Philippines and Singapore: Two different worlds

Iris Palma in Tips and Advices

Oct 03, 2019 • 4 min Read

Do you dream of visiting or working in Singapore? Let me help you know Singapore a bit.

Here are my random and shallow musings—a former Filipina expat in Singapore—on the differences between our bayang sinilangan and Singapore, the country that pampers. I compare the traits of locals, government services, transportation, food, safety, adventure, and happiness.

Which country fares better? Read my thoughts and take a guess.

• Singaporeans are proud people, they should be. The size of their small island country is inversely related to their sprawling national pride. This one small dot that is only 0.24 percent the size of the Philippines has a gross domestic product per capita of nearly US$65k compared to the Philippines’ US$3k. Filipinos, meanwhile, are also proud to flaunt their “Filipino-ness” but they usually poke fun at their country and their kababayans. Time to get serious, guys.

• There is an overflow of order in Singapore’s frontline government offices. There are queue numbers for each category of government service. It takes less of your valuable time to process applications in their air-conditioned (AC) waiting areas. Meanwhile back home, you spend at least one day waiting for your papers to get processed while waiting in makeshift waiting areas (unless the satellite office is in a mall) with big whirling industrial fans that mess up your hair. There seems to be queues now in government centers. It is a start.

• Traffic jams and traffic woes in Singapore are actually myths, circulated by impatient locals. The roads and public transport are dependable, reliable, and trustworthy that one gets to the office—and goes back home—at exactly the same number of minutes as the days before.  The trains and buses are interconnected. Honestly, no Singaporean should ever complain about their buses and trains. They should come to Manila and see what a traffic jam actually looks like. They should know about the EDSA phenomenon.

• Taxis or cabs in Singapore can be easily booked and drivers will give you your change down to the last centavo. In the Philippines, drivers will negotiate for a flat rate that is way above the metered rate and still ask for the change because they say “Wala po akong sukli” or “Unang sakay ko kayo.” Also, many taxis are like ovens, but drivers will insist the AC is turned on maximum. Better book a Grab, dearie.

• Food is an all-day pursuit both in Singapore and the Philippines. What I like about Singapore hawker centers are the many stalls that offer cheap food and drinks, and a myriad of Chinese, Malay, and Indian cuisines. So much to choose from and everything is just so shiok (tasty and delicious)! You can also look for “A” stalls that have been certified 85% hygienic by the government. On the other hand, our turu-turo and mobile canteens offer cheaper meals but Jollibee meals at fifty pesos are definitely cleaner.

• It is safe to walk any time of the day and night in Singapore. Pedestrian lanes are respected. And there are sidewalks! Wide sidewalks, people. Imagine that. Meanwhile, unless we are talking about business districts, sidewalks in the Philippines’s rural and sub-urban areas are either non-existent or occupied by Mang Greg’s vulcanizing shop and Aling Romana’s sari-sari store.

• Singapore offers green parks and short adventures all over the island, such as the Bukit Timah Hill with an elevation of 182 meters above sea level. There is Universal Studios—pricey but a first-rate modern experience worthy of FB and IG posts. Philippines offers a thousand adventures for anyone who has the time and budget. There are green mountain ranges to conquer, cliffs to dive, beaches to walk about, and a lot more. It will probably be a lifetime before a common person gets to visit the whole of the Philippines from Batanes in Luzon to GenSan in Mindanao.

• How does one rate the level of happiness? Singapore offers financial joys and opportunities to travel all over the world. Our country offers hospitable people who will share your joys and sorrows. If we work hard enough in our bayang sinilangan, we just might strike gold though.

Visit or work in Singapore but come home to the Philippines where it’s more fun and where your heart belongs.