Safety Tips in Philippines

1.)Always carry small change;saves you being annoyed by reply, "sorry no change"
2.) Ask someone about taxi or jeepney, tricycle fares before you get
in. Pay & walk away. NEVER ask "How much?" because the price goes
up the more you talk. A moving taxi is busy so tends to be an honest
taxi vrs parked taxis waiting 4 victims. Tip the taxi driver P10
to P20 reward him for not hassling you. Good Karma ALWAYS REWARDS you.
3. ) Never change money on the street/ inside a restaurant. You
will ALWAYS lose & usually almost half your money. Money
change scam artists R very good & show U the hand is quicker than the eye.
4. ) Never gamble with Filipinos not pool, cards, chess or any game
for money & even for drinks. It's safer not to gamble. It's one
example in life where when you win you lose & when you lose you lose.
5. ) Never raise your voice at a Filipino away from your own
neighborhood. Never call a Filipino "STUPID". They are very sensitive
about it. If you do get angry & make the mistake. Please leave the
place as soon as possible .Go Away Fast cause you are in more
DANGER than you realize. Filipinos do not like to fight & "fair
fights" are not the custom, "fight to kill" is.

6. ) Forget about the 2 words "WHY" & "SHOULD" or you get constant
headache trying to understand why things happen like they do in places
outside your own country, especially the Philippines. Acceptance is
the preferable attitude. There are too many things for you to
question, so it's better for you not to start. So just relax/ enjoy
the positive aspects of living in the Philippines with a sense of humor.

7. ) Expect everything to be late and slow. Life stops at LUNCH.
Schedules change & the weather is unpredictable. Telephones,
electricity, and water - sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

8.) Never accept drinks, candy, or fruit from strangers, especially
young women, in Manila. In the past few years a few of our guests have
been drugged using the above methods after being met in Rizal Park,
shopping malls, the open markets & even on the bus. We have never
heard about this happening in other parts of the Philippines.

9.) Always wear a cloth type money belt which is worn around your
waist under your clothes instead of those leather or vinyl pouch waist
bags with several zippered pockets because psychologically they appear
as you are advertising your valuables. It may seem a bit awkward to
reach under your pants to get your money or travelers checks at a bank
but it's MUCH SAFER. Even when you drink too much your money is much
safer closer to your - - - -.

10. ) DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY!!

Hello, while I can't say that is true for all of Mindanao, I was cautioned when I was there about 12+ years ago but, it was a business trip to National Steel and had to go. It was not comfortable at all from the drive to the plant from the airport and the airport was another story. My Philippine business associate was also quite uncomfortable about the trip and we flew in and out in on the same day for safety considerations. The US and other engineers and technicians lived across from the plant in a compound. In this case compound meant a fortified walled enclosure with barbed electric wire. The gate of the compound and the steel plant was guarded by machine gun carrying military looking guards. Security was tight. Weather to go or not is a personal choice and if one is taller than say 5'-3" (1.6m) tall you will "stick out like a sore thumb". A 6 foot (1.8+m) tall European or American is immediately recognized, my point is caution! When we drove to the plant from the airport and return we were low key our chauffeured car was driven by a non-descript local and the car was a bit worn, possibly 15 years old. Security at the plant was tight and had no problems whatsoever for the whole trip.

Also our associate knew which local restaurant (very very basic) to use and he advised what to eat and, "don't drink the water".

The trip was unforgettable and educational. Driving in the countryside between the Cagayan de Oro airport, Iligan-City and the plant there were many people mainly women and many children walking along the road carrying containers. After observing more closely, I realized that they were carrying water to their homes from central wells that seemed to be quite a distance from the occasional home/structure. Their homes were mainly small frame buildings on stilts with no windows, just openings. To be sure the homes had no electricity or running water. Consider how fortunate we are. The Philippine people that I met at the National steel plant and in locals in Manila are quite open, friendly and intelligent. Would I go again to the Philippines?, yes to Manila.

Balut. Ok, locals will often try to get you to eat this. Be informed, balut is a duck egg with a duck embryo formed. depending on the # of days old the egg is, it can have a beak and feathers. i never tried this, but for what it's worth, a friend did and she quite liked it.

If you're planning to do a lot of shopping and walking around Manila (or anywhere in the Philippines) avoid wearing outlandish clothes that scream "tourist"...and keep the accessories to a minimum. Don't ever flaunt too much jewelry so as not to attract unwanted attention from criminals.

In general the Philippines are completely safe, much more so than London or New York. However, there are a handful of small, isolated areas that should be avoided. They are so far from anywhere that tourists are likely to go that it is almost not worth mentioning, but here I go anyway. Also, ask locals before trekking into any remote or mountainous area, they will know the exact situation at the time.

Mindanao - some of the Sulu islands such as Jolo have Islamic extremist groups and should not be visited. Others such as Tawi-Tawi are completely safe. Also mainland Mindanao's interior has MILF groups (anti-government rebels who are much more dangerous than NPA) hiding out. Other areas such as Barangay Ned have sever tribal warfare. In mainland Mindanao you will never get to any of these places anyway because locals simply will not let you go.

Palawan - further south than Sicud is the territory of pirates. Abu Sayyaf also hide out in the jungles, but again locals will never take you anywhere near them.

Interior Panay - tribal warfare in a few parts. Locals will not take you to these areas even if you want to.

Mindoro - NPA rebels throughout the interior. They have never kidnapped any tourists and are much more likely just to ask for a "donation". Again, locals will not allow you to go anywhere near them.

Kalinga - tribal warfare unlikely to affect any tourists. Weapons very visible everywhere in areas such as Tanudan but absolutely not in Tinglayan (more touristy but still culturally interesting area).

This is not a comprehensive list of areas you should not visit, just the ones I know about and can give details about from my travels. Even so, these areas are SO remote and SO small and SO far away from anywhere you are likely to go as a tourist that there is really no need to even think about them.

I have read of many warnings about travel on the island of Mindanao. I spent 5 weeks there in 2009 travelling from Dipolog up to Camigian Island and staying near Sindangan. I saw no evidence of any problems which do exist further south in Zambonga City. Mindanao is a big island and is not all affected by the muslim rebels. The people were very friendly, accomadations spartan, but clean and acceptable. So don't cross this beautiful part of the Philipinnes off your list. Just plan your travelling with an educated mind. It also helps to have a local travelling with you.

Religion is a big thing in the Philippines and asking what religion you are will nearly always feature in a locals top 10 list of questions for you. If religion is not your thing then be prepared for some questioning......but try to avoid getting into a heated debate.