How Likely To Become A Victim Of A Crime In The Philippines?

[Mr Lee]

While there has been many news stories of expats getting killed, I have to wonder if any of you knows anyone who has been a victim of a crime, or has been a victim of a crime yourself? I would like to try to put all this in proper prospective, and that is why I ask. My wife and I know of, and have met a lot of foreigners who visit the Philippines, or live there full time, and I keep trying to think :lol: if we know anyone who has had something bad happen to them. I do know of some burglaries, but beyond that, right now I cannot think of anyone I know who was robbed or worse. Anyone?

[Bruce]

Exactly! And I also would be interested in the area the crimes of violence took place. If you separate the south end and the terrorist related issues, and then separate Angeles City, just how 'bad' is it elsewhere? I think that I am more likely to be accosted in my home town than out on Samar. And of course, if 'you' go where you don't belong in any country / city, you are just looking for trouble. In reading this forum and then the online newspapers and compare to the website blog for Angeles CIty, I really don't see much of a problem if you act in a safe manner, outside of those areas.

[Jake]

While there has been many news stories of expats getting killed, I have to wonder if any of you knows anyone who has been a victim of a crime, or has been a victim of a crime yourself? I would like to try to put all this in proper prospective, and that is why I ask. My wife and I know of, and have met a lot of foreigners who visit the Philippines, or live there full time, and I keep trying to think :89: if we know anyone who has had something bad happen to them. I do know of some burglaries, but beyond that, right now I cannot think of anyone I know who was robbed or worse. Anyone?

Except for a minor fender bender, which the other driver was PNP and it was his fault,neither myself or my family never ever came close to any situations. Of course whenever I get back there, I may have to reconsider not driving my own vehicle due to manymore stories being way laid and more craziness behind the wheel.

[Bruce]

I would not drive. I have been in Manila, Cebu, Leyte and Samar. Drivers are wild in the city. I have seen 1 MC accident (Samar) and 1 MVA in Manila. The MVA was a white guy.....As cheap as drivers are, I would pay for one. I have the same driver pick me up in Manila and take me where ever I want to go and while he charges me more than a pinoy customer.... I do it and have no issues.....

[FlyAway]

July 2010 a friend of mine was robbed while at a McDonald's in Makati. Here is a copy of his story. I have known him since 1984. The link below is to a Z car forum I am a member of. The whole thread is a good read. http://forums.hybrid...age__hl__manila Sadly, I get to report that while sitting down at the Makati City Mc Donalds this evening, enjoying my Chicken McDO & Mc Spaghetti I was approached by a very polite gentleman who sparked up a conversation and then indicated that we needed to now go outside to talk some more. When I asked about what, he brushed back his right coat to show a badge of some sort. When I persisted and asked what this was all about, he brushed back the other side of his coat to reveal a semiauto... And his partner sitting two tables away also performed another discreet act showing that indeed he, too had a badge and a gun. So we went for a ride. To a dark place. Where they decided they needed my crisp $100 bills more than I did. But always polite and wanting to leave me with enough money to eat, they left me with my 700 Pesos, $15 Canadian, $7 Singapore, and 1000 Indonesian Rupiah. Along with my credit cards, my mobile phone, oh....and my life. How I lament not having my little .38 Derringer to kiss a forehead and chest of these two eminently polite, yet corrupt individuals. Damnit, I knew better. I knew to only bring local cash with me and leave my travel money in the safe in the room with my passport. This trumps the Moroccans stealing a dozen or so dirty socks and my MSA shirts. Then again, when the police (or someone who looks like the police) rolls you...it's not like you go to the police and report them: "Yeah Sgt. Brian over there, and Sgt. Jimmy, those are the guys who robbed me!" Well, until I get my ATM card turned on for Overseas Usage (hey, good thing I didn't do THAT beforehand...they wanted me to go to the ATM...) I guess I'll be living off plastic. The P.I. has changed a lot.The P.I. hasn't changed at all."It's the same, but different!"

