Manila

[QUOTE=Red Kilt; 1322655]Hey Skip and WR,

Don't complicate matters with your broad international perspectives and bring college / university standards into it. It has already sidetracked the basic issue.

Frits said high schools in US and the Philippines were the same.

I think only a few minutes with some very basic performance indicator data, a short video and a compilation of photos taken from a sample of schools in both countries would quickly establish that his statement is silly.

Enough! Leave out all the University ranking stuff.

This is the Manila thread where we talk about opportunities to exploit our hobbies in Manila.

Oops it's late. I need to get to an appointment.[/QUOTE]I wouldn't complain about the education as while practicing my hobby I'm afraid the level of healthcare in the Philippines is of bigger cause for concern due to its tendency to directly affect us.

I'd say 7 out of 10 chicks I try to employ more permanently during any of my stays, meaning more than one or 2 nights with the same worker, usually ends up with a similar story. It; s either kid, mother, aunt, uncle, grandpa or bloody mother of their kid's husband suddenly in hospital and in urgent need for everything from an operation to a life-saving antidote, which none in her family can afford. The script is repeated with rather higher frequency in the Philippines compared to other destinations in the region, at least in my view. So, I guess if there's anything WE should be worried about, it is the general healthcare of their citizens and not the education. (haha)

Hello,

I read from Lonely Planet that an American tourist was killed in a 7-11 in Malate during a robbery. Bad timing as my 1st visit to Manila is approaching. Perhaps I should consider life insurance. Not.

Spaceman

[QUOTE=AlLostInSpace13; 1323803]Hello,

I read from Lonely Planet that an American tourist was killed in a 7-11 in Malate during a robbery. Bad timing as my 1st visit to Manila is approaching. Perhaps I should consider life insurance. Not.

Spaceman[/QUOTE]Yes.

American killed in 7-11 robbery.

[url]http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=845059&publicationSubCategoryId=63[/url]

[url]http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2012/09/03/american-killed-store-robbery-manila-240751[/url]

[url]http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/2012/09/02/american-killed-store-robbery-philippines/ayKgiK522KqiwwipYnQiBM/story.html[/url]

This happened in Malate and Ermita area which is a notoriously unsafe area for a tourist to visit, BUT you will hear many calls from members here that its not so and you can be ok, if you take normal precautions like most tourist do. BULL. I have said this six months ago and I got a barrage of hate replies as how could I write this. They all will support that place. 'because it has a cheap charlie ghetto hood bar called Manila Bay Cafe. 90% of the old retired, pensioners hang out there for cheap fun and most positive comments come from them here and its dominated by these folks.

Dude, I was born in a third world country, I can sense Sh*t miles away. It used to be good four years back and then the mayor banished all Filipino oriented bars and it become a ghost town. Manila is safe, if you have money and have some quality in your life. If you want to travel 10, 000 miles and wish to party at the worst ghetto manila has to offer. What do you expect. If you do same back home, expect to be shot at.

Don't come to PH, if you don't have money and can't hang out in good places. I know I'm harsh, 'because I'm pissed. I warned everyone in this forum, to stay away from that area. Its really really unsafe. If you are not being shot at. Get ready to face thuggy taxi cabs and streets kids trying to pick pocket you.

Also, only in this forum I read positive reviews of the place. If you go to ph addicts site another popular forum, people speaks there horrible experiences more openly.

Unfortunatkly, we have reached a point, when its safe to say "wait till it happens to you". I'm sure as before, many from first world will disagree with me. All I will say to them is."WAIT TILL IT HAPPENS TO YOU"

[QUOTE=Starchild2012;1323819]...because it has a cheap charlie ghetto hood bar called Manila Bay Cafe. 90% of the old retired, pensioners hang out there for cheap fun and most positive comments come from them here and its dominated by these folks...[/QUOTE]I resemble that remark..lol. Actually, I agree with the gist of your comments. I used to be a regular in LA Cafe but, apart from one foray and a daytime visit to exchange pesos into euros (you get the most competitive rates in this area), I stay away from the area nowadays. The overwhelming atmosphere of threat, dilapidated degeneration and hopelessness of the area depresses me and I have little patience with the motley assortment of indigent beggars, feral urchins, con artists and assorted sleazeballs that congregate in the vicinity like so many flies around shit.

I would say, however, that this mainly applies to Ermita, the area directly to the north of Pedro Gil. Malate to the south, particularly around Remedios Circle has some good bars, restaurants and assorted nightlife and is a good and relatively safe area to spend some time.

