Vital needs are often risky, like water, so you'd better avoid drinking tap water, lots of businesses propose filtered water at affordable prices like 30php for 18liters, yes but in Iloilo 2 years ago, water tests revealed over 70 refill stations were dangerous for consumption, worse, the city hall refused to give the list of those.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/843888/9-die-of-gastroenteritis-due-to-unclean-water-in-iloilo-city-mayor-trenas-says/story/
Electricity is also a huge problem, not only one of the most expensive in the world but also totally unreliable, in 2018, we experienced over 100 hours of brownouts in Iloilo, and since more power took the business. This is so detrimental for Filipinos and their business with such high rates, that it's difficult to be competitive and sustain some energy-consuming businesses.
Corruption is everywhere, at every level, every year they come to racket people and businesses, blackmailing them not to renew their licenses or permits,…in 2019 the first scandal on the bus terminal market, vendors were extorted for using tables, lights, etc by local institutions, a year later, another scandal, vendors in wet market were extorted up to 50K to renew their rights. You extend this to everything, boarding house commission, city engineers, business permits, etc…this is what they call snacks. Install CCTV all around your house/building and you'll be fine.
Ever wonder why few Filipinos and foreigners don't give bad opinions about the Philippines? There is a law that forbids upsetting the Filipino government and public services, Filipinos, and the Philippines. this is a criminal offense, foreigners would get imprisoned (Filipinos too), and once free, they'd get deported and banned. It is also illegal for foreigners to participate in political life or join any riot.
Finance is disgusting, the law authorizes 180% loan interest a year, and banks and lenders don't hesitate to apply it, the best part is one of the leaders calls himself a philanthropist while giving 72% loan interest to the poorest.
NCR revealed that 90% of brokers and contractors are illegal, have no license, then fraud bir, what more their clients, numerous constructions are substandard and dangerous. I always recommend Filipinos to buy materials themselves, get a good foreman with his team, a civil engineer, and go on site every day, even 5mn, to learn how to read plans, I often teach them, and it takes 15mn.
Filipino have high pride, don't raise your voice or worse, humiliate them in public, you might not like the ending...
The shady economy is huge. Many Filipinos complain the government doesn't do enough…but the problem is also about taxes, few business owners pay taxes, many don't even declare their business, and those who do heavily cheat on tax declaration then just get a fixer at BIR…employees and OFW pay the hard price,…Henry Sy, out of billions dollars fortune was only paying 400K$ income tax, he and his heirs are in all tax haven scandals.
Political life? Well, check what happened to Senator De Lima, and you will know how runs politics…barangay elections are bloody, each time dozens of candidates are killed,
This brings another problem, despite what Filipinos and the government say, the crime rate is very high in the Philippines.
Concerning foreigners? Well, laws are xenophobic, elites secured their market and made sure there wouldn't be any foreign concurrence and that wages would be kept as low as possible to use and abuse the poorest…can you imagine dockers earning 7$ a day carrying all day long 40kg bags of rice? Same rate for construction workers?
We all know foreigners can't own land (except for horizontal condominiums), have 40% negative equity on businesses so can't own business, can't take the job a Filipino can do (you'd better have extraordinary skills and/or knowledge), you can't deduct any expenses from income tax, flat 30% for foreigners. etc…this is very risky to build (add the dishonest contractors). or make business because of such laws(I wouldn't in my country put all my money under my wife's name nor 100% capital and get only 40% share, so why would I in the Philippines?)
It's heartbreaking to see all those Filipinos striving, surviving, 80yo men riding tricycles, when the Philippines have such potential, closing the country to foreign investment doomed the country, compared to those who are fully open like Singapore…
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