Ph "broken And Lawless"

[Genius]

No I did not restate it, I accept America is more dangerous as to murders. After googling it, I found I was incorrect so I RETRACTED. I must admit it surprises me greatly that the richest country is also that violent.I m not sure how I made your point stronger, living in a class three city 120km away from Cebu, does not strike me as living in a big metropolis. So I am unsure of your point. Bogo is not representative of the Phils, that most visitors experience, Manila or Cebu is more representative, is it not ?Phillipines is violent, just a lot of it never gets included in the statistics. The impunity with which journalists and politicians are murdered should tell you something about the lawfulness of the country.Reason people talk about Manila is that it is the capital city. Just like London gets all the press in reports about the UK. Darlington just does not cut it, when reporting the UK, so same applies for Phillipines. People are bound to be interested in the safety of the capital, as thats likely where they will pass or be. I do not know about kidnapping, I must admit before I went to mindanao I thought, maybe I d be unsafe and then when I arrived I didngt feel unsafe once. Well, only as regards the crazy bus drivers on the roads not from criminals. But apparently Mindanao is unsafe according to the Embassies etc, it would be nice to have an independant source to get some statistical guidance from.

[No name]

Sorry, it didn't sound like a retraction to me. I misunderstood.There are lot of expats that live on in the class 3 and smaller cities. I was surprised there are so many here.You made my point stronger by implying the crime rate was lower because of where I live. That is true but that is what most of the Philippines is like. Where visitors are has little to do with the rate of crime in the Philippines. Most of the Philippines has a much lower violent crime rate than the US. I'm not sure about so called petty crime.Cebu has about the same population as Memphis. violent crime in Cebu is much lower than Memphis. It looks scarier because there is so much poverty. Poverty in the USA usually means high crime. in the Philippines, there are many poor people that will ask "you" for money but there are few that will take it from you.I do take precautions, because as my GF says "they see you as an ATM." If I was a bad guy, I'd rather rob someone that I thought had more money. Filipina will play all kinds of games to try to get money out of me. I think they'd be better off spending their time on guys that don't live here. Still, it would be wrong to judge the Philippines based on the online girls, that doesn't represent the Philippines. It only represents online Filipina. One can also find some gems online. Have to take each person as they come and not judge the next one based on the last one.

[Jim Sibbick]

Genius, have you lived in the Philippines?If so, then you are entitled to express an opinion about how safe it is to live in the Philippines.If not, then why are you even posting?You believe it is unsafe because you don't believe the official figures which apparently don't support your theories.Of course there is crime in the Philippines! I am not denying that. I am just of the opinion it is no less unsafe than living in the USA. And, no idea about current statistics but past statistics have supported my belief.There are many foreigners mis treating their wives and neighbours because they believe they are from a superior culture. I have known some of the foreigners who were killed in the Philippines. The only surprising thing to me is that they were not dead sooner. What about your assertion that living in Bogo is not representative of living in the Philippines?All Cebu and Manila represent is life in the city which is not how the majority of Filipinos live. I would have to agree that Bogo is much more representative of how Filipinos live in the Philippines, than Manila or Cebu.By the way, the biggest crime in Cebu City is snatchings, with Colon being the worst place with an average of 3 per day. I used to live on Colon and will be back staying on Colon in a few days. Don't make yourself a target and you are unlikely to become one. I have been staying on Colon, off and on for 16 years. I have walked all over Cebu City, alone, day and night,. Nothing bad has happened to me....at all. Or to put it another way, the worst thing that has happened to me is a bugaw (pimp) who will not take no for an answerRegards; Jim Sibbick

[Old55]

I too question any statistics provided by PNP. It seems to me if a Foreigner takes a few simple precautions generally living in Philippines is quite safe. Have a Filipina wife or GF AND HER FAMILY that truly cares for you not just your $$$. At all times have your wealth LOCKED outside Philippines and be worth more alive than dead. NEVER EVER lend money as a business and its best not to own a local business especially if it directly competes with another owned by locals. For myself I will not loan anyone in Philippines money. If my immediate family were to need money for an emergency my wife would let me know and we would provide it as a gift.I always avoid drunken Filipinos. I do not join in drinking sessions ever.Don’t be quick to befriend people you don’t know well this includes other Foreigners. Be very cautious to have your wife or other family member own property. There have been too many cases that family members have murdered the Foreigner and or his entire family in order to take that property. I have no facts to back up my opinion so take it for what its worth.