And, I guess, that in comparison to some mongering destinations in Central and South America, Ermita is Toytown.

P.S The 7-11 involved was nowhere near Ermita or the tourist areas of Malate and the American was an expat running a business here and not a tourist. Just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and tried to escape the hold-up gang.

This isn't an attack. Just a disagreement and some thoughts.

[QUOTE=Starchild2012; 1323819]Yes.

American killed in 7-11 robbery.

This happened in Malate and Ermita area which is a notoriously unsafe area for a tourist to visit, BUT you will hear many calls from members here that its not so and you can be ok, if you take normal precautions like most tourist do. BULL. I have said this six months ago and I got a barrage of hate replies as how could I write this. They all will support that place. 'because it has a cheap charlie ghetto hood bar called Manila Bay Cafe. 90% of the old retired, pensioners hang out there for cheap fun and most positive comments come from them here and its dominated by these folks.[/QUOTE]It's not notoriously unsafe. It's notoriously less safe. You will probably find an american robbed or killed in phils (and other non-westernized countries) from time-to-time. Several hundred such cases in El Paso or Detroit every year, too. So, is it safer for americans in Malate? I'm not old enough to retire, and I hang out in GPoint and MBC. Sometimes for the snatch, sometimes for a bite to eat while I watch the snatch. I see plenty of gents in there who are not expats and not old enough to be retired. So what if some of the guys in there are pensioners / regulars?

[QUOTE=Starchild2012;1323819]Dude, I was born in a third world country, I can sense Sh*t miles away. It used to be good four years back and then the mayor banished all Filipino oriented bars and it become a ghost town. Manila is safe, if you have money and have some quality in your life. If you want to travel 10, 000 miles and wish to party at the worst ghetto manila has to offer.[/QUOTE]I've stayed in nice hotels in both Malate and Makati. Also junkie pensions at times. Yes, in Malate, there is more a gritty sense of something bad happening, as opposed to Makati / Ortigas. Probably Tondo is worse? I've walked the streets of Malate and Jakarta and LA at 1am, none is probably worse than the other?

[QUOTE=Starchild2012;1323819]Don't come to PH, if you don't have money and can't hang out in good places. I know I'm harsh, 'because I'm pissed. I warned everyone in this forum, to stay away from that area. Its really really unsafe. If you are not being shot at. Get ready to face thuggy taxi cabs and streets kids trying to pick pocket you.[/QUOTE]I think having money (or at least letting the locals think you have it) is a surer way to get robbed. I prefer Malate to Makati for a variety of reasons, and its grittiness is one of those reasons. Never been shot at in Malate, never seen anyone shot at, never seen anyone there brandish a gun (doesn't mean it does not happen, just means I've never seen or heard of it there, other than the occasional news story about it). Pickpocket streetkids? In what non-western country does that not happen? Probably being in the US metropolitan areas is much worse for an american than being in Malate, given the large numbers of gun deaths there annually; from Wiki:

[I]There were 52,447 deliberate and 23,237 accidental non-fatal gunshot injuries in the United States during 2000.[4] The majority of gun-related deaths in the United States are suicides,[5] with 17,352 (55.6%) of the total 31,224 firearm-related deaths in 2007 due to suicide, while 12,632 (40.5%) were homicide deaths.[6] In 2009, according to the UNODC, 60% of all homicides in the United States were perpetrated using a firearm.[/I]

I believe the major mistake the American made was trying to dash out the door when he was told to go to the storage room with the other employees while the thieves were looting the store. The other employees were not injured, only the American who turned rabbit and made a run for it with bottled water in his hand. Obviously a very stupid decision that cost him his life. Unfortunately the hot lead bullets were a little faster than his 45 year old legs could run. He should have just complied and he would have been back home in no time.

Ermita and Malate are what you make of it. It's a great place to score some really hot beaver but you do have to have your wits about you at all times which includes not over drinking which only clouds your senses. It's also not smart to talk to any Filipino strangers who claim to know you. Don't walk too fast with your head darting around since it can be interpreted as being scared shitless. If you are scared shitless, just hop into a taxi and tell him to take you to Makati. You won't get shot or knifed in that town. The worst thing that will happen to you in Makati will be getting fleeced.

Otherwise hop into Manila Bay Café and enjoy the surroundings, pick up a little hottie and take a direct route to you hotel room with her. You will be glad you did.

