⌛ I became a little disenfranchised

I never understood comparing crime in US cities when discussing crime in a PI forum..

Crime IS on the rise in Dgte. There are only 3-4 cities on the entire island worth being a criminal in, and Dgte is one of them.

I've heard plenty of stories from the people it happened to. Stories of thieves casing neighborhoods, lurking outside the fence, trying to poison the dog. Attmpted robberies on Valencia Rd at night by people trying to flag my friend down. This is the friend who was conveniently robbed after withdrawing money inside one bank and driving to another bank.

Friends in Valencia being robbed as they slept.

It's not going to get any better that's for sure..

 

Final comment

This will be my final comment on this thread . I think general consensus is overwhelming to the fact that crime is on the rise in the city of gentle people . The local authority had better start doing something before it starts to hurt the economy . I am amazed though at the controversy these kind of threads create . Alot of people get very defensive to the point where they actually attack . As I said , I wil be moving to Dumaguete . If crime comes my family's way and the local authority doesn't handle the situation , I will . Simple as that . I have very little patience for thugs and punks . Happy New Year Everyone , ....... Carl

 

Right, where are your stats on the PI education system?

I see you have plenty of statistics on crime for Jacksonville and Florida, at least such things are available and pretty close to accurate, something you wont be able to find out accurately about the PI.

But you will have to provide proof of what you say about schools in the PI and for your information I have nephews and nieces that attend schools in Dumaguete, my wife and two good close friends are all products of the Dumaguette school systems and they are years behind where they should be if they had the opportunity to study the same grades/subjects in the US.

I would take any public high schooler in the US and put them up against any 4year college graduate from the PI and the PI graduate would be hard pressed to prove themselves on par with the US high schooler. Teachers in the US are doing great with what they are given. It is too bad our government wants to walk away from its commitment to students but our system is not on its knees yet as there are still alot of commited parants and teachers to keep the system going for quite awhile. It is still light years ahead of what is available from the PI education system. Having witnessed both systems this is what I believe to be the case. Sometimes you have to settle for less but when it comes to my childrens education, why should I?

 

And that is one of the reasons my wife is not too happy with my decision to retire in Dumaguete.

 

Carl, since you got your plot already I suppose you have to live with whatever the local environment dishes out. One alternative, and I don't know if a good one exists in Dumaguete, is a secure gated community. Can only speak for Bacolod, but the better ones there are pretty safe, generally a lot quieter than living in town, and without many of the hassles, pretty peaceful and stress free living...Safe enough residents can leave their homes unattended for extended periods while overseas etc...the Ayala developments, T&C, etc...pro-active security....Incidents are very rare...

 

Forgot to add one of the most important advantages of living in a gated community. You can keep unwanted relatives out...

 

The reality in the Philippines is that you have to be cautious. That is why picket fences do not work here. We have tall fences and windows with grills. A lot of people live below the poverty line, and if they get desperate, they do desperate things. If your house looks like it can be broken into or your fence is too low, then there is a chance your neighbor might try something (especially if you live in a neighborhood with those kinds of people). But most of the time, that's all it is--people looking to get a quick buck. Now I'm not saying that is all right to do, but you can avoid being victimized.

At home, we have an almost two-man high grill fence. The tip of the fence is slanted so it is almost impossible to climb. All our windows have grills. If you want to get inside our house without a key, you either have to break down the door or saw through thick iron. Now I know western-style houses are pretty, but all those wide glass windows without any form of protection might not work here. So you just have to make certain adjustments to make sure you're safe. We keep our gate padlocked at all times of the day and night. We do not lug around huge amounts of money. We do not allow anyone we do not know to enter our premises. Even during communion in church we take our purses with us; we do not leave them on the pews. These things have all been ingrained to us since we were young, it's part of us already.

Now that might sound crazy, and having to do things like these might make you think that Dumaguete/Philippines is extremely unsafe, especially because you don't have to do them in your home countries. But I think Dumaguete is still safe. There are just certain things you have to do, and if you do them, you should have no problems... unless of course, someone has a personal vendetta against you. :D

 

In Belgium, a Philippino diploma is not accepted. So for that reason (Philippino) doctors have to work as nurse or repeat the last 3 or 4 years in school to be accepted as doctor.
But for some unclear reason Philippino drivers licences can be converted in a Belgian drivers lisence.(conditions apply)

 

Because some people make the situation sound soo bad, that's why other people are forced to prove that it isn't. :D

 

Well Surferdude, you've condensed everything bad I've heard of happening to foreigners in the past 10 years into one paragraph.

Sounds pretty scary.......boo!

Gotcha, I saw ya jump.

The last thief that came over a foreigners fence in Valencia got a 9mm bullet in his @ss. :D
Didn't mention that one.

There's a tsunami of green foreigners piling into Dumaguete.
For as foolish and gullible as some of them are, things are pretty d*mn quiet.

Back in Usa, a situation like here would be drawing the criminal elements from all over the state. To feast on the new meat.

Dumaguete = Teletubby-ville