From the Midwest redneck author of "The Rooster Crows at 4am!," "Lizard Poop!," and "The Philippines Expat Advisor"
Expat Tips to Keep Cool in the Philippines
One of the most difficult things, as an American expat from the Midwest and now living in the Philippines, I had to adjust to, was the weather. The heat and humidity can wear you down and make you feel worse than getting bitch slapped by your asawa. I was absolutely miserable the first ten months we moved to the Philippines until we purchased an air con. At least then I was able to sleep comfortably at night. That mosquito net we slept underneath (see following photo) while living in Guimaras, didn't help.
So I had no illusions that facing the challenging climate of the Philippines would be easy. After more than three years in living in these tropical conditions, I have acclimatized to a degree, but still dread the extremely hot and dry months of April and May. I welcome the rainy season, which starts around June and lasts until October.
With an annual humidity averaging around 85% and high temperatures for September and October averaging 28°C, 82° F, and lows of 24-25°C, 75-77° F, I still find it necessary to run a fan during the day and the air con, six to seven hours, during the evening. 
Here's ten tips for expats that should help keep you cool in the Philippines:
- Drink LOTS of fluids. Not Red Horse, Not San Miguel Pale Pilsen. Water (tubig.) Alcohol dehydrates the body. Also, avoid drinks with caffeine such as coffee and colas which increase the metabolic heat in your body.
- Buy an air con (air conditioning unit.) We've had good luck with a Carrier unit that we purchased over two years ago. Runs great and comfortably cools our room. I have the temperature set at 24 °C. Not every expat needs air con, but I personally find it a necessity.
- Buy fans, along with a rechargeable one to use during brown outs, power outages. I never have the air con on during he day. I have a desk fan in the "headquarters" of PhilippinesPlus and we also have a standing fan in our sala (living room) that our nieces and nephew use in their bedroom in the evening.
- Bring a sweat towel along. This is a must when I ride the local jeepneys.
- Use an umbrella to protect yourself from the heat.
- If you exercise or have a garden, do it early in the morning. I walk for an hour every morning in our subdivision outside of Iloilo City. Anywhere from a start time of 4:00 am to 5:00 am.
- Lose some weight. Being overweight can contribute to feeing uncomfortable in this tropical climate.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored clothes. Synthetic fibers trap your body heat. Cotton absorbs perspiration and its evaporation causes you to feel cooler.
- Hang out at a local mall which has good air con. Our SM City Mall in Iloilo is the best air-conditioned shopping center in our area.
- Take cool showers or baths to cool down. We don't have a water heater. There's a reason for that. A cool refreshing shower is more welcome than any hot water shower. Plus, I'm too cheap to buy a water heat now anyway.
What tips do you have for keeping cool in the Philippines? I'd like to hear your suggestions.
Dave,
You should be in Alaska and I should be in the Philippines! I love the heat! I guess because I’m sick of the cold! Been in Alaska for 28 years now. The more time I spend in the Philippines the more I want to get out of Alaska. I’m too young (or too poor) to retire so my wife and I are looking at the option of becoming seasonal workers and spending the winter months in the Philippines. Sure would like to get away from the snow – we had over 400 inches last winter!
My only tip for staying cool in the Philippines is go to the beach and stay in the water. Still have to avoid sunburn though!
I can say for certain that the more time you spend outdoors (in and around the shade) and in the comfort of a breeze, the more quickly you will adapt to the climate. I can remember years ago actually wearing my windbreaker in the evenings during the winter season (Dec-Feb). And of course as we age, the heat seems to feel better. Most times I will rest better sleeping with air con at night, but some days I can do with a fan (dry season). Remember this: The more air con you subject yourself to, the more difficult it is to acclimate. Definitely like being between a rock and a hard place.
I never took the opportunity to travel to Alaska, Martin. It was on my “bucket list” but I might have to scratch it off now. We’re having too much fun in the Philippines enjoying the great beaches you speak of. Nothing beats a day in the beach when there’s a good breeze blowing. I can’t swim but I do get in the water on occasion to cool off. Hope your plan to get to the Philippines on a season basis works out. You don’t have to worry about any snow here.
