I think there are more than a few foreigners like me living here in the Philippines. I like the "compound life".
To be clear, it's not a permanent thing, but when I'm in that mood, I'm happy. I might be busy going out and doing things every day for a month. Going to the events my wife's catering business is working at, then visiting her at work where she manages the public market in our municipality. Then head to the local resorts and enjoy a day there with the family. I do actually do those things. But, starting when all the f---ing worthless lockdowns started happening, I went compound life. Also, even before that, I'd take a month here or a month there and just hang around the house/compound all day every day except for my morning walks to keep getting my exercise. But, to hell with wearing a worthless mask. Screw getting an vaccine that are now proven to be worth about jack(why else would the W.H.O. and the CDC inside of weeks of each other state to treat those with the vaccine and those without the same. Same with those who wear masks and don't to be treated the same. Simple, both can still catch and transmit covid. There is no difference).
So, because the local security is bi-polar, I usually stayed in the compound 'cept early morning walks(before the sun rises as the police stay in their station all night out here in the boondocks and won't bother people walking that early, and most of us early walkers were not wearing those worthless masks at that time). No point in going out into a place where things that didn't matter were enforced. And the locals, god bless them, became really good at getting vaccine cards without ever taking the damn shot. My in-laws included. I only know a few who actually got them done personally. Hell, most days if you drove by the covered tennis courts near the pulis station, it was empty. Noone was getting the pointless vaccine. Always made me laugh.
But, since the government finally pulled their heads out of there backsides, and have lifted, for the most part, any vaccine checks or mask mandates, I get out more. But not much. Compound life doesn't bother me. I have my son and wife in our home in the compound. The wife's 2 aunts and uncle as well as 2 of her cousins and sisters as well as about 10 little ones to interact with. The neighbors come in and go as they want during the day. And I still go to the mall with wife for shopping and to the market also. But, I also not have a nice treadmill so I can do my walks in aircon. Chill out and watch my sports.
Compound life is not a bad thing. Even those with the means to go out and enjoy life in the area will be happy to just stay home in the compound. Has nothing to do with being trapped.
Sadly, the neighboring municipality is losing all their foreigners. When I got here there were over 30 of them living in a subdivision called paradise valley. Now only about 5 are left. Talking about a fast drop in the last 10 years. But, when they were all there, I saw a lot of the same thing. Most were just hanging around their homes. They may switch what home they'd meet at, but screw getting out and doing stuff. And when they did, it was usually a "group trip" to Cebu City or some resort in Leyte or Bohol. The local resorts were mostly abandoned from their plans. They'd travel out to shop with their wives from time to time, but, a very large part of their time was just sitting around their homes. Money wasn't a matter to them as almost every single one that has left have "upgraded" their livings to Angeles City or Olongapo and I think one moved to Tagatay(or some place just outside it, wife still talks to the wife from that couple).
There are a lot of foreigners living the "compound life" because it's what they want, not due to lack of funds.
That said, there is one foreigner from a municipality on the other side of mine that I think is stuck due to funds. The few times I see him in town, and we get a chance to talk, I think he's very much on a budget that he's careful not to mess with and how little he leaves his compound/area I think shows he's "counting his pennies". So, I don't disagree with you that there are such people here. I just haven't seen a lot of them in my experience here.
What I have seen a lot of, and I mean a LOT of, are men in/near retirement age who just do not get around as much as they might when they were younger, that managed to find a pretty little/young native beauty and I actually love it. Both are adults, both made their decisions, and she's usually guiding/"pulling" him along through a mall/shopping center, etc. He's having fun to some extent in his life living here with her, and most likely, she's going to be doing well not too far down the road with a nice paid off home with land and a nice bump her her living standards. Win/win.
Compound life is not always bad or and unwanted thing among foreigners. This was much longer than I wanted to make it, I'm just too tired after a late night last night and am too lazy to go over it and edit it.
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