Is Philippines safe?
 

For various reasons I need to take a trip to Manilla. Also we may stop by Calauag which is a bit more rural. Anybody here frequent the Philippines - is it safe there? Besides a few muslim fucks running around there, what I am really worried about is the kindnap for ransom people - as I would be bringing my whole family for 10 days.

I don't like taking ANY risks with my kids - and I thought about hiring local bodyguards from Manilla - but 9 times out of 10 its those fucks who sell you out.

Friends there tell me I am over-reacting, that outside of the Muslim provinces you are pretty safe. Anybody have any first hand knowledge???

Look out for the guys in brightly colored turbans: The Walls of Jolo.

SpaceAce

hell no its not safe there....watch yourself...I got freinds from there and they said its one of the worst countrys to go to now a days

ask Dugmor :P

Why, what is your net worth? :winkwink:

You're afraid of Muslims?

PS: It's Manila. Only one "L".

if you're white... they'll stare at you...

my white ass is not going anywhere where i am not the majority, i refuse to cross the ocean to even europe now, way to many wackos out there these days.

I understand not wanting to take chances with your children but we can't live in fear. The Filipino people are not dangerous. Most of them are very familiar with Americans. I would say that every country in the world has ?a few muslim fucks running around.? I would just take a few prudent measures to not attract too much attention.

Hiring bodyguards isn?t great because, as you said, you have no idea if they working against you. Also having bodyguards means you?re important and therefore a better target. I know that the military is letting our soldiers vacation there again so I would guess the threat can?t be all that serious right now. Is there anyway to leave the family behind to do what you have to do there?

If you stay in the general Manila area, you should have no problems. I would probably not go to Calauag, though I don't know the current situation there.

Just mention to a waiter or someone that you are hoping to find a nice wife and you will have a vacation to treasure forever.

You are a complete idiot.

It depends, how tall are you? If you are over 5' 3", the average height, I don't think you will have any problems.

it really depends on what you are or plane all to do here . it can be a easy place or hell .
I went threw some hell here i dealings on extortion and atemps on my family over , i know alot of high up and handled it that way . for kids or white women not shit here for them to do , shooting porn , well cover your ass well they are coming down hard and tring to pass a ton more new laws they are busting all the time chat live place here . i would say hit thai before here

Well the story is my wife of 21 years is of Philippine descent. We have never returned there, having married in nearby Hong Kong.

She is a bit apprehensive anyway. Her father was murdered on his front porch by the army (or the insurgents, who knows) 25 years ago. The local army took her when she was 13 on a truck to a remote spot to be raped, which was only avoided when a captain figured out what the troops were up to.

The deal is she has family there and they all say Calauag is completely safe, plenty of foreigners and business people. But I am afraid we will stand out. Yep I'm white and fair and my kids appear American although part filipino. Because her extended family will actually think our visit is a big deal I'm thinking everybody in town will know we are coming.

Ordinarily I would think nothing of it but I just can't see taking my wife and kids into any bad situation, no matter how small the chances were. Was just looking for any first hand observations of the Philippines these days. Its a family trip so it has nothing to do with porn.

My husband is Filipino and my in-laws tried to get us to go back with them last month. That is until his aunt said no way. Being 5'8" and blonde would make me stand out like a sore thumb. She said it was not a good time for me to be there let alone my kids. We will think about it again next year.....

No. I'll have you gang raped by 30 women and 5 men at once until your ass starts bleeding.

Greetings from the Philippines.

Need not worry about anything man. Just always hand a tip to anyone who's serving you. Generousity here saves. Don't be too generous.

yes it is safe

he want to thailand

I never been there, so i dunno.

Wear fatigues so they think you're an American soldier on vacation. Doubt if anyone would fuck with you then.

Keep in mind in the PHIL they have kidnapped westerners in the past. It's dangerous to be in any cash-based (they don't use credit cards in daily life like we do) society wandering around as a white person among brown/tan folks.

I would think that would increase the threat against you.

I agree. Instead of being kidnapped you will probably get shot.

it is safe

it should be safe

nothing would probably happen, but i sure wouldnt go.

If you're that paranoid you shouldn't go anywher. As a matter of fact you should probably build a panic room.

thanks for letting us know!

