Where is the safest place to live in The Philippines?

[tomaw 1,341]

In terms of natural disasters (earthquakes, typhoons, floods etc.) pollution, disease and man made threats such as crime and terrorism; where is the safest place to live in The Philippines?

Edited November 14, 2013 by tomaw

[Dragonladies.org 1,628]

A submarine, submerged offshore?

 

 

[mexiwi 425]

Switzerland

[Raven 629]

I think there are only one way, to cope with all the threats...smile   and laugh    like the pinoys do, then you can live anywhere

[USMC-Retired 10,995]

The entire country is on a fault line.  The entire country is susceptible to typhoons. There are volcanoes all over the place in the Philippines.  So what that leaves you with is man made problems if you accept the natural disaster risks.  Just as you would living anywhere in the world that has such risks.  

One thing people should take note of is when you live in the outlying areas help from disasters will be a wait.  The infrastructure is stretched already throw in a disaster and well it breaks. 

[MarinePride 576]

Until the Bohol earthquake and this typhoon that narrowly misses my locale, I thought that Mactan was relatively safe. The truth is that there is no safe area, only less dangerous than others. I believe Mactan fits that description, at least the airport is close by to get out in a hurry if needed.

[Paddy 1,432]

Seriously, if you are worried about your personal safety in the Philippines, then perhaps its not the best place for you to be.

 

If you get past that, you can take some precautions against earthquakes, some precautions against typhoons and don't choose a place that is too close to any of:

 

a. Volcanoes

b. Landslide risk slopes

c. Flood prone areas

c. Insurgent groups 

 

Even if you do all that, you can still be affected by disasters and incidents in other areas. The Haiyan aftermath is already demonstrating the fragility of everyday logistics in areas that were not greatly affected by the typhoon.

 

And even if that doesn't bother you, there are performance problems for everyday things we take for granted in the west. Our little corner of paradise is without power for several hours for at least one third of all weekends in the year. Here in sunny Ontario, I complain if it goes off for a second and I have to reset all the blasted clocks!

[thebob 18,260]

Malacañang Palace?

 

Wherever you live you can still be hit by a meteorite.

Edited November 15, 2013 by thebob

[Raven 629]

If you won't live like pinoys, and just laugh and say "Bahala na" then there are things to consider, to minimize risks..

Bambus vs concrete
10m vs 1000m from Beach
Hillside vs Flatland
Urban vs Rural
Ground floor vs First floor
First floor vs 36. floor
Inside sub-division vs outside
Hospital walking distance vs. Ferry! distance

...and probably many more

[miles-high 3,917]

Bonifacio Global City (Taguig, NCR):

• Slightly higher elevation than other areas and the best storm drain system (tested during the Typhoon Ondoy, one of the few places never flooded)
• Condos are well-built against earth-quake, typhoon, fire, etc.
• Most condos have helipads (although a bit turbulent to land at times)
• Close to an international airport
• Nation’s best hospital on-site
• Banks, boutiques, mall, grocery stores, deli, many restaurants
• No traffic congestion within the area
• No squatter areas, no “ordinary” fire-prone houses nearby
• Adjoining golf course, polo ground
• Never heard of any crime…

[Jim Sibbick 1,037]

Brgy Liberty Palompon Leyte seems like a good place to be. It is the location of my ex wife's family.

 

It is 9km from the main township of Palompon which is devestated but they are ok. 

 

I have been there during earthquakes and nothing much happened at all. A bit of shaking for a while and it is all over. Even the most recent earthquake which was still 4 or 5 on the richter scale by the time it reached there. 

 

The ex wife family has the biggest Sari Sari store in the area. When I was told there was no food, I thought that meant that the store was wrecked in the typhoon but the store is fine. They have no food as they have been feeding the local population. They have water laid on from several fresh water springs around the area. They have already re connected their water system which feeds off the springs, which became disconnected during the typhoon. 

 

You can't get flooded there as it is 9 kilometres, all down hill, to the sea.

 

The NPA in the area are known for taking the side of the weak against the unjust. So, if you are not disrespecting Filipinos, you will not have to worry about them either.

[udonthani 2,027]

this is very easy to answer.

 

it is Manila and the NCR that is safest - by a mile. It is just deciding which particular location within the NCR is the safest where there would be any debate.

 

reason being this is where the infrastructure is the best and where emergency relief will be co-ordinated quickest. It has the best supply of decent medical facilities. It has the highest concentration of airports in the country. It has the best supply of big strong buildings to provide shelter.

[quit_yume 1,003]

there are a few things that you can do i think to increase your odds of not being detrimentally affected by natural disasters..   i guess this typhoon has shown that geographically speaking, tacloban is in a bad location..   so first off..  try not to live on the eastern side of any islands...  try not to live someplace that isnt at least 40 feet above sea level..   definitely build concrete 1st and 2nd floors, just like they require in florida these days..  always, always, always...  have your own generator and many gallons of fuel and water stored ...   dont have a roof with any type of overhang where a stiff breeze can easily get under it..  ...

Edited November 15, 2013 by quit_yume

[jigsy 370]

 

Bonifacio Global City (Taguig, NCR):

• Slightly higher elevation than other areas and the best storm drain system (tested during the Typhoon Ondoy, one of the few places never flooded)
• Condos are well-built against earth-quake, typhoon, fire, etc.
• Most condos have helipads (although a bit turbulent to land at times)
• Close to an international airport
• Nation’s best hospital on-site
• Banks, boutiques, mall, grocery stores, deli, many restaurants
• No traffic congestion within the area
• No squatter areas, no “ordinary” fire-prone houses nearby
• Adjoining golf course, polo ground
• Never heard of any crime…

 

Was thinking the same and at one point was thinking of living, working and sending my kids to school all within Bonifacio. Not going to happen now and I am heading out of the Philippines with work, but might be one to look at when it is fully established.

 

Aside from that, I would look at Cebu - out of the town, maybe towards Danao, Sogod etc.

[T.S. 783]

Bonifacio Global City (Taguig, NCR):

• Slightly higher elevation than other areas and the best storm drain system (tested during the Typhoon Ondoy, one of the few places never flooded)
• Condos are well-built against earth-quake, typhoon, fire, etc.
• Most condos have helipads (although a bit turbulent to land at times)
• Close to an international airport
• Nation’s best hospital on-site
• Banks, boutiques, mall, grocery stores, deli, many restaurants
• No traffic congestion within the area
• No squatter areas, no “ordinary” fire-prone houses nearby
• Adjoining golf course, polo ground
• Never heard of any crime…

Didn't a court rule BGC to be part of Makati rather than Taguig a few months ago... or are they still fighting over it?

 

I have been looking at a lot of condos there online. I like the units that face the golf course and Makati skyline.