Why Men Move To the Philippines

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:01]All right, we're back with uh John from the John and Marilyn couple we met at Cataclan from Canada. You've got three kids. You moved in the Roas here. Hello, Laura. What's the matter? It won't start for you.

[00:00:14]>> Okay.

[00:00:15]>> Your magic start.

[00:00:16]>> Two YouTubers talking to the channel.

[00:00:20]>> Yeah, let's play.

[00:00:22]>> Yeah. No, we got the house just getting that all kind of set up and got the kids started in school. Of course, we bought ourselves what looks like a Filipino school bus, >> which is kind of ironic cuz I drove the school bus back in Ontario in Canada.

[00:00:38]>> But yeah, no, it seems to do what we wanted to do. Like I said, it'll go 100 km, they say, on a single charge. We'll see how that fars out. But to do 42 km an hour, >> so how long it'll take to charge?

[00:00:52]>> Takes about 6 hours to charge.

[00:00:53]>> 6 hours to charge.

[00:00:55]>> That's not too bad. Just plug it in overnight. What kind of batteries does it have?

[00:00:59]>> This one has lithium ion.

[00:01:00]>> Lithium ion.

[00:01:01]>> This one's got This one's got 42 amp hours of lithium ion batteries and it's got five banks of batteries in it.

[00:01:11]So, the battery should drain right down to like the last 5% before you really get an entrance in performance. That's probably why you get the 100 km to a charge out of it. the lead acid ones, you probably wouldn't go as far because as that battery hits 50% it just >> Yeah. and it shuts off. So, >> at least this one lithium ion. Uh it's Mogi.

[00:01:34]>> So, Mogi is uh becoming a more popular brand here in the Philippines.

[00:01:39]>> Wait, I know.

[00:01:41]>> Like I said, so far we we're happy with it. We only had it two days, but >> still got plastic on.

[00:01:50]Show me the storage.

[00:01:51]>> I get I've got lots of feet that jump all over it. So that plastic might stay on.

[00:01:56]>> So your kids can fit all their book bags in there.

[00:01:58]>> Oh, everything can fit in there.

[00:01:59]>> All the groceries.

[00:02:01]>> Yeah. I want to get a roof rack for it.

[00:02:03]I was looking at roof racks. And then it's got this thing on the back, the footrest, but you can also use it.

[00:02:08]>> Now, you know how they overload everything here in the Philippines. What is How What is the maximum weight supposed to be?

[00:02:14]>> 500 kilos on this one.

[00:02:16]>> 500 kilos?

[00:02:17]>> Yeah. Which is good cuz I take up a fair portion of that 500 myself. So, yeah. No, it's uh it's fairly robust.

[00:02:26]>> So, it's got a 1500 watt motor in it. A lot of the ones out there were like 500 or 800. This one's 1500. So, if you get into some hilly areas or whatnot, >> Yeah.

[00:02:36]>> it'll go up. It's got high, medium, and low speeds on it.

[00:02:41]>> All right. So, uh can I ask how much?

[00:02:44]Uh, this one was uh 118,000 pesos which translated into like 2,600 Canadian dollars.

[00:02:51]>> It's almost an O-ring.

[00:02:53]>> Almost an question that comes up in my mind. The tough one is going to be the electric bill. What's it doing for your electric bill?

[00:03:02]>> I don't know. I've only charged it once so far. All right.

[00:03:05]>> But we'll see in time. See how it goes.

[00:03:08]I I can't see it being >> too crazy. I mean, I've got lithium batteries I charge back in Canada all the time. And for my trolling motors and stuff, >> I never noticed a a difference in my bill.

[00:03:21]>> That was a 100 amp hour battery that I had. This is 42 amp hours. So, I can't see it being >> too much. Pretty cool. Well, you know what? 2 or 3 months, I'll ask you again.

[00:03:35]I'll meet you here.

[00:03:36]>> How's it holding up? And how >> how's your electric bill? And then how's how's she running?

[00:03:43]>> Yeah. The thing that's going to kill the electric bill is the two air conditioners we installed.

[00:03:47]>> Oh, yeah. Well, I just talked to a guy in Iloilo that's running three.

[00:03:51]>> And I think he said he's a little over 7,000 a month.

[00:03:54]>> Yeah.

[00:03:55]>> With three. So maybe if this this isn't going to burn as much as an air conditioner. So yeah, maybe it'll be around Maybe it'll be around 6,000.

[00:04:02]>> Well, see, and the air conditioners that the splits that we put in, they're dual inverter.

