2nd and 3rd Tier cities in Philippines

[firahs75]

Hi all,

I will be visiting Phil at the end of this month with the aim of seeing if I like it enough to live and work there (I work online, so need a good internet connection). At any rate I was thinking of staying away from Manila and Cebu and focusing on 2nd and 3rd tier cities where foreigner value might be higher. I would like to meet a nice attractive woman to spend time with so I'm not looking to just maximize notches.

Davao was at the top of my list but I am also intrigued by Bacolod (heard the women are very pretty there), Iloilo (high foreigner value?), Butuan, Tacloban, or Dumaguete.

Just a little background on me: I am a 40 year old Brazilian American male (medium complexion) in average shape.

Can anyone comment or make a recommendation on any of the above places? Would I just be better off sticking to Davao or Cebu? I hear that the golden age of Cebu is pretty much over due to the massive influx of foreigners and it is getting harder to meet regular women there. Thanks!

[davewe]

Hi all,

I will be visiting Phil at the end of this month with the aim of seeing if I like it enough to live and work there (I work online, so need a good internet connection). At any rate I was thinking of staying away from Manila and Cebu and focusing on 2nd and 3rd tier cities where foreigner value might be higher. I would like to meet a nice attractive woman to spend time with so I'm not looking for just to maximize notches.

Davao was at the top of my list but I am also intrigued by Bacolod (heard the women are very pretty there), Iloilo (high foreigner value?), Butuan, Tacloban, or Dumaguete.

Just a little background on me: I am a 40 year old Brazilian American male (medium complexion) in decent shape.

Can anyone comment or make a recommendation on any of the above places? Would I just be better off sticking to Davao or Cebu? I hear that the golden age of Cebu is pretty much over due to the massive influx of foreigners and it is getting harder to meet regular women there. Thanks!

It depends (how's that for being definitive). If the issue is mostly women you can still meet them in Cebu City. If the issue is style/quality of life, since you might live there, then for me Manila and Cebu City are out. I actually like Cebu City but wouldn't live there.

You have clearly done your homework, since the other cities you listed are some of the most popular smaller cities.

I only spent a couple days in Davao but liked it. It's a place to have a nice life, not a place for nightlife. That said, you will not have problems meeting girls there. It's a safe city as well.

Dumaguete is the place I am leaning towards when I move to the Philippines. Lots of pluses and the only minus I see so far is too many foreigners moving there - so stay away

I have a couple friends in Iloilo and they like it, but again they are older retired types.

I am guessing you did not mean Tacloban, which was the site of the typhoon 2 years ago that pretty much destroyed the city. You might have meant Tagbilaran in Bohol. A nice city with all the basics. I didn't find it too exciting but I do really like Bohol in general.

Your best bet is to go to the Philippines and check some of these out and determine what style meets your needs. The women are everywhere, so I would pick the city or town first. Hell, you might even like the provinces better.

[Taco]

I hear that the golden age of Cebu is pretty much over due to the massive influx of foreigners and it is getting harder to meet regular women there. Thanks!

There's no truth to that statement. There's thousands of little villages all over Cebu that rarely see foreigners. If I had a dollar every time a Cebuano flirted with me I'd never have to work again. Its happens to me everyday. Half the time I don't even realize it because I'm not paying attention.

[firahs75]

I hear that the golden age of Cebu is pretty much over due to the massive influx of foreigners and it is getting harder to meet regular women there. Thanks!

If I had a dollar every time a Cebuano flirted with me I'd never have to work again. Its happens to me everyday.

Well, that certainly would be flattering too, but I was thinking about the girls (Cebuanas)

Seriously though, thanks guys for your input. I'm kind of leaning toward Davao; I know the bars close early but I am not really one to party in bars until the wee hours...as long as there are a couple of decent venues, I'll be satisfied. Although the recent kidnapping on Samal and the Airport bullet scandals are a bit worrying.

Davewe, any reason in particular that you wouldn't live in Cebu?

[Zambales]

Funny you should mention this OP as I'm also going to the Phils at the end of the month too, mainly to have a well deserved break but also to check out the talent as well. Just after I booked my ticket I decided to have a look on the dating sites. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, as I had been on them twice since splitting with my Filipina ex some 18 months before, and it was a disappointing experience to say the least.

However, I signed up to Filipino Cupid last month and it was very positive. Bear in mind, I'm quite choosy with who I date. Slutty and aloof types and the ones with sob stories and request for money are ignored. At the end of the first week I had around half a dozen dates lined up with girls who I thought were decent enough and most of them lived in the area's I was going too - Palawan, Cebu & Metro Manila.

