[Naughty_Boy]

I just saw a great flight deal for March 2018 to Cebu but my friend (his GF is a Pinay) warned me going there since there a lot of violent activites at the moment. Even his girlfriends family told them to not visit them at the moment.

More info can be found here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passpor...rning.html


What is your opinion about this? Looking for notches is great but not worth risking your life

In my opionion Cebu should be safe since its not in the violent regoins

[crawb]

I would advise against it. I was recently in Boracay, Manila, and Batangas. Manila felt extremely dangerous and I would not go there again. I would assume Boracay would be the most similar to Cebu as far as safety. While in Boracay, I felt generally safe but i was with a group of people the whole time. However, on the flight and boat rides into the area, there were numerous security checks with heavily armed guards and terrorist watch list posted.

Is there anyway you could take advantage of the flight deal and then buy a cheap flight from the Philippines to Thailand instead?

[sharknado]

I was in Manila and Boracay back in February. I felt safe and didn't notice any security checkpoints. Pretty scary things have become so much worse over the past 6 months.

[Kale_anonymous]

im here. it feels safer than america.

[the-dream]

Cebu is fine. To the poster above who said they were in Manila recently and it felt too dangerous, it feels no different now from how it did before the war in the south got so bad. It's just a generally shifty feeling city, as most 3rd world capital cities are.

[yankeetravels]

Just came from a big trip in the Phils. I didn't hit Cebu but was in Manila for a month and I'd say it's definitely not the safest city in the world but if you stick to the safer areas of the city and do proper research, you should be ok. I think it helps a lot that English is widely spoken there. My top tip would be to try to stay exclusive to Uber or Grab for traveling around the city.

[EvanWilson]

I have not traveled to the area recently but did have a chance to talk with a friend of mine that was in Manila October 2016 and then in Shanghai.

He did note to me that in Manila "he felt he needed to take care and make sure someone didn't steal his watch right off of his wrist", while in Shanghai he reported that to pay for stuff he would just hold out his palm with coins in it and let the vendor pick out the correct amount.

I do not think anyone would be shocked at that level of vigilance for Manila or too concerned about being safe as long as one did not do anything stupid.

[CleanSlate]

Interesting to read the sentiment in this thread compared with two years ago. From the tone of this thread, Manila definitely feels less safe than when I was there.

I visited three times, and I felt safer in Manila than in Washington, DC.

[wolfpack]

Im here as well and never once have i felt any dangers

[Chetthebaker]

I was in Manila and Cebu a few months ago. Although things are very third world in a lot of parts, neither seemed unsafe to me. I grew up and live in a big city though, so I could understand someone being affected by the poverty and shabiness you'll see driving through a lot of neighborhoods.
While I was there several cab drivers told me crime is way down now with Duterte.

[Dagnasty]

Manila is an incredibly dangerous place at the moment. I hear gunshots every day. Definitely stay at home. Watch what's happening on CNN in Marawii and the War on Drugs - but do it from home because this is definitely no place for a vacation. I wouldn't encourage anyone who is on the fence about visiting to come here.

Everyone else, hit me up when you land for a drink. (If you have at least one rep)

[MongolianAbroad]

Did you guys see the latest news about a kidnapping gang being arrested in Manila? There were over 40 members. This city isn't safe, and as foreigners, we make obvious targets.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philip...A50C0?il=0

The article:

Quote:

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine police said on Thursday they had arrested 43 foreigners for kidnapping a Singaporean woman at a casino resort in the capital, highlighting security concerns that have scared high-stakes gamblers away from Manila.

Police said the gang, including people from China and Southeast Asia, was believed to be a loan-shark syndicate targeting foreign high-rollers, with 11 similar cases reported since 2015.

The Philippines is one of the fastest-growing casino hubs in Asia, after Macau and Singapore, with the opening of several resorts over the past two years.

But security remains a major concern that has deterred big-spending gamblers from China, wary about kidnapping and extortion.

The 48-year-old Singaporean woman was losing heavily when she was approached and befriended by three men and a woman at the Solaire casino on July 17 who lent her money, police said.

They later invited the woman to another casino but she was instead taken to a hotel where she was mistreated and video of her was taken which her captors showed to her family with a demand for $180,000 for her release.

National police chief Ronald dela Rosa said the woman was rescued the next day.

Kidnapping complaints had been filed against two Malaysians and 41 Chinese nationals in connection with the case, de la Rosa said.

Solaire, which is owned by Bloomberry Resorts Corp, said it did not tolerate loan sharks and was coordinating with and supporting authorities in the fight against crime.

"Solaire continues to closely safeguard all its patrons to ensure their safety from unscrupulous personalities and activities," it said in a statement.

Last month, a gunman who police said had gambling debts stormed Manila's Resorts World casino, and set a fire in which 37 people were killed.

The kidnapping of the woman from Singapore would likely compound fears about safety in the Philippines, an analyst said.

"This incident will make it even harder for the operators to entice the high-rollers to visit," said Shaun McCamley, a partner at Global Market Advisors based in Bangkok.

The Philippines targets gross gaming revenue of 155 billion to 160 billion pesos ($3.1 billion to $3.2 billion) this year, up 4 percent to 7 percent from last year, data showed.

Reporting by Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in MANILA and Farah Master in HONG KONG; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Robert Birsel

Don't come to the Philippines right now.

It may take a decade or more for things to stabilize over there again, these are systemic problems. First the Resorts World casino gets burned down by a guy with a vendetta, resulting in multiple casualties, then it comes to light that this 40+ member kidnapping gang is operating just a few blocks away, plus the insurgency in the South of the country and the bombing in the market in Davao a while back.

Having a little bit of fun isn't worth the risk right now.

