My girlfriend is a Filipino native currently working in Saudi Arabia. her mother is ill in the Philippines and needs 3.000 GBP(?) I can't afford to pay with finances. is the amount correct? As it stands We are not married/together alas. so really need advice
Who knows the correct amount? Difficult to say what the charges are. Be cautious Peter, just remember, you haven't actually met this lady. My advice, never send money to someone you have never met
Is it that serious? 3K GBP? Had she not known you, where will they find that money? If you can't afford it then don't. Plus you are not married or together yet so you are not responsible for her nor the family.
You say she is your girlfriend. How serious is your relationship? That's a lot of money. Just say you don't have it. How she reacts to that will tell you a lot about her, and she has a job after all.
What does 'ill' mean? What illness does she have? It's hard to know because I don't know how your relationship is, but from just reading this I would say tread carefully.
Maybe it's best to get more details from Peter before knowing that for sure, but, to us, just based on what he has written it looks that way to us. Perhaps we can get a clearer picture if we know more about the relationship they have, what the problem is with the girl's mother and what treatment she requires, plus how much his girlfriend plans to contribute. I do know that my own wife sometimes sends money to the Philippines to help people with medical bills and it rarely comes to more than £100, but we don't know the full extent of the illness here.
Thats a lot of money but not unheard of. So you need to know what type of treatment it is. But as what everyone has already said, dont give anything you cant afford to loose. Its the same advice you follow when lending or 'giving' money to relatives. If you dont have the money, honestly mention that to her. As far as i know, the lending rate in saudi is better than the Uk anyway.
Thanks. I'd work in Saudi if it's that good. I probably think but haven't said about my financial situation of myself so in the end I cany afford her family and go over then too.
Medication for what? What is wrong with her? You really need to find out proper details before agreeing to this because it is a lot of money. Ultrasound won't be very expensive.
They are not paid a lot. Based on the last cooperation agreement with ph and saudi, the minimum acceptable wage is about usd300 per month along with other basic human rights like a day off and return ticket to ph every few years. Ultrasound is not very expensive in ph. They get it from govt run hospitals for free. Medication would be a different story. They wont need that much amount all at once but over the course of 6 months or so. And it depends as well on which illness it is. Some are covered by philhealth (like the NHS). But it still depends on the illness. Heart operation/ treatment, broken hip, cancer are all expensive to treat.
I deflected making any commitment to this situation. Will male it clear what I think. Thanks for all your swift reply folks.
I hope you dont take it negatively but like everyone else, money is not a small thing. And cases of scam is far too common. All i can suggest are the following: Depends on where she is from of course but if her hometown is close to davao city for example, illness even cancer or dialysis is treated for free for the indigent (poorest of the poor) members of the community by govt run hospitals. In worst cases, poor filipinos all over the country in serious medical condition can seek the help of pcso (the charity arm of the lottery organization). All they need is an endorsement from their local govt (baranggay captain and then endorsed to town or city social services officer). Thereafter, the medical bills are handled or paid by pcso.