[Mr Lee]

There are many foreigners mis treating their wives and neighbours because they believe they are from a superior culture. I have known some of the foreigners who were killed in the Philippines. The only surprising thing to me is that they were not dead sooner. Regards;  Jim Sibbick

I have to totally agree with the point Jim made above, in fact there are foreigners who continually mistreat locals and I see them still alive walking around the Philippines year after year, and that amazes me why they have not already been killed or deported. Some slap around their gf's in public or worse and others yell at locals and treat them like they were dirt or slaves, and some call local people stupid to their face and in public, and act like they are so superior to the locals, so it actually amazes me that more foreigners are not killed who act like that. The other thing I often see is round eyes whipping out a roll of cash in public to pay a bill and many wearing thick gold chains, and I often say to my wife, there goes another future statistic. 

[Genius]

Whilst we all have differing viewpoints and formulations from living in different locations, we ALL seem to be able to agree that being a foreigner increases the chances of becoming a murder statistic. Many times for reasons which CAN be avoided, (drinking with drunk strangers, living in the wrong place, being very rude to locals, being a bad husband/boyfriend, flashing your wealth , owning a business that competes with local business, lending money to foreigners or locals, becoming involved in politics, having a bad girlfriend/wife, being worth more dead than alive, having wealth in country rather than safely abroad etc etc). I think we can all agree on that.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Genius

[Jake]

Whilst we all have differing viewpoints and formulations from living in different locations, we ALL seem to be able to agree that being a foreigner increases the chances of becoming a murder statistic. Many times for reasons which CAN be avoided, (drinking with drunk strangers, living in the wrong place, being very rude to locals, being a bad husband/boyfriend, flashing your wealth , owning a business that competes with local business, lending money to foreigners or locals, becoming involved in politics, having a bad girlfriend/wife, being worth more dead than alive, having wealth in country rather than safely abroad etc etc). I think we can all agree on that.

Excellent point-counter point guys. This thread regarding crime statistics will always be a hot topic. As someone said previously, we can all agree to disagree. Besides the obvious avoidance, one should always be aware of our surroundings and have an escape plan ready for any unforeseen situations. For example, some of us make a monthly trip to the bank for large withdrawals. It becomes a potential target of opportunity if you don'tvary your routine. As Lee pointed out, they usually work in pairs -- one for distraction, deception or lookout and the other one doing the actual crime.Have fun but maintain full awareness -- Jake

[softail]

I’ll reserve judgment until I see how the courts handle the Maguindanao massacre. "The lead defendant is the Ampatuans' son and the former mayor of Datu Unsay, Andal Ampatuan Jr. The trial has been called "a major test for the rule of law and the fight against impunity in the Philippines" by Reporters Without Borders. Indeed. After Iraq, the Philippines remains the second-most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 68 have been killed in the Philippines. Of those, 63 have never been solved. Two more – Joselito Agustin of DZJZ and Desidario Camangyan of Sunrise FM – two radio stations – have been killed so far in 2010. Thus if history is any guide, the Ampatuans and their fellow defendants may well walk free. The government in Manila has been roundly criticized for allowing Andal Jr. the luxury of an air-conditioned cell with many comforts."http://asiancorrespondent.com/asiasentinel/the-maguindanao-massacre-revisited

[stef]

I’ll reserve judgment until I see how the courts handle the Maguindanao massacre. "The lead defendant is the Ampatuans' son and the former mayor of Datu Unsay, Andal Ampatuan Jr. The trial has been called "a major test for the rule of law and the fight against impunity in the Philippines" by Reporters Without Borders. Indeed. After Iraq, the Philippines remains the second-most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 68 have been killed in the Philippines. Of those, 63 have never been solved. Two more – Joselito Agustin of DZJZ and Desidario Camangyan of Sunrise FM – two radio stations – have been killed so far in 2010. Thus if history is any guide, the Ampatuans and their fellow defendants may well walk free. The government in Manila has been roundly criticized for allowing Andal Jr. the luxury of an air-conditioned cell with many comforts."http://asiancorrespo...sacre-revisited

you will be in for a long wait maybe 10- 20 years till this trial is over

[No name]

you will be in for a long wait  maybe 10- 20 years till this trial is over

The judge has been asked to put this on the fast track....  She's (I think it is a she, hard to tell from the names sometimes) been asked to hold court a whopping three times per week on this matter.  :yes:  True, but I'm being sarcastic, one of the politicians aligned with the family that did the killing was shot dead in Davao this week.I don't think the Maguindanao massacre case is really a good one to judge things by.I think people will be going down for this. I think a more telling one is the case of the mayor near Angeles that was busted with the under age girl. That isn't looking too good. He's appears to be getting special treatment. His name is Rodriguez.. One aticle indicated that he should be in jail awaiting trail as it is a non bailable offense.I don't know if that was totally accurate. The charges were filed by mother and the girl. Scary to think anyone can file charges and then be held without bond? Edited December 3, 2010 by Mr. Lee
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