How Many Americans are Living in the Philippines
October 7, 2008
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Posted by dmihalia
Normally when I post on this blog I am either giving out information or relating something about my move to the Philippines. But today I’m asking for a little help from the readers. I’m not doing this to drive traffic to my blog or anything but I am truly curious about something.
As part of preparing for the move to the Philippines I am attempting to earn a living by working online. This is what I will be doing while living there. I have used many publications and websites to guide me in this goal especially Bob Martin’s 49 Ways to Earn a Living In the Philippines.
In researching for one of my other projects a question came up and I can’t find a concrete answer if there is one. I want to know “How Many Americans are Living in the Philipppines.” At first the question was just how many were living in Cebu but I think I have a better chance of finding out the answer of Americans living in the whole country.
The US State Department shines a little light on my question by stating there are 250 thousand US citizens living in the Philippines but I’m sure that number includes naturalized citizens as well. I’m not saying naturalized citizens are not Americans but I’m looking more along the line of citizens that were born in the US. The 250,000 number seems a little small if you ask me and I’m sure that people who are on any type of visas might not be included in that number.
So, if you have an opinion or have the actual numbers please leave a comment and help me finish a project that is currently on hold. Thank you in advance!
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Categories: Philippines General
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I hope that the book has brought you a few ideas…
I was under the impression that the State Dept was saying that the population of Americans living in the Philippines was around 140,000 or so.
Hi Bob
Actually I found 2 references to the 250,000 number but one references the other here they are:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_settlement_in_the_Philippines#cite_note-StateBN2007-0
Look under the title 1940 to date
The other ref is:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2794.htm
Look under the heading U.S.-Philippine Relations
Interesting. The way that they word that on the State Dept site, I suspect that it includes people that you and I might not count. A lot of people in the Philippines hold dual citizenship, and many who are American Citizens never even really lived in the States at all, or for very little time. It’s hard to say. I personally would be surprised if there were 250k American Citizens who live in the Philippines.
Thats why I tend not to believe that number whether it is inflated or less than the true number.
I’m dont have the actual figure really but I’ll try obtaining answers for im curious of it too.
Take care!
HI Joansyndrome
If you find out anything please let me know.
how long you have been living in the Phils?
Hi Chered
I lived there in the seventies and eighties for about 10 years. More recently I only visit for one or two months per year but as the blog says I am completing my move.
I had no idea so many Americans lived in there, totally awesome. This blog is great and really eye-opening about what it is like to be an American living in a foreign country!
Hi Isolde
The Philippines is a beautiful place and I am so glad I got to go there.
It’s an age-old question and as always a definitive answer is hard to come by. Been searching for a good answer myself and have never found one.
It’s especially hard if you try to pin things down to native born Americans. In spite of all the issues surrounding the Philippine Dual Citizen law (RA-9225), dual citizenship has been common since Philippine independence. It was technically illegal under Philippine law but never enforced. Thus there are many Filipinos who trace an American citizenship back for many years.
There’s really no legal way to ’sift’ them out of the equation. No one ever has to prove natural born US status unless they run for president.
The opther side of the coun is, even at levels in government and business who should know better, a ‘Kano’ is a ‘Kano’. For example there are many Australians living in the Philippines and a lot of Filipinos never look at passports, to them they are foreigners and thus ‘Kano’ … which my annoy the dickens out of the Aussie, but is a part of Philippine culture that isn’t likely to change. (Substitute Brit, german, Dutch, Swiss, Tuirk and so on for Aussie, I know at east one each from those countries but to the ‘massa’ here, they are all ‘Kano’)
I have no idea how many ‘native’ Americans there are here, but I would make an educated guess the 250K figure is likely conservative. To Isolde and others, indeed there are a lot of Americans here.
Dave Starr:
I love what you said about Pinoy calling all foreigners ‘Kano’ Isn’t that the trth? You nailed it buddy.
