Philippines tops for expat living

Asian Economic News, May 3, 1999

HONG KONG, April 27 Kyodo

Business people rank the Philippines as the best place in Asia for expatriate living, suggests a survey by a Hong Kong-based consultant firm. The Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. (PERC) conducted the annual survey of expatriate living conditions in 11 Asian economies. On an 11-point scale with zero representing the best and 10 indicating the worst, the Philippines ranked first, receiving a total score of 3.35. Singapore came second with 3.55 while Japan and Malaysia tied with 4.14. Hong Kong followed with a score of 4.35. PERC sent questionnaires to foreign business people throughout the world asking them to rate the Asian economies in terms of health care, housing, education, sports and recreational, nightlife, cultural compatibility and safety. Answers were returned by 479 respondents. The Philippines came out the winner, with high scores for housing, nightlife and culture. However, relatively low rankings were recorded in the fields of health care and safety. In the same survey last year, the Philippines only ranked eighth with a total score of 5.19. PERC attributed the improvement to the people's friendliness toward foreigners as well as their generally high English-language ability. Many expatriates were also happy with the country's lifestyle. Last year's No.1 Singapore suffered this year due to a perceived lack of sports facilities and limited forms of entertainment, yet it rated highly for cleanliness and safety. Hong Kong was generally seen as being expensive and polluted, though its economic opportunities were widely appreciated.