[QUOTE=Starchild2012; 1323819]Yes.

American killed in 7-11 robbery.

[url]http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=845059&publicationSubCategoryId=63[/url]

[url]http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2012/09/03/american-killed-store-robbery-manila-240751[/url]

[url]http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/2012/09/02/american-killed-store-robbery-philippines/ayKgiK522KqiwwipYnQiBM/story.html[/url]

This happened in Malate and Ermita area which is a notoriously unsafe area for a tourist to visit, BUT you will hear many calls from members here that its not so and you can be ok, if you take normal precautions like most tourist do. BULL. I have said this six months ago and I got a barrage of hate replies as how could I write this. They all will support that place. 'because it has a cheap charlie ghetto hood bar called Manila Bay Cafe. 90% of the old retired, pensioners hang out there for cheap fun and most positive comments come from them here and its dominated by these folks.

Dude, I was born in a third world country, I can sense Sh*t miles away. It used to be good four years back and then the mayor banished all Filipino oriented bars and it become a ghost town. Manila is safe, if you have money and have some quality in your life. If you want to travel 10, 000 miles and wish to party at the worst ghetto manila has to offer. What do you expect. If you do same back home, expect to be shot at.

Don't come to PH, if you don't have money and can't hang out in good places. I know I'm harsh, 'because I'm pissed. I warned everyone in this forum, to stay away from that area. Its really really unsafe. If you are not being shot at. Get ready to face thuggy taxi cabs and streets kids trying to pick pocket you.

Also, only in this forum I read positive reviews of the place. If you go to ph addicts site another popular forum, people speaks there horrible experiences more openly.

Unfortunatkly, we have reached a point, when its safe to say "wait till it happens to you". I'm sure as before, many from first world will disagree with me. All I will say to them is."WAIT TILL IT HAPPENS TO YOU"[/QUOTE]I'm an Asian American in my late 20's and I've made several trips to the Ermita area and I've never been messed with. I've stayed at the Diamond Hotel several times. Rather than catching a taxi to travel around, I just walk to MBC, Robinson Mall and the surrounding areas while also getting lost several times during the day and night. All I can say is I'm alive right now in perfect health while responding to your post. I actually feel safer in the Philippines compared to certain parts of the US as hard as this may sound. If you've ever been to the projects or pour areas of the US, people will mess with you for no reason! Shoot, teenagers will beat you down or put a bullet in you just to build a reputation.

[QUOTE=YG365;1323870]I'm an Asian American in my late 20's and I've made several trips to the Ermita area and I've never been messed with. I've stayed at the Diamond Hotel several times. Rather than catching a taxi to travel around, I just walk to MBC, Robinson Mall and the surrounding areas while also getting lost several times during the day and night. All I can say is I'm alive right now in perfect health while responding to your post. I actually feel safer in the Philippines compared to certain parts of the US as hard as this may sound. If you've ever been to the projects or pour areas of the US, people will mess with you for no reason! Shoot, teenagers will beat you down or put a bullet in you just to build a reputation.[/QUOTE]On top of that, when someone points a gun at you you'd be better off to follow his request. This guy didn't get killed by chance.

I don't go to the area as I don't like the area, never been keen on LA Cafe when it was called that and don't like MBC. I have been there a few times and decided not for me. And was once in a taxi when 2 cops tried to shake me down one night (see FRs of about 2-3 years ago).

So not my scene

AC has had a number of murders of westerners (and am sure this will contiue) and I know guys who have since left the place for 'safer' cities in PI so is all depends on how you feel etc.

But the MBC area is one I won't visit unless I have to. Sensible comments here to SC's FR showing it is our perception and we can't take one incident as being the norm

[QUOTE=Starchild2012;1323819]Its really really unsafe. If you are not being shot at. Get ready to face thuggy taxi cabs and streets kids trying to pick pocket you.[/QUOTE]I think this is extremely sensationalist. I have never been shot at and I have never met anyone who has been shot at. I have never met a 'thuggy' taxi driver (assuming by 'thug' you mean threats of violence) and I haven't encountered any pickpockets. I'm not saying these things don't happen but your comment might lead people to believe that it's the most dangerous place in the world. It's not. I've been a number of times and haven't experienced even the slightest sniff of trouble. I've had people try to scam me on the street ("hi, I work as security at your hotel") and I once met a tourist who got robbed because he was drugged when he went to a complete strangers house and drank beer with him. But unless you are incredibly unlucky like the unfortunate man in the 7Eleven, you just need to be streetwise and try not to flash the cash. Which applies to pretty much anywhere in Asia, from Jakarta to Pattaya, Bangkok to Angeles.