[00:04:06]>> Yeah. So, I mean, these dual inverter systems use a heck of a lot less hydro.

[00:04:11]>> It's going to depend on your house, too.

[00:04:12]How how it's insulated and stuff like that. How often you actually use it, if you're using it 24/7, >> how often the kids leave the door open.

[00:04:19]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of variables.

[00:04:22]>> Three kids in and out the door.

[00:04:24]>> Yeah. Exactly. But, you know, people want to know and more and more people are raising kids here in the Philippines.

[00:04:29]>> Yeah.

[00:04:29]>> So, uh what made you decide to move your family to the Philippines? You've enrolled them in the school here. You know, we moved into the house a week ago, a week ago today.

[00:04:42]And in that week, basically what I thought was going to happen is happening to me. The kids are outside on the street playing basketball, playing with toys. They're outside running around and playing. And they're all the other Filipino mothers in the area. If they're thirsty, they they give them drinks, they feed them. They come to our house, we give them drinks, we feed them. The way it was like when I grew up in Canada, everybody just cherished children here.

[00:05:08]>> You just went in and out of everybody's door. It was just you never locked your door. And there was five kids in my family. Our door was just always open, close, open, close, open, close. And you'd be sitting eating dinner and somebody would just walk in. Some kid from the neighbor come walk in and sit down at the table and join in for dinner. That's the way it is here. And that's what I missed when I was growing up in Canada when it was like that. It was great. It was a great way to grow up.

[00:05:33]>> Exactly. I I like to say that it's very similar to what the United States was in the '8s.

[00:05:38]>> Well, I think there's just not as many like with the whole boomer generation and everything and the age of Canada, there's not as many kids >> and it doesn't flow like that there where here there's so many kids.

[00:05:48]>> Yeah. The more youth orientated.

[00:05:51]>> Yeah. There's a lot of people in their 30s and 40s and they have bigger families and they're in your neighborhood and the kids just go and it's just that mentality like we had when we were younger and yeah I'm like if I could give that to my kids I I'd like to do that >> and I I I in a situation >> I think maybe that's one of the reason why we've got such a problem with narcissism and sociopathy in the west is because the family size is so small.

[00:06:16]We've got a lot of little princlings, you know, the only children. They think the world revolves around them, you know.

[00:06:23]>> You know, you can definitely you can definitely feel a difference, >> you know, between the two countries.

[00:06:32]What a time for an interview. Like a parade.

[00:06:43]Their radio is louder than mine. Okay, so John was just telling me about their new electric uh kind of like a a big golf cart but better. And it it's likeund 105,000. Did you say 106? What is it?

[00:06:58]>> 118.

[00:06:59]>> 118,000.

[00:07:01]Pretty good deal.

[00:07:05]>> People here.

[00:07:08]>> Yeah, you fit. It's a six-seater, but you can squ squeeze more than six people on there.

[00:07:14]>> All right. Uh we were talking about uh uh when the all the speakers came in here, tricycles wired up.

[00:07:21]Um it's a lot like when we grew up, when we were kids, the kids are getting more outdoor activities, less screen time. Um >> yeah, >> there there's other kids around. They're not princ, you know. Remember we used to have hockey, play ball hockey, car, and you'd move your your net up the street. I can't remember the last time I'd seen kids out in the street.

[00:07:41]>> Yep. moving a hawk as a car or getting together for like I drive by in my old neighborhood of Missaga. I drive by the the ball diamonds and we always you had to wait in line for a turn to play a ball game and the ball diamonds.

[00:07:54]>> The ball diamonds are all empty now.

[00:07:56]There's nobody in them.

[00:07:58]>> Yep.

[00:07:59]>> By here, no. The streets are full of kids. They're playing. They're doing what they're supposed to do. And they love it. And uh honestly, you you love it as a parent.

[00:08:09]>> Yep.

[00:08:10]You can see you can just see the the positive reaction that you can get from your children and you just I don't know just something just feels more full when it's like that and everybody gets together this time of day and you know everybody starts barbecuing and cooking and sharing it's wonderful. I got to say as an American, they grew up in a rural area.

[00:08:32]Philippines feels more like home than modern America does because a lot of our a lot of our our small towns are like ghost towns now.

[00:08:40]>> Something's changed.

[00:08:41]>> People moved to the city because the agriculture, small agriculture wasn't supported in America the the way it used to be. And uh when that happened, the communities broke down. People stopped having kids or maybe they only had one instead when they their parents had three or four, now maybe they're having one or none. Yeah.

[00:08:57]>> And and so you you can see it makes a difference.

