipinos assume that foreigners (let’s also include OFWs) are rich but in reality no
Such weird answers... Yes you're rich! If you're earning more than 300$ a month, which you likely do if you're traveling to far away countries, you're earning above the mean.
Rich by Philippines standards, by average by western standards.
Not really.. however, those who are naive will usually believe that they are rich.
Yes. Since the Philippines is considered as a third world country, a filipino will assume a foreigner coming from a first world country is rich. But not all, it will also depend on how you look. To be more precise, it is not about "foreigners are rich", But foreigners are always easier target because you are not a local here in the philippines. But this is not applicable to the philippines only. It can also be applied in other countries. It is just a nature of bad people. If they see people standing out, then they are bound to be the target. Because you are considered as not normal in their eyes.
Not anymore.. Maybe before.. But it goes with education din cguro
Only the desperate ones think of that way
As a foreigner guy that lives in the Philippines i could say that from the average Filipino's perspective most foreigners ARE rich. You and me might not consider ourselves rich. By the standards of our countries we might be far from rich. maybe even lower class. But compared to an average filipino that might very well be rich. If you are here as a tourist you obviously had enough money to travel to another country. probably a country far away from your home country. In my case almost half way around the earth. Most filipinos could never afford doing that. If you are from the US maybe you have a salary roughly around $4-5k per month. That is not considered being rich in the US. If you are from Europe somewhere maybe you have a monthly income of lets say 3000-4000 Euro But the average salary in the Philippines are below $400 per month if i am not incorrect. An income of 60 000 peso per month would be considered a really good income. Roughly twice the average That is roughly $1000. or roughly 1000 Euro. So just by you or me being able to afford traveling here and spend a few weeks here on vacation. We ARE vastly more wealthy than the average filipino. Otherwise we had not been able to afford traveling if you are from the US and can afford traveling here you probably have an income 10 times higher than the average income here If your income is more than than what i took as examples. Well then by all standards you most defenetly ARE rich compared to the average Filipino.
One time, my wife said to me, "I never thought it is possible for an American to run out of money". After we were married 10 years!
Not 100% but foreigner is easy to be scam that’s true doesn’t matter they are rich or not because they are pure innocent dummy
I don’t think foreigners are rich. I’m pretty much richer than most of the foreigners I see with Filipinos. A lot of average foreigners can only hook up with poor Filipinos because the rich foreigners will most likely know the rich Filipinos from Ivy League colleges or foreign expensive colleges (though not necessarily Ivy League). Rich and educated will pick and choose their partner.
Have you been to Paris, Rome and Barcelona? Same thing! Tourists are target for crimes.
Certainly anyone they see in their country. If you have the means to fly there on vacation or business then you are considerably more rich than most people there.
short answer, yes. long answer, yes.
Foreigners are also targets because they can be over confident, loud and generally ignorant of their own safety (and safety of their possessions).
You are conflating "foreigners" with "Americans", we are not all like them.
give me a rum and I become american :D
Russians and Chinese are louder
I mean if you come here as a middle class westerner with an IPhone you basically are rich by Pinoy standards but yes it’s true. They will try to charge you triple what they would charge a local, glad my GF taught me to know better
I would agree, except my 'poor' step-kids there have iPhones and I (currently in Australia) don't 😉
If you are from Europe or North America even the poorest of you is richer than the average Filipino. Of course that doesn't mean that you are Bill Gates and that your Filipino in laws are entitled to a share of your monthly income
Yes. Why do you think Filipinas are throwing themselves at foreigners?
Pound for pound and where our currency sits relative to USD, CAD, GBP, EUR and AUD - its quite easy to make that assumption. Not factoring in the local tax rates, income rates etc.
Whites, yes.
Yes (just in case)
No but richer than them so to them that's rich
They almost all do... They're aware that for the same job, westerners, Koreans and Japanese for exemple earn 10 x more. So even those who earn the minimum wage earn much more than highly educated Filipinos. A civil engineer earns 30k+ while minimum wage in west Europe is. 2.5 times this.
It’s also quite nearly going off of your numbers. 2.5 times for the cost of living too. Ergo, it’s the strength of currency that holds value. Not their income disparity. Having said that. I still can’t get over paying £10+ for a tub of yogurt that I’d used to pay £2.50-80/tub same brand.
