| Photo by jeshoots on Unsplash
One of the blessings I’m grateful for, which came late in my life, is the choice of where to spend my time during the year. My wife and I spend the summer in our home in Upstate New York and the winter in a beach town along the Gulf of Thailand. When I tell people about our place in Thailand, they often ask why Thailand and not the Philippines. Although we have properties in the Philippines, my wife and I prefer to stay in Thailand part of the year. Thailand has superior infrastructure and a lower cost of living than the Philippines. We struggle with Thai, but we are not unfamiliar with Thai culture, having lived in the country before.
In our younger years, my wife and I lived and worked in Thailand in the late 70s, when the country was barely developed and was still largely agricultural. Bangkok’s skyline back then had few high-rise buildings, and the city offered few luxury hotels. A few miles outside the city center were still considered rural. The exchange rate of Philippine pesos to Thai baht was 1:3. The Philippines’ relative economic advantages were soon eroded by poor economic policies and government corruption under Marcos’s Martial Law government. That blight on the political history of the Philippines had repercussions through the decades that followed to this day.
I went back and worked again in Thailand during the 90s and saw how the country was overtaking the Philippines economically. By then, I was already established in the U.S. and working on an international project. I had firsthand experience working with several Thai and Philippine government agencies. Thailand had its own share of political challenges. I had the opportunity to witness the political upheavals in both countries, and yet one seems to prioritize national progress as an expression of national pride. For sure, there was corruption, but they never lost sight of better public works and governance to serve the people. The peso-to-baht exchange rate now is 3:1, with the Philippine economy trailing Thailand. Vietnam’s is poised to overtake the Philippines’.
This brings me back to my argument that Thailand has better national infrastructure, including roads, highways, a subway and elevated rail system, medical services, etc., than the Philippines has to offer. Culturally, Filipinos and Thais are similar. Both are family-centered, religious, respectful, hospitable, generous, helpful, and fun-loving. Although I could barely speak Thai, when I needed help, they were helpful and would sometimes go out of their way to look after me. Where we live, there is an abundance of foreigners, mostly Scandinavians and Europeans. The men are mostly married to local Thais. Some have become part of our social network.
Another advantage of living in Thailand is being somewhat spared from toxic politics and corruption that dominate the Philippine headlines. Some friends had advised me to ignore Philippine politics and mind only living out the rest of my days. It’s hard not to care or become indifferent to the plight of my homeland. Most Filipinos have grown indifferent to how the country is governed and the direction it’s taking. Not me. Although I’m settled in another country now, I still care. After all, it’s the land of my ancestors.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Fernando B. Perfas is an addiction specialist who has written several books and articles on the subject. He currently provides training and consulting services to various government and non-government drug treatment agencies regarding drug treatment and prevention approaches. He can be reached at fbperfas@gmail.com.