I think your whole comment is extremely misleading to anyone who hasn't visited. Ermita is a million miles away from being the 'worst ghetto manila has to offer'.

[QUOTE=Starchild2012; 1323819]American killed in 7-11 robbery.

This happened in Malate and Ermita area which is a notoriously unsafe area for a tourist to visit, BUT you will hear many calls from members here that its not so and you can be ok, if you take normal precautions like most tourist do. BULL. I have said this six months ago and I got a barrage of hate replies as how could I write this. They all will support that place. 'because it has a cheap charlie ghetto hood bar called Manila Bay Cafe. 90% of the old retired, pensioners hang out there for cheap fun and most positive comments come from them here and its dominated by these folks.

Dude, I was born in a third world country, I can sense Sh*t miles away. It used to be good four years back and then the mayor banished all Filipino oriented bars and it become a ghost town. Manila is safe, if you have money and have some quality in your life. If you want to travel 10, 000 miles and wish to party at the worst ghetto manila has to offer. What do you expect. If you do same back home, expect to be shot at.

Don't come to PH, if you don't have money and can't hang out in good places. I know I'm harsh, 'because I'm pissed. I warned everyone in this forum, to stay away from that area. Its really really unsafe. If you are not being shot at. Get ready to face thuggy taxi cabs and streets kids trying to pick pocket you.

Also, only in this forum I read positive reviews of the place. If you go to ph addicts site another popular forum, people speaks there horrible experiences more openly.

Unfortunatkly, we have reached a point, when its safe to say "wait till it happens to you". I'm sure as before, many from first world will disagree with me. All I will say to them is."WAIT TILL IT HAPPENS TO YOU"[/QUOTE]This is way, way over the top. Take a look at the map I have attached below. I have walked this area in the day and up to midnight. It is funky, it's a little run down, interesting, a little seedy, and urban. It is not Central District Hong Kong Island for sure. It is not downtown Makati either, but it is certainly not 'the worst Ghetto Manila has to offer. ' That statement is crazy. Now I am not saying you can't find trouble here if you look for it or that once in a blue moon something bad, like getting robbed or assaulted can't happen to you. It can. Shitty things happen to good people for no reason all the time. But the odds of something bad occurring if proper precautions are taken, is not very high IMHO and compared to other real mongering destinations that I have spent time in like Cartagena, Bogotá, Guayaquil, Sao Paulo, and Rio; I think the risk of danger is less here. So keep your eyes open, always be aware of what is happening around you, don't call attention to yourself by wearing conspicuous fashion accessories, don't flash a lot of cash, and don't get involved with local scammers and I believe there is a 99. 99% chance you will have a great time and the worst thing that may happen to you is your girl may be a runner or have saggy tits.

So I like Ermita / Malate. I also like Makati, but the two areas are very different. That is why sometimes I stay in Makati and sometimes I stay in Malate. Now I know Ermita / Malate is not for everybody and it is cool with me if a forum member does not like the place. But in this case, I think the area has been falsely maligned. Star is saying that if a monger visits Ermita/ Malate he will get robbed, mugged or killed. And that is just not true. The area is just not like that, not even close. And I think most guys that have been here will agree with me.

In the interest of self disclosure I will say I am not the biggest fan of MBC. I like the raunchy city ambiance of the place and drop by MBC from time to time when I am in the area, but I find too many of the girls are not good enough for my tastes. Some are and I have never had a bad time with a MBC FL. Furthermore, I think most forum members would not consider me a cheapster by any means. I spend whatever is necessary to get a girl I want provided I am not paying above the list market price of the place where I find her. So in MBC I pay the MBC price, in EDSA I pay the EDSA price, in Burgos the Burgos price and in AF1 I pay the AF1 price. I never let $$$$ stand in the way of having the girl I want unless she is being outrageous about it. Then I figure she is no good and I walk. I come to the PI not because of the prices but because I like the girls and their ways and I like the scuba diving and the remote island beaches. Once or twice a year I travel South East Asia. Some areas in the Philippines are inexpensive (AC) , but I will drop a wad of cash in Macau and BKK before even landing in AC. And Burgos is as expensive as BKK, AF1 is as expensive as Macau. It is not the 'cheap fun' that brings me to the PI. It is the fun and the adventure, the surf and the turf, and the GFE.

