Manila security. What to see in the Philippines and is it worth it to fly there: personal experience Manila Philippines crime

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If you have not visited Russian news sites for a long time and do not know who Yuri Kirdyushkin is, then do not worry. Now let's get it all together. At the same time, we will explain why this story needs to be known to every person traveling in Southeast Asia

natural hazards

The Brussels Research Center has declared the Philippines the most dangerous country in the world in terms of natural disasters. This is not surprising - regular typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides and other natural disasters occur here almost constantly. If we add to this the constant clashes between government troops and Islamic rebels, then the picture, it would seem, becomes completely bleak. But these are only the obvious risks when visiting this country.

Safety regulations

Travelers are advised to avoid visiting most areas of Mindanao, the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Sulu Archipelago, where ethnic and religious conflicts occur almost constantly. Security shipping is also not provided throughout the country - in the countless bays and bays of the archipelago, dozens of gangs of sea pirates have found shelter.

In all other aspects, a fairly acceptable level of security is maintained in the country, and locals have always been famous for their friendliness towards foreign tourists. And taking into account the fact that this is one of the most "Europeanized" countries in Asia, which also has an overwhelming predominance of the Christian population, compliance with the simplest safety standards makes a trip to the Philippines quite safe.

Theft is a problem mainly in big cities. In rural areas, this is simply unthinkable. But in one form or another, asking a foreigner for a "present" is quite a common occurrence. However, compared to nearby Asian countries, such "begging" seems simply childishly naive, and no one usually shows much perseverance here. Filipinos are smiling and friendly, cheerful in any situation and quite romantic. The shyness and slowness of local residents, especially service personnel, taxi or bus drivers, have long become a byword. Local residents acquire more or less noticeable mobility only during traditional holidays and Sunday masses, as well as at sports competitions, be it cockfights that are hugely popular here or no less popular basketball.

The crime rate has risen markedly in the last decade, especially in Manila and other major cities. Cases of armed robbery of tourists are no longer uncommon. Therefore, it is not recommended to be on the streets without the need major cities with the onset of darkness. It is worth avoiding random and overly friendly locals who invite you somewhere for the purpose of "rest, drink, talk." Prostitution, and especially child prostitution, is very common in the Philippines, in the center of Manila you can be approached by gloomy subjects with catalogs of girls and girls for every taste, age and color. In order to avoid trouble, you should not even enter into conversations with them.

Police

The police rather imperceptibly, but persistently, control all aspects of public life. Almost any public place is always full of policemen in uniform and without, keeping an eye on everything and everyone. At the same time, the attitude towards foreigners is rather careful, although somewhat intrusive.

Language

English is widely spoken even in the provinces, and local residents usually speak it much better than their neighbors in the region (the country's colonial past affects).

toilets

Public toilets are located throughout the city, and you can also use the corresponding rooms in some hotels, bars and shops (often a small fee is charged). Restrooms in establishments are usually referred to as "comfort room" or "CR", but in Tagalog they are commonly referred to as "lalak" (male) and "babae" (female).

Smoking

On some popular resorts(Davao et al.) introduced a strict ban on smoking in public places, for violation of which a large fine is due, and if the violator is caught three times, then he will be put in jail for several days.

Tips

Tipping in most establishments is 5-10% of the bill (including in a taxi, for hotel and restaurant services), but usually service personnel are added for service in excess of this percentage "no matter how much it is a pity."

Electricity

The mains voltage is 220 V or 110 V, 60 Hz. Sockets are found with both two (American-style) and three pins.

In 2018, more than 6 million foreign tourists visited. I would like to believe that nothing will overshadow your trip, but is it so?

The Global Peace Index, compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace, is a measure of the relative security of 163 countries, representing more than 99% of the population the globe. The index is measured on the basis of 22 indicators, including internal and international conflicts, social security, crime rates and militarization. In the 2018 safety rating, they are in 137th place.

Terrorism

At present, unfortunately, the whole world is aware that there is no place safe from terrorist attacks, and even countries that have never experienced such problems are suffering from this. The Philippines also did not stand aside: there are Philippine terrorist organizations, both communist and Muslim, associated with ISIS.

Although terrorists can strike at any time and place, these groups are mainly located in areas where there are frequent clashes with the military. Because of this, travel in Central and Southern Mindanao and the Zamboanga Peninsula is not recommended. You should also be careful when traveling to the south, although the rest of this island - Puerto Princesa, and - are considered safe for tourists.