[00:09:00]>> So >> yeah. No, the having babies and, you know, kind of having that more traditional type of family is >> it helps to have other people around that are doing the same thing so you can build community.

[00:09:11]>> Absolutely. Absolutely. Like-minded people, right? And like-minded situations. And >> yeah, I don't know. I guess maybe uh maybe I just couldn't change with the times >> exactly.

[00:09:24]>> Maybe I'm stuck in some old ways. Who knows what it is? But whatever it is about this place, it just feels right.

[00:09:29]>> Yeah, exactly. I know. I know exactly what you're saying. I I refuse to change in that way, too. So, >> and my wife and I, we always talk about just going with the flow. We always say go with the flow.

[00:09:39]>> So, when something feels right, >> go with it.

[00:09:42]>> We're just going with it. We try it out.

[00:09:44]I told her, I said, "The worst thing that can happen is it was a mistake. We shouldn't have done that. We go back home."

[00:09:49]>> Yeah.

[00:09:50]>> Still have our home back in Canada and our lives like Okay.

[00:09:54]>> All right, John. Thank you for those insights.

[00:09:57]>> All right, so I I'm asking John now. I thought of another really good question for John.

[00:10:01]>> Why Rojas? Why not Elo? Why not Kalibbo?

[00:10:05]Why not Seaboot? Why did you choose Ro?

[00:10:07]Why did you choose Panay Island and Roa City?

[00:10:10]>> Michael Smith.

[00:10:13]He was uh he sold me on the place because by with three young children, >> it would be very difficult for me to travel the Philippines >> and discover what he's already traveled and discovered and shared online.

[00:10:26]>> He's already done it.

[00:10:27]>> He's already done it. So, I've traveled the Philippines through YouTube watching him while my children at home are in their beds and in school.

[00:10:36]So, that's the the kind of the trade-off. Like I I it's so hard to just pack them up and move them when they got to be in school and you're disrupting their uh routine and oh my gosh, if you have kids, you know how important routine is. Yep.

[00:10:49]>> And bedtime and having their toys and their friends like it's so important. So >> it wasn't a possibility to come here and just start touring around for a couple years, >> but Mike did that and then he >> So that's a that's >> he he said all the different places he went to, he talked about prices, the culture, everything. And then he talked about Rojas City. But the fact that he's a Canadian, he's got a Canadian bar here called Canadian Beaver.

[00:11:12]>> I'm like, well, I get a little taste of home when I'm here.

[00:11:15]>> Yeah.

[00:11:15]>> And it's the only place in the Philippines, I think, that offers that.

[00:11:19]>> Yeah.

[00:11:20]>> So, that's important to me, too. So, you know, a lot of those little reasons that point us this way. I want to definitely be on a smaller island, not on like the mainland. And, you know, you're only a couple hour boat ride up to Brocky if you want to go for a weekend.

[00:11:33]>> Sure.

[00:11:34]>> Yep.

[00:11:35]>> Why not? And then it's not like overly populated with the tourists here and whatnot. It is raw Philippines.

[00:11:41]>> It's still got like a community look community feel.

[00:11:44]>> It's Filipino and my children are Filipino citizens and I want them to learn how to be Filipino as well.

[00:11:50]>> Exactly. So the language they do they >> Yeah. I want them to learn the native language on their mother's side and all the rest of it. and they said they are citizens and if they want to spend some time here or live here permanently someday it wouldn't be a bad idea to really know the real culture rather than some of these other >> that's Karen and I's thinking as well >> and you just gave a powerful powerful testimonial in favor of vlogging a lot of people that get a lot of negative flak about vlogging even Michael he gets his trolls in the comments too but you guys heard it here John in Marilyn benefited from Michael doing the footwork, doing the scouting, but it cost a lot of money and a lot of time.

[00:12:32]Most people can't do that.

[00:12:33]>> So, >> yeah. I I can't thank him enough for doing it, you know, and I I thank him all the time.

[00:12:40]>> Okay. So, Cat, you didn't have to break your house up with a hammer, huh?

[00:12:45]>> Oh, >> you didn't have to get the very big hammer.

[00:12:47]>> No, no, no, no. Not now.

[00:12:49]>> So, what happened?

[00:12:50]>> Uh, I don't know. I changed my mind.

[00:12:53]>> You changed your mind? They changed their mind, right? Yeah, cuz they changed their mind. So, I'm going to change my mind.

[00:12:59]>> So, you guys got a year. How long is the >> uh one year?

[00:13:02]>> So, you got a year extend extension?

