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They say the Philippines is different in the provinces. Where should I go?

I've been to Cebu and Manila, and both felt like big cities with a Western mindset. I've heard life in the provinces is completely different. People also told me folks in the provinces are much nicer and less opportunistic. But I just don't know where to start. The Philippines is so big that finding a starting point and provinces worth visiting feels like a puzzle. I'd love some ideas on how to plan the trip. I want to experience the real Philippines. Thanks in advance

With expats here from all over the world, what are the best shows, series or movies from your home country (not America) that most of us have probably never come across? Sorry, America (my country), your shows are already everywhere.

I'm not Aussie, but I nominate the series "Mr Inbetween" and the film "Animal Kingdom."

(This breaks my own rule, but) there's a pretty solid American show filmed entirely in Cebu: "Almost Paradise."

Girlfriend warns boyfriend not to reverse recklessly

We all know the usual Filipino dishes and cooking. Any suggestions for more interesting Asian or American recipes using ingredients you can buy at Philippine markets? So far I've made fruit salad and cucumber salad.

Is GEHA good insurance to have while living in the Philippines? What about Blue Cross Blue Shield?

Apex predator

Why do so many guys lose their way in Asia?

So many guys I've met turned into nomad zombies, drinking and partying, complaining about prices or thinking they're master daters, and losing their way in Asia. Then they waste their 20s with no business plan and no passive income.

A question about extending a tourist visa online

Hello,

I'd like to ask whether I can extend my tourist visa online.

I first came to the Philippines in August, and on September 17th I extended my stay by going to the Bureau of Immigration office together with the school I was attending.

My current extension runs out soon, in October. Can I apply for the next extension online, or do I have to go to the immigration office again?

Thanks for your help.

Our vet knew what the assignment was.

Has anyone here ordered stuff from AliExpress? It seems more like a retailer than a wholesaler like Alibaba. Are they reliable???

Sharing this for everyone it applies to!

This kind of opportunity comes around only once in a lifetime.

I've gone to the Philippines six times for my girlfriend, but we've met only once in two years. Am I wasting my time

I'm posting this because I've been dealing with this situation for a while and I genuinely want some outside opinions.

I'm 27 and she's 23. We met on Tinder in 2024 and have been talking for about two years. In that time I've gone to the Philippines six times, but we've met in person only once. Even when we finally met, she wouldn't let me hug or even touch her.

I've been staying in the Philippines since May, and we haven't seen each other once this whole time. She gives me a date to meet, but as the day gets close something always comes up and she cancels. And somehow, when I question it, things get turned around as if I'm the one who did something wrong.

Our communication has gotten really bad too. Sometimes she suddenly disappears or barely talks. I once reached out to her cousin just to understand what was going on, but whenever I do, she immediately contacts me and tells me not to message her family.

Over the past two years I've also helped her financially with tuition, rent, flowers and other expenses. I did it because I cared about her and thought we were building a real relationship.

But now I'm questioning everything. I've crossed the world several times, I'm literally in the Philippines right now, and somehow we still can't meet. After two years I still barely know her family, and I don't feel like I'm part of her life.

I know relationships, especially long-distance ones, can be complicated. But I'm starting to wonder if I've been ignoring obvious red flags because I wanted this to work.

I'm curious what others think. Does this sound like someone who really wants a relationship, or does it sound like I'm being used and wasting my time?

Heads-up for everyone in the Philippines. If your internet has been sluggish since yesterday, especially if you've set a custom DNS to Cloudflare or are using your ISP's default DNS, it's probably the issue below.

I noticed the degraded stats on my pfSense box. I switched both to Google DNS, 8.8.8.8 as primary and 8.8.4.4 as secondary, and it's been perfectly fine since.

Ate a 600-calorie McGriddle and won a one-year fitness membership pass

Do foreign wives really leave their American husbands that often?

Renewing a UK passport online... easy or not?

Anyone done it recently?

Getting too absorbed in work

Does anyone personally know someone who's been deported?

If so, is it true you get locked up in a horrible, overcrowded, prison-like room?

What happens if you get arrested by the Bureau of Immigration

With the viral arrest of Dr. Patrick Ndukwuegbulam Obison after a shouting match with a local woman at a mall in Angeles City, I thought it'd be a good time to talk about what rights foreigners have when detained by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

On paper:

The Supreme Court has ruled that foreigners do have a right to due process in deportation cases. In Qua Chee Gan v. Deportation Board (G.R. No. L-10280, September 30, 1963), the Court held that a foreigner must be told the charges, given time to prepare a defense, and allowed to be heard, either personally or through a lawyer. The BI's Board of Commissioners has to give you that hearing before issuing a deportation order. That's due process.

In real life:

Once you're arrested, you rot in the 'Manila Hilton.' The BI detention facility in Bicutan was built to hold a little over 100 people. In 2023, then-Commissioner Norman Tansingco said it was holding 276.

Foreigners charged with a crime can get bail just like Filipinos. But BI detention isn't a criminal case, so that right doesn't apply. In Harvey v. Defensor-Santiago (G.R. No. 82544, June 28, 1988), the Supreme Court ruled that deportation is an administrative process, not a criminal one, and that bail is at the Commissioner's discretion, not a right. That means foreigners can rot in detention for months waiting for their hearing. Meanwhile, if you stop paying rent, your landlord can come after you and your belongings for what you owe. Honestly, I get cranky after just a few hours without air con, so that alone is reason enough for me to behave.

The 'undesirable alien' rule gives the BI very broad discretion to remove a foreigner. So even if you put up a defense that would win in any court, the BI doesn't need a criminal conviction. If they decide they'd rather not have you around, that meets the legal bar for removal.

If the BI ever issued a mission order against me, I'd probably ask for voluntary departure rather than sit in Bicutan. Just know that it usually still means getting blacklisted. If you have strong ties here, I strongly recommend hiring a competent immigration lawyer. Fees vary a lot, so get quotes from a few. Even with a good lawyer, don't expect your case to be resolved quickly.

The part that stings is that if this had been between two Filipinos, it would have just ended at a barangay hall settlement with an apology and maybe a small sum of money changing hands. Unfortunately for Mr. Obison, even if he eventually wins his case, he'll wish he'd never gotten into that argument.