⌛ I have been warned

Todo-el-Mondo !

Just turn on your TV at most times of the day and we can all find a news channel on, The whole World is suffering a hot Spot somewhere, Today, Libya, Tomorrow Syria, Next week, Who Knows? I think all that is said here is quite true and as long as we all Listen and take some advice, use Caution and Take Precautions I Agree, Negros is fairly safe. We still get from time to time, No travel advice, unless urgent, to certain parts of Mindanao from The British Embassy, Sometimes they can be a little over cautious BUT that is what they are there for, To advise us. To me, Listening to advice is a precaution in it's self. For me the PI is a safer place than, the middle east and a lot of other places today.


Jack P.

 

If you're going to get mugged, rolled, turned over and robbed it can happen anywhere in the world, especially if it's invited by showing off with large wads of money, or by being so totally out of it that you become an easy target. As far as Neg. Or. goes, I have never felt uncomfortable at any time, anywhere. As a Brit, I've been much more wary and cautious in London, especially south of the river. Just apply a big dose of common sense.

 

I just need to ask these questions to alleviate any anxiety that my adult children might have. I figure between now and August/September, I'll have asked enough questions, and hopefully talked to some people and gotten to know them online, that both my kids and I will be at ease with the whole process. It is the limbo feeling between knowing I am relocating, and the actual feet on the Philippine soil that I'm going through. I think this site helps a great deal with all my questions, and even before I actually joined, I read a lot of posts, but will probably ask some questions that have been discussed before, but I don't mind rehashing because everyone has different takes on old questions.

 

Hi Tom

What part of Philippines will you be coming to? I am in Misamis Occidental and no problem there whatsoever. What I have noticed since coming here and indeed from many OFW's which I have worked with down through the years is that anybody from outside of Mindanao firmly believe that Mindanao is the most dangerous place in the world and cannot understand why a foreigner would live here and this believe me is pure rubbish. I hope you will find it great here when you arrive.

 

Point taken about Mindanao. Heard the same many times....but I understand land travel can get interesting from time to time there. Anyway, property crime is fairly common....home invasions...robbery...petty theft...all happening across the country and rising. I would expect that to increase as the cost of living continues to rise dramatically. I haven't seen a recent figure on food inflation in the Philippines, but it is having a great impact. Same with fuel/transportation costs. Add a rapidly growing population, an ecological disaster area, declining food production, an inept police and judicial system....You are going to have to contend with rising crime - . I find the increasing targeting of foreigners including many recent murders, particularly on Luzon, concerning. Seems to be a growing trend nationally. Anyway, I'm sure that people will jump in and say how safe it is....Can't say if it is any worse than the US...suppose it depends on the area. However, I don't know any Filipinos with reasonably large amounts of money who don't have guns, video cameras, alarms, and guards at night.

 

I think the only place that has a constant presence of dangerous rebels would be on Jolo. An American military presence still exists there too, but I'm guessing you folks already knew that. Now, I'm not sure if the military is still there, but about 2 years ago there were. I'm also sure there are small groups throughout the Philippines, but the very same can be said for different parts of the states. The one problem that I presently have is getting feedback from a raving mad lunatic. That tends to give an ordinary sane man pause. On the serious side though, I think it goes back to what was said before, which is to use common sense and be aware of your surroundings. Now, if us expats really did have significant amounts of money, we probably would look more tempting to at least kidnap, but the reality is, even if most expats have a bit more money than the average Filipino, it really isn't such a great amount, at least not for me.

 

'Rebels' are not the problem. It would be a very rare incident to impact on an expat. Most expats stay away from the more unstable areas...although that extends quite a bit beyond Jolo...You'd have to be unlucky to run into any of them, anywhere in the country - NPA, Muslim insurgents, etc....and even more unlucky for them to have any interest in you.
No the problems are more career criminal gangs - often (but not always) linked with law enforcement - either directly or indirectly...and particularly on Luzon....but the problem has been spreading to the rest of the country. And the other major problem is the proliferation of drugs in recent years, especially amphetamines, which is really grabbing a large number of young Filipinos and spurring an epidemic of violent and property crime. The government seems powerless to deal with the drug issue. It flows in almost unfettered, largely Chinese crime gang based. The Philippines is an impoverished nation, nice as it is, incapable of running anything effectively, wallowing in corruption and incompetence, and the signs for the future are not encouraging. Have a Plan B.

 

I'm not that bad really LOL :D

 

I'm glad you have a good sense of humor, but of course with an id like that you'd have to have.