[QUOTE=ChochaMonger;1818558]Yes. It would be a mistake to think the poverty stricken Filipinos are being genuinely nice to foreigners. There are more than a few down and out stranded foreigners in cities across the Philippines who found out Filipino niceness comes to an end when the foreigner goes to the ATM and gets his cash withdrawal denied due to insufficient funds. In fact, the Bureau of Immigration cannot even be bothered to round these poor souls up and hold them at Bicutan Detention Center pending deportation as there is no money in detaining overstayed foreigners who are now vagrants in the Philippines.
These are moments when reality pierces the thin veneer of fake Filipino niceness. Rather than being dismissed as occasional instances of nastiness they should be taken as gentle reminders not to get too lost in the fantasy created while poking that excellent Christmas beaver. It ends when you stop paying.[/QUOTE]I was in Manila two weeks ago and I was going to stay until 27th of Dec. However, I realized that everyone was expecting for some kind of a present or pay for the Christmas. I bailed out 2 weeks earlier. I made my decision to stay away from Philippines during the holidays seasons.