press rank #134 · ~$850/mo

Can you live unwatched in Philippines?

Cash islands, dangerous for reporters.

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The privacy scorecard

State surveillance2/5
Facial recognition3/5
No national ID2/5
Data-protection law3/5
Encryption4/5
VPN freedom5/5
Democracy3/5
Free expression2/5
Cash still works5/5
Financial privacy3/5
Crypto freedom4/5
Easy to stay4/5
Off-grid living5/5
5 cameras / 1,000 people press rank #134 ~$850/mo national average

Childhood vaccines: compulsory by law

Republic Act 10152 of 2011 makes basic infant immunisation mandatory and free.

If you skip them: Nothing in practice: the act binds parents without setting a penalty.

Exemptions: The law names none.

Source: Georgetown AMP EID, survey of national legislation, 2024

Legal & financial exposure

Facts about the law, not a privacy score: whether each one helps or hurts depends on what you are trying to do.

Does not report your account balances abroad

Extradition treaty with the US

ID required to buy a SIM card

4 of 7 signals are unverified for this country: not shown, rather than guessed.

73 real places in Philippines

Facial recognition, Bitcoin friendliness and cost vary by city even inside the same country.

Manila

~$900/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Davao

~$950/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Zamboanga

~$800/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Cebu

~$1,100/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Cagayan de Oro

~$800/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

General Santos

~$950/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Makati

~$950/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Iloilo

~$800/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Baguio

~$1,050/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Butuan

~$750/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Palawan

~$1,000/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Tacloban

~$750/mo! facial recognition present₿ crypto 3/5

Weigh Philippines against your own threat model

Surveillance, speech, money: filter thousands of real places across every country and see where Philippines actually ranks.

Browse every place

Not just privacy?

Arcadia matches the same real places against how you actually want to live: weather, cost, healthcare, schools, internet.

Find where to live on Arcadia

Country-level estimates for orientation, not legal advice. Surveillance law changes fast: verify anything you would act on.