Is Philippines Safe?

[BritManToo]

14 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

38 Kilo is the average weight of a 12 year old 

My pal and I were having a competition ........ who can bang the smallest woman.

I was winning with a 38Kg (30 year old), her feet were level with my knees while we were watching a movie in bed.

Then my pal took the lead with a 36Kg night club waitress.

We then saw a lady (mid-20s) who couldn't have weighed more than 34Kg (and the girl I was with said she's available).

 

At that point I conceded the contest to my pal ................

I've got some amazing memories from Barretto.

Good food, cheap booze, great bars and clubs, amazing beaches, good friendships.

[Dazinoz]

I am 171cm of 5'7" and you can see how small these ladies are. The one next to me with the white shirt was 21 with a 1 year old baby. Not sure how much she weighed. The one next to her was 17.

[jomtienisgood]

5 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

I think the food there sucks

Jellybean . 55555555

[BritManToo]

18 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

So you class women as goods now, disgusting.

You're in Thailand for the meat pies then?

[jomtienisgood]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

My pal and I were having a competition ........ who can bang the smallest woman.

I was winning with a 38Kg (30 year old), her feet were level with my knees while we were watching a movie in bed.

Then my pal took the lead with a 36Kg night club waitress.

We then saw a lady (mid-20s) who couldn't have weighed more than 34Kg (and the girl I was with said she's available).

 

At that point I conceded the contest to my pal ................

I've got some amazing memories from Barretto.

Good food, cheap booze, great bars and clubs, amazing beaches, good friendships.

Did you hurt your D..K. 5555555

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, bojo said:

I have never tried it, would love to try it, have heard it's awful, there certainly aren't many Filipino restaurants outside of the country worldwide and that speaks volumes.....i find it really hard to imagine that it is sooooh bad, so why is that from an outsiders perspective? What do the Filipinos think of their own food?

The Filipinos are right up there with the Cubans. Not a single culinary gene in their entire bodies. Thais have a feel for food. In the PI, it is all thumbs. Horrific food, low quality fruits and vegetables and no idea how to make a dish taste good. 

[spidermike007]

I have a friend who does private security for a lot of very high net worth individuals, and corporate CEOs, when they travel, and he told me that the only country in the world that he will not take an assignment is the Philippines. When I asked him why he reminded me that he was at the 6th or 7th degree level in six different martial arts, besides the fact that he was 6'5 and about 280 lbs. of muscle. Spent his whole life training. Not the kind of guy you would want to mess with. He told me under normal circumstances he could incapacitate a group of four or five guys, in under a minute. Not in the PI. 

 

He said that in general, the Philippine men had the greatest degree of fighting skills of any group of people in the world, and that if you encountered a single guy, or a group of Philippine guys on the street you just never knew what their level of skill was, and you had to assume that they were expert street fighters. He said many were experts with knives, sticks and improvised weapons. Not the case here.

 

If you add on top of that, the fact that the country is extremely poor and that there's a fairly high level of desperation, it makes the Philippines a very, very dangerous place. Crime there is very opportunistic. And being a foreigner makes you a potential target. Again, not the case in Thailand. 

 

You really have to know what you're doing, you really have to know where you're going at all times, especially at night, and you always have to have eyes in the back of your head, and constantly looking over your shoulder. Of course, it varies depending on the city, the part of the city, and the region. But it is just one of many reasons I would not want to live there. 

 

I've been told this by a number of friends who live in the Philippines and it's been my observation, the several times that I have visited. 

 

I like the people. The level of english skills and the women seem to be the big draw for most guys. But random guys in the street, can be a hazard, and that is variable I would want to have to deal with, regularly. 

[xtrnuno41]

Ive been there from 2007 till 2013, never had problems. OK had one in the beginning, but was with a Philippine woman and she was furious on the driver trying to rip me. Well i dont speak Tagalog, but she did and the heart was on right place then. She stood up for me. Strange how it can change in time, but ok thats another story.

 

Yet on docu's on tv, i saw they have scams and try to rip you.

They start with where do you come from and then their sister, aunt , uncle wants to got there and they invited you to their homes.

Having some to eat and talk about your country and then it turns against you. So dont go there.

Also you can be taken by "freedom warriors" and they hold you for ransom and rip you.