[QUOTE=YG365;1323870]I'm an Asian American in my late 20's and I've made several trips to the Ermita area and I've never been messed with. I've stayed at the Diamond Hotel several times. Rather than catching a taxi to travel around, I just walk to MBC, Robinson Mall and the surrounding areas while also getting lost several times during the day and night. All I can say is I'm alive right now in perfect health while responding to your post. I actually feel safer in the Philippines compared to certain parts of the US as hard as this may sound. If you've ever been to the projects or pour areas of the US, people will mess with you for no reason! Shoot, teenagers will beat you down or put a bullet in you just to build a reputation.[/QUOTE]Errr. The difference in Philippines is, even you get shot and live, your assailant will never be caught. Not even a chance. Unlike other countries where they do get caught.

You feel safe in Philippines? On my next visit, please were a 100 gram gold chain, very visible, and a blinged up iPhone and a Rolex watch I should let you mix with some natives and see how you take it when over a red horse, when you say something they don't like, a 9 mm is put on the table, and well, they don't give a flying fxxk about shooting you too. After all, nobody has been put to death for murder. Hell, even the guys who get caught are left to hang around in a minimum security prison, so they can take time off to shoot some more people.

I do the basic. Not much cash, and no fancy stuff. In essence, avoid attention. Even then, once I got surrounded by a dozen kids who were jostling me. Well, never did they realise I don't keep my money or valuables with me.

About the American, would it be possible that he had a gun in the car, and ran to get the gun? .

Or he was the target. And they made it a robbery? Knowing Philippines, after all, the cops could spend a dozen years deciding if it was an assassination or robbery gone bad. Before they pull up their socks and decide what to do. Unlike it being a straight assassination, where they spend 5 years or so before deciding to do something about it.

[QUOTE=Screaming Beaver; 1323865]The other employees were not injured, only the American who turned rabbit and made a run for it with bottled water in his hand. Obviously a very stupid decision that cost him his life. Unfortunately the hot lead bullets were a little faster than his 45 year old legs could run. He should have just complied and he would have been back home in no time.[/QUOTE]Hey screaming dick your writing style is starting to crossover with your other ego CIM hehe.

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt; 1323851]. Actually, I agree with the gist of your comments. I used to be a regular in LA Cafe but, apart from one foray and a daytime visit to exchange pesos into euros (you get the most competitive rates in this area) , I stay away from the area nowadays. The overwhelming atmosphere of threat, dilapidated degeneration and hopelessness of the area depresses me and I have little patience with the motley assortment of indigent beggars, feral urchins, con artists and assorted sleazeballs that congregate in the vicinity like so many flies around shit.

I would say, however, that this mainly applies to Ermita, the area directly to the north of Pedro Gil. Malate to the south, particularly around Remedios Circle has some good bars, restaurants and assorted nightlife and is a good and relatively safe area to spend some time.[/QUOTE]As another long-term Manila habitue like CS I can only endorse wholeheartedly his excellent summary.

Between 1997 and 2002 I was a regular at the (then) LA Cafe. It was well-run, and had a nice sprinkling of good looking women who were often good to chat with and play with as well as take home for a while. Soon after that time it spiralled downhill into the cesspool that it now resembles, with a large proportion of hags, fuglies, druggies etc infesting it.

As CS reiterates, around Pedro Gil and south along the main drags (Adriatico, Mabini or MH del Pilar) there are numerous good restaurants that have retained their olde-worlde authenticity but which are best accessed by private car or taxi. I regularly go to Robinsons Malate as it is an excellent meeting point for various female acquaintances who live anywhere in that western corner of the city, and the close proximity of Eurotel, Sogo and Sohotel makes the next stage of any assignation easy to accomplish.

I must say the 7/11 incident was just damn bad luck for the kano but he broke the golden rule. When you hear gunshots or you actually see a gun, just get down as close to the floor / ground as you can. As expats, we are taught to do this instinctively. Don't run, as most casualties in gunfights are innocent bystanders hit by stray bullets. Just get out of the line of fire quickly.

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt; 1323851]I resemble that remark. LOL. Actually, I agree with the gist of your comments. I used to be a regular in LA Cafe but, apart from one foray and a daytime visit to exchange pesos into euros (you get the most competitive rates in this area) , I stay away from the area nowadays. The overwhelming atmosphere of threat, dilapidated degeneration and hopelessness of the area depresses me and I have little patience with the motley assortment of indigent beggars, feral urchins, con artists and assorted sleazeballs that congregate in the vicinity like so many flies around shit.

