"Discussions about crime and safety for expats living in the Philippines seem to generate big, passionate differences of opinion. Some feel that foreigners are prime crime targets. This view is supported by many news reports of foreigners being killed, mostly in home intrusions. Others have never experienced crime during their stay in the Philippines, feel very safe, that the dangers are overblown and that it’s safer in the Philippines than their home country. One of the things that amazed me when I first came to the Philippines is that houses, even in very peaceful small places, had steel bars on their windows. Where we lived in Upstate New York, such a thing was inconceivable. Most people there did not lock their houses and left their keys in the ignition of their cars. Surely, something is different. See our discussion on crime and security at /crime-against-foreigners-philippines/ My experiences in the Philippines have been exceptionally positive. However, we’ve built our house in a quite isolated location with no near neighbors. We see that Filipinos with nice houses take security precautions, so we think it’s prudent to assume they know what’s needed." http://myphilippinelife.com/our-philippine-house-project-security/