I , happily, never met it.

Now they say , you get shot if you dont wear mask. Dictator Duterte is not a real fine president.

However show me a country with a nice government and leaders, there isnt.

As for rips, they have it everywhere in the world. Even Thailand with the famous jetski rip.

In every country, in touristic places, you have to be aware, you could end up being a victim. Dont go easy !

Be aware with invitations, to go somewhere with anybody.

Also like on an offer to go a "nice" bar. You drink some, mostly, instantly a nice woman is with you, the door will be locked and they demand you to pay several 100-dreds of dollars for the drink. And that one goes very quick. If not, well a guy twice your size is asking it and will bash you. So if you dont have martial artist skills, you will probably loose. Never met it, but was in a docu on tv, so be warned

 

Food? Once i ate in a small mall (Manilla), there was a floor with foodstands, same as Thailand and picked one with great food.

They all looked good. The one i had was so nice, i even complimented the cook on his food.

In Sorsogon i once ate macaroni, how can you spoil that one, but they did.

In Palawan ate in a restaurant crocodile (it said so on menu) and it was great.

Or in Bohol fresh fish grilled on the beach, just great.  

Cant say the food is overall bad, you just have to be lucky i guess.

In Thailand ate once a pizza in a mall, well they couldnt fix a nice pizza. 

Philippines safe? Well it is as safe as any other country.

   

[MajorTom]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

The Filipinos are right up there with the Cubans. Not a single culinary gene in their entire bodies. Thais have a feel for food. In the PI, it is all thumbs. Horrific food, low quality fruits and vegetables and no idea how to make a dish taste good. 

Filipino food is bad, but not in the same league as Cuba ????

I was there 10 years ago. Booked for 2 weeks. Bought a new ticket and escaped after 12 days, i was starving.

[EVENKEEL]

1 hour ago, jomtienisgood said:

Jellybean . 55555555

Jolly Bee

[Denim]

Been there several times for several months each time. Traveled around Luzon , Cebu, Negros , Mindanao. Never felt threatened even at nights but used common sense and avoided places that looked dodgy.  Carried a broken watch on my arm and a fake wallet stuffed with Italian Lira or some other worthless currency plus expired plastic cards , Library, Sainsburys etc . Also enough pesos to last the evening. Secreted on my body I would carry an emergency $50 dollars.

 

In the hotel room same thing. Worthless junk badly hidden in drawers etc. Real money secreted in less obvious places around the room.

 

From time to time some of this junk might disappear but I would just replace it with more junk.  A thief doesn't like to go away empty handed so make sure you have some <deleted> you don't mind parting with.

 

Having said that , once out of tourist areas I found it generally safer .

 

Girls are nice and better in bed and I always found nice food to eat .

 

Accommodation  more expensive and not as good as Thailand. 

 

Love to go again but will never happen

[EVENKEEL]

A plate of greasy Lumpia is great to soak up some alcohol. Fresh tuna steak meals at Mango's in Barretto was awesome at 500P, $10.00. Food wouldn't be a deal breaker for PI. It's poorer and dirtier than LOS IMO.

[sungod]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I have a friend who does private security for a lot of very high net worth individuals, and corporate CEOs, when they travel, and he told me that the only country in the world that he will not take an assignment is the Philippines.

Thats laughable, always a way to mitigate.

[BusyB]

16 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

I think the food there sucks

 

That puts me off PI more than anything else ...

[jomtienisgood]

18 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Jolly Bee

Just checking.... 55555

[jomtienisgood]

18 hours ago, MajorTom said:

Filipino food is bad, but not in the same league as Cuba ????

I was there 10 years ago. Booked for 2 weeks. Bought a new ticket and escaped after 12 days, i was starving.

No Burger King???

[jomtienisgood]

19 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I have a friend who does private security for a lot of very high net worth individuals, and corporate CEOs, when they travel, and he told me that the only country in the world that he will not take an assignment is the Philippines. When I asked him why he reminded me that he was at the 6th or 7th degree level in six different martial arts, besides the fact that he was 6'5 and about 280 lbs. of muscle. Spent his whole life training. Not the kind of guy you would want to mess with. He told me under normal circumstances he could incapacitate a group of four or five guys, in under a minute. Not in the PI. 