I would say, however, that this mainly applies to Ermita, the area directly to the north of Pedro Gil. Malate to the south, particularly around Remedios Circle has some good bars, restaurants and assorted nightlife and is a good and relatively safe area to spend some time.

And, I guess, that in comparison to some mongering destinations in Central and South America, Ermita is Toytown.

P. S The 7-11 involved was nowhere near Ermita or the tourist areas of Malate and the American was an expat running a business here and not a tourist. Just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and tried to escape the hold-up gang.[/QUOTE]Hahaha. Your mastery of words explains it perfectly. Sometimes, the tourist from western countries are innocent and think everyone is same like them. Honest and straight shooters all over the world. The question we need to ask is. Where was the security guard that we see in all 7-11s in the PH at the time of robbery? They always carry a gun. Why was he missing from the action.

If we think this through, I feel bad for the American. He did the right thing IMO. He was the only white guy in the store and we know, how white guys are a treasured commodity in the PH. They would have come to him and asked for his money as well and worse. They would have kidnapped him for a bigger bounty. The complete CCTV footage was not released, may be they were trying to take him away or make a move towards him as everyone in Asia thinks western tourist are loaded with money. And he tried to escape from them not from store? We know how much the version of Filipino media we can trust?

As we know he was running a english school. So he has seen the world and was not dumb enough to run and was from America. So he would know a thing or two about hold ups.

[QUOTE=Westcoast1; 1323863]This isn't an attack. Just a disagreement and some thoughts.

It's not notoriously unsafe. It's notoriously less safe. You will probably find an american robbed or killed in phils (and other non-westernized countries) from time-to-time. Several hundred such cases in El Paso or Detroit every year, too. So, is it safer for americans in Malate? I'm not old enough to retire, and I hang out in GPoint and MBC. Sometimes for the snatch, sometimes for a bite to eat while I watch the snatch. I see plenty of gents in there who are not expats and not old enough to be retired. So what if some of the guys in there are pensioners / regulars?

I've stayed in nice hotels in both Malate and Makati. Also junkie pensions at times. Yes, in Malate, there is more a gritty sense of something bad happening, as opposed to Makati / Ortigas. Probably Tondo is worse? I've walked the streets of Malate and Jakarta and LA at 1am, none is probably worse than the other?

I think having money (or at least letting the locals think you have it) is a surer way to get robbed. I prefer Malate to Makati for a variety of reasons, and its grittiness is one of those reasons. Never been shot at in Malate, never seen anyone shot at, never seen anyone there brandish a gun (doesn't mean it does not happen, just means I've never seen or heard of it there, other than the occasional news story about it). Pickpocket streetkids? In what non-western country does that not happen? Probably being in the US metropolitan areas is much worse for an american than being in Malate, given the large numbers of gun deaths there annually; from Wiki:

[I]There were 52, 447 deliberate and 23, 237 accidental non-fatal gunshot injuries in the United States during 2000. [4] The majority of gun-related deaths in the United States are suicides, [5] with 17, 352 (55. 6%) of the total 31, 224 firearm-related deaths in 2007 due to suicide, while 12, 632 (40. 5%) were homicide deaths. [6] In 2009, according to the UNODC. 60% of all homicides in the United States were perpetrated using a firearm. [/I]

Star, I googled 'ph additcs' and did not come up with such a site. Can you post the link here? I'd like to check it out.[/QUOTE]It goes much deeper than just crime my friend. That is the difference I see many farangs fail to understand.

Even if both countries are equal in crime, yet, you should be doubly scared of what follows after the crime in third world countries. In US, if you get robbed or get shot at. Cops will show up and would do something about it.

However, If something happens to you in PH, the cops you should fear the most, as they will blame you for the problem and demand bribes for the problem to go away. Hope, people understand this difference. If you get in trouble in PH, the problem will never go away, unless you pay up. In US, a problem comes and goes. Here the leeches will stick to you unless they suck you dry.

That is the reason, I been screaming through my lungs to stay away from bad areas in the PH, even nothing has happened to you. Once, you get in trouble. It won't go away. Unlike back home. This is the core difference all should understand.

Just a hint of trouble areas and you should be 10 miles away from it in PH. There are so many places you can hang out in manila. Why go to places, which has known to cause problem.