Not-often-mentioned dangers and things to watch out

[jtmwatchbiz 31,460]

 

 

The anecdotal " never happened to me" argument is not acceptable.

 

actually it's just as valid as your "anecdotal" stories of bad experiences in the philippines. at least i'm basing my opinion on my actual experiences rather than your dependence on local news stations, eaves-dropping on tagalog conversations, self-admitted heresay and some angry local outside some girl's house. in all the years i have been here doing what i do i could fill page after page of little cute stories of mishaps i encountered but at the end of the day, as miles pointed out already, they could just as easily have happened anywhere else in the world, not just here or the USA, and i have done this type of on the ground up close and personal business all over the world. this place is not anywhere near as dangerous or treacherous as you think.    

 

since it's abundantly obvious that forum readers have heard this all before, your constant insisting that this OP of yours is some kind of public service announcement is getting a bit tedious. there are many such warnings for newbies to read on this forum and thru out the net, so message received and perhaps think of something else to distinguish yourself as an expert in.    

[hyaku 2,920]

Not often mentioned dangers and things to watch out for in the Philippines

 

1) Giant cockroaches

2) Rats

3) Snakes

4) Loud neighbors

5) Loud chickens

6) Loud dogs

7) Loud dogs with fleas, rabies, and mange

8) Loud vehicles

9) Sea snakes

10) Spiders

11) Mosquitoes and dengue fever

12) "Don't drink the water"

13) Always stand when the PH national anthem is played and show respect or suffer the consequences

14) Beware of filipinas

15) There are 114 national holidays where all businesses are closed. These days will always coincide with the times when you REALLY need to get something done.

16) 24/7 Karaoke

17) Falling coconuts

18) The kano tax

19) Pickpockets

20) Laws not being enforced

21) Bribery

22) You MOST favorite food is not available here

23) "Brownouts"

24) Typhoons

25) Landslides

26) Real estate and construction "woes"

27) The in-laws

28) The relatives

29) You want it when?

30) 647 different species of ants

31) Floods

32) You will not be able to find a public restroom when you need one, and if you should luck out and find one, it will either be out of order, extremely dirty, smelly, or _______, and there will be no toilet paper.

33) They are all after your money

34) They are all after your money, but it takes forever to pay the simplest of bills

35) All items for sale are often the junior-sized, or kids meal version

36) You will be whiter than most and taller than most

37) The locals can be extremely inquisitive

38) Watch where you step (see #7)

39) It's almost always very hot and very humid

40) It never snows

41) There are no ski resorts here

42) Philippine dishes often contain hidden bones

43) Almost all trike drivers pee in public

44) "Hey Joe"

45) That red-brown gravy really isn't gravy

46) All work ceases when there is a fiesta within 20 miles

47) Internet speed is always "up to", but seldom is

48) There are over 7,000 islands, but it isn't easy finding fish to catch

49) Local drivers - enough said

50) Traffic

51) Pollution

52) Banana ketchup

53) 2XL is not really 2XL

54) Cheap Chinese made goods with no guarantee

55) Looks can be deceiving

56) "P", "Ph", or "F"

57) Mud

58) Lightning - I've had one "cousin" instantly BBQ'd already

59) Termites

60) Cebu Pacific

61) Balut

62) Inferior pillows

63) Midget-sized furniture

64) The exchange rate

65) Philippine T.V

66) Tambok's Cut and Paste

 

Lol, sorry I couldn't resist.

[CaptRonn 62]

 

These dangers rarely if ever get mentioned anywhere so I must warn people here about them. I am not a lawyer so this is based on hearsay - nothing below is legal advice. Here we go:

 

1) In the Philippines, yelling at a person in public is considered a serious offense. Pretty much a criminal offense. You can get thrown in jail for yelling at someone at work. Or at your wife. What's more, if you are a foreigner, that Filipino you are yelling at can get you deported. There was a Korean who yelled at a Filipino caddy on a golf court. He got deported just for that. It's actually pretty easy to get deported for disturbing peace.

 

The same goes for insulting/ridiculing someone in public. For example, if someone snatches your gold chain, you cannot yell "Catch that thief!" You should yell- "Catch that man!"

 

Even if you are not in the Philippines, and have an altercation with some Filipino on FB or YM, they can just go and file a black list request, and you will not be allowed into the country. This is rare, but it's been known to happen.

 

Since incompetence, cheating, overcharging, bad food and bad service are endemic in the country, many expats lose their cool. I've yelled at people, too, but I was lucky. Some weren't. One needs to keep in mind that the Philippines is, basically, a Hindu country acting Catholic.

 

The Malay culture dictates that you be tolerant to other people and not get mad if they make mistakes. This is partly the reason why mistakes are so pervasive. They forget things, they do things wrong, they omit and delay things. All the freaking time! And other Filipinos just accept it with a tolerant smile. You should, too.