 

He said that in general, the Philippine men had the greatest degree of fighting skills of any group of people in the world, and that if you encountered a single guy, or a group of Philippine guys on the street you just never knew what their level of skill was, and you had to assume that they were expert street fighters. He said many were experts with knives, sticks and improvised weapons. Not the case here.

 

If you add on top of that, the fact that the country is extremely poor and that there's a fairly high level of desperation, it makes the Philippines a very, very dangerous place. Crime there is very opportunistic. And being a foreigner makes you a potential target. Again, not the case in Thailand. 

 

You really have to know what you're doing, you really have to know where you're going at all times, especially at night, and you always have to have eyes in the back of your head, and constantly looking over your shoulder. Of course, it varies depending on the city, the part of the city, and the region. But it is just one of many reasons I would not want to live there. 

 

I've been told this by a number of friends who live in the Philippines and it's been my observation, the several times that I have visited. 

 

I like the people. The level of english skills and the women seem to be the big draw for most guys. But random guys in the street, can be a hazard, and that is variable I would want to have to deal with, regularly. 

Ever been to Nigeria?????

[BritManToo]

On 7/2/2021 at 11:43 PM, spidermike007 said:

He said that in general, the Philippine men had the greatest degree of fighting skills of any group of people in the world, and that if you encountered a single guy, or a group of Philippine guys on the street you just never knew what their level of skill was, and you had to assume that they were expert street fighters. He said many were experts with knives, sticks and improvised weapons. Not the case here.

My fighting skills are ZERO ......... best to avoid all situations that would result in a fight.

In a worst case scenario, I've always found buying them a drink usually avoids trouble.

[survivalblue]

Married to a Filipina.  Our son conceived and born in northern Mindanao.

Spent lengthy amounts of time in the Philippines both after meeting my wife and while I was single before that.

Never had any issues other than a random attack from a drunken idiot on a Sunday afternoon whilst walking to the supermarket.  

Did not spend much time in Manila other than obtaining my son's CRBA and passport at the embassy.  So I can't say much about safety there.  Ermita was fine, we enjoyed our shirt amount of time there.

Otherwise, Cebu, Bohol, northern Mindanao, safe for me and my family.  

Have to be aware of the valuables, don't carry around what you can't live without, just normal protocols.  

Use indoor ATM's in the early daytime, don't let anyone see you with a wad of cash.  

Common sense.

We will eventually move back to the Philippines, we love it there.

 

 

 

[spidermike007]

20 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

Ive been there from 2007 till 2013, never had problems. OK had one in the beginning, but was with a Philippine woman and she was furious on the driver trying to rip me. Well i dont speak Tagalog, but she did and the heart was on right place then. She stood up for me. Strange how it can change in time, but ok thats another story.

 

Yet on docu's on tv, i saw they have scams and try to rip you.

They start with where do you come from and then their sister, aunt , uncle wants to got there and they invited you to their homes.

Having some to eat and talk about your country and then it turns against you. So dont go there.

Also you can be taken by "freedom warriors" and they hold you for ransom and rip you.

I , happily, never met it.

Now they say , you get shot if you dont wear mask. Dictator Duterte is not a real fine president.

However show me a country with a nice government and leaders, there isnt.

As for rips, they have it everywhere in the world. Even Thailand with the famous jetski rip.

In every country, in touristic places, you have to be aware, you could end up being a victim. Dont go easy !

Be aware with invitations, to go somewhere with anybody.

Also like on an offer to go a "nice" bar. You drink some, mostly, instantly a nice woman is with you, the door will be locked and they demand you to pay several 100-dreds of dollars for the drink. And that one goes very quick. If not, well a guy twice your size is asking it and will bash you. So if you dont have martial artist skills, you will probably loose. Never met it, but was in a docu on tv, so be warned

 

Food? Once i ate in a small mall (Manilla), there was a floor with foodstands, same as Thailand and picked one with great food.

They all looked good. The one i had was so nice, i even complimented the cook on his food.

In Sorsogon i once ate macaroni, how can you spoil that one, but they did.

In Palawan ate in a restaurant crocodile (it said so on menu) and it was great.

Or in Bohol fresh fish grilled on the beach, just great.  

