The Philippines has big cities, isolated hamlets and everything in between. It also has many coastal resorts. The country has more than 7,000 islands, so it shouldn't be hard to find one that�s right for you. Living costs vary widely, with Manila being at the top of the list. But no matter where you are, the cost of living will be dramatically lower than a comparable area in a western nation.

Ortigas Center, Manila

Metro Manila has a population of more than
10 million and is the country business and political hub.

It also has congestion and pollution -- probably more of those things than most retirees would care for. But it also has urban energy and excitement, and if you thrive on that, Manila might be for you.

I live in Cebu, the country second largest city, where the mountains meet the sea. With a population of about 600,000, .00 much smaller than Manila, but there is no shortage of culture, education, dining and entertaining choices. We even have giant malls.

A view of Cebu's Tops at night

There are many other smaller cities where
the costof living is even cheaper, such as Davao
and General Santos City on the island of Mindanao.

Central Luzon Island, which is targeted for massive business investment, also has fine places to live and vacation.

A popular tourist some foreigner never get out of, really a resort island but a home to many is Boracay, a beautiful white sand beach with many reasonable price hotels and resorts of world class standards. Scuba diving reigns supreme as it does in many places including Maoboal, Cebu Island in the south. Puerto Gallera is also a hot tourist destination for sand and water, even cheaper and with a fine character too. Subic Bay, near the Olongapo Free Port Zone has beautiful resorts though not as many as it did when the US Navy had a facility there. And now, it is much more family oriented. Angeles City, where Clark Air Force Base was until Mt. Pinatubo blew up in 1991, is still full of night life, in the Balibago section, with more bar girls and dancers per capita than any place in the Philippines.

Cebu Fuentes Osmeña

They have spread over in to the next barangay
jurisdiction Mabalakat also full of bars dancers and bar girls.

These are commercial sex workers, licensed by the government so they can be subjected to health inspections for everything from TB to AIDS. But at the same time, prostitutes and prostitution are many places, as in every nation in the world, is illegal.

The prostitutes and bar girls, synonymous, are sometimes arrested and prosecuted as are owners who have nude and topless shows also illegal in this country.

Prostitution will continue to flourish in the Philippines and other developing countries as long as there is abject poverty. But because of the strong moral and Catholic culture, I believe only a small income will keep many from engaging in this practice they, their families and their religions find repulsive, immoral, degrading and not the least, dangerous to the individual's and the nations health.

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