Kidnapping

There is a constant risk of kidnapping in the Philippines, both on land and at sea. Security threats are particularly high in the southern Philippines, including central and western Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago, and coastal resort areas, sea ​​islands and locations in Sulu (but not limited to).

There is evidence that criminal and terrorist groups have expanded their capabilities in the southern Philippines in areas visited by tourists - southern Palawan, Central Visayas, southern or. Foreign tourists can be abducted in both rural and urban areas. There are also isolated cases of kidnappings on private ships and piers.

Crime in major cities

Large metropolitan areas throughout the world have higher crime rates than rural areas. and are no different. The crimes that you may encounter in the city are usually minor. If tourists in the Philippines follow the tips below, then their safety will be in perfect order:

1. Choose in a quiet area. Places in Manila such as Makati, Pasay and Taguig are much safer than, for example, Malata or Ermita.
2. Theft. This is the most common crime, so never leave your belongings unattended. Suitcases and bags should always be close to you within sight, and even better - touch. Never keep anything in your back pockets, and in busy places, carry your backpack in front.
3. Be careful with strangers . Another common practice for burglars in Manila and other cities is to start a conversation on the street and distract a potential victim from accomplices committing the theft.
4. Never accept drinks from strangers. This is a notorious practice in the Philippines and single foreign males are usually targeted.
5. Beware the beggars. They are not bad people, they are just poor, financially and socially. It often happens that if you are not careful, you will be surrounded from all sides and robbed before you realize it.
6. homeless children. Be very careful not to be tempted to give them money, as they are not asking for themselves, but are giving it to the person who runs this "business". Instead, buy them food or, as hard as it is, just ignore the kids. Never go with them or hold their hands, as there have been cases where families later accused tourists of pedophilia and extorted money.
7. Robbery attacks. They also occur much more often in cities than in the provinces, so avoid dark alleys, walking alone or in small groups.
8. Urban. For a safe ride, use Grab Taxi (an internet company similar to Uber but more successful in the Philippines). Their drivers have a very strict discipline and the prices are determined by the app itself before the trip. In any case, lock the doors while you are in the car to avoid any robbery attempts.

Safe travel around the province

In areas where there is no danger warning, traveling in the provinces is quite comfortable. People there are simpler than in the city, and usually everyone knows each other. However, in any case, the above rules should be observed here. In addition, fake travel agents or tour operators can take your money without providing services. Do not make any transactions with non-accredited companies, online or in person.

Always let a friend or relative know where you are going. By all means, avoid traveling to the following places, as suggested by the Philippine authorities: Jolo, Bongao, Isabela, Ipil, Pagadian, Tubod, Marawi Mindanao, Kidapawan, Sharif Aguak, Isulan, Koronadal and Alabel.

Drugs in the Philippines

Drugs are a very hot topic in this country. Police are allowed to use weapons on the streets against persons suspected of distributing them. This also applies to foreigners. Therefore, in no case do not try to buy or use any prohibited substances anywhere in the country, do not pick up or carry someone else's luggage.

Emergency help in the Philippines

When traveling, there is always the possibility of getting into accidents or other incidents that require emergency assistance. There are 2 numbers to remember: 911 - National Emergency hot line and 143 the Red Cross.

Due to the fact that this Island state, many of its areas are remote from civilization, and sometimes the only way to get to the nearest hospital in a reasonable time is by helicopter. Make sure you buy travel insurance in the Philippines with sufficient coverage because it's always better to be safe than sorry for wasted savings.

The Philippines is the third most populous English-speaking country in the world, the thing is that the Spaniards sold their colony to the United States in 1898, after which the locals, under the guidance of the Ukrainians, studied the Anglican language, after these 50 years it ended with independence, with independence came poverty. Today, Filipinos all over the world are a symbol of good service, in the USA the word Filipina is a synonym for the word nanny, Filipinos are very attentive, helpful, their services are not so expensive, and they speak English well, moreover, American English, which favorably elevates them above service from Mexico. The Philippines is a country of call centers from the US for the same reason. English in the Philippines is no less significant than English language in Malta.

Life in the Philippines and Manila for Russians, reviews

From Manila, the first impression is that everything is very cheap here, especially taxis and food, very warm, but there are all the disadvantages of a third world country, including unsanitary conditions, crime, transport problems. On the one hand, living in Manila is cheap, meaning poor areas, but a European will never live there, so. the choice will fall only on expensive areas with fashionable skyscrapers where life will not be much cheaper than in Moscow. Manila the most densely populated city in the World, a city of real contrasts, high cost and poverty.