Cant say the food is overall bad, you just have to be lucky i guess.

In Thailand ate once a pizza in a mall, well they couldnt fix a nice pizza. 

Philippines safe? Well it is as safe as any other country.

   

 

Not correct, at all. The PI is far more dangerous, than most other countries. And the food is dreadful. On my last trip, I was with a friend who has been living there for 15 years, almost entirely because of the women. I get that. He warned me about the locals, and told me what areas were safe to walk around, and most other areas to avoid. 

 

He also said the food was dreadful. But, he also said if you are willing to spend alot more, you can get good food. So, the entire time we were with him, we ate in western type restaurants, had some good food, but paid alot for it. You do not have to do that here, to get good food, and you do not have to be weary of the local men, in regard to muggings, assaults and violence here either. 

 

Many visitors have been victims of bag snatching by armed assailants on foot or on motorbikes. In July 2017, a New Zealand man living in the Philippines was shot dead while being robbed of his bag when he visited a market on Bilirian Island. A British man was also mugged and shot dead for US$13 outside a bar in Cebu.

 

https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/philippines/crime-in-the-philippines

 

Common crimes include pickpocket or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carjacking and physical violence.

Based on the survey, most of the cases were identified as street robberies, increasing from 4.6 percent or 1.1 million from the period April to September 2018 to 5.2 percent or 1.2 million in the second half of last year.

 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/02/24/1896274/18-million-pinoys-fell-victim-petty-crimes-sws

 

Pickpockets operate on crowded streets and buses and snatch-and-run thieves on motorscooters operate in Manila. Foreigners are sometimes the targets of scams involving prostitutes and gangsters, sleight-of-hand money changing tricks and credit card fraud.

 

https://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6f/entry-3908.html

[spidermike007]

13 hours ago, sungod said:

Thats laughable, always a way to mitigate.

What is laughable is always questioning the wisdom of an expert, with alot of experience in warfare, street fighting, the martial arts, and private security. Sorry, but that level of skepticism is sad. 

 

And there are countless situations, where there is no way to mitigate, when faced with a group of highly skilled street fighters. Sounds like you have never been faced with such a situation. My friend has, on many occasions. 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, jomtienisgood said:

Ever been to Nigeria?????

No. I never have. And it is possible he has never been offered a security gig in Nigeria. And he was not referring to thugs, or gun attacks, or kidnapping attempts, as much as random street violence, perpetrated by guys with alot of skill. 

[Dazinoz]

One scam that I heard about, and no not from experience, is a guy will pick up a lady from a bar and take her to his room. She gets a phone call and says her sister just coming to see her a few minutes on the way home. Ok. So this young underage girl arrives and they talk in tagalog. The older lady asks him can her sister have a shower before she goes home. So the guy agrees and the young girl goes into bathroom and gets naked. Next thing a knock on the room door and the guy opens it. A policeman forces his way in and goes straight to the bathroom where there is a naked underage girl. So money is extorted to let him go.

[MajorTom]

2 hours ago, jomtienisgood said:

No Burger King???

If Cuba had a Burger King it would be the best restaurant in the country. By far. lol

[spidermike007]

21 hours ago, MajorTom said:

Filipino food is bad, but not in the same league as Cuba ????

I was there 10 years ago. Booked for 2 weeks. Bought a new ticket and escaped after 12 days, i was starving.

 

If you mean that Cuban food is even worse than the PI, I think I agree. 

 

I've been on road trips where I've driven across the entire island of Cuba and we would stop for something to eat, and the only thing they had available in the restaurant was french fries and a sandwich with white bread, mayonnaise and bologna. That was the entire menu! There are good paladars in Havana, in private homes, where you can get really good food, but it is expensive, and that's the exception. The food in the five star hotels is decent, and crazy expensive, but it is all imported. Those people in the major hotels, and the paladars were mostly trained oversees. The food in general in Cuba is utterly horrific. The Cuban restaurants in the US are far better. I have been to high end, oceanfront seafood restaurant in Cuba, where the specialty was pork. 

