Moving to the Philippines

The Philippines is an archipelago with 7,107 islands and the longest coastline in the world. It has three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The Philippine economy ranks 47th in the world and is driven by a flourishing information technology industry, abundant agricultural harvests and robust dollar reserves generated by overseas Filipino workers who account for about 10 percent of the nation's GDP. An emergent business process outsourcing sector has shown great promise and resiliency to the global financial crisis while fetching about USD $6 billion in revenues or about 3.6% of the GDP. Expats who have invested in this sector have been impressed by the Filipinos' outstanding performance. The United States remains the Philippines' largest investor with around USD $6.7 billion in total direct investments, including a trading partnership with the Philippine's electronics-dominated merchandise exports industry.

The country is a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, American, Spanish, Japanese and Arab influences due to its rich aboriginal and colonial history. This makes it easier for expats to blend in with locals, who are noted to be hospitable and welcoming to foreigners. Filipinos are also well known for being pious, religious and English-proficient in the modern society. At least 92% of the population is Catholic, making the Philippines the only Catholic nation in Asia. The remainder comprises Muslims, Buddhists or smaller Christian denominations scattered across the country.

The Philippines' archipelagic structure has given rise to over a hundred dialects spoken from Luzon to Mindanao. Filipino or Tagalog is considered the national language, while English remains the main language used for business.

Foreign tourists are often impressed by the Philippines' rich cultural heritage, but one thing that draws expats to stay for good are nature's magnificent offerings abundant in this country. Its beaches sparkle with fine white sand and its waters are serene, but spirited. One can take a dip in Boracay, Puerto Galera or Panglao in Bohol or simply marvel at the rainbow-colored fish and marine life of Palawan's Tubbatha reef, a Unesco heritage site. Historic shipwrecks dating from colonial Philippines, including the Japanese luxury liner, Oryoku Maru and the 19th century Spanish gunboat, San Quintin, will take any scuba diver’s breath away. More adventure still awaits those who want to swim with whales and transient whale sharks in Donsol, Sorsogon.

The Philippines, also known as Republic of the Philippines, is a presidential unitary form of government divided into three main branches: the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary. The Executive branch consists of the President elected for a six-year-term as head-of-state and commander-in-chief while the Legislative branch is composed of The Senate and The House of Representatives. The Judiciary branch consists of a President-appointed Chief Justice who heads fourteen Associate Justices also appointed by the Executive officer as nominated by the Judicial and Bar Council. For over ten years, this structure in government has been challenged repeatedly to make way for a federal or parliamentary government. However, no such attempts have been successful so far.

The Philippine government is known for its active pursuit of healthy international ties that pave the way for the protection of foreigners when they come to live in the Philippines.