{"id":37352,"date":"2014-07-17T01:08:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T05:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=37352"},"modified":"2021-03-02T15:47:27","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T20:47:27","slug":"driving-in-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/driving-in-the-philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving in the philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due to the poor state of the <\/span>public transport system in the Philippines<\/span><\/a>, most expatriates living there either drive themselves or have a car with a driver<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are only going to be living in the Philippines for a few months, then your best option is to hire a car with a driver. This doesn\u2019t cost much more than a standard car rental in western countries. If you are going to be living there for a longer period, or permanently, then you will need to decide whether to buy a car and employ a driver, or acquire a local driver\u2019s license and drive yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Employ a driver or drive yourself<\/b><\/p>\n

The choice is not as easy as it might sound, because driving in the Philippines can be quite dangerous, and many expats decide to employ a driver to avoid the stress of being behind the wheel. In the main cities of Metro Manila and Cebu, which experience horrendous traffic jams during rush hours and wet weather, many expats who can\u2019t avoid being on the road during peak periods employ drivers to avoid wasting the hours when stuck in traffic. Behind the wheel there is little you can do in a traffic jam, but in the back seat you can be catching up on emails or taking a nap if it\u2019s been a long workday.<\/span><\/p>\n

A driver in the Philippines costs only $10 – $20 a day, or even less if you decide to go for a live-in driver (but you\u2019ll have the added cost of providing board and lodging for a live-in driver). Most Filipino businessmen have live-in drivers \u2013 who sometimes serve as bodyguards as well \u2013 but expats generally opt for live-out drivers because most western cultures are not used to having drivers living with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another advantage of having a driver is that the driver can deliver you directly to your destination and avoid the parking problems that plague every urban area from big cities to small towns. Finding somewhere convenient to park can be a big problem in the Philippines because very few buildings provide sufficient parking for visitors. Even the car parks at big shopping malls fill up by early afternoon at weekends. Whilst you are attending to your business, your driver can find a nearby backstreet in which to wait, and when you are ready to go, you call him on his cellphone and he will come and pick you up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having a driver also gives additional freedom to your partner. Whilst you are working, your driver can be taking your partner to the shops, or running errands for you both.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dangers of driving yourself<\/b><\/p>\n

Despite the advantages of having a driver, many expats still prefer to drive themselves for reasons of privacy, or simply because they like to be behind the wheel and not behind a driver.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what is it that makes driving in the Philippines so dangerous? \u00a0It\u2019s not related to speed as is the case in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, which have more freeways and better road infrastructure. It\u2019s related to a combination of about half a dozen factors:<\/span><\/p>\n