Manila - Post Report Question and Answers
Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
Making friends with locals is easy but curb expectations as they usually work way more hours and don’t have the funds to do a lot of extracurricular activities. - Jul 2024
Yes, it's easy to make friends with locals. - Jun 2024
Filipinos are warm and friendly and you can certainly befriend them. - Jun 2024
Locals not so much, but expats from all over the world. - Apr 2024
Yes. Again Filipinos speak English and they are very friendly. - Mar 2023
Filipinos are very friendly and Americans are viewed favorably, so we didn’t have problems in this regard. - Mar 2023
Filipinos are very friendly and pro-American. You might not make close local friends, but you will definitely have friendly neighbors. - May 2022
Yes, most locals are eager to hang out. There has been some anger to expats in times of Covid as many locals are very fearful of Covid and appreciate the restrictions as it makes them feel safe. Expats tend to want to follow health and safety guidelines yet still live their lives, which gives the perception that we are being careless about the virus. - Apr 2021
It is incredibly easy to make friends with locals. They are warm, funny, welcoming, and generally like foreigners of all kinds, especially Americans. However, due to some recent political issues and the growing number of Chinese workers, that has created some frictions, even with the large and longstanding Filipino-Chinese community here. I have seen it personally, especially in stores that cater to expats. The mainland Chinese who work here often do not learn sufficient English or Tagalog, and it has created some frustration with locals, combined with high-profile political issues like the South China Sea. - Oct 2020
Filipinos are generally very friendly. - Feb 2020
