MANILA: When Ahmed Wali arrived in Manila in 2016, he first focused on learning English, an opportunity he became aware of thanks to a friend who was studying in the Philippines. Now, a decade later, as a graduate of a Filipino medical university, he is helping Saudi students follow a similar path. “I gave it a try. When I came here, I found out it was better than I expected. People are nice, people speak English, and English schools here teach one-on-one classes,” he said.