What I'm trying to say is - why not plan a schedule around potential dates?

As for those cities you mentioned, I can only comment on Dumaguete & Bacolod but only as places.

Are you just looking for company and a bit of fun while you're there or are you looking for a serious relationship?

[Balmung]

I'm now in a relationship with a Filipina, and I visited her this summer in Bacolod. Now, I didn't exactly choose Bacolod- I met her online, so I was just going to where she was. Still, I found the city very pleasant, and the local people friendly. Plenty of hot women, and some of them were flirting with me. (I was with my girlfriend, so of course I didn't follow up, but I got the sense I could have met quality women easily.) Western food and modern conveniences are easy to find. There are few tourist sights in town, but you can entertain yourself at the movies, malls, bowling, all that stuff. There is a little nightlife, but it's certainly not a party town. The beer is cheap and good. Note that haven't spent any time in Manila or Cebu (other than passing through NAIA), but compared to other large Asian cities, it's a gem. I'd say it's in the top 3 cities of where I'd live in Southeast Asia: Bacolod, Chiang Mai, and Da Nang. (Which is best depends on which country you want to live in.) I also spent 2 days in Iloilo, and that seems really nice too, and worth considering.

Note that in Bacolod you may be the only Westerner there under the age of 50. (Lol, depends on if I'm in town.) I saw about 4 older retired guys (in a city of 500k), and I'm in my mid 30's and saw no one my age or younger. You'll certainly have novelty value. If you're decent, show respect, have solid social skills, are easy going, and can adapt to local culture, you'll be a hit with the women there.

[Zambales]

Forgot to mention Siquijor. It's an island not a city but it's roughly only an hour's boat ride from Dumaguete. You could kill two birds with one stone in that sense. The women from Siquijor are top notch apparently.

Flights to Dumaguete go from both Manila and Cebu and there are ferries from the latter which take about 4 hours.

[davewe]

I hear that the golden age of Cebu is pretty much over due to the massive influx of foreigners and it is getting harder to meet regular women there. Thanks!

If I had a dollar every time a Cebuano flirted with me I'd never have to work again. Its happens to me everyday.

Well, that certainly would be flattering too, but I was thinking about the girls (Cebuanas)

Seriously though, thanks guys for your input. I'm kind of leaning toward Davao; I know the bars close early but I am not really one to party in bars until the wee hours...as long as there are a couple of decent venues, I'll be satisfied. Although the recent kidnapping on Samal and the Airport bullet scandals are a bit worrying.

Davewe, any reason in particular that you wouldn't live in Cebu?

You have to distinguish between Cebu (the island and province) and Cebu City. Cebu City is polluted, the traffic is terrible. It's just too crowded for me. But as Taco said there are many towns in Cebu Province that are wonderful.

[Taco]

I hear that the golden age of Cebu is pretty much over due to the massive influx of foreigners and it is getting harder to meet regular women there. Thanks!

If I had a dollar every time a Cebuano flirted with me I'd never have to work again. Its happens to me everyday.

Well, that certainly would be flattering too, but I was thinking about the girls (Cebuanas)

Seriously though, thanks guys for your input. I'm kind of leaning toward Davao; I know the bars close early but I am not really one to party in bars until the wee hours...as long as there are a couple of decent venues, I'll be satisfied. Although the recent kidnapping on Samal and the Airport bullet scandals are a bit worrying.

Davewe, any reason in particular that you wouldn't live in Cebu?

You have to distinguish between Cebu (the island and province) and Cebu City. Cebu City is polluted, the traffic is terrible. It's just too crowded for me. But as Taco said there are many towns in Cebu Province that are wonderful.

It doesn't matter where you go in Cebu province to meet women. I have women waving, staring and smiling at me in Cebu City too. If it takes you longer than 10 minutes to find a new girlfriend any where in Cebu your doing something wrong.

The dividing line in Cebu seems to the type of job the Filipina has. The women that flirt wit me the most are poor and work in stores that are not air conditioned. Although I've had my share of admirers that work in malls and department stores. The women that work in hospitals, banks, airports have a higher paying gig and won't even look at you.

[Taco]

I hear that the golden age of Cebu is pretty much over due to the massive influx of foreigners and it is getting harder to meet regular women there. Thanks!

If I had a dollar every time a Cebuano flirted with me I'd never have to work again. Its happens to me everyday.