You know Dave when I was first referred to as “Kano” in a conversation I corrected the speaker telling them that I was not from Canada(Canuck). LOL
Hello everyone, this is an excellent post. I think Filipinos use the term “Kano,” for every caucasians. “Kano” was derived from the word “Americano”, or “Amerikano” which is simply a masculine in gender of American. For the females, they used the term “Kana”. For a well tanned caucasians, or mixed breed such as “Mistizos” they are simply called “Tisoy”. In my case, that’s what they called me all the time. Although they don’t know that I have been dying my hair dark all the time, I love being called “Tisoy.” Women loves going out with the “Tisoys” LOL. One advantage I might have is my ability to speak Tagalog fluently ( it took me about a year).
As for number of Americans in the Philippines, my estimate would be more than 500K (By birth and Naturalized American Citizens).
admin,
Great Blog, I know it is helping people… Looking at the world today and knowing what I know, I am looking to come there to the Philippines. I have looked at Bob Martins views and I am looking at yours, both are very very informative.
I guess my concern is finding Americans there that basically have common interests. Your statics on the numbers there is encouraging and when I was there I met many great Americans that did have the same mindset. I am curious about you, I know about Bob from his many web presentations, maybe you could give your readers and myself some insight on where you are and if you have an interest in building bigger things with other Americans that are already there or possibly wanting to come there.
Hello everyone living in this beautiful Island country. My name is Doug and I will be moving there to a town just outside of Cebu called Liloan right on the ocean and wonder if anyone has any great advice for me. I have met a really great lady online and can’t wait to meet her there in Cebu. I will retire after 38 years of working between 4 years US Navy and 34 years US Postal Service I’m ready to retire and enjoy life a little better now. Are there any Americans living in Liloan and if so please let me know. I look for to this move and getting on with my life.
hi every1. hey,,, im about to ready our family to the phil. my wife is filipina, our daughter is dual, and im not sure about ALL I will need when I go … Do I just sell all and move without a forwarding address for SSI or IRS ?? Or do I use my phil address for my US issues?
I want to stay there for life in phil, but do not have the 50k to deposit to become a I Visa resident. I am 46, and need advice.. thanks
I am trying to do research myself…..my family and I are looking to move out the country (USA) and relocate to the Philippines. there is so much I want to know. I really hope this move is the right choice for our family….we will be there by next year!….I will post information as I receive it.
Hi Nesha
My only question to you is “How much time has your family spent in the Philippines up to now” Moving to a country without experiencing normal life there can be a dangerous situation. Good Luck to you all and let me know how it goes.
Hi Kenneth
do your research before you move to the Philippines. I’m sure you can stay without getting a resident visa as long as you want. As far as a forwarding address there are ways to deal with that too. Thanks for reading my blog!
Hi n2deep
Sorry for the late response and I understand your concerns about finding Americans with common interests. In my place in Binan Laguna there is a very big International community. You can’t go to the supermarket or malls without running into a few foreigners. My move to the Philippines is for reasons that I would want to avoid many things in my home country so although I enjoy having coffee or beer with my fellow expats every once in awhile I am wanting to live the Philippine experience more.
Hi to everyone!!!!! You are all welcome to live in the Philippines. One piece of advice….don’t underestimate the cost of living in the Philippines. Retiring early is good, but you have to be prepared financially especially when you have limited resources for job placement to fall back on when you run out of money. Philippines do not have welfare system unlike in America or other 1st world countries. People in the PI has to live and run their own business without depending on the government’s bail out when things don’t go right. If you retire prematurely, you might end up going back to where you came from because you run out of money. Life is good in PI provided you can afford. The cost of almost everything is much cheaper than a lot of the 1st world countries. I am a naturalized American and currently living in THE USA with my family. For sure, we are planning to relocate and retire early in PI when time comes. We have saved for retirement, however, based on how the current economy is doing,it might not be sufficient if we stay in USA. When you live in the Philippines, please avoid comparing the conveniences you have in your country because you will be very disappointed.Their lifestyle and customs will never change. There are lots of things I dislike about my country and not too proud about, but there are things also that I cherished most especially the devotion that a Filipino have for their families and friends especially for foreigners like you. Good luck to all and welcome!!!!!
