Thoughts on this area to live

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mogo51
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Posted

I understand why you moved.

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robert k
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The Philippines has it's own variety of dangers. Volcanic eruption? Rarely but it does happen. Typhoons? Well if you come from tornado alley in the US or lived on the coast from Florida to Texas typhoons are probably a little more frequent. The islands are frequently mountainous and receive lots of rain at times. Always be aware of the possibility of flooding and possibly landslides. There are some bugs that have nasty bites and I had one bite me three times one night and the next day they were infected and wouldn't heal until I got in the shower and cut them wide open with my knife and cleaned them out. Guard against mosquitos always. Very few mosquitos carry deadly diseases but there are probably billions of mosquitos so take precautions. Petty theft and snatching may be a problem in some areas. In what people think are bad areas they will walk in a shop to pull out their $700 phone to answer a call or text. If you don't have an expensive phone, it's less of a problem although even cheap local brand of smartphones are subject to being snatched, it's a matter of opportunity and it's still worth two weeks pay for many people. I never had a snatcher problem but things like a spare 300 peso quart of oil and other things would disappear out of the back of my jeep, ordinary pilferage which has happened to me in the US as well. Traffic speeds are generally low, but so is vehicle maintenance. The proportion of motorcycle accidents, many sans helmet probably drives up the death toll. Never block a bus. I watch for them in my rearview and if the road doesn't look wide enough for them to safely pass me, I will pull off to the shoulder and stop if necessary, I'm not in that big a hurry. You can better your odds by not taking a ferry at night or in bad weather, know how to swim and locate flotation devices before they are needed. Avoid snakes and crocodiles unless they are your personal snake or crocodile because you don't know where they have been. Don't drink the water from the tap. It may be safe, then again it may not. Purified water is pretty cheap, if you pinch pennies like me you can get re-useable bottles and fill them from 20L water jugs so 2L costs you $0.05 rather than $0.70.

I don't go to Mindanao. Not that I couldn't go to Mindanao. I doubt they grab every light skinned person they see on sight! I wouldn't hang around for days in any one place inside the red zone of the infamous  travel warning map. Situational awareness is important. The Philippines is not covered up with warning signs and not all the rough edges are filed smooth or duct taped over for your convenience. You won't be suing any corporation for millions of dollars if you spill hot coffee on your crotch. The nanny state is in it's infancy in the Philippines, so use good judgment, that's all. No I don't consider it more dangerous than other places.

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Dave Hounddriver
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3 hours ago, frosty (chris) said:

The thing with the P.I. is everything can change so very very quickly. We were renting a town house in a great ( I thought) secure sub division and for the first 6 months it was great. Then the squatters moved in behind us and the music started at mid night till around 5 a.m. The gut next door to us was an expat, older, quiet, never really saw him. He had a difference of opinion with the owner and moved out, it was taken over by locals that never seemed to work but partied most nights, I would get an invite to these parties and sometimes go, but not often. Usually in the early hours of the morning these pi$$ ups would be moved into the street outside their house with all the usual loud noises that accompany local get togethers. In the end we just had to move, we just weren't getting any sleep. My advice would be if and when you check your place out, don't just go in the early afternoon and look, this is the time of siesta here when even the animals actually shut up for awhile. Good luck with whatever you do.

That sounds SOOOOOO familiar.  I remember being in a similar situation when on of the expats in the complex was a German foreigner.  He would go over to the house of the offending locals every time there was loud music, or their chickens were waking him up etc and he would complain.  Then he would complain to the other expats about why don't we back him up by also complaining.  Then he would complain about the local thieves and villains who were constantly flattening his tires, stealing his spare, keying his car etc.  So much easier to live and let live but it means putting up with the noise and smell.

It occurs to me as I write this, I live in a guarded subdivision and my filipino neighbors across the street will party on weekends.  They and their guest will spill out onto the street and they will drink and play music all night, passing out on the road.  No one bothers them.  We got used to it.  Most people can get used to it when they have no other reasonable choice.

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sonjack2847
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On 6/25/2016 at 2:12 PM, JasonE said:

I have been looking at some different areas around Cebu, recently I have been in contact with a guy has a place to rent (studio) in the area of Calderon Compound, Banawa/Guadalupe, Cebu City.

From what I could find it seems like a decent area, close to the mall and markets. 

I wanted to see if anyone has any information on the area. I want to make sure I will be living in fairly safe area.

Thanks,

Jason

I lived in the Calderon compound around 5 years ago.Then it was safe and secure and was very quiet.I never did get the deposit back though.I never had any problems around that area. 

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