Which places in the Philippines are safe to live in for foreigners?

Question

I'm looking for a safe place to settle down with my future wife in the Philippines. Which places are safe to live in, in terms of crime and environmental issues.

Answer 1

You have only three options. Davao City, Cebu City or Baguio City.

Answer 2

Hello Marlon. You failed to mention the country that you may be coming from to greet your bride. If you are a westerner, you've already been loaded up with all the bs propaganda of the Amiericas and all its crap about Third World countries. I travel to the Philippines on a annual basis and have been doing so for 15 years. I come from a pretty neat place called Canada. But know what? I feel just as safe and comfortable anywhere in the Philippines as I do in my own hometown and birthplace. Go and enjoy life there! Enjoy the life shared with your wife and all the new found friends I know you are going to meet. Once a Filipino is your friend....you are stuck for life! Good luck and enjoy. I will be doing the same following February!!

Answer 3

Seems like I've answered this kind of question several times before... :-) Extracting some of that info, you wind up with the following.

I live in Tagaytay City about 45 miles south of Manila. It is a safe place as far as Philippines is concerned, and is on top of a 1800' mountain with clean air and a beautiful view of the Taal volcano island. The temperature here is about 3 deg C (6 deg F) cooler than in Manila. There are tours to and around the volcano, and so visited by many tourists and foreigners. The police seems to be efficient too.

http://www.tagaytay.gov.ph/
http://www.tagaytay.com/

Philippines in general is an inexpensive place to live. Regardless of where you are, though, it helps when you have your wife with you to help with the shopping. At the market or roadside stands, if they see a foreigner he becomes automatically rich - and the regular price doubles. (That's why my wife tells me to hide when we go shopping). One useful phrase when you're at the palenke (market) and you're surrounded by 20 people every one offering basically the same thing, you say "Ayo ko" (I don't want any) and there's a good chance that half of them will walk away.

Happy New Year

Answer 4

The good: Many beautiful islands to choose from. Tropical Climate means no snow ever. Cheap cost of living. The natives are friendly and most speak english pretty well. Many beautiful women to choose from for a single guy. Retirement visa program (SSRV) is ideal for a single person not wishing to marry. $10,000 investment deposit and $800 monthly income required. The bad: Forieners can't own land here. But you can buy a condo. 60/40 Ownership in a coorporation. 60% Philippino owned, so no way a foreigner could have controlling interest. Very few opportunities for employment other than teaching english and the pay scale is very low. So if you need to suppliment your income to live here , best not to come.

Answer 5

Batangas - It has its own Port which leads to the rest of the islands in the South. It has Dive Sites in Anilao, white sand beaches in Matabungkay, Lian and Laiya, San Juan, beaches in Nasugbu, Calatagan, Lemery, Several island resorts. You will find here Taal Volcano and its fresh water lake, old houses and churches and heritage sites. It is less than an hour away from Tagaytay and It is only about 2 hours from Metro Manila What more can you wish for in terms of location and accessibility.

Answer 6

definitely put davao city on the table. the air is fresher, food is cheaper (especially fruits), the pace is more relaxed -- the beaches are mere minutes away. yet it's a thoroughly modern city.

the city mayor has a reputation for being anti-crime, not that there's much of that to deal with in the first place.

cebu would be a close second. the metro manila region is worth considering as well, especially if you're very cosmopolitan in nature. :-)

Answer 7

davao city is the best

low crime rates
best police in the philippines
good government
cleanest city in the philippines
competitive city- low cost for doing business
clean water, WHO says second best source of spring water
Christian majority, neutral muslim minority
livable city of the philippines, according to newsweek magazine
having 911 for emergency
modern traffic system
one of asian city having good traffic management
many hospitals, schools and universities
many malls, department stores, low cost stores
international airport
not polluted

but..... no sport facilities, hoping there will be in the futures

also, if you are an american, american embassy has virtual consulate here

Answer 8

Olongapo City is a safe place in the Philippines.

Answer 9

90 percent of the country, i belive is safe for foreigners to live in. Even here down south in mindanao, you can still see foreigners doing business and living with their wives too. It is only in the news that "war" is really bad. I live here down south of mindanao, General Santos City to be exact, one block from us lives an American and his family. He was here since 1990's. Criminality and environmental issues exist anywhere. Our government, locally, is also aware of this. We live 5 min walk to a beach here. I go to the shore almost every morning to run and to walk. o far, i can say that it is still safe living in this part of the ocuntry. Good luck to you and to your future family. Welcome to the Philippines.

Answer 10

malapascua island, cebu
mostly expats on that island, so you should feel right at home. crime rate? close to none. Malapascua does not allow cars on the island. You are, on the other hand, allowed to have a small motorbike. The locals rely heavily on eco tourism (great Macro life, thresher sharks, whale sharks and manta rays) If ever you and wife get tired of the slow life in malapascua, the city of cebu is just a couple hours away (although, I doubt you'll ever get tired of the island life.. rather, you'll get tired of seeing the same people on the slow season for tourism)