Well, that certainly would be flattering too, but I was thinking about the girls (Cebuanas)

Seriously though, thanks guys for your input. I'm kind of leaning toward Davao; I know the bars close early but I am not really one to party in bars until the wee hours...as long as there are a couple of decent venues, I'll be satisfied. Although the recent kidnapping on Samal and the Airport bullet scandals are a bit worrying.

Davewe, any reason in particular that you wouldn't live in Cebu?

You have to distinguish between Cebu (the island and province) and Cebu City. Cebu City is polluted, the traffic is terrible. It's just too crowded for me. But as Taco said there are many towns in Cebu Province that are wonderful.

It doesn't matter where you go in Cebu province to meet women. I have women waving, staring and smiling at me in Cebu City too. If it takes you longer than 10 minutes to find a new girlfriend any where in Cebu your doing something wrong.

The dividing line in Cebu seems to the type of job the Filipina has. The women that flirt wit me the most are poor and work in stores that are not air conditioned. Although I've had my share of admirers that work in malls and department stores. The women that work in schools, hospitals, banks, airports have a higher paying gig and won't even look at you.

[firahs75]

Funny you should mention this OP as I'm also going to the Phils at the end of the month too, mainly to have a well deserved break but also to check out the talent as well. Just after I booked my ticket I decided to have a look on the dating sites. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, as I had been on them twice since splitting with my Filipina ex some 18 months before, and it was a disappointing experience to say the least.

However, I signed up to Filipino Cupid last month and it was very positive. Bear in mind, I'm quite choosy with who I date. Slutty and aloof types and the ones with sob stories and request for money are ignored. At the end of the first week I had around half a dozen dates lined up with girls who I thought were decent enough and most of them lived in the area's I was going too - Palawan, Cebu & Metro Manila.

What I'm trying to say is - why not plan a schedule around potential dates?

As for those cities you mentioned, I can only comment on Dumaguete & Bacolod but only as places.

Are you just looking for company and a bit of fun while you're there or are you looking for a serious relationship?

I'm looking for a serious relationship. I have been working toward this plan of getting to Phil to possibly live for the better part of the year, during which time I have been active on Asiandating, Filipino cupid, and DIA. My experience on these sites has not been positive and I can only hope that the women there are not representative of Filipinas overall. It seems like maybe 1 in 20 filipinas online, if that, are genuine.

The 40% stat that Taco mentioned is very sobering (only 40% of Fiipinas really love their foreign husbands). It doesn't seem limited to Kanos either--one girl i got involved with online who worked in a factory in Taiwan told me that around 50% of the married Filipinas living in her dorm either cheated on their (Pinoy) husbands back home or left their families altogether (even if they had kids) for their new boyfriends (pinoy guys living in the male dorms who worked at the same factory).

I know that women are women no matter where you go, and as such they are fundamentally untrustworthy and unreliable (especially if you are not around)....but based on my observations, it seems that if you find a good Pinay, you have really struck gold....the trick is finding a good one i guess

[firahs75]

I'm now in a relationship with a Filipina, and I visited her this summer in Bacolod. Now, I didn't exactly choose Bacolod- I met her online, so I was just going to where she was. Still, I found the city very pleasant, and the local people friendly. Plenty of hot women, and some of them were flirting with me. (I was with my girlfriend, so of course I didn't follow up, but I got the sense I could have met quality women easily.) Western food and modern conveniences are easy to find. There are few tourist sights in town, but you can entertain yourself at the movies, malls, bowling, all that stuff. There is a little nightlife, but it's certainly not a party town. The beer is cheap and good. Note that haven't spent any time in Manila or Cebu (other than passing through NAIA), but compared to other large Asian cities, it's a gem. I'd say it's in the top 3 cities of where I'd live in Southeast Asia: Bacolod, Chiang Mai, and Da Nang. (Which is best depends on which country you want to live in.) I also spent 2 days in Iloilo, and that seems really nice too, and worth considering.

Note that in Bacolod you may be the only Westerner there under the age of 50. (Lol, depends on if I'm in town.) I saw about 4 older retired guys (in a city of 500k), and I'm in my mid 30's and saw no one my age or younger. You'll certainly have novelty value. If you're decent, show respect, have solid social skills, are easy going, and can adapt to local culture, you'll be a hit with the women there.