[00:13:04]>> Yes. And it's good cuz we we can uh we can uh save money to build our house over there at the PBLO.

[00:13:15]>> Oh, okay.

[00:13:16]>> Yes. So, we're up on the mountain hill.

[00:13:19]>> Sounds amazing.

[00:13:20]>> Yes, we like that.

[00:13:21]>> Very much more peaceful.

[00:13:22]>> Yes, peaceful.

[00:13:23]>> See from the typhoon. We like the beach, but the problem here is the maintenance.

[00:13:29]Maintenance is very hard.

[00:13:30]>> Maintenance, salt spray, making all your your bikes rust, your >> Yes. Everything is rust.

[00:13:36]>> Bad for your wiring.

[00:13:37]>> Yeah, true. So, Mountain Hill is fine with me. You don't need to maintenance every day.

[00:13:43]>> Okay. Because I've been asking you about it, you and Michael, since uh we started the drama started when they said they were leasing it to someone else. So, they changed their mind.

[00:13:53]>> Yes, they changed. We we actually he talked to the owner, the landlord.

[00:13:57]>> Uh-huh.

[00:13:57]>> And then I told him that don't talk to the caretaker, just talk to the landlord.

[00:14:02]>> Talk directly to the landlord.

[00:14:03]>> Yes. Cuz we don't know uh I don't know if the landlord knows that the caretaker already, you know.

[00:14:11]>> So I told him just talk to the landlord.

[00:14:13]We don't need to talk to him to the caretaker cuz I don't trust that.

[00:14:17]>> Maybe some double dealing from the caretaker.

[00:14:19]>> Yes. But it's good. I'm happy cuz we're going to stay. We still have a a year to uh save money >> for the house.

[00:14:28]>> Thanks for keeping us updated.

[00:14:30]>> You're welcome.

[00:14:30]>> Well, the famous Canadian beaver burger is here. What do you think? Ready?

[00:14:36]>> We ordered three. I know you'll finish yours, right, Karen?

[00:14:40]>> In just one second.

[00:14:43]>> She's hungry.

[00:14:44]>> Yeah, she's she's after the baka. The ground baka. Are you right? You're married?

[00:14:49]>> Yeah.

[00:14:50]>> Okay. So, so you you I can see the baby bump now. I can I can I know what I'm looking for on her. So, I can She's very early yet. I can see it on on Karen as well.

[00:14:59]>> And God is the advisor.

[00:15:01]>> Yes, I'm the advisor.

[00:15:03]>> It's good. That's good. That's what part of the reason I bring you here so you can get good advice.

[00:15:08]>> And we have a half Irish uh baby.

[00:15:11]>> Yeah, it's going to be really guo is boy.

[00:15:14]>> It's going to be a half boy.

[00:15:16]>> I'm half Irish. Am I guavo?

[00:15:18]>> Wow. Yeah, of course. There's no ugly in this world.

[00:15:21]>> Oh, okay. So, thank you for that.

[00:15:25]>> Just ask Ren if she's happy.

[00:15:27]>> Yeah. Come on.

[00:15:29]>> How you been?

[00:15:30]>> Great. Great. Great. Um, just getting together with some awesome people here.

[00:15:34]We're we're forming community here, you know, and this is really awesome.

[00:15:38]>> It is.

[00:15:39]>> So, Karen's expecting now.

[00:15:42]>> Congratulations, brother.

[00:15:43]>> Thank you. And, um, Ronan's wife, Mary, is expecting. They're our best. They're our best friends right here. We're like family.

[00:15:52]>> This man, he's been going to work.

[00:15:54]>> Yeah.

[00:15:57]>> He's been doing it, man.

[00:15:59]>> We all get on.

[00:16:00]>> It's a family here, bro. We love it.

[00:16:02]>> We are good friends here. Everyone gets on his own life.

[00:16:07]>> So, Ronan, how long have you you lived up here now in Rojas? How? Total aggregate.

[00:16:12]>> Uh, November.

[00:16:13]>> Since November.

[00:16:14]>> Full time. Yeah. Have you decided you're going to live here in the Philippines full time?

[00:16:18]>> Oh, yes. Yes, that's my plan. Yeah.

[00:16:19]Yeah. I love the Philippines. This is my life now. Baby coming.

[00:16:25]>> I I can I'm the happiest man in there as the same. My Irish eyes are smiling.

[00:16:31]>> All right. So, pretty much the same thing from John. Pretty much the same thing from myself. It's uh something special about the Philippines.

[00:16:40]Oh, the life relaxing the people.