An idiotic comment that thankfully could only be made by someone without children, so we don't have to worry about his genetic material being handed down...

It would help if you had some quiet local friends. Going on your own is asking to get robbed, stabbed or even shot (just like any other underdeveloped location).
People talk and soon enough all the locals will know where you're from, what you're doing there and where you're staying. So if I was you, I would leave the kids at home.

watch out for the al kite ah.

my point was that you won't be able to enjoy if you'll be afraid all the time.

why don't you just go to hawaii, no brownish people to be worried about there.

Unless you are a stupid redneck, a gangstah or something like that I don't see what bad could happen to you in Europe...don't be such a pussy man :(

Hi guys I'm pretty new here in GFY, about going to the Philippines. Well my family and I are all US citizens. We came from California and decided to move here in the Philippines to setup our family business. We have been living here for 18 years. And we love it! the people are warm and hospitable. The weather is great and the beaches are to die for. Yes I know there are some bad eggs happening here but what country in the world doesn't have bad eggs? Listen I understand what you're going through but I just can't help it when I see alot of negative comments about the country I have come to love dearly. I have several american friends who have lived here for 20 plus years and have enjoyed it tremendously. I guess the problem with us americans is that we love to stay in the security of our own comfort zone. What I'm trying to say is that if we are too scared to go out and take risks we will be scared our whole lives. I'm not saying to put you or your family in jeopardy that is the last thing on any of our minds. What I'm trying to get at is we should get out of our own comfort zones and do something! Life is full of risks but that's what makes life great! and the challenge is to reduce risks and to put the odds in your favor. Well sorry to all for my ramblings but I just can't let this one slide.

yea you should stay away from england because you sound like a really stupid hahahaha!

yeah right, thousands of foreigners are living here for years.

i often see white/blonde guys everywhere. just refrain from going on some part in mindanao where there's a bit threat of muslim terrorists. (but been a long time i don't read any news about their activities)

I don't see any reason why it isn't.

I was in Manila for 16 days in September and I didn't have one bit of trouble.

I was there a couple of year ago and it was a cool experience. Manila is pretty safe, although like everywhere you'll get some mean looks from time to time, but in general you're well received. The malls and airports have tighter security than I've ever seen anywhere. Only one time in Manila did my "spidey sense" go off, and I got my sensei and I out of there quick, but I was probably being overly cautious.

Before that, we took a 16 hour car-trek to Sorsogon through some sketchy areas. I was the only one who wasn't asian, so I stood out like a sore thumb. We passed through Muslim, rebel and bandit territory, which I was told to hide when we passed the guys with machine guns. We did have a couple of hired body guards with us but never had any trouble even when we stopped. As an American, I got a lot of attention, but none of it bad. One woman tried to hook me up with her 12 year old daughter, but of course I declined.

Once in Sorsogon, it was totally chill. The guys we were visiting were bigwigs in politics over there, so no one was messing with any of us...and honestly I never saw any situations that I felt I needed the influence. Most of the time, I just had women and children following me around because I was "so white". Made it difficult to take a leak, since the kids especially would follow me everywhere even around the building to piss.

Final word though, if something does happen...meaning someone pisses you off...take every possible avenue to avoid conflict. Guns are very common and it is a knife culture, so fights are rarely empty handed from what I understand. I don't mean to scare you with that comment, just inform you. You're probably in more danger driving than anything. Red lights just mean "beep...I'm coming through anyway."

I think any place is unsafe when bad luck strikes. :(

Never went to the Philipines, so I can't tell :S

I have been to the Philippines 21 times in the last 5 years... In fact I will be there again next week. It is safe. Stay away from Mindanao

yes its safe in manila.... just bring your four leaf clover, mustard seed, horse shoe, or any lucky charm you can have....

My advise to you is not to look directly in the eyes of the people who might be giving you mean looks. Be humble in your travels because some filipinos can be arrogant assholes.

some [insert any nationality] can be arrogant assholes

you have a problem with brownish people?

do you know how many filipino's are in Hawaii moron?

having lived in Canada, so can you backwards fucks up north.

I'll tell you what... the average Filipino is alot nicer than the average American or Canadian.