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Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Is the Philippines wheelchair accessible?

The answer is a big no. So,... NO. 
Before I came to the Philippines, many people from over here told (lied to) me how beautiful their country is and that I would not have any problems with my wheelchair over here.
First of all; Very smart I left my expensive electronic power wheelchair behind in Europe. Just a regular wheelchair over here got broken almost immediately. Streets without house numbers, but also streets without streets, is more then a normal view over here. A neighbor from a nearby 'street' is trying to put some dry long grass over there, but still some 'lakes' shows up after heavy rainfalls. 

The Philippines, well known for their beautiful beaches. Believe me; I have seen them, but only on post cards. On being about 27 months in this Asiatic country, I have seen one beach, but wasn't able to go on it. A dirty spot and the seawater was as being three kilometers away. 
Many times I heard about the beautiful beaches, but wheelchair accessibility is a word that isn't yet in the Tagalog dictionary. 'Brake your neck'; Yes!

Doors are much to small and for sure to bathrooms. Even some fat people would not be able to go inside and many of those doors are even from plastic. I tried as a legless one armed amputee to crawl over floors, just to go to the bathroom, but I gave up on that a long time ago. Floors are mostly dirty and many comfort rooms as they call it over here are a nest of cockroaches and a collection of other bacteria's. 

My solution? Laying on the bed on your stomach with the ass and stumps over board and shitting in a bucket. Disgusting in the beginning, but you get used on such a things. 


A foreigner cleans up a part of a Filipino beach
https://rachfeed.net/foreigner-cleans-up-popular-boulevard-in-southern-philippines/ 

Renting a house, or even many nice and over expensive hotels are not shy to tell you on the phone: "Sorry Sir, but you can not enter with a wheelchair; It isn't accessible". Near that rents are much too expensive; Even in many ways more then Europe. One part of that is for sure when they see your foreigner face over here. Many things rise in price, faster then the sun comes up. And when they see a foreigner in a wheelchair (or an old dying one) then the Filipino instinct goes over into 'money'.
Old foreigners and disabled's as me get off course support from their foreigner country. That is well known over here. 

My honest advice is to stay out of the Philippines, even with 10 arms and legs on your body. 



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