[00:16:46]>> What more can I say? Like >> you have everything here you want. It's a dream location to live. Easy life. I'm so happy.

[00:16:55]>> So, you're you're a farmer yourself back in your >> Yeah, I was an Irish farmer. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:17:00]Beef farmer.

[00:17:04]Don't get me wrong, I love Ireland. I never Ireland's always there, but No problem.

[00:17:10]>> This is my second island and I am so happy here.

[00:17:15]>> That's what I say about Philippines.

[00:17:16]It's like uh Filipino people remind me of Irish people so much. It's an island.

[00:17:21]It's Catholic island kind of >> very uh very just warm people and it's a it's green.

[00:17:29]>> It's all green year round.

[00:17:30]>> Yeah. It's much the same kind of people here as Irish. You know, friendly people always have time for each other.

[00:17:38]>> Yep.

[00:17:39]And now I think our wives are bonding.

[00:17:43]>> So our kids are going to be about the same age.

[00:17:45]>> Yeah.

[00:17:46]>> Pretty cool.

[00:17:48]>> Irish Filipino kids. Your yours is Yours is Irish Filipino. Mine is Irish American Filipino.

[00:17:55]>> Oh, I'm so happy. And you're so happy, I guess.

[00:17:59]>> Absolutely. So there you have it, guys.

[00:18:02]The Canadian Beaver Roa City. We got the Irish men and the Canadians and the Americans and the Filipinos making a future together. All right, we're going up to river and we're using tricycle and it's a little bit far but maybe 18 minutes from here.

[00:19:14]Are you doing any foot?

[00:19:16]>> Yeah.

[00:19:17]You keep I don't know if Jen's okay. She seems speechless. How you doing there, Jen?

[00:19:25]Yeah, I'm here.

[00:19:47]Black one black one.

[00:20:27]Heat. Heat.

[00:20:33]Heat.

[00:20:48]Heat.

[00:20:55]Heat.

[00:21:17]Heat.

[00:21:34]here somewhere.

[00:21:48]>> There.

[00:21:59]Guys, look at all the activity here.

[00:22:06]Bye-bye beach on one side on this side.

[00:22:32]I was wondering what we was doing. We're getting some gasolina.

[00:22:39]What do you think, Eric?

[00:22:42]>> That's good. You're unfaced.

[00:22:48]Nice Ford Ranger.

[00:22:52]>> It's not because you might see the gasoline.

[00:23:00]>> Gasoline is not dirty.

[00:23:01]>> Yeah.

[00:23:03]>> Oh, that why they're doing that. That's not a bad idea.

[00:23:09]We got to visually inspect their gasoline.

[00:23:14]Tip of the day from Queen Nico, guys.

[00:23:16]Always inspect your gasoline.

[00:23:23]>> Oh, let me get on my feet.

[00:23:26]>> Your baguya.

[00:23:30]All right.

[00:23:33]200 500.

[00:23:40]>> Oh, Lord. 500 200 same destination 200.

[00:23:58]>> These girls are tough. What happened?

[00:24:01]What happened?

[00:24:02]>> Because uh when we uh go there it's 200 this time. 250.

[00:24:07]>> 250.

[00:24:08]>> Oh yeah.

[00:24:10]I thought I heard 500 there.

[00:24:17]>> Always drama.

[00:24:29]>> So, how much does it cost to go back to uh Lee?

[00:24:33]>> 120 each person.

[00:24:35]>> 120 each.

[00:24:37]>> Three of some small view.

[00:24:42]>> So it costs more to ride the tricycle a couple of kilometers than it does to uh go all the way back to Betate.

[00:24:47]>> Yeah.

[00:24:48]>> From Yeah, >> that's the I know on the here is the people are if there's a foreigner there's a >> Sorry. Sorry. It's all my fault. I know.

[00:24:59]Explain that.

[00:25:00]>> Yeah, that's the ban we use from Roas.

[00:25:03]And we're here now in Alabas, guys. And we will use another bus going to our place. It's just like maybe 30 minutes from here or 40 minutes. It depends how fast our our serious bus. But it's really close on the guys.

[00:25:24]Not yet.

[00:25:27]Yeah, he dropped us here. So that's a good thing. There's a people still uh really helping us because earlier we were already late. We didn't uh catch a bus. So I saw the bus right there.

[00:25:46]There's a bit there's a there's a bus there.

[00:25:55]We're leaving now. Oh, there's a police there.

[00:26:00]Good. You fell asleep earlier.

[00:26:02]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:26:03]>> You're a good day.