Hi dINE
Thank you for contributing to my site. Contact me please if you would be interested in doing a guest post. I agree with everything you say and like my friend Bob Martin says before ever moving there you should spend at least a month living like a typical Filipino would live. I feel blessed that I can live in the Philippines because I planned many years ahead and gave up quite a few luxuries in the United States to make it possible. I would hope that the Philippines never does change their lifestyle or customs thats what makes it unique.
Hey, I hope you have a nice day! Very good article, well written and very thought out. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future.
If anything, that 250,000 number from the State Department is a load of political BS. If they started publishing the true numbers of expatriate US citizens it would crash the US stock market. As of December the non-official numbers of US citizens effectively leaving the US for good is somewhere between 20,000-30,00 per month. This number is the net citizen outflow that has increased hyperbolically since the year 2000.
A basic statistic to consider is that for every “official” number that you see from the US State Department, you can bet that it is likely 9-10 times higher. The main factor is how few Americans, once they expatriate permanently, no longer renew their US passports. There’s no law that says you can only travel on a US passport. In other words if you left the States but *oops* “forgot” to renew your passport in lieu of a passport from South America for example (if you even bothered to get a passport at all seeing as how the majority of expats don’t travel outside of their new country) you are effectively off of their grid and it’s to their advantage not to count you.
So based on what I know of politics, living here for nearly 8 years consistantly, etc I’d place that number somewhere at around 2,000,000 (yep…2 million!) or more Americans living in the Philippines. Obviously the majority are retired naturalized American citizen, but that’s still 2,000,000 people that enjoy a much higher standard of living on far less money.
This is a big problem for the States, but with how both parties have been running the country into the ground with their impossible debt, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if that number doesn’t triple by 2013.
Head Coach´s last blog ..Simply Raw – Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days Documentary
To add to my earlier post, 2 million total US citizens living here is really not that big of a number especially since it probably started accumulating since the 70’s. 2,000,000 is only about 2% of the entire population and to answer the original question of how many natural born citizens are living here, 250,000 would be something like 1 in 500 people. Seeing as how the USA has an illegal immigrant population of up to 30 million people while there are probably 10 million naturalized Americans of Filipino birth in the States now who plan to come back (or already have come back), the math gets even easier to reconcile.
As I said, if Americans have the means to bail on the States, they have been taking it, even if secretly over the past 10 years. Look at Eastwood City and similar condos. Americans own something like 20-30% of all of those thousands of units. I was in Leyte and Cebu recently and everywhere I turned I saw Americans building houses or at the malls. Americans are stealthfully buying up everything tangible since they can invest in that manner without having to declare it to the IRS. Property is probably the only thing you don’t have to declare to the IRS…at least not yet. But by then more Americans will start forming property holding corporations.
As I said, the US has a huge problem on its hands. If you look at the current legislation they are proposing, people will have their assets withheld at the rate of at least 30% even if their taxes are paid in full. Other countries have already done these kinds of capital controls under the guise of “fighting” Al CIA-da. They couldn’t care less about stopping or catching terrorists. This is all to crack down on Americans who realize that the Titanic is about to sink sometime very soon.
Head Coach´s last blog ..Simply Raw – Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days Documentary
Coach, first of all thanks for reading and contributing to my blog. As far as numbers I will agree that it there has been a steady move for many Americans to the Philippines over the years and the numbers may be hard to count. Buying property and homes is not as easy as it seems and I kind of like the barriers still in place blocking an all out buying of the Philippines by foreigners. In my case, it could have been a different county where I choose to move depending on circumstances none of which were financial. I just fell in love with the country and don’t want it to become Americanized as my wife feels it is.
As far as your comment “the Titantic is about to sink sometime very soon”, I have faith that the American people will recover and not let this happen but maybe I’m just being hopeful. Either way I will never abandon my home country entirely, it’s just that I prefer living in another place. Kind of like the saying in West Virginia where I’m from “once a Mountaineer always a Mountaineer” I will always be an American. It’s just that I will be an American living in another country.
Well we are neighbors here in the Philippines, I’m a little north of Binan, but still in Laguna. The new ShopWise in Pacita, San Pedro, has many American imported products.
