Worthless Security

[samtheman]

Hi allive spent just over 6 weeks in the Philipines and the thing that bothers me about security is almost all guards are good for nothing. Every time I came back to my hotel late at night the guard was asleep in a chair so anyone could walk in.Big deal you say?I see in a topic here about a murder of a Brit and his girl in a guarded subdivision "what guard".Seen a suspicious vechical twice and still did not record the details and how did it get in,in the first place.What about the malls,they poke a stick in our ladies bag but really how much could you see,the foreigner walks through with a token hands to the sides while passing.is it just my experience or do others find guards are worthless.I know I would not trust my life with one. :lol: :( :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

[Garpo]

You get what you pay for. If you know what most security guards make then you would understand why they are really not much good. You can get good security but it would cost you about the same as it does in other countries. If interested contact some of the entertainment promoters and ask about their security contacts.

[gapotwo]

I take it youre talking about the uniformed guards with sawed off shotguns and finger in the trigger. they are worthless overdressed puppets waiting for an accident to happen. the real guards are in civilian clothes with a hip rig concealing their GLOCK. look around, they are everywhere. you get what you pay for just like anywhere else. tanks ej. :lol:

[MikeB]

Worthless? Many are making the equivalent of less then $5 for a 12 hour shift, I wonder how much effort you would exert for doing a dangerous job for that meager amount. In general, I think they're pretty good but there are always exceptions. Here's a story that happened today at Robinsons, a security guard killed (maybe 2, the article is unclear because the story is still unfolding).

[Jollygoodfellow]

I dont think anyone should compare a western wage rates to this,if that is the going rate then its no different to what ever the going rate is from your own country.Just because we would not work for $5 a day is irrelevant.Besides if your job is security or if its a chef in top class hotel you are still meant to do the job you are paid for.A chef for example can not decide that he wont cook steaks because a chef in the US gets more pay.

[MikeB]

I dont think anyone should compare a western wage rates to this,if that is the going rate then its no different to what ever the going rate is from your own country.Just because we would not work for $5 a day is irrelevant.Besides if your job is security or if its a chef in top class hotel you are still meant to do the job you are paid for.A chef for example can not decide that he wont cook steaks because a chef in the US gets more pay.

Understood, but a chef isn't required to carry a gun to protect the business and public, and neither does he or she have an expectation of being shot and killed, as happened today. Even by Philippine standards, most of them are woefully underpaid and the "you get what you pay for" comments are pretty accurate. The OP's remark, "almost all guards are good for nothing" is a lousy thing to say and not true. The few that I personally know are dedicated and have pride in their jobs, even though they're making peanuts. Edited September 5, 2011 by MikeB

[Garpo]

Its is not the guards themselves that are the problem. The problem is that there is no formal training like you have in most all other parts of the world. It is hard for anybody to know what to do when they have never been taught. The fact that they carry a gun and people expect them to save lives and protect the peace is not something that you can just give a person a uniform and a gun and expect them to know what to do.

[MikeB]

Its is not the guards themselves that are the problem. The problem is that there is no formal training like you have in most all other parts of the world. It is hard for anybody to know what to do when they have never been taught. The fact that they carry a gun and people expect them to save lives and protect the peace is not something that you can just give a person a uniform and a gun and expect them to know what to do.

My gf used to be an admin for one of these agencies. It depends on the company and contract. Most of them require formal training and a license but the guards pay for that themselves and are not reinbursed. Without it they don't get hired. The ones that don't require a license pay less.

[Mr Lee]

Not all guards are bad, just like back in the US where not all guards are worth a damn. At our condo in Cebu, some sleep and get fired when one of us catches them, and one in particular that I have made friends with, stays awake every night by drinking some heavily caffeinated energy drink, even when he works 24 hour shifts. There are good and bad in all types of people and workers, my advice to the op is to complain to the management of the place you stay and see if they do anything, and if not, then maybe find a safer place to stay.

[Mr Lee]

A security guards job pays little and often puts his life at risk. I have found that even police in the Philippines are not respected, so how much less a security guard. In a country where there is a face issue, and where a human life seems to have little value, it seems that killing just comes too darn easy. :lol: Guard shot dead in Toledo City The police believe that the killing of the guard is work-related because he allegedly had an argument with somebody a week before he was killed.