hi everyone , Is it true if u are a white male u get treated like royalty over in the phillipines? Has anyone had good / bad experience ?? Let me know JD
I've lived here a while now and you'll often (for no reason whatsoever) get served or attended to before a local... I wouldn't go so far to say "treated like royalty" but ... I used to get a bit embarrassed by it... My wife told me it's because they're a bit afraid of foreigners - worried they'll get upset and make a scene if they're not attended to quickly - something I will admit I used to be guilty of from time to time
I wouldn't say you get treated like royalty. There are an awful lot of variables. If you are in a touristy area, no, you will not be treated like royalty. You are one of many white (or western and Korean) faces. You are more likely to be scammed and hustled. In lesser visited places, you might receive quick and attentive service in a restaurant over the locals. Your server may have his eye on a nice tip. Other times, the service may be non existent if the server is nervous to serve you. Usually, the service will simply be the same as it would for anyone. If you visit a family for the first time, they *will* do all they can to make your visit comfortable. In houses with few rooms and proper beds, I don't recall once being offered a mat on the floor to sleep on (which is common in less wealthy Filipino households). The master bedroom has always been made available to me and I'm ashamed to say I've never refused! So whilst it's not exactly royalty, I've found that the family will always do their best to make me comfortable (being cynical, they are protecting their investment, but I can live with that).
"Is it cos I's white ?" I always receive wonderful treatment... probably because I'm a wonderful person.
i find that most of the Filipinos are very polite people and will call you sir ,so it does feel a little bit like they are treating you like royalty, well for me it does because i hardly ever get called sir here in the uk haha
Perhaps we pride ourselves on being courteous and (most of the time) will try to please almost everybody… especially foreigners visiting our home country… conspicuous hospitality
Filipinos use sir and ma'am when addressing to someone. Even at school we call our teachers "sir" and "ma'am" plus their surname or name. When I came back 2017 for a holiday, the sales ladies/men were calling me ma'am and I was not used to it. I came to UK 2010 and I could still remember when I spoke first time to my manager I called her "Ma'am Jacky" and she said "just call me Jacky please". It took me few weeks to adjust and call her by her first name. I felt like I was being impolite! But it's normal here..first name.
This is true. I do wish they'd teach the kids to queue up politely too though, so they can set an example for the adults.
