Growing anti-foreigner sentiment
So I searched this sub for the topic, just to see. I was sure someone would be talking about it. Nobody is.
The Philippines used to be known as a place that welcomed foreigners with open arms. Does anyone else get the feeling that's been taken back, and now it's more like “come if you want, but do one thing wrong, give us one excuse, and you're out”?
It's starting to look like an organized purge, where they're doing everything they can to push out as many people as possible.
They're not just sweeping up predators, sex offenders and child molesters anymore. They grabbed someone who owed child support. Someone with a few small misdemeanors his own state barely cares about. The Philippines seems to care more than the state that charged him.
It really doesn't seem like they want foreigners here anymore.
The Philippines was never a place for perfect foreigners. It was where foreigners came who weren't appreciated back home — maybe they're ugly, maybe they're short, there are a million reasons — and then they came to the Philippines and started being appreciated. That's been the formula here for a long time.
It seems like the national government is trying to end that by any means necessary, and they're enforcing laws already on the books very strictly. Once that well runs dry, I wouldn't be surprised if new laws start getting passed.
I know, I know. You're one of the good ones. Let's come back to this post in a year and see how much things have escalated.
A purge? Bro, you spend way too much time online. It's not that bad out there...
A country that lets people stay 3 years (or whatever it is exactly) on a tourist visa usually isn't called “anti-foreigner.” Getting permanent residency isn't that hard either. Tourism is also 8–20% of GDP, depending on how you measure it. I think in terms of both government policy and general sentiment, the Philippines is very welcoming to foreigners.
This is what happens when you have thousands of TikTokers and YouTubers whose income depends on constantly churning out content and chasing views. To get views they make sensational videos with titles like “Live Like a King in Manila for $300,” selling an unrealistic picture of life in this country. That kind of content attracts trashy, entitled people who show up expecting to be treated like royalty, looking down on locals and treating the country like a cheap playground. Eventually locals get fed up with being stereotyped, exploited and disrespected, and the vicious cycle gets worse for everyone — even people who've lived here for years.
> They're not just sweeping up predators, sex offenders and child molesters anymore. They grabbed someone who owed child support. So you think people who come to third-world countries, get poor women pregnant and then leave without paying child support shouldn't face consequences? Deportation is the bare minimum. I'd rather see them in jail.
Same in Thailand. When things aren't going well = look for scapegoats.
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