Just to give a cost of living on American products. One item I find interesting to look for is cheese. Yep, the quality of cheese is interesting as a local product so I shop for Land O’ Lakes and can usually find the 8 oz size for 200 pesos (~$4.50). Don’t underestimate the duties placed on US goods is the point. But, let’s consider and egg is an egg and a tomato is more or less a tomato. But an avocado isn’t an avocado here. The local variety is sweet so it’s actually used in ice cream. Point being local varieties of goods like produce and fruit aren’t going to taste the same.
Meat, well it’s about the same 200 pesos (~$4.50) for 2 lbs of ground round beef for hamburgers that’s the quality you are used to in the states. As far as steaks and other cuts of beef you won’t find the consistency of quality. One time you buy it may be fine and another time you buy it maybe less than what you hoped for. This goes for the Monterey Meat shops and other butcher shop type operations existing in the supermarkets. If you want certain cuts like porterhouse they know what you want and will be more than happy to make a custom order. Heads up, it’s likely frozen when you get it. Probably the biggest disappointment will be hams, especially during the holidays. They look like cheese balls at about the 1 Kilo or 2lbs size. So, ask the butcher for a custom cut and then cure it yourself, if you want it that way. Surprisingly Turkeys are making some in roads here. My neighbor, a Filipina married to a Brit, has opted for raising turkeys instead of chickens. Fortunately I don’t have many neighbors like her. Oh yeah, Filipinos can be very inconsiderate when it comes to noise, odors and trash and that’s something you will have to get used to. If there are restrictions, no one will enforce it.
Much of the urban areas look like taking a train ride through Pittsburgh or some other city with many business building carcasses sitting collecting dirt on their walls. There is graffiti but not as much as the states. This happens for many reasons but a business’s longevity comes to mind. So, just as you wouldn’t want to live in the urban areas in the states for the same reasons you don’t want to do that here either. I’d recommend something outside the concrete jungle unless you are planning to work, then your choice is a commute like LA, DC, or maybe as bad as NYC. I worked in Makati and the commute to Laguna can be 3 hours on a Friday night, even using the Skyway Tollway (~$2 one way) here. So, consider the “condo in the city” approach seriously if you plan to work here in Manila or Makati. But, if you are used to traffic, I’m from LA, the commute is endurable.
Wow, real estate. OK, it’s more speculative than you are used to. The major reason is that people may not build on their properties for many years while they pay off the lot. What the neighborhoods become in the meantime is the problem. Many of the Homeowners associations don’t have any power and Filipinos just do whatever they want due to budgets being tight and usually it’s function more than form. Oh, and usually only half the homeowners will pay dues to cover guards, trash collection and street lights. Filipinos will gossip about a neighbor but confronting them about an eyesore or not paying their share isn’t likely to happen. My approach was to go into a neighborhood that was already established for more than 10 years and what it is…is what it is…
Driving, well you know when you leave an event like a football game or a basketball game, you know how people drive in the “free for all” mentality. That’s the way it is here. So drivers see a line of cars and just cut up in front. Yep, then others follow until that second left turn lane is getting long and then a third and fourth left turn lane is created. Eventually the 4 lane street is blocked with left turn lanes…gridlock… Yep, it’s that crazy. Good news is as long as you drivers license is valid you can convert it to a Philippine drivers license for about a buck. Just get good insurance and don’t believe any driver in the event of an accident. Just get there details, block the road with the cars still as they were when you bumped or whatever. If you pull over to the side of the road as a courtesy, then the other driver at fault will likely see the opportunity to lie through his teeth. So take pictures and just sit tight until the officer arrives. Please also understand that the officer may take a bribe to write his report a certain way… so have your pictures to refute that situation.
Hope this helps and it’s been fun to lay it out without the sugar coating.
Great comment that could be turned into a post. As far as the food goes I like fresh fruit and vegetables so I eat mostly the local stuff whether I’m in the province or in Laguna. As far living outside I have been assured that my new home is about 2 blocks from what is being planned as the new Makati with a Starbucks, hospital, and Lasalle school among other things being built but I’m good with that because I like the city life and visit Manila as often as I can. Traffic, I can deal with and actually look forward to driving in Laguna and around Manila (crazy huh).
