My experience hiring drivers as a foreigner in the…

My experience hiring drivers as a foreigner in the Philippines

Hi everyone, I thought I'd share my experience hiring drivers in the Philippines. Most of what I learned came from mistakes, and most of those mistakes were mine. Just so you know up front, everything I went through was in Mindanao, so other regions may be different.

I really love going on golf trips when I need a break. Finding new courses is a hobby of mine, and I don't enjoy driving winding, poorly maintained roads myself, so I usually hire a driver. Cebu Pacific has weight limits and airports are loud and chaotic, so I prefer this to flying.

As far as I know, there are no big rental companies like Enterprise or Hertz outside Manila, so I go to the "Car & Driver [city name]" Facebook groups and post something like: "Looking for an SUV and driver to take me golfing at Del Monte in Bukidnon. Meals are on me. All-inclusive prices only, please."

That "all-inclusive" part really matters. Some people quote a price that looks super cheap at first and then nickel-and-dime you the whole trip. I learned that the hard way.

At first I thought it was smart to have a kind of trial period, letting a driver take me around the city for a day or two before giving him bigger jobs. It didn't work for me.

One driver was a real pro. He'd drop me at the course, nap in a hammock, and when I finished he'd take my bag, smile, and ask, "Did you have a good round, sir?" After about six months I had him drive my father too (my father also spends time in the Philippines) and kept giving him more work. I also paid whatever he asked. That was mistake number two. On top of that, I'm the type who doesn't back down when I feel I'm being treated unfairly, which didn't help.

Then we took a big trip to Dakak in Dapitan, where Jose Rizal was exiled. The deal was clear: 15,000 pesos for 3 days, which was generous by Mindanao standards (especially since it was before the oil crisis). The trip was a mess from the start. First, he began insisting the 15,000 was for one day. He held out for hours before we were supposed to leave, waiting for me to cave. I didn't. I told him, "Don't be ridiculous, even drivers in the US don't make 15,000 a day." I took him aside and said, "I want to keep working with you, but you have to stop doing this. You know the price, let's just go as we agreed." He said, "Yes, sir," and I hoped that was the end of it.

After that he kept asking for more gas money, so I said fine, but it would come out of the final payment. I took him and my caddie to dinner and paid for their hotel rooms. My understanding is that most people just have the driver sleep in the car, but I wanted to be generous. Then they kept asking for beer money. It was 200 pesos. When I said no, he said, "That's your obligation to us." The argument kept escalating until I said we could go to the barangay and let them decide whether he was being underpaid. Even if it happened again today, I'm not sure I'd give in. It wasn't about the money. I felt betrayed.

With another driver, I agreed on a price that was almost too cheap to make sense. Business was slow on the visa side, and honestly I shouldn't have hired a driver at all... but you live and learn. He was late picking up my partner at the airport, which made me mad, and then he had the nerve to demand an extra 1,000 pesos. I told him to get lost. He then sat in his car in front of my house for 4 hours, so I finally called the police.

The next driver I met was good, professional, and reasonably priced. But after three trips he suddenly hiked his rate. I didn't argue (arguing rarely does any good in this country). I just stopped calling him.

Now I put the terms in writing and have them sign it. It's exactly what I tell my clients: put the terms on paper before anything starts. What I've learned is that paying above the going rate rarely gets you better service, and being too stingy breeds resentment (obviously). Like most things in life, you have to find the sweet spot. It also helps that things are much better for me now than a year ago, so I don't have to choose based on price alone. Knowing which battles to pick helps a lot too. Looking back, honestly, ruining a trip over 200 pesos was dumb.