 

Criticism of or correcting people in front of others may cause them to hate you and want to harm you. This is why they all gossip behind one's back.

 

2) Freedom of speech is iffy. Some people get away with it, some don't. People got killed for writing an article criticizing some official. Some got sued and are still in courts, and will have a case pending against them for years. Foreigners got deported for writing some article in newspapers deemed as "ridicule of Filipinos". Don't get involved in local politics. Anecdotally speaking, some people did and got away with it, some did not. Some human rights activists were banned from entering the country and got turned away at the airport.

 

3) Some guys who sell cigarettes and chewing gum can "foist" marijuana on you ( shove it quickly into your hand) and then call a cop and say that you tried to sell it to them. A nightmare follows. At best it's a pay-off, at worst, you stay in jail.

 

4) Some girls who work in bars or do cyber online lie about their age and use their relatives' birth certificates. There's no mandatory photo ID in the Philippines, and a fake one is very easy to get. Just take a friend's birth certificate and your photo and pay some money, and presto- they have a fake ID.

This way you can get framed and be in deep shite if you decide to meet them for fun.

 

I've heard that the way to shake down some bar owners is for some well connected people to send girls to work in the bars with such fake IDs, and then raid the bars. The bars get closed until the owner pays huge "fines".

 

A common frame up also is like this: some girl who is of legal age goes to visit you at your hotel with a friend/sister who happens to be a minor. Her sister goes to the bathroom and gets naked. Then, cops storm in and arrest you- "You are corrupting a minor! 20 years in prison. Or pay us Php 100,000 and we'll leave you alone".

 

Online dating sites only allow 18 plus but some girls lie and put a fake age. Be mindful of that. Before you get any further in a relationship ask for some school or employment ID. Those will not be fake for the most time. A postal ID can be faked easily.

 

Even if the girl is legal, and not a bar girl, getting fresh with her, touching and slapping her rear, pawing, say, a waitress, will land you in jail just as easily as anywhere else in the West. If she complains, that is.

 

5) Do not shake hands with strange kids. The parents can accuse you of molestation. Do not buy them candy because the parents can accuse you of making them sick. In my neighborhood, all the people knew me and considered me a valued resident and a member of the community. So, I always bought candy for the neighbors' kids around, but I knew them all and always learned to ask the parents' permission first.

 

Just being alone in a room with a minor who is not your blood relative is a criminal offense. Even if it is your stepchild, you should apparently go and get a letter from the Department of Social Services. On Brit who was old was framed like that. The neighbor wanted to shake him down and sent in a 12 year old daughter to sweep his room. She then accused him of molestation and he was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. A lawyer from Australia flew in and defended him and got him acquitted.

 

Do not give money to kids coming up and begging when you are in a taxi ( or better never) and do not buy anything from them. You can be accused of "child endangerment".

 

5a) Giving money to beggars is apparently illegal, too. Just say "patawAd po" and keep walking. Do not yell at them. I don't know about giving food. I've always bought food for them and homeless kids, but you never know what they can accuse you of.

 

If anyone bothers you and wants you to buy something, and you don't want to be bothered, it should always be "patawad po" and a brisk walk past.

 

Do not become a famous private philanthropist who helps everyone and becomes too visible and gets to meet the officials, unless you are with some church or organization and work with those groups. Someone may get jealous that you get all this attention and fame and pay for someone to get you killed.

 

5b) It is not always safe to live in gated communities and sometimes there's less danger if you live in a barangay among the local populace. These will all know you and protect you. Living high off the hog in some community may expose you to danger. Some robbers may just bribe the guards and then come and rob/kill you. In that country becoming one of the masses pays off.

 

6) The "Get out of my office, you're fired!" can get you killed. This is very humiliating and they don't take kindly to being put down in public like that. A German boss who did that to his staff had a visitation by a motorcycle hit man and he's still dead.

 

7) There's no privacy act when it comes to becoming a suspect. TV crews and newspapers will swoop on you, and your face will be on the news and in press with your name and all. Even if you have not been convicted, and falsely accused. The whole country will know you.

 

The Philippine law enforcement as well as personal revenge are spotty and sporadic, but one never knows when they decide to throw the book at you or give you shite. Every time you allow for anything like the above to happen, you are taking a chance.

 

Having said all that, if you are a genuinely good person, not arrogant and you speak the local language well and build a reputation of being respectful and a member of the community, the people there will protect you and not harm you. But it takes time.

 

So be safe, and welcome to the Philippines!

 

This sounds like the same stuff that a blogger from Bogo keeps harping about.

[smokey 22,071]

today i saw two butterfly's wing to wing soaring thru the clear blue sky's ...  

[Denis 362]

 

 

today i saw two butterfly's wing to wing soaring thru the clear blue sky's ...