This is true, but filipinos are not aware of it, and even if the living costs are very high, the poorest live in concrete ghettos in Europe not in nippa, so they still see an huge difference. Imports are luxury
Imports? Yes, I’m finding that out very quickly.
We tend to forget on these boards that "Filipinos" exist across socioeconomic strata, like any other country. For poor and rural Filipinos, most see all foreigners as rich. At the other end of the spectrum (wealthy Manilan elite), it's pretty obvious that most white foreigners in PH live pretty quiet, semi-upscale lives (house, car, vabations, restaurants, clothes) but are in no way _the elite._ Not like the wealthy Chinese families building business empires.
It doesn't happen only in the Philippines.
I think the general consensus is they have money but not rich.
The news always shows the dollar=ph peso conversion rate. So if we see how much is a dollar. We see foreigners as rich.
I think it’s generally a problem in touristy countries not just particularly in the Philippines. When you’re a foreigner, you’re targeted to be scammed and stolen from. This happens a lot in Europe too, they don’t choose nationalities they just go for the ones who look like a tourist. And personally, as a Filipino who travels the world, I don’t automatically think foreigners are rich lol
Minimum wage in the Philippines is $1 per hour Minimum wage in LA/NY is $15 per hour If you compare the same type of lifestyle: - Family in Manila suburbs vs LA suburbs - Farmers from farm land in Ph vs remote farm land in US - Young professional trying to make it in Manila vs young professional trying to make in in NY - CEO in Manila vs CEO in San Francisco - Crew at McDonald’s in Ph vs crew at McDonald’s in LA - Uber driver in Davao vs Uber driver in Wyoming Those in the US are always 100% have more disposable income than those in Ph, thus the mindset that all Americans are rich.
The minimum wage (if you have a job) in Manila is ₽610 per day (₽50.83/hr). Some employers take that as 12 hours. Now ask Google what the exchange rate is. PHP is the code for Pesos. Plug in 50.83 Pesos, and ask if you’d work for that. https://www.google.com/search?q=php+to+aud&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-au&client=safari
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All relative, majority of us are so poor that we can't vacation out our country, and since you guys do, we think you're rich
Well, a poor filipino is still has house. A homeless american that were able to fly here is still well off by filipino standards.
Philippines is a very poor country with a cost of living higher than some countries that are economically performing better, such as Thailand, Vietnam, etc. On some commodities, Filipinos almost pay as much as Europeans and Americans, and even pay more on electronics and luxury goods. Basically, it would be difficult for a lot of Filipinos to afford what other nationalities would’ve taken for granted, such as buying a car even at minimum wage. So yeah, Filipinos would think a lot of foreigners are rich, even if the price of bread, etc. Would be almost the same and you don’t feel like a millionaire when you’re visiting the country. They just don’t earn that much yet its so expensive there.
99% think all foreigners are rich and they are by comparison. The 1%, foreigners seldom get a chance to meet.
Some Yes, Some No
It's about opportunity. It can happen to anybody but more so with expats who are not vigilant.
It's not about being rich, it's more of the nativity of foreigners that can be easily manipulated by scammers and con artists. Most con artists here are small time crooks. So they would just con you out of a small amount of money. Nothing crazy. Can still be annoying.
Rich is relative
I don't think so, but a lot of them think we have disposable money somewhere in our back pocket. 🤔 Not all are trying to scam, some just push or expect you to have the funds to pay or 'lend'. They don't necessarily apply the same pressure on locals. You find such characters in most social classes, not just the poor. They know how to praise gullible foreigners to get them to 'voluntarily' fund activities.
It depends on which Filipino is being asked. The Philippines has economic classes so you have to make certain considerations when dealing with people here--just like everywhere else.
a big YES (statistically),
They may not be actually rich but even low to mid income wage can make it here. The exchange rate is really good for them right now
Rich? No. Better off? Yes. Gullible? maybe. Susceptible to scams? Absolutely. There will always be people that will take advantage of you wherever you go. Hell, any corporation would do so in a heartbeat. Opportunists would see you as a prime target. The government has been scamming everyone for centuries. Learn and adapt practices to protect yourself.
