Wife tells me dangerous time for foreigners in Philippines due to New president

JOB VACANCY

A real job opportunity in a growth industry exists for young Pin@ys hoping to have a career as a blackmailer. Extort your income by threatening tourists with 'exposure' as drug pushers.

Dynamic self-motivated individuals only, able to work as part of a team or individually. The earnings are virtually unlimited for the right candidate.

Free Dental

The free Dental is tempting. What are the requirements?

Teeth (preferably one's own)

There have been several over the last 4 or 5 years all of which place Davao in the top 5 and at least one (other than the Numbeo one) that ranks the city in first place. Mostly from US-based travel sites as I recall. I will almost certainly have cited them to counter a certain JohnAsh's in-depth knowledge of the Philippines entirely gleaned from people who left the country years ago and cereal packets.

Interesting reading:

http://elson.elizaga.net/articles/davao-city.html

Oh not Granny's then ..... or the dog's....

Oh dear, I'll have to drop another name - Elson is an old friend, lives in Cagayan de Oro. Very pukka sahib, as you may tell from his writing.

Who???

reading all this thread just confirms my right decision not to go near the place.

I haven't been there since October, and so you should take it into account that it was pre-Duterte, but in Makati, I never felt unsafe for one second.

However, had I been in Hondo, or in any of the other places I saw in The Slum documentary, I would feel like a very fat gazelle with a bad limp, wandering through the Serengeti.

I would certainly aim to get into the provinces and secluded in a quiet barangay with family, to enjoy the peace and tranquility, and not wander round the NCR with a £500 Nikon round my neck

Fat gazelle bad limp

All about being sensible just like many other countries whilst on holiday.

I've walked the streets of Cebu City at 2am and never felt threatened however that doesn't mean I didnt have my wits about me

I think it is only you that claims Davao is safe.

I guess i have been a naive idiot for the past 35 years, as i have been to all of the slums you mentioned, except Rio. At what point did i say 'no-one will harm me'? I cant take back the words i never wrote

Game on, sounds like a plan.

Is this them?

I have been to east Mindanao many times and I never felt threatened.
However, times have changed recently and according to my Mrs it is not as safe as it used to be.
I will still go there though..but not to the west.

No Markham is not alone in his claim that Davao is safe.
I have been to many parts of Philippines and in my "opinion", Davao felt as safe (or at least no less safe) than anywhere else. In fact I decided to build a house there and will move there full time next year.
Like many on this forum, I have travelled the world extensively and been in some pretty dodgy places, Libya & Nigeria spring to mind. The most scary places that I have been in are downtown LA and on the London underground last late night train out to Upton Park......!! ASG have nothing on English football hooligans.

Kinell... my Girl lives between Koronadal and General Santos and I have only seen one terrorist related incident in the times I have visited, yellow bus got blown up on the Pan Philippine Highway near Polomolok, But to those who have not visited Mindanao, its one of the most beautiful places on this earth, certainly the village off Tupi which is such a lovely place with lovely people.

But now I understand why Tatay has a handgun, and the whole family insist on traveling with us wherever we go.

Its quite entertaining when we get stopped at a roadblock to find one of her cousins helping to man the roadblock in full military gear toting a shotgun or an M16 (phew)

I think the military and police do a great job in throwing random road blocks up and stopping everyone, indeed when I get stopped and they see I'm a westerner I always get a courteous "thank you Sir" and a salute with a wave through.

We normally stay at the Green Leaf Hotel in Gensan and it always makes me giggle to see a box at the entrance that says PLACE ALL GUNS IN HERE ..... welcome to Dodge City!!!

Am I vigilant while I am there??? yes without a doubt, but I can name a few cities that I have been to around the world where the same sort of vigilance is a must.

I've visited Davao, Digos, and Gensan many times and have always felt reasonably safe with all the people being friendly and warm. You still need to keep your wits about you as you would in any country. Samal I've visited twice, on one occasion we were there a few days before the last lot of kidnappings took place. I wouldn't visit again as now I have seen it I don't need to take risks to visit again and there are so many other beautiful places in the Phils yet to see.

My wife comes from Zamboanga del Sur. I can say "snap" to that - yes Papa has a .45 in the bedside cabinet, yes if I am present we travel mob handed..

However, THIS is the sort of thing that has made me suddenly re-consider my personal safety in the Philippines:

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/10/08/47/adelaide-man-caught-in-drugs-war