This instability could mean the Philippines is off limits for a long time.

Also, if you do go anyways, definitely don't write about your experiences on here, these things can be traumatizing to many people.

Think about the consequences before you share any of your experiences.

[WanderingSoul]

I spent three months in the Philippines two years ago and I never really felt in danger, but definitely did not feel safer than in the US.

I walked around some back alleys of Makati around midnight and didn't feel uneasy, but I'm very street smart, and I can see how shit could have went bad quickly. Large groups of drug addicts just standing around with nothing to do. They definitely took notice of me, but no one tried anything. I could imagine in some shittier parts of Manila, or if I stumbled upon the wrong people at the wrong time, things could go bad quickly. I definitely wouldn't have walked my girlfriend around those parts.

In comparison Bangkok seemed like Singapore.

What shithole do you live in when you're in the US?

(07-18-2017 10:14 AM)Kale_anonymous Wrote:  

im here. it feels safer than america.

[MrRemi]

How dangerous is it compared to SA (Colombia, Brazil)? Anyone been to both recently and can compare? How bad is it if you stick to the better neighborhoods?

[Cambodian Creamsicle]

Places are generally not as dangerous as people make them out to be. I've been to Colombia, Brazil, DR, Kenya, Phillipines (Mindinao included), Russia, etc and had no issues but if you look like a pussy odds go up that someone will mess with you. Criminals are all about preying on the vulnerable.

[RatInTheWoods]

Philippines can turn dangerous very quickly. It can go from smiles to knife fight in seconds.

In general you are very safe in Green Zones Manila and Makati. But if you get drunk and get a taxi "to the action" outside these safe areas, it can get moody very quick....

Cebu generally safe if you stick to the safe areas and be sensible.

Anywhere down south can be extremely unsafe, best avoided. Plenty of nice places to party and see.

Boracay very safe.

[benji]

So which cities are the safest? Is it a religion thing, terrorists or Duterte's war on drugs making it worse? When i starting going to Colombia years ago it always felt safe even though news reports would make it seem dangerous for anyone to visit and when you tell people you are going they freak out thinking soemthing bads going to happen. If i told anyone i was going to Phillipines at the moment it would get a worse reaction then anywhere in South America.

[RatInTheWoods]

The biggest risk for foreigners is a robbery or ransom in general.

Down south with the muslim insurgency, you are risk of being killed for religious reasons.

Those of us that work in mining run the risk of being killed for being rich, exploiting their country (and not sharing enough back) or degrading their natural resources.

[Putin Closes]

If you want to just go on bang trip stick with bgc or makati.

[Simeon_Strangelight]

I did not know that the conflict with the Muslims cost 100.000 lives in the Philippines since the 1970s!

Now the Muslimophil Duterte is offering another Islamic State within the Philippines to appease the terrorists - something that has already been tried and worked only to exacerbate the problem.

https://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/201...self-rule/

Quote:

MANILA: President Rodrigo Duterte offered self-rule to the Philippines’ Muslim minority on Monday (Jul 17) in an attempt to defeat militants who seized a southern city in the gravest challenge to his year-old rule.

Duterte hopes the promise of autonomy will persuade Filipino Muslims to reject the Islamic State militant group, whose followers still control parts of Marawi after nearly two months of fighting that had left more than 500 people dead.

Quote:

Muslims since the 1970s had waged a decades-old insurgency that claimed more than 100,000 lives in the Mindanao region that includes Marawi.

Good luck with that. If Sweden gave the Jihadis ever a part of their country as a Caliphate, then the Swedish Caliphate would want to conquer the other 95% of the place - and after that move against Norway or Finland. Anyone who would fucking read the Quran and the Hadiths would know that - also study the Muslim history over time.

Quote:

Muslims already had an Islamic city…that has been the center of the latest jihadi terror.

The terror will frankly increase over time. I see no end in sight - and they are only some 6% of the population. Wait when they are at 10-20%, then the fun will really start.

[El Chinito loco]

Here's how you avoid danger and scams in the Philippines:

If someone approaches you asking for "help" or some other convoluted story tell them to get lost.

If someone is a little too friendly and wants to invite you to some place where it's dark or seedy tell them to get lost.

If someone wants to play cards with you for a little money (no matter the occasion or setting) tell them to get lost.

Avoid regular taxis.

Don't associate with the muslim part of society. This goes for Thailand as well or pretty much anywhere else.

Don't go sightseeing in the squatter areas or in the deep south (marawi) because you want to roleplay as a journalist.

If she's pregnant it's probably not yours unless you have your eyes on her 24-7 or some rock solid proof.

[Beyond Borders]

All this talk makes me want to book a trip back over to Manila this weekend.

[MongolianAbroad]

(07-23-2017 05:23 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

All this talk makes me want to book a trip back over to Manila this weekend.

If you come back in one piece, just make sure you don't write about all the fun times you had over there.

The Philippines has enough problems without us encouraging naive foreigners to go there and have the time of their lives get kidnapped.

#postResponsibly

[easternwomenrule]

I'm heading over next month.

Going from hotel to Grab to crowded area, back to Grab +1 then Hotel!

[UberBicep]

Now is certainly a challenging time for the Philippines. Boracay, Bohol, Palawan have all had their recent scares about kidnappings. In Mindanao Marshall law is in effect, which pretty much means the military can do whatever they want, and checkpoints are everywhere. There's a civil war going on at the moment. Given how corrupt the Philippines is, it is quite scary thinking about the trouble you could get yourself into with the military.

If you to decide to go, I would stick to the ultra, high dense tourist spots such as Boracay, the Philippines government are still desperate to compete against neighbouring Thailand for tourists and would hopefully have the security a little more tighter than the rest of the country.