Cebu City Safe As A Whole For An American?

[yankees652]

I met a girl i love on okcupid and she lives in cebu city. I live in the USA. I plan to visit her in may, she says Cebu City is safe and i believe her. But my coworkers keep saying the philippines is bad, and that my life is at risk if i go there. What i keep telling them that it is mindanao that is not safe i guess according to the travel warnings posted by the US government, but they keep saying don't go. Now do you people who live in cebu city who is an american feel safe in cebu city? are the natives friendly?

[Jollygoodfellow]

are the natives friendly?

 

As long as they don't throw spears you will be OK.  :thumbsup:

[Jake]

I met a girl i love on okcupid and she lives in cebu city. I live in the USA. I plan to visit her in may, she says Cebu City is safe and i believe her. But my coworkers keep saying the philippines is bad, and that my life is at risk if i go there. What i keep telling them that it is mindanao that is not safe i guess according to the travel warnings posted by the US government, but they keep saying don't go. Now do you people who live in cebu city who is an american feel safe in cebu city? are the natives friendly?

Hello Yankee,

 

I think the question should be -- is that girl you have never met, safe for you?  Nevertheless, we are here to advise you all the pros and cons about living anywhere in PI.  Unfortunately, you must expect some differing opinions for any particular place.  We all have our unique qualities of life and tolerance level.  

 

Most of the time, your first location is already established by the woman you're going to meet.  This will be your very first checkpoint or reality check.  Please, proceed with caution.  Those spears come silent and deep...he, he.

 

Respectfully -- Jake

Edited November 7, 2015 by Jake

[Jollygoodfellow]

I met a girl i love on okcupid and she lives in cebu city. I live in the USA. I plan to visit her in may

 

Your opened yourself up for dating advice even though this is not what you asked for in this topic. I'm not going to give you online dating advice but I am concerned as you obviously never been to the Philippines before and are only planning a 7 day visit from what you said in another topic so as much as it is an inconvenience to me I propose you stay home, pay for my flight and I will check out the lovely lady myself and report back to you.

Save yourself a lot of hassle won't it.   :thumbsup:

[Dave Hounddriver]

my coworkers keep saying the philippines is bad

 

Either they are teasing you or they have never been here.  You are more at risk from your new love scamming you than anything else.

[Jack Peterson]

only planning a 7 day visit

 

:no:  Crisky by the time our Friend gets over the Journey it will be time to Go Home.

 

Jack

[RonHenk]

I met a girl i love on okcupid and she lives in cebu city. I live in the USA. I plan to visit her in may, she says Cebu City is safe and i believe her. But my coworkers keep saying the philippines is bad, and that my life is at risk if i go there. What i keep telling them that it is mindanao that is not safe i guess according to the travel warnings posted by the US government, but they keep saying don't go. Now do you people who live in cebu city who is an american feel safe in cebu city? are the natives friendly?

 

Yankee between now and May you have a lot of time. I highly suggest that you use that time to research, read, and absorb the plethora of information that is available to you on this forum. Especially the posts that pertain to your situation i.e. Internet dating and meeting a lady for the first time. If you have questions, ask. The members here will do their best to help. You will see horror stories and you will see happy endings. Learn from these folks and learn the signs you need to look for to realize the situation that YOU are in. As a greenhorn, for you knowledge is key. Forewarned is forearmed. Good luck to you cowboy.

[Mike J]

 It seems like people are offering advice, but no one will answer your question.  :no:

So here goes.  First of all I do not live in Cebu City, but visit it at least a couple times a month.  Asking if Cebu City is safe, is like asking if Seattle, Butte, or Miami are safe.  The answer is "Yes" it is safe provided you do not go into areas where you are likely to find trouble.  That is probably the same advice you give to anyone asking about those first three cities.  Yes Cebu City is safe and if your friend is an honest Filipina, she will make DAMN SURE you stay out of those areas.  Filipina are very protective of their men :dance: .  The single most important thing to remember when dealing with the "natives" is to be respectful and you will be treated with courtesy and respect in return.  Have a safe flight and enjoy your trip.   :thumbsup:

[scott h]

But my coworkers keep saying the philippines is bad, and that my life is at risk if i go there

 

Like Mike J says, you are pretty much as safe or unsafe as you make yourself. I have only driven through Texas, and have been to San Antonio a time or two with the Army. But I would be willing to bet that there are areas there where you would tell me I would be crazy to go :thumbsup: . Same here (and else where in the world with the exception of war zones). Use a bit of common sense, don't flash your money, don't get drunk and pass out under a street lamp (if you can find one :hystery: ) and you should be fine.

 

As to your coworkers, I think we all go through this. They usually fall into two types. Ex USA military who pretty much raised hell here when they got off the ship and have the memories of a 20 year old kid on liberty. Or the type that are afraid of traveling to the next town because they use green salsa instead of red on their wet burritos.

 

Welcome Yankee,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,there are a lot of topics here about relationships and such which you can browse and ask questions as things develop (I suggest you pay attention to topics that deal with the Filipino family dynamic and the American boyfriends.)

 

Have fun :cheersty:

[expatuk2014]

I knew anything about the Philippines back in 2001 !!

I met my wife on what was then Friendfinder. we chatted on the internet every day.

I proposed to her without meeting her face to face ! I bought a book about the Philippines read every page of it.

I made my first trip to this lovely country in 2002 which is when we got married !

if your GF is anything like my wife she will show you where to go and where not to go being a Foriegner !

My advice to you my friend is read this forum very carefully you will find all the answers you need !

This website is the best out there for expats !! it covers everything you will need to know about the Philippines.

one thing you need to remember is the Philippines is nothing like the US !! it is a very unique country.

treat the people with respect and they will treat you with respect !

And Family comes first !