A familiar story for Sihanoukville expats and locals...
[Long read]
Chinese influx in Metro Manila inflates rents, driving out locals and adding to racial tension
Chinese nationals who work at offshore betting shops are moving into the Philippine capital and pushing up property and rent prices
Reports of locals being forced out of their homes combined with coronavirus fears are leading to racial hostility
Jason Hung
Published: 7:15am, 10 Mar, 2020

Celine Calma is worried about the influx of Chinese nationals in the Philippine capital, Manila, where they are pushing up rents and other costs, forcing locals out and inflaming racial hostility.

“It started as early as three years ago,” says the twenty-something marketing professional who works for a local bank. “More Chinese are living in Manila, mostly in Metro Manila condominiums. I’ve heard that the condominium rents have risen by an outrageous amount because mainland Chinese are willing to pay more and in cash. One of my friends was charged US$300 more for rent recently.”

Calma’s concerns are widespread in the city, where dismay about a rapid surge of Chinese immigrants, including many employees of Chinese offshore gambling operations, can easily cross the line into outright xenophobia.

Karl Ocampo, 25, an operations associate at a logistics company in the city, says that while he doesn’t really mind that Chinese nationals can and will pay higher rent than Filipinos, he works in a building with many Chinese employees of one of the gambling operations and he dislikes what he sees as their rudeness and their failure to follow rules that are for the good of everyone.

“I hate how they block the driveways and how we have to wait for several minutes just for them to clear the driveways,” he says. “I also hate that they smoke inside the building, even when there are notices saying smoking is prohibited. My colleagues and I can smell smoke every day.”

Ocampo says he also resents the way Chinese nationals litter the area. “They prefer throwing things on the ground even when trash bins are near them. Their personal hygiene is a big issue for me since we can smell that they do not take a shower for days. More than that, they always spit on the floor, which could spread germs and viruses within our area.”

While there is often tension between newly arrived temporary or permanent immigrants and local populations, the Philippines government has done little to dampen the simmering anger directed at Chinese nationals in Manila and other cities.

Gaming profits have prompted the surge in Chinese immigrants into the capital. To skirt the Chinese government’s ban on gambling, Chinese gambling companies operate outside China, and a number of these operations have been set up in the Philippines. Manila, especially, is seen as an attractive option for the industry.

About 169,000 Alien Employment Permits were issued by the Philippines Department of Labour and Employment between 2016 and 2019; about half of them for Chinese nationals.

In 2018, nearly 120,000 Chinese nationals holding tourist visas found temporary employment in the country after obtaining special working permits, according to the Senate Labour Committee.

For her part, Calma is unhappy the Philippine government does so little to deal with what she sees as an accommodation crisis in Manila, and even seems to encourage the surge of foreigners coming to the city. She says she would like to see higher taxes levelled on Chinese workers and companies in the country.

Meanwhile, Chinese nationals remain undeterred, and many are looking to buy as well as rent in Manila and elsewhere. Chinese buyer inquiries in the Philippines increased by 21 per cent in 2019, according to Chinese real estate website Juwai.com.

“With the rise of Pogos [Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators] in my country, Chinese people are increasingly occupying the Philippines,” says Ocampo. Filipinos feel hard done by, he adds. “They are forced to find different flats. Also, more buildings are now under construction for Chinese to have their own areas of condo units.”

The Chinese gambling businesses largely employ Chinese nationals rather than Filipinos, which can also foster resentment shading into racism. “Pogos are catering for, and managed by, Chinese,” Ocampo says. “These Pogo institutions are situated in almost every city of the country.”
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-r ... ts-driving

Is that because they don't understand "Nice shirt, sir"?????

Wasn't this a big issue in Cambodia until just recently? Wonder if it's the same people just jumping over the puddle.