Spy cameras now in Dumaguete!

Yes, what a shocker.

Let me explain (a bit long – so grab a coffee):

I am very interested in psychology and have some personal and self-educated knowledge. So I like talking to people in distress, whatever the cause. To my knowledge to date, the recipients of my help have been grateful.

Recently and coincidentally, there have been two occasions in which I have spoken with Filipinas (both aged 30 +/-) who were distressed by a relationship issue that had arisen immediately before I saw them. In both cases I spotted the signs of their distress and asked if they wanted my help. So I chatted with them in a public place (Boulevard) on a bench where they sat at one end and I sat at the other, with my two bags (I always have two!) of shopping sitting between us. This gave distance and was appropriate behaviour.

In both cases the girls settled down from their anguished states and went home. In both cases I told my wife when she collected me by car.

I was surprised later when I saw a photo on my wife’s phone of me and the 2nd girl on the bench. I thought it had been taken as part of someone’s photography on the Boulevard and posted on Facebook. But no. This photo was taken by one of my wife’s Filipina friends and sent onwards to at least one other member of the health/fitness club my wife belongs to; the photographer (Filipina) also being a member of that club.

There may not be illegality in intentionally photographing a specific person talking to another person and then distributing the photo(s) but it’s not the sort of behaviour I would have expected. The photographer and re-sender of the photos both had no clue whatsoever as to the context. I will leave readers to think of the possible motives.

So, folks, beware. Whatever harmless behaviour you are participating in, there seem to be people around who want to record it and send it to wives!

So, yes, spy cameras are now in Dumaguete.

 

Maybe you were lucky that the picture wasn't taken by the cause of the ladies distress

 

Absolutely - but I don't think he would have only taken a photo! Life has risks but I checked where he was SUPPOSED to be at the time. I don't recede from helping others by being scared.

 

Not so fast. There may be illegality:
"

1. Conclusion
   Public or street photography in the Philippines sits at the intersection of constitutional freedoms and individual rights to privacy. While photographers benefit from strong protections for creative and expressive works, their freedom is not absolute. Various laws, including the Civil Code, the Data Privacy Act, and penal statutes, can come into play if the photographer’s method or purpose crosses legally defined boundaries.

In navigating these regulations, street photographers should remember that the law often hinges on notions of reasonableness and respect. If a photograph is taken for legitimate artistic or journalistic reasons in a context where individuals do not expect seclusion, the law typically grants fair latitude. Problems arise when a photographer’s actions or subsequent uses of the photo exploit or disparage the subject, or when the context transforms from a purely personal endeavor to a commercial one without consent." https://www.lawyer-philippines.com/...uide-to-public-photography-in-the-philippines

I didn't understand with clarity who forwarded the picture to another club member, your wife or the photographer. If the photographer, I can see only one non intentionally disparaging reason to do so. It is typical for Filipinos to ask others to ask or tell someone they them selves don't have the fortitude to do themselves. When reputations are involved in the Philippines that's a friend with bad judgement or a non friend.
If the photographer solely showed it to your wife, a good friend, she should be able to give bad news, ill perceived as it was.