Since I came to the Philippines, I seem to have found the life I want

When it comes to the Philippines, it seems that everyone only has the impression of “Filipino servants” and “poor.” There are very few online posts about Chinese people living and working in the Philippines, so everyone thinks that the Philippines is a poor country with poor security, but everyone, even I have never been to the Philippines, I just have a superficial understanding and tell me why I went to the Philippines to live and work and my daily life and work in the Philippines.

First of all, after my 15-year college entrance examination, my parents wanted to take me to travel abroad in order to reward me. At that time, I was torn between a two-day, one-night trip to South Korea and Japan or a five-day and a four-night trip to Southeast Asia. I am amazed by the small bamboo raft with white sand and clear water; this is the paradise in my dream. After an introduction, I learned that this is Coron Island, Palawan, in the southern Philippines, so I decided to take a trip to Southeast Asia.

When I arrived in the Philippines, I was really shocked, okay? It turns out that every beach in the Philippines is different and beautiful. I am also quite smug, lying on the beach in a bikini and sunbathing with coconut milk. The next day I arrived at Coron Island, Palawan. The dream of punting has come true! Sitting on the boat and looking down, the water is so clear that I can directly see the white sandstone and small fish and shrimp. At first, I thought that law and order in the Philippines would be very poor and the urban infrastructure would not be able to keep up, but this is not the case at all! First of all, Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is as prosperous as the first-tier cities in China, but the price level is second-tier. I bought a lot of things directly in duty-free shops and snack streets. And because the Philippines was a colonial city in the early days, there are many European-style architectural ruins in downtown Manila, which are beautiful to take pictures of.

After returning to China, I went to university step by step because I majored in English. During my internship, I found an export company to work for, and then I joined the company. However, the competition pressure on the company is really great, and the benefits are all provided. No, the salary is not directly proportional to what I pay, but my family reassures me that I can find a job, and it’s good to get through it. When employees who are fluent in English and have a history of living in Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries are preferred, I know that this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, so I actively signed up and successfully became an expatriate member of the company.

The Philippines that I saw during my business trip was different from 15 years ago. There are more and more emerging cities in the Philippines and more and more foreign companies. During the two months of my business trip, during my rest time, I played around the capital Manila. During the process, I also met a Chinese friend named Lapa. She told me that Filipinos who can speak Chinese are very popular now. There are many Filipino companies that can recruit candidates who can speak Chinese. Looking for relevant recruitment information, the CG Group in the Philippines was very impressive. I wrote it down secretly. After returning to China, I told my parents about my thoughts. My parents were very supportive and thought that it would be fine for me to venture out, so I came back. The next month I submitted my resignation letter and sent my resume to CG Group in the Philippines. Soon I received a reply letter and set off for the Philippines. The sky in the Philippines is clear and blue all year round. I believe that I can live well in the Philippines.

So far, I have lived and worked in the Philippines for three years. Although I did not adapt to some regulations and daily life in the Philippines at first, I am very satisfied with the current situation. First of all, the CG Group where I work is located in the center of the capital Manila. It is convenient and safe. At the same time, the company owns a building with four or five different staff restaurants that occupy a huge area. There are local Filipino restaurants, Western-style restaurants, fast-food restaurants, and East Asian restaurants. For the taste of colleagues, the most important thing is that our company canteen provides free employee meals. At the same time, there is a gym for employees on every two floors, and they can exercise for free. The Philippines does not recommend that overtime work should not exceed 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week. Our company stipulates that employees work from ten o’clock to six o’clock in the evening, and get off work from Monday to 2 o’clock in the morning on Friday. The salary ranges from RMB 20,000 to RMB 50,000 after tax, depending on your position. And ability, but this job is also in line with the ultimate dream of most people with more money and less work. However, the price level in the Philippines is not as low as imagined. It is relatively cheap for seafood and fruit, but the price of vegetables and the like is similar to that of domestic first- and second-tier cities, but transportation and tourism are very cheap.

The picture on the left is lunch at the company, the middle is the company gym, and the picture on the right is the company building.

  Living and working in the Philippines for three years, I have saved a lot of money. In the big cities in the Philippines, I don’t feel that law and order are bad, and there are indeed some crimes, but I think this is unavoidable in any country. And you can feel very friendly treatment from the local guards, supermarket salespersons, and restaurant waiters; they are also very respectful to the Chinese. In fact, what we look forward to is not that the city is convenient, prosperous, and safe, the work salary is high, and we can get off work on time, and we can go to the park for a walk after dinner, but such a life in China and Japan is very difficult to obtain. Yes, maybe I was lucky enough to seize the opportunity. Since I came to the Philippines, I seem to have found the life I want.