 

no doubt on their way to hassle some foreign flower...

[smokey 22,071]

no doubt on their way to hassle some foreign flower...

do butterfly's do the deed on flowers.

[jtmwatchbiz 31,460]

do butterfly's do the deed on flowers.

 

 

maybe...but for sure i did many times in some rich guy's jacuzzi while he was stateside cruising the ghay red lite district in his corvette.

[smokey 22,071]

maybe...but for sure i did many times in some rich guy's jacuzzi while he was stateside cruising the ghay red lite district in his corvette.

how come you act all Rolex but have Timex workings.. ?????????????????  i think your just missing ian take another prozac and call 1-800 Dipshit in the morning 

[SkyMan 27,259]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet but one of the scariest phrases to hear from your wife or close relative is "I want to start a business...."

[towboat72 820]

if I was so afraid of so many things that I could not do or had to do I would not be here  .or I would never leave my house .

[tambok 320]

My post was a general compilation of things based on TV programs, books, personal experiences, etc. Just like a warning when you go to Saudi Arabia to work. I worked in Saudi and we had an orientation. And after it. I spent a good 6 years there, mostly safe with no problems. The orientation was scary but it was meant to keep people out of trouble.

 

You need to be aware of things and be mindful of the dangers. My opinion.Then you can schedule your activities accordingly just like you would any other place.

 

I am not writing a legal treatise here nor presenting a case in court with witnesses and documentary proof. And I am not claiming to be an expert. There are just things that you should not do and be mindful of and I am posting what I think. A neighbor with a gun thinking you are some foreigner who practices white slavery is dangerous and you can end up getting killed. And anti foreign programs in Tagalog for the whole country to see are not "rumors"- they influence public opinion. I wanted people to be aware of that.

 

The anecdotal "nothing like that happened to me" ( therefore it does not exist) is not going to warn people and prevent tragedies from happening. The anecdotal " this and that has happened therefore you should be careful" will.

 

My post got quite a few likes and many views. If people are warned and fewer bad things and set ups happen, it has fulfilled its purpose.

 

And no one is forcing people to read it. They can just skip it and go on to more pleasant things than this.

[jtmwatchbiz 31,460]

 

 

The anecdotal "nothing like that happened to me" ( therefore it does not exist) is not going to warn people and prevent tragedies from happening. The anecdotal " this and that has happened therefore you should be careful" will. My post got quite a few likes and many views. If people are warned and fewer bad things and set ups happen, it has fulfilled its purpose. And no one is forcing people to read it. They can just skip it and go on to more pleasant things than this.

 

well for myself and quite a few other members it seems this forum has endured more than it's share of negativity towards the locals and culture, but to satiate your desire to be the latest self-appointed public service announcer, then ok you're right, one cannot be too careful and there have not been enough posts and websites screaming the same thing for years, and there can never be enough warnings of the evils found here...especially for those clueless Europeans who as you pointed out are not subjected to the same level of evil as here and in the USA. along with the same validity of your opinions, i have just personally heard thru a neighbor who was told by his auntie's cousin's sister of 3 newbie foreigners whose lives were saved by reading your banal posts along with the warnings printed on the back of mightybond tubes to not to ingest the contents. happy and fulfilled now?  

[tomaw 1,341]

i say most of the stuff stated by the op only happens to tourist.... once living here you gain friends and connections ...

I believe You're right. Of course I can't say what it's like to live there since I've always been a tourist. But as a tourist (3x) I always got treated better there than any place I have ever been. My guess is people will treat you exactly the way you treat them. When I was there (3x) I was always with my GF (now my wife) and her family and friends. I let them do most of the talking, I'm sure that helped.

[smokey 22,071]

I believe You're right. Of course I can't say what it's like to live there since I've always been a tourist. But as a tourist (3x) I always got treated better there than any place I have ever been. My guess is people will treat you exactly the way you treat them. When I was there (3x) I was always with my GF (now my wife) and her family and friends. I let them do most of the talking, I'm sure that helped.

the rubber hits the road when your out alone... no wife .... and not in the mall ,  today i went to Atlantic hardware to buy paint i patiently sat there waiting for my turn... keep getting people cut in front so i put on my do onto others mode and stood my ground and got served ... i was respectable but firm

[jtmwatchbiz 31,460]

i probably am being a bit too defensive and confrontational to tambok and for that i should apologize. i do understand his reasoning for posting his opinions and naturally he will defend his position when i lampoon it. it's true that bad things can happen when one let's his or her guard down no matter where they are, but my opinion is too much of it has been posted here already and too much can cast a negative light on the place we all love and live in. it is for that reason i post my own experiences that happen to differ from the OP's. both tambok's and my opinions have their validity in that they are thought-provoking and neither should be taken as gospel. practice common sense and don't be afraid to enjoy!