The Two Island Rule

[Classic Dry]

The NPA will not, be interested in you. Unless you do Stupid things that is.

 

I'd go with Jack here. I think ( as someone else has said on this forum, somewhere ) the danger is to be inadvertently

in the wrong place at the wrong time, and to get involved in events which would have happened without you.

 

( Take note. This comes with hours of experience. )

[Hey Steve]

Jack, Thank you for sharing your personal experience with the NPA. It definately gives me pause to think and re examine my views with regards to the NPA. I believe since you have put this in prospective-coupled with what OLD55 has advised, I may just move forward with my wife's wishes and just see how it goes.

My wife shared a story that on her farm about 20 yrs back she was home alone at the time with her handicapped sister and a group of NPA took refuge at their farm-home (homestead). They simply wanted something to eat which my wife provided. They were on the run, and shortly after they fled and there was a shootout with some Phl military personell on their property. 2 rebels were killed, but again-this can be anywhere, anytime, and it's not like lightening hits the same pole during each storm.

As far as honesty with her? I think it's more like transparency and openness in this area which I am working on. I love her dearly and I admit we still are a work in process. My wife and I have some planning to do and you, gentleman, have helped me get on the same page with her. Thanks much!!

I 

[Methersgate]

My ex wife is from Bataan; when she was a teenager this province was a "hotbed" of NPA activity. She was an active supporter, hiding arms in her grandparents' house and on one occasion walking through a checkpoint with grenades hidden under a pile of washing. On another occasion she acted as lookout whilst the local cadres "interrogated" a young policewoman. These activities were not undertaken with her grandparents approval (she was raised by her grandparents - her grandfather, rather a fine man, was an Elder of the Iglesia ni Cristo)

 

Some of us here will  remember being aware of similar things going on in Northern Ireland a few years ago - the same sort of low level support amongst the populace, especially teenagers.

 

She used to "make arrangements" before I visited, letting "people" know that I was not a bad guy, but she was still criticized for  consorting with a foreigner. Amusingly her local doctor was a strong NPA member and they knew each other in that connection.

 

The NPA has pretty much withdrawn from Bataan now - the activists moved to Mindanao, hence "New Bataan" which is an NPA "new town". When my ex wife's niece, who lives with my ex wife's mother in the house that I kindly built for my ex wife's family,  was raped, a couple of years back, my ex wife's mother's first response was to try to contact the NPA for a revenge killing but she was not able to find anyone. 

(Needless to say the Police case went nowhere; the InC were initally keen to help but one of the perpetrators (who were arrested and bailed) was the son of an InC member so that was the end of that.)  

Edited August 13, 2014 by Methersgate

[GregZ]

They simply wanted something to eat which my wife provided. They were on the run, and shortly after they fled and there was a shootout with some Phl military personell on their property. 2 rebels were killed, but again-this can be anywhere, anytime, and it's not like lightening hits the same pole during each storm.

 

"shortly after they fled and there was a shootout"

This puts it in perspective for me.  Why would anyone want to take the risk of being around something like that going on? 

I have visited in NPA area and that is fine, but if I were to move in there would surely be events that I could and will live without (since we will not live there).  You think that you have nothing they want?  Keep thinking.

 

Opinion based on 4 visits, 2 weeks each, to northern Mindanao.  We wanted to live there in the mountains near Claveria; we found the perfect spot like no other in the Visayas.  We will only keep visiting.  :boohoo:  I am a foreigner and rich (I'm not) whether I show it or not, especially in the mountains among the poorest around. 

 

Upon discussion with a former police chief I was cautioned against moving there.  He told me that to live along the coastline was safe for me, but not up the mountain.  I still planned on moving there after that conversation but the more info I got the less I thought it a good idea.  There is also a nice story here on the forum that details a guy building his dream home somewhere on Mindanao and then abandoning it and his dreams after an NPA visit.  You should look for that one.

 

Specifically to the topic... I like the honest and open approach.  You have a lot of time to plant your seeds for what you think you want and see what grows.  Your (plural) happiness and security are very important to continued success as a couple.  I know I can live in the same house with family because any and all requests are only directed to my wife and she is REALLY good at saying, "No!"  We already did that for 1.5 years.

 

I also know that my wife is a little resistant to moving back to the Phils because there is a lot of "you are rich now" stigma to deal with.  Is your wife thinking that this may be the case with her?  OR does she think that she will be viewed and treated the same as she was before becoming a foreigner?  She really is in that category now you know.

 

Best of luck in all your adventures.  I am sure that you will make the right calls for how you (plural) will best get along wherever you land. :540:

EDIT:  I felt like I should add that I lived in Germany while the terrorists there thought it was a good idea to blow up our (US military forces) cars.  I have anti-terrorist training and checked my car for bombs every time I got in it for 4 years.  There was one that blew up less than a mile from my house and one that blew up close to work.  I know NPA don't normally do stuff like that.  I only share this so you know some of my perspective and history with terrorist activity.  I don't really have any fear about something happening to me, but I have to assess the gain vs risk and just do not see enough gain for the risk of living in NPA areas.

Edited August 13, 2014 by GregZ

[i am bob]

Greg, i was in Germany during the same period. I remember leaving the base one day with my (ex)wife and the entire length of road outside the main gate was lined by protesters chanting "Death to Canadians" and other heart warming statements. I told my ex to lock her door and roll up the windows. Just as I was dropping down two gears and getting ready to stomp on the gas, one of the masked demonstrators called out "Hey Bob! Going to the GruennerBahn for a beer later?". Turns out I knew most of them and they just wanted to get their own " Air Time". This is where I learned that often what you hear about a group is not really what you will experience. I'm not defending the extremists in the NPA, but that most are probably as peace loving as you are. Once again, it's an eyes-open ears-open to stay away from trouble but we do that everyday no matter where we are, don't we?

[Jake]

Hey guys,

 

Talk about boots on the ground!  Jack P, Methersgate and GregZ gave excellent reports based on their experience.

I don't think I have met any NPA soldier......although they would never openly advertise themselves when coming

down off the mountain.  They have families too and probably enjoyed the air conditioned SM mega mall, just like us.

 

Sometimes however, I do worry about the Philippine army or other military branches.  They've been known to abuse

the innocent.  Many farmers become NPA because they were displaced by the govt.  The govt soldier and their skills

in leading men to battle seems questionable in this photo (Oakwood Mutiny 2003): 

 

 Brilliant defensive position, don't you think?

 

[Hey Steve]

As we get closer to the move, I know I will be totally transparent as to how I feel, but also OLD55, you have a point. Food for thought. Thanks for that.

"Food for thought" was pertaining to myself here, just to clarify.

[jon1]

I think that you would be fine in any area between Tagum City, Davao and Digos City. I would not go to the west (towards Koronadal and Cotabato). The Compestella Valley area is known to be an NPA hot spot. 

 

As far as being too close to the family, it's really dependent upon your wife. I keep my inlaws in their hometown (Zamboanga City) and we live in Subic (1000Km away). My wife was really good about fending off all requests from the family/extended family. It took about 5 years for the in-laws to get the extended family to understand that I was not a Jackpot and that I am not rich and have to work for whatever we have. Could I live in close proximity with them? Yes. Do I want to? No. As I stated in a recent post, the security situation is deteriorating there (the worse that I have seen in 12 years). The wife thinks that I am being paranoid but I also look at how much time that I have spent there (off/on for 12 years) and do not want to dip into my luck bucket any more than I have to. The wife fully appreciates now that we have this buffer between us as she doesn't get caught up into the family dramas back home.