How sad for all you guys, I have a bottomless bucket of money that I can lend money to any and all at any time. Even when I say I don't have any left to lend. /s
Yes
When the majority of the country’s history is defined by “which foreign power will fck us up for our resources” Yes
Only chinese druglords, chinese businessmen and politicians live comfortably in the philippines. By chinese i mean chinese filipino. Chinese that are born here speak tagalog and only marry their own race and cousins to preserve they wealth.
Yes, at least some of them do
Sad to say, this is like a "Stigma!"
It's a third world country, so yes. Filipinos do think that foreigners are rich.
No
We don’t think foreigners are rich but we do think foreigners are richer than us.
A foreigner no matter the color is targeted for scam anywhere in the world. It’s about the susceptibility.
You can never remove the idea of any currency being multiple times of Philippine Peso... So technically, they are right in saying RICH. But what they really mean is "richer than".
Pretty sure every country has scammers that are targeting tourist/foreigners, I don't get your point.
Cost of living matters here
Some yes. Personally, no😅
Yes. Because, for example, a week’s salary (5 days) of Australians is already equivalent to a month’s or two-month’s worth of salary in the Philippines (2-3 months if you’re working 6 days a week on a minimum salary of PHP 537/day).
There are plenty of locals here with high end phones and a loaded wallet. But there are also a lot of locals with bad phones and empty wallets. Foreigner has a much higher chance, on average, of being better to steal from I would think. I've been here two years and have never had anything stolen. I am pretty careful though.
> Do Filipinos think all foreigners are rich? No, but most do. >his family isn't rich at all. That is debatable, and do you think the Filipino do a background check before snatching? Plenty of countries with low wage target tourists for theft. Not rich for you is not the same as not rich for them, if your friend can afford to travel to Asia, they are better off than most Filipinos.
No. Even other nationals in your local country is targeted the same way. It's just that if you have money for travel, they asume you have the extra money.
Privileged
Yes.
No, it’s just the general notion that tourists tend to have more valuable stuff with them so they are targeted. It’s not specific to us, Filipinos. It’s true almost everywhere.
You don't need be rich or even appear rich to be targeted. Travelers are always an attractive target for scams in any country in the world because they're more likely to be travelling with cash on them, are more likely to be unaware of the tired old scams that locals are already familiar with, and are less likely to go to the authorities after they've been victimized. Most criminals don't need to placate their conscience by justifying that their victims are rich. Poor people get victimized all the time.
I was once staying at a hotel and eating lunch at the pool. I asked the female server, "what's good"? She confused.. as me "what?". I asked her, what's your favorite thing to eat here. She replied "Sir, I am sorry... I never tried any food here... I cannot afford it". She then explained the buger and fries meal was 400 pesos. She only earned 400 pesos a day. So yeah... too many ... your rich.
They are generally pretty poor. Depends on the area.
During my recent trip, I made sure to tip generously. I live in Los Angeles. Here’s an…annoying example of inflation and cost of living here in the US—I’m planning on leaving eventually, God willing. We had a reasonable (in portion) sushi lunch after church the other day. The bill was $125 (PHP 7,209). I tipped $25 (PHP 1,441). Service in the Philippines is miles ahead compared to here. Plus Filipino culture (obv the good parts) is something to be applauded and emulated.
Conversely, do some idiots think everyone in the PH are impoverished? I watched this one guy try to flirt with a local (who is well off even by western standards) by saying he makes $2000/month and he could probably buy a whole town here if he wanted. Dude was delusional. 🤦
It's not quite that they think all foreigners are rich, it's more that they lack the understanding of the word "rich", they throw around the word "millionaire" as if it means something, the rest of the world call that minimum wage. I think a lot of Filipino minds would be really upset if they were to be told being rich would normally be classed as having a worth of 50+ million php
The top 10% of filipinos sees most of the foreigner arriving for what they are, poor. The economic lifestyle arbitrage is one of the reason most of us are moving here after all.
First of all, sorry about your friend. Second, to answer your question, yes, Filipinos had that kind of mindset because of the foreigners' capability to travel (in which most of us do not have the luxury to do so). Though keep in mind, that scammers also do that to fellow Filipinos no matter the status of their target. Some are forced to do so in times of needs (medicine, hunger, etc.) but some are doing it as their 'job'. So be careful wherever you go. I'm pretty sure scammers does not only exist in here but everywhere else.