I’ve bought a place in one of the neighborhoods with empty lots and agree that there is some room for improvement but it seems the families who owned the empty lots have been taking good care of them. Now if the millions of cats can be controlled I’ll be ok.
Greetings Mr. Mihaliak,
I really enjoyed learning about this information that you have shared. I also thank you for helping people in this matter. I noticed in your post that you were looking for ways to earn a living in the Philippine. Our company is expanded at a tremendous rate and we just opened in the Philippines this year! Our growth is simply because of two things: the product and the company. I am sure you have heard of the Discovery Channel. The Discovery Channel did a documentary on Moringa a botanical that when taking in small quantities sustains life.
Here is the documentary: http://www.healthwealthmiracles.myzija.com/zijatv_moringa.html
We are the first company to market Moringa in its’ purest form. 100% Organic, Kosher Certified, Halal, Hashidic, no perservatives, no chemicals, no stablizers over 90 naturally ocurring nutrients in this botanical in comparison to the next highest botanical has 27 naturally ocurring nutrients. So the product is amazing just google Moringa. And people order this product every month because it works! We have thousands upon thousands of testimonies! Helping with blood sugar levels, pain from inflammation, breathing ailments, blood pressure issues. Don’t have health issues? One can use it as a supplement. Preventative is always good. There is also a weight management system for those who want to lose weight and keep it off. The system eliminate the up and down weight problems. Second the company Zija International is a company of integrity! Debt free, has private owned Moringa farms and harvest Moringa from start to finish, excellent compensation plan. Since we are new to the Philippines there is a major opportunity to share a dynamic product and opportunity with people here. Zija is just hitting momentum the company has just hit the 50 million dollar mark and was at 25 million just last year. The company just announced it’s first profit sharing pool. There will be a few more so there is time for you and others in the Philippines to get aboard now! This is a beautiful opportunity to bring health, wellness and financial growth to many people. You have my email let me know if you would like more information if not for you please think of someone who maybe able to benefit from this opportunity. What I dont want to happen is for you to read this message today and 1 year from now say, I could have been one of the main leaders in the Philippines but I passed over the opportunity from Quin. So take a careful look. If training is followed you and your family will have much success!
Hi Quin
Thanks for sharing your company and the opportunity with me but many of my family are involved with such things as I was at a younger age. I’m pretty much set in what I do and have planned to do in the future. Sorry if any of my posts gave the impression that I was looking for an opportunity.
I am also intersted in an extended stay in the Philippines. And also interested in knowing how many United States born citizens live in the Philippines.
Filipinos do not call all foreigners Kano. They do not call a Black man- Kano. They do not call an Indian or an Arab Kano.Kano is reserved for light Caucasian people, even if they are citizens of the Philippines.
White man- Kano
Black man- Neg-roh
Indian man- Bumbay
Chinese man- Insek
Korean man- Koreano
Japanese man- Hapon
The English word “foreigner” is reserved for white people ONLY, the Filipino word Dayuhan which means foreigner is reserved for all foreigners- non citizens of the Philippines.
It is amazing to me the comments about The US economy but at the same time immigrants keep coming in drogues.People retiring in Philippines face harship too ,like medical care and adaptation to a new way of life.If you are well off than you are ok anywhere in the world not just there.I have been there and i see a lot of americans struggling and nobody to watch their backs. If you are married expect to support an extended family of numerous siblings with ever ending demands.
So weigh the situation with pros and cons before taking the plunge .
Hello! I really enjoy reading this blog, as I am about to move to the Philippines in the next year or so. I am approaching my retirement in the US Army later this year, and will be moving there with my Filipina wife, whose family lives on the south end of Makati, near the American cemetery. We have been preparing for this move now for the last couple of years, and quite frankly I’m very nervous about it!! However I promised my wife a few years back that we would move back after I retired, and I’ll admit it is an exciting place to visit… just wondering what it will be like living there long term.