[Garpo]

Before I came to the Philippines I became friends with a gentleman that lived in Narra, Palowan and I was going to stay with him and live on Palawan when I came to the Philippines. I then changed my mind and lived in Davao the first fee months that I was here. I then relocated to my wife'a home town in Bataan. Shortly after we moved to Bataan I received news that my friend in Palawan was beaten, stabbed, and his body thrown in the river. He was missing for two days before his body was found. My wife was robbed in Manila of her money and cell phone so she is very reluctant to let me go to very many places that she considers not safe.

[Mr Lee]

Sorry to hear about your friend and what happened to your wife Garpo. I wonder if you might expand on things about him, such as was he in business, did he own a big fancy home, in other words did he stand out in the area he lived and hung out, or carry a lot of cash? and why do you think they targeted him? As for me, I was in Makati a few years back and staying at the Mandarin Oriental with my wife, so we invited an undercover PNP officer that I have known for year to go to dinner with us, so we took a taxi and met an American friend and his Filipino wife, that I had known before he moved to Manila, at Bobby Rubinos for dinner. When we finished dinner, we decided to walk back to the hotel, but my PNP buddy who was armed, told me we were crazy and then started telling me how dangerous it is around there for us and that we should take a taxi. I guess ignorance is bliss because we walked back to the hotel anyway and he had his hand on his gun the whole time. I guess I tempted fate all week walking to the mall and back everyday and never did I feel in danger, yet I am sure my friend must have a better grip on just how dangerous it might be, so maybe I should have listened, but thankfully nothing happened. On the other hand, while here in Florida, a neighbor off his meds (I did not know he was a neighbor when I beat his ass) tried to force his way past my wife and I and into our home (I wrote about it on the forum somewhere), so crime is everywhere and if we use our heads, then I feel we should be safe most places in the world, and rarely have I felt unsafe in the Philippines, yet I did have two guys sizing my wife up and positioning themselves for a purse snatch near a mall in CDO earlier this year, and as soon as they realized that I knew what they were up to, and stepped into their way, the took off for greener pastures. I wish my wife would not carry a purse because to me that makes for a big target to try to snatch and run. Well I was kind of hoping no one knew anyone who had been a victim, but it saddens me to know that some have had things happen to friends and family. :89:

[Garpo]

Lee, Actually Alan (victim in Palawan) lived out in a remote portion and often described it to me as being the last real natural wonder of the world because it was so beautiful and peaceful. He was not well off and lived in a very small house so nothing would have made him a target for somebody that would gain much from his death. In fact I think he was hoping by putting me up for awhile he could make a little extra money. He did however have some problems being faithful to his wife and that might very well have been his doing in as I know that he had had problems with the family of his filipina wife. He certainly was not perfect (none of us are), but he did not deserve what he got. Did he ask for it? maybe so, but that does not mean he deserved it!

[Mr Lee]

Thank you sir, there is usually a reason, and fooling around on a wife often can lead to someones demise while living in the Philippines. Now is it right to happen, no way, taking a human life is not something someone should ever do unless defending themselves or their family, so maybe it was the law of the land that got him, and maybe not. I guess we may never know. My condolences to you and to his family my friend. Thank you for the rest of the info.

[Garpo]

As you said and I very well know. Murders and robbery occurs just as much in the States, I think the difference here is that if it is a non filipino then it gets alot of media attention. But that does not excuse the fact that it is easy to be a victim and I have never yet heard of anybody being caught and prosecuted. While at the same time if a non filipino commits a crime, they get arrested and deported in most cases. There certainly is a double standard here when it comes to that kind of stuff. I also must remark that it is a whole different kind of crimnal here in the Phiiippines. A person usually commits a murder or robbery back home for the purpose of feeding their drug habit. Here in the Philippines, a person commits a murder or robbery so that they can feed their family.