Would love to spend time long-term in Da Nang but too bad the visa situation sucks. I find Vietnamese women to be exquisite looking, though some can have kind of weird or aggressive personalities. I spent a year in Phnom Penh and it pretty much sucks for a single male--there are only three types of girls in Cambo: virgins, wives, and hookers (not necessarily in that order )

At any rate, I am really interested in Bacolod and Dumaguete, but my main concern is having reliable internet that will enable me to dial in to my work meetings, connect to my company server, and enable me to have video chats with clients. Is it possible to get really reliable internet in either city? I would not be opposed to paying for two ISP's and having a pocket wifi for backup--reliable internet is of paramount importance for my job. It just blows my mind that internet is such a hassle in Phil when I was able to get cable internet at my apt in Cambodia ($60/month) that was almost as fast and every bit as reliable as here in the USA.

Anyways, I have been told that many of the national beauty pageant winners hail from Bacolod, Just searching profiles on FC and DIA for girls living in Bacolod is yields some nice results. The girl i was most heavily involved with and emotionally attached to online (met her on DIA) was a 32 yo single mom from Bacolod who was very pretty and smart with a Uni education and a decent job....alas, she turned out to be a liar and gold-digger wasted 3 months of my life and emotional energy.

One common thread I have found in Flilipinas online is that they all lie...sometimes they are very clever and sometimes it is so stupid it is laughable....but all, when caught in the lie and confronted with irrefutable evidence will just deny it until they are blue in the face....Gosh the lies are really something else

[firahs75]

[/quote]
The dividing line in Cebu seems to the type of job the Filipina has. The women that flirt wit me the most are poor and work in stores that are not air conditioned. Although I've had my share of admirers that work in malls and department stores. The women that work in schools, hospitals, banks, airports have a higher paying gig and won't even look at you.[/quote]

I read this post on another forum and its pretty germane to the point you made:

Truth is, Filipinas of any stripe don’t really like foreigners–-they vastly prefer their own kind. The lower-class ones go with us only out of necessity, which is why they also have the Pinoys-–losers though they may be–on the side, for true romance. The middle- and upper-class ones don’t need our money and despise us because to them we are all ‘mongers’. So great is the social stigma that they are ashamed to even be seen talking to us lest they be branded a ‘prostitute’. That is why one gets the ‘b*tch shields’ and cold-shoulders treatment from them. So we have two factors working against us–-the stigmatization, and the fact that most aren’t interested in us to begin with, stereotypes or not.

Unfortunately, though they tend to be much more moral–honest, loyal, devoted and trustworthy than their impoverished sisters, the upper socioeconomic classes are largely inaccessible to foreigners. Only under-30s, fit, good-looking guys with real money who seem like they have their s#1t together have a chance, and even then it takes time, effort and money to penetrate their social circles.

[HappyX10]

Firahs75, have you ever been to the Philippines? Your generalizations are so off kilter I don't know where to start. If you want upwardly mobile females stay where you are. No country..BAR NONE... embraces western culture like the Philippines. "Filipinas of any stripe don't like foreigners"???? Yeah you are absolutely right!!! They hate foreigners, don't come. All they need is more over inflated wankers who couldn't hack it where they came from to pollute their country.

[Taco]

The dividing line in Cebu seems to the type of job the Filipina has. The women that flirt wit me the most are poor and work in stores that are not air conditioned. Although I've had my share of admirers that work in malls and department stores. The women that work in schools, hospitals, banks, airports have a higher paying gig and won't even look at you.[/quote]

I read this post on another forum and its pretty germane to the point you made:

Truth is, Filipinas of any stripe don’t really like foreigners–-they vastly prefer their own kind. The lower-class ones go with us only out of necessity, which is why they also have the Pinoys-–losers though they may be–on the side, for true romance. The middle- and upper-class ones don’t need our money and despise us because to them we are all ‘mongers’. So great is the social stigma that they are ashamed to even be seen talking to us lest they be branded a ‘prostitute’. That is why one gets the ‘b*tch shields’ and cold-shoulders treatment from them. So we have two factors working against us–-the stigmatization, and the fact that most aren’t interested in us to begin with, stereotypes or not.

Unfortunately, though they tend to be much more moral–honest, loyal, devoted and trustworthy than their impoverished sisters, the upper socioeconomic classes are largely inaccessible to foreigners. Only under-30s, fit, good-looking guys with real money who seem like they have their s#1t together have a chance, and even then it takes time, effort and money to penetrate their social circles.[/quote]

I disagree. Having lived in Cebu for 3 years I can tell you there is no truth to this. Its safe to say Filipinas are addicted to foreign men. I have women throwing themselves at me every day.

Filipino culture does not produce a lot of responsible, emotionally mature men. In the same way, western countries do not produce a lot of responsible, emotionally mature women. It should come as no surprise that Filipino men and western women are totally incompatible and relationships between them do not last long.