After over three years, Randy, I’m getting more acclimated, but it didn’t happen overnight. That first year was horrible. It does cool off enough during December through February to the point where I don’t have to run the air con at night. I try not to be too dependent on the air con due to the high cost of electricity here. Our new home is going to have a lot of features built in that I hope will keep the house cooler.
Another important thought. When locating a place to live, try living as close to the ocean you can get. Afternoon sea breezes can be a big help some days. When you get 1-2 km inland, the effects of the ocean can become negligible in most areas except on far eastern coastlines in the tradewind belt.
You know what I call guys that have air-con??? Here Kitty kitty kitty…
A fan does me OK… Living up in the mountains will keep you cool.. I have been in places in Bukidnon where I was down right cold… The closer to the ocean the hotter it is… The temp is lower but it is so much more humid… I grew up in Kansas… Kansas gets hot in the summertime, much hotter than here in the Philippines…
Dave,my tip for keeping cool in the Philippines is to be a Snowbird and spend November to March in the Philippines and April to October in Canada/USA/Europe so you have nice weather all year long.
Meowwwww! to you, Gary. I admit I need my air con.
That’s a good plan, Lance. It starts warming up in March here and gets really uncomfortable in April and May.
It really gets hot where you live Dave… Not as bad here in Tagum City… In fact I got cold last night… Brrrrr…
I notice it’s hotter here, also, compared to Guimaras where we used to live, Gary. Guimaras is so much smaller than Iloilo, only about 130,000 people. Iloilo has around 400,000 folks along with a lot more industry and vehicular traffic which I’m sure must contribute to the heat level here.
Grass and trees are a lot cooler than concrete… There is a lot to be said for farm living…
Gary: “Green acres is the place for me.
Farm livin’ is the life for me.
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/greenacreslyrics.html
Dave,
We will just have aircon in our bedroom. Going to try the Inverter A/C which is more energy efficient. Other than that just fans in all other places.
no wonder you were hot sleeping under the mosquito net,you had all your clothes on and a fricken hat on!!!!!
When i get home from being outside i strip all my clothes off and walk around in my birthday suit with just the fan on,my clothes never go back on untill i go out again,i sleep in the buff,eat in the buff,i am just a buff person,even when my gf comes over she puts on her birthday suit and we buff out together.
Please dont get excited dave as i also typed this response in the buff,see you tomorrow at ur-zone and i will be wearing clothes.
Whew! I worried for a minute there, Scott, until I saw that last sentence…”and I will be wearing clothes.” See you later.
Yep, we’re going to check out the inverter A/C units, PapaDuck. And probably just one unit in the master bedroom, though I may consider having a unit in my “Man Cave.”
If they don’t build a 4 story hotel between you and the ocean that is, like they did to me.
Meow then from me. I’ve had an air con here since Day 1 and I use it a lot. It’s only the humidity that I had to get use to. The heat is nothing compared to the Texas heat. In fact I find it nice and cool a lot of times.
But you’re renting John and you can move. Those looking to build must practice some due diligence when deciding where to build.
Yep, it’s not the heat, John J, it’s the frickin’ humidity that knocks me down.
Yep, that’s a good point, Randy. Another reason we want to buy some property around us to provide us with a buffer zone. Of course, if someone decides to start a pig farm near by, I’ll just have to walk around with a clothespin on my nose.
I think Florida is worse in the summer….heat AND humidty!
just leaving a comment so i can get notified of follow-up comments via email
Never been to Florida, Randy. Used to visit my parents in Las Vegas during the summer when is was extremely hot. Low humidity, though.
I love the heat and after living on both the East Coast and the North Coast of the USA the humidity doesn’t seem to bother me much. To Randys point about being near the ocean, on Santo Nino Island as long as you stay in the shade there’s almost always an ocean breeze to provide some relief. Now if they could only do something about the lack of running water and get more than 6 hours of electricity every day it might be perfect.
Look at it this way Mark…it’s almost perfect!
I’m not much on the heat and humidity, Mark G, but like I said in the article you get used to it after awhile. I had the air con off last night, but I have a fan blowing in my face right now even though the relative humidity is only 76%.