Singapore is only 3 1/2 hours away by plane from my native Philippines. Travel is cheap nowadays thanks to budget airlines like Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airways; I can go home anytime I want to for as low as US$150 (excluding taxes) on a two-way trip. I've so been living and working in The Lion City for the past 5 years and I'm loving it so far. Here are the reasons why I choose to be an Expat-Pinoy in Singapore:
1) It's safe - I come from a country where we are afraid of our own shadows when darkness sets in. I personally don't feel safe walking around town after sunset as this is the time when sleazy characters such as muggers and snatch-thieves come to life. This is the Philippines for you.
But not in Singapore. I feel that I can walk home at 3 am completely safe even with no police presence. The crime rate here is one of the lowest in the world although they have a very high incarceration rate, and sends criminals guilty of drug related crimes to rehabilitation centers operated by the Singapore Prison Service. There are reports of petty crime such as pickpocketing and street theft which occurs at airports, tourist destinations, hotels and on public transports. These are very rare occurrences and the general feeling is that you're safe here. Period.
2) It's so clean - I've always read about how squeaky clean this place is even before I first set foot here 11 years ago. They were right. Everywhere you go there are always trash bins and cigarette trays; you have no excuse not to throw your litter in the right container. If you're caught by the environmental police throwing rubbish anywhere, get ready to be fined. Singapore isn't called The Fine City for nothing. It's prohibited to eat or drink inside public buses and the MRT (Mass Rail Transit) to prevent people from littering and dirtying up. Ever heard of the Restroom Association of Singapore? It's a non-profit organization which champions the cleanliness of public toilets in the island-nation.
3) It's disaster-free - We Filipinos have to endure all sorts of natural disasters in our country; typhoons, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. Lucky for Singaporeans, their city-state is sheltered from most of the natural disasters that afflict neighboring countries and the rest of the world. Still, people get a kick each time a strong wind blows down from the north or our houses rumble from the aftershocks of Indonesian earthquakes.
4) It's so green - Garden City by name, Garden City by nature. Singapore takes the green stuff so seriously and it's known as the Garden City. The development of Singapore as a Garden City was a vision put forward by former Prime Minister (and now Minister Mentor) Lee Kuan Yew way back in 1968, just after independence, to integrate the environment with urban development and soften the effects of a concrete jungle. Now, there are trees along every road and parks in every estate. Just ask any visiting tourist what's their first impression of Singapore.
5) It's a shopping heaven - Orchard Road. One mention of this word in Singapore and one thing comes to mind: shopping. It is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state and is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction. Often the surrounding area is known simply as Orchard.