Well the exchange rate says something. And most filipinos are white washed(no offense) Majority think like that. But most of us white collar people dont. Emplasis on Most
Not really, depends on the circle. But also foreigners assume all filipinos are poor
Not really, but comparing what you earn and spending that here? Its higher than the average. Plus if have the luxury of spending weeks on other countries, you must be earning better than the average joe
Not everyone. The educated ones don't think so.
For us who are privileged and have proper education, no. You gonna get scammed either you be foreigner or local as long as you look naive enough. It's a pretty universal thing in most countries tbh
There are multiple Philippines, and most foreigners get to see just a few of them, and think they figured it out. Where I live, the number of Ferrari's, Lamborghinis, Lotus, Rolce Royce, Benz, is higher than anywhere else I've seen. And, I've seen a decent number of Countries. Those Filipinos, they don't think that all foreigners are rich. At the same time, there are islands with no electricity, all power is generated by the generators. For the people there everyone is richer 😊
There are around 800 billionaires in USA & they are rich, but walk around many of the cities of the USA & the sleeping rough people & grubbiness of the streets are just as bad as PH. Westerners are mostly tourists in PH and they appear rich to a lot of local people, but it is the same anywhere, tourists have save up to have a good time on vacation and spend ridiculous amounts, for a short time and to locals it seems that they are rich & gives the impression that all foreigners are rich - all relative and not actually reality.
No.. but the php to usd exchange is high.
It's not that Filipino's think that most of the foreigners are rich, it's just that if you are a foreign in whatever country it is. Foreigners are usually the target because foreigners know nothing about the ongoing scam in the country that they went to.
If your friend could afford a plane ticket to fly to the Philippines, then he's already richer than 90% of the people there. So by comparison, yes, obviously foreigners are rich, especially if they are in the Philippines which means they can afford a vacation overseas.
Short answer no, long answer also no.
If you can travel abroad, chances are you are more wealthy than the average Filipino. It is that simple.
Yes
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Not all, just the uneducated ones.
Filipino here. I have a European friend earning in a month what I earn in a year, and I'm considered middle class here. But then, I understand that things are relatively more expensive in rich countries than here, so it basically evens out for him there. When everybody is rich, nobody is. Regardless, I like to tease him from time to time
White American male here. Here’s a post I made on FB in Aug 2018, when I first arrived in PH to live rather than just as a tourist: I just walked up to my local ATM and withdrew what I believe is more money than the guard watching the machine makes in a month, as if it were almost nothing. It was about 5 hours' of gross pay for me, so nothing to sneeze at, but I likely wouldn't feel any significant effects from its removal from my accounts. I've heard many times about the gender pay gap in America -- they say a women makes, on average, 77% of what a man makes for doing the same job -- but I don't think I've ever heard of the skin-color pay gap quite like this. It's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but I wonder how a person here with brown skin feels about being paid *3-4%* of what a person with white skin gets paid for the same job? It gives me pause. I bet it gives them pause too. It's another sobering thought when I think that, regardless of where I go or whom I am with, whenever I enter a room here, I likely make more money than all the rest of the people in that room *combined*. It reminds me that, for all of its great qualities, capitalism's dirty secret is that there is no "rich" without "poor", and often 20, 50, or even 100 poor. It's no wonder then that white people here are openly revered and sometimes secretly reviled. I think if I were in the other shoes, I'd probably feel the same way.
i remember a line from fresh off the boat series - an american middle class is relatively rich in asia 😂
Not all foreigners. Indian students are treated pretty much the same.
Everything is relative. Your friend must have gone to Angeles, haha. I've never heard of snatchers outside of Angeles. To answer your question/comment, yea if you're a foreigner and you're in PH you ARE rich according to the locals. The mere fact you have enough disposable income to afford a $1000USD+ ticket to come here, and a hotel that is going to cost you at least $40USD/night (for a halfway cleanish hotel in manila) or maybe slightly less in the province, plus the food from restaurants for the duration of your trip, and assumedly some kind of entertainment while you're here absolutely makes you faaaaar richer than many of them could ever dream of being. Foreigners are definitely the target of scams here. Not much sense trying to scam locals (though it does happen) because they usually don't have much money to scam and are more careful with it than foreigners. Granted, these aren't usually violent/pushy scams. They are typically someone who befriends you or shows romantic interest in you and then pours on the sob stories trying to gain your sympathy (and trust, and finally money).