Russian rare guests in the Philippines, especially very few Russians, wanted to stay longer in this heavenly and at the same time hellish place.

Advantages and disadvantages of living in the Philippines, pros and cons

Where to live in the Philippines, Manila

The most enviable place to live in the Philippines is considered The largest city and the capital city of Manila, which has grown dramatically in recent years to include 16 other towns in its agglomeration and now estimates its population at 1.6 million people, but if you take into account the countless number of homeless and unregistered socially unsavory people, then the population of Manila can reach and three million. The homeless simply spend the night on the embankment on the benches, and for those who do not have enough space, then under the benches.

Dunshifting in the Philippines

All Southeast Asia is an perfect place for downshifting, life at low speeds, when there is nowhere to rush, there is no need to earn a lot, since what has already been acquired is quite sufficient when you want to relax more, devote time to your family and friends, do self-education or your favorite thing, a hobby, especially here it will be nice if such a thing will support you in every sense of the word. Nevertheless, the city is very beautiful, first of all, the Spanish heritage in the form of graceful churches should be noted here, and these are the churches of St. Augustine and San Sebastian, by the way, the latter is the only one in the world completely metal, there are rumors that Gustav Eiffel himself took part in the design of it , the whole complex of the old city is remarkable, but it is not visible behind the new quarters and endless favelas. Near the old city is the ultra-modern part of Manila with real glass skyscrapers.

As in all South America Manila is a cosmopolitan city in the sense of mixing social contrasts, but the favelas and the poor districts, although interspersed with the gods districts, are isolated by fences. The most fashionable area of ​​Manila is the entire coastal zone of the ocean with endless restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, life here does not stop even at night. There is a big drawback in Manila, it is a very formidable ocean, but the Filipinos even managed to pollute the ocean, swimming within the city is dangerous, in general in the Philippines there is a problem with clean water, unsanitary conditions reign everywhere. The Pasig River, which flows through the slums of Manila, is probably the dirtiest river on earth. Many slums can only be reached through it. The slums of Manila are inhabited by villagers who fled the horrors of country life and fell into the horrors of the city. There is dirt all around, lack of basic amenities. The river has not been suitable for fishing since 1980, and since the 1990s it has been recognized as biologically dead.

Transportation in Manila

Underpasses in Manila are closed at 10 pm, apparently, so that the homeless, who are about half of the inhabitants of the owners of their living space, do not settle there for a rooming house, after 10 pm, in order to cross the road, you need to learn to fly.

There are also positive sides life in the Philippines, it is one of the few countries this region where the majority of the population is Christian.

The climate in the Philippines is hot, the weather is uniform throughout the year, the heat is about 30 degrees, the year is divided into the rainy season and the dry season, of course, it’s hard to survive the rainy season at this time, Europeans in the Philippines will not be envied.

Beaches in Manila

There are beaches in Manila and they plunged into piles of garbage, if you can’t swim in other places of the globe near the city for reasons of exceeding the strict standards of the sanitary and epidemiological station, then in Manila these excesses will be just cosmic, it will be difficult to swim, because everything around is in the garbage.

The Yacht Club of Manila is beautiful only in general terms, if you look closely at the shores, they are completely garbage, you can’t see the land behind this garbage. Slums, garbage dumps and trash cans are interspersed with luxurious skyscrapers, such a neighborhood does not surprise anyone, the poor and the rich have got used to each other's presence and do not interfere with life.

Attractions in Manila

Manila is decorated with monuments, various sculptures, since there are practically no other sights of its own, however, if the sculptural culture in Europe is at a very high level, then the sculptures in Manila are simple and primitive and do not arouse interest.

Manila is a mixture of morals and principles, the country is poor and now it can more resemble our 90s, poor city dwellers, who only recently began to like to boast of shreds of bourgeois belonging, shopping centers and business centers are the most elite in the city, but not everyone is allowed there.

Foreigners in the Philippines are very fond of, treated with reverence and respect, this is a legacy of the colonial past. Filipinos, as mentioned above, are very cultured, modest, even shy, for some reason they feel the superiority of foreigners over themselves, in this they are very different from the proud and proud Mexicans.