 

I used to go there and stay a couple weeks at a time. I would rent a beautiful home or apartment in Miramar, which is one of the nicest sections of Havana and I had a nice kitchen in the house. One day a Cuban gal knocks on my front door and said she had some lobster for sale. I asked her to see it and she pulled out these vacuum packed bags of lobster tail that were absolutely gorgeous, at a dollar per tail. These were probably over a half a kilo each. I bought everything she had which was 15 lobster tails. She could have been arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling that lobster, as nearly all of it is exported to Japan, and the funds are pocketed by Raul the roach, and his super rich army compatriots. 

 

Put about 13 of them in the refrigerator and freezer, took two of them, prepped them and got out my wok. Sautéed them up, which made well over a kilo of lobster tail (a heaping plate!), made up a pot of beans and Spanish rice and got on the phone and started calling my local Cuban friends. Invited them over for some food and beer, and half of them said "oh my God I love lobster I'll be right over" the other half said "do you have white bread and mayonnaise, I'd rather have that. I hate lobster".

 

 That tells you a lot about the Cuban taste for food, and what they are used to eating.

[spidermike007]

15 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

One scam that I heard about, and no not from experience, is a guy will pick up a lady from a bar and take her to his room. She gets a phone call and says her sister just coming to see her a few minutes on the way home. Ok. So this young underage girl arrives and they talk in tagalog. The older lady asks him can her sister have a shower before she goes home. So the guy agrees and the young girl goes into bathroom and gets naked. Next thing a knock on the room door and the guy opens it. A policeman forces his way in and goes straight to the bathroom where there is a naked underage girl. So money is extorted to let him go.

 

Sounds very likely. The cops there, are even worse than the cops here. I am not sure about deliberate setups, but I have heard of guys getting into major trouble here, for being found with underage gals. As an American, the laws in the US apply to all US passport holders, worldwide. Often the Thai cop will demand 100,000 baht, if she is 17, or one million baht, if 16 or under. You do not have it? You are turned over. Many guys end up on planes with an assistant DA dispatched from DC, in handcuffs, facing federal statutory rape charges. Unless you have millions to throw at a lawyer, you are looking at 10 years in a federal pen. And you will be on the sex offender list the rest of your life.

 

Many will dispute this. I have spoken to lawyers about it, and it is correct info. And the US government is over zealous about the underage thing. Not worth it. Always best to check if she looks really young. If she does not have ID, that is real trouble. Do not proceed. 

[MajorTom]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Not correct, at all. The PI is far more dangerous, than most other countries.

 

I respect your opinion, but i think you are giving it a bit too much doom.

I have family in Manila and several long term expat friends living around the Philippines. I have probably been to the PI 20 times during the past 12-13 years, in various parts including most of Manila. I don't reccognise this level of danger.

Is it more dangerous than Thailand? Yes, and probably more so than the rest of South East Asia.

I have been to some bad neighborhoods in Europe that are just as bad or worse. Red light district i Rotterdam is one example. Holy ****. there are street gangs there, you think you are in Mogadishu.

I also spent several years working in Brazil, and trust me: The Philippines is like Singapore in comparison.

[spidermike007]

7 minutes ago, MajorTom said:

I respect your opinion, but i think you are giving it a bit too much doom.

I have family in Manila and several long term expat friends living around the Philippines. I have probably been to the PI 20 times during the past 12-13 years, in various parts including most of Manila. I don't reccognise this level of danger.

Is it more dangerous than Thailand? Yes, and probably more so than the rest of South East Asia.

I have been to some bad neighborhoods in Europe that are just as bad or worse. Red light district i Rotterdam is one example. Holy ****. there are street gangs there, you think you are in Mogadishu.

I also spent several years working in Brazil, and trust me: The Philippines is like Singapore in comparison.

Yeah, I have friends who will not visit Brazil without hiring a local  armed bodyguard! How is that for a vacation spot? 

[sungod]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

What is laughable is always questioning the wisdom of an expert,

Why are you questioning mine then?

[BritManToo]

16 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

And there are countless situations, where there is no way to mitigate, when faced with a group of highly skilled street fighters. Sounds like you have never been faced with such a situation. My friend has, on many occasions. 

Your friend looks for trouble and finds it.

I never look for trouble and never find it.

 

Martial arts guys are always aggressive, same as white guys training in Muay Thai. These sort of people are best avoided as they draw trouble like a magnet.