evening all What is the timing fir the martial law curfew in Mindanao? I'm off there in 20 days Cheers all LuckenB
It depends entirely on where you will be staying. In Davao City there is currently no curfew but visitors should nevertheless expect to witness an increased police and security forces presence as elsewhere. Mayor Sara Duterte has implemented a 30 point plan which amounts to a lockdown of the city but stops short of being a curfew. She is strongly advising everyone - Filipino and foreigner - against travelling to other parts of Mindanao. In Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and Zamboanga there is a curfew from 10pm to 4am whilst the hours for Agusan del Norte are 12 midnight to 4am. In Misamis Oriental the curfew runs from 10.30pm to 4am. There are, however, some local variations: Iligan City, for example, is under curfew from 9pm until 4am. You should carry a photocopy of your Passport's Bio page in your wallet at all times -- you do not need to carry your Passport. And be aware that any travel/medical insurance you have for this trip will be null and void. Expect to be stop, searched and asked to produce ID.
None of my business, of course, and I'm assuming that you're a long-nosed white boy but I think you are most unwise to be travelling to that province. Can you not persuade your partner to meet you, say, in Davao or, better, Cebu City?
We are together in Oman and we will be flying there from Muscat Should be Ok It's just my 1st time to down to Alamada and while I trust her 100% just needed a second opinion TBH
It is not a matter of whether or not you trust your partner. "Should be OK" - you're proposing to travel to one of the most dangerous parts of the country at particularly dangerous time and you're trusting to luck?!
Thanks for your concern, luck does kind of come into it for sure When you take into consideration what can happen anywhere in the crazy place we call earth We land Davao at 0550 and it was all based on end of curfew Yes it's not best time to go, but after pouring in plenty of peso on farms and house building we have decided not to wait to 2018 to visit but to fly on 20th sept out of muscat Been together for 3 years now in Oman which is where we met
Asik-Asik Falls are spectacular. No one photograph can do the place justice: and Alamada is a decent sized city well-capable of catering to tourists. BUT groups of Abu Sayaf and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) are known to operate in the area. Both groups are a serious health and safety hazard to westerners. As I wrote earlier, there is no curfew in Davao. There are military roadblocks on all routes in/out of Davao at the city boundary. You will be stopped, searched and questioned and dependent on conditions on the day, you may be prevented from proceeding north. If you're intent on tempting fate, I would suggest flying to Cebu and take the ferry to Iligan Port from where you'll take a bus - or charter a taxi - to drive you the rest of the way. Alternatively fly to Cagayan De Oro from Manila and go overland via Iligan.
As a rule of thumb, travel during daylight time so in case of emergency, you have enough time to implement your contingencies. As you mentioned, you are arriving 5am in davao and if you have private transport and local driver familiar with the roads, you should be okay. There is a newly opened road via midsayap, north cotabato or take the normal route around. If there are localized skirmishes between military and BIFF, a military blockade will prevent you from proceeding any further (follow their advice and try another route if you can the next day). As you probably know, local knowledge of this area is the best tool you will have. Lastly, i would recommend keeping a low profile as much as possible- like no big gathering to announce that you are home etc. I believe that when its your time, you cant do anything about it but there is also a case of being safe. Life in the middle east (Oman, my case was dubai) will let you feel complacent (we have not locked the main doors of our apartments, using celfone or car keys in food courts or coffee shops to reserve seats, wear jewelries). Change your mindset when you get in ph and pay extra attention to your safety when you are in central mindanao. That said, enjoy!