Crime and security in the Philippines

The Philippines has a high crime rate, which is typical for any poor country. In the Philippines, children are kidnapped, but they do it not for the sake of ransom, since the parents still have no money, they will make beggars out of stolen children who work in public places and near churches. In every store you can see an armed security guard - a policeman, the number of swindlers and thieves is significant.

Many Russians or Europeans with Americans who want to take a break from the whole world in the Philippines often choose not the elite centers of Manila, but the suburbs, for example, they go south from the capital to the province of Laguna, where there is a unique underground cemetery in Nagkarlan - a Spanish crypt of the 18th century, a little further into the province of Cavite is the Spanish Fort San Felipe, Catholic churches, the American base on the island of Corregidor, and the nearest province of Batangas is the center of diving, windsurfing and Taal Lake with an active volcano in its center, a modern town with the same name is located around the lake, which boasts the largest recently built Catholic cathedral in the eastern hemisphere of the Earth.

houses in the philippines

Old houses in the Philippines are being destroyed and become unusable, the local authorities decided on a campaign according to which the old house will be donated to someone who can restore it and maintain it in good condition.

Philippines beautiful place for the life of vegetarians, raw foodists, fruit eaters and other fans of a healthy diet, as bananas, pineapples, mangoes, jackfruits, marangas, watermelons are harvested here almost all year round, and spa hotels offer cleansing with the help of cosmetics on these fruits.

Filipino cuisine is primarily rice, coconut and mango, flying over the Philippines on an airplane, you can make sure that half of all territories are occupied by rice fields, but there is a large abundance of seafood in restaurants, naturally it is better to choose oceanic because the rivers are very polluted.

Paradise recreation areas and hotels for foreigners are located in the south of the province of Batangas with endless beaches, but you can also choose the more expensive resort of Boracay, this is the so-called "Philippine Bali", Palawan attracts windsurfers, we note the beach of eternal summer Davao or Laiya beach in the south of Luzon.

Those who read the news regularly are sure to doubt whether it is worth looking for a relaxing holiday in the Philippines.

So, of course it's worth it.
As a journalist, and as a person who has lived in the Philippines for a while, I think that the media is a little artificially escalating the situation around the situation in this country. In general, this is understandable: the Philippines does not provide so many informational occasions that are interesting to the whole world, and the negative always attracts more attention.

The main thing is to understand that the Philippines in its structure is an island state, there is no mainland, everything is rather fragmented and autonomous, like any life on the islands.

So, in general terms, let's analyze the situation with Islamic extremists.

The vast majority of Filipinos are staunch Catholics (they inherited this religion from the Spanish colonizers back in the 16th century). The south borders on Muslim Malaysia, there are dominated by supporters of Islam and a radically different situation. Firstly, two large influential Islamic groups cannot agree among themselves in any way, and secondly, both of these groups are periodically dissatisfied with the policy of the Philippine authorities, who do not want to share minerals with them and give them greater autonomy. Actually, the conflict is already 40 years old, armed clashes happen from time to time, but!
These conflicts take place in a strictly defined area - these are the southern islands of Mindanao and Sulu, where all the showdowns take place, and this does not apply to the rest of the Philippine islands. It’s really not worth visiting this region, but I must say that these regions already lie away from tourist routes, because the necessary infrastructure is poorly developed, nature is not as rich as in other places.
That is, heading to other islands of the Philippines, you can safely forget about the militant Muslims.

And now about natural disasters.

The Philippines is a fairly young land, which is why there are many hot springs, there are active volcanoes and earthquakes occur periodically, the earth's crust has not yet completely cooled down and has not calmed down. However, here it is very important to know about zoning. The province of Palawan, for example, is located outside the zone of seismic activity and there are no earthquakes. It is worth noting that the rest of the Philippines is not shaking so much, less than, say, neighboring Japan.
A much greater danger is typhoons, with which, however, everything is quite simple.
Typhoons are mainly affected by the North of the Philippines (including Luzon, where Manila is located), they happen there every year, in some places they are quite strong. However, there is a strictly defined season for typhoons, that is, the tourist off-season is summer.

I will write a separate post about the climate and when it is worth going to the Philippines, there are much more nuances, but in general, summer is off-season on almost all islands.

About the dangers associated with wildlife, I will also write later, but in this regard, the Philippines is a rather calm region, no malaria, no aggressive sharks, and even crocodiles are extremely difficult to find.

I will add that I traveled alone in the Philippines with a one-year-old child, and I did not have any problems related to security.