Things You Only Know After Leaving the Philippines

At the end of last year, our company withdrew from the Philippines, where we originally worked in the Huatai Building in Makati. Back then, we wore shirts every day, frequented office buildings, and encountered white-collar workers in the elevators. Although we were also doing gray work, at least the sunlight could shine on us. At that time, who wasn't complaining about the Philippines while eating at Jollibee and posting on social media, "I don't want to stay in this broken place for a day."

But once we left, we realized what real hardship was.

Our first stop was Bangkok. Initially, everything felt fresh, and the company was also restructuring, but it wasn't long before trouble arose, and the team next to us was investigated, causing panic overnight. We had to flee to Poipet, Cambodia, overnight, thinking that being a bit off the beaten path would help us avoid the spotlight.

But just as we settled down in Poipet, the pressure started mounting again, reportedly from the Thai side, directly affecting the border ports. We had no choice but to move again, this time to the Sihanoukville Industrial Park. Don't even hope for freedom there; we had to check in and report every day, and even though it wasn't a literal cage, it felt like being locked in one.

The key issue is—it's really too backward. The infrastructure is far worse than in the Philippines; there isn't even a decent road, and the environment is dirty and disorganized. I heard that the company is planning to move again by the end of the year, this time to Sri Lanka.

I suddenly started to miss the days of working in the Philippines. Although it wasn't exactly legal, it was at least "overtly illegal," and we didn't have to live in constant fear and hide as we do now. The current situation, to put it nicely, is an adventure in foreign lands; to put it harshly, it's "gray wandering."

If I have the chance, I really hope to return to the Philippines, even if it means doing the same work. Because after visiting so many countries, I've realized: legal or not, strong regulation or not, freedom or not, it's not something that can be simply described in words—it's a huge difference in the quality of life.