General Info

[URL]http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2017/12/05/american-national-hangs-self-inside-nbi-restroom-57829[/URL]

A little while I posted a warning re the dangers of arrest in the Phils re sex offences.

Yesterday an American guy hung himself in the NBI cell in Cebu. I have no idea whether the allegations re this guy are true or not. As far as revealed so far the evidence seems to be flimsy. The NBI are highly likely to plant incriminating photos onto his laptop if there is nothing there already so we may never know the real truth.

What I do know is that this sort of thing can happen to guys who are totally innocent.

The problem is that the frenzy re [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord908][CodeWord908][/url] in the West has spilled over to the Philippines and means that prosecutors, NBI etc are incentive to put people behind bars on this charge. (they have to report trafficking statistics separately and are monitored as to their progress. The real criminals who are behind what people would regard as genuine trafficking are hardened professionals who are difficult to catch. Therefore the NBI just make up the numbers by arresting 1 Ladyboys who are de facto pimping girls to foreigners and 2 Hapless foreigners who seem to be doing something that can vaguely be classified as trafficking. Unfortunately the definition of trafficking is so insanely all encompassing that things that you may not have dreamt might be considered trafficking.

Such as taking a girl who it turns out has lied about her age and is in fact under 18 to the beach, hanging out with 3 or more girls or being part of a group of 3 or more guys swapping details on girls can be construed as qualified trafficking, uploading pictures of girls to websites / forums (once the NBI has fabricated a little bit more evidence) . The significance of the "qualified" is that you will go straight to jail and have to fight your case from there which is extraordinarily difficult. Given the snails pace at which the court procedures are carried out this is likely to take at least a year, even if the case against you is entirely spurious.

I mentioned before its imperative if ever you find yourself in this situation to find yourself a competent and honest (v difficult to find) Atty ASAP. The system doesn't allow me to give phone numbers but one such lawyer in Cebu is a young Atty Perr Ferrolin. I strongly suspect that the American mentioned in the article was not able to speak to an Atty in time. For many people an arrest such as this will be the worst experience of your life and suicide is all too common.

Anyone have a cheap solution to the above question, As paypal want me to talk to me so that they then can un lock my account or a workaround if Known.

[QUOTE=ColLaw;2113642]Anyone have a cheap solution to the above question, As paypal want me to talk to me so that they then can un lock my account or a workaround if Known.[/QUOTE]Skype call.

[QUOTE=ColLaw;2113642]Anyone have a cheap solution to the above question, As paypal want me to talk to me so that they then can un lock my account or a workaround if Known.[/QUOTE]Did not understand. What is the 'above question'?

[QUOTE=OlderAndWiser;2113577][URL]http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2017/12/05/american-national-hangs-self-inside-nbi-restroom-57829[/URL]

A little while I posted a warning re the dangers of arrest in the Phils re sex offences.

Yesterday an American guy hung himself in the NBI cell in Cebu. I have no idea whether the allegations re this guy are true or not. As far as revealed so far the evidence seems to be flimsy. The NBI are highly likely to plant incriminating photos onto his laptop if there is nothing there already so we may never know the real truth..[/QUOTE]No lawyer could help that fella. The law is very clear about not allowing minors to enter your residence unless they are your blood relatives. His lawyer may have argued that the film equipment, kiddie costumes and toys were circumstantial evidence. However, that would have been beside the point even if the NBI did not find incriminating photos on his devices. The dead fella was responsible for knowing the laws and obeying them. Once he breached the laws, it was too late. He faced languishing in jail for as much as a decade before going to trial. Meanwhile, he would have been prey for the hundreds of inmates infected with tuberculosis and HIV. The only way out of his predicament was the one he took. In doing so, he cheated the lawyers and NBI agents out of a considerable amount of money.

The NBI observes foreigners over a period, documenting their activities on video before accumulating enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant. His neighbors also gave statements against him and the vice governor who chairs the Provincial Women's Commission wrote a letter to the NBI concerning the fella's suspicious activities. That was enough for them to lock him up without bail. He was clearly attracting attention. Many foreigners think that the Filipino community is grateful when they hand out toys and other giveaways in their neighborhood. Filipinos do not think like that. Instead, they start thinking that the foreigner must be getting much more in return for the gifts. Therefore, what followed was inevitable.

Lawyers in the Philippines are most helpful when one uses them for consultation to stay on the right side of the law not after one is accused of being on the wrong side of the law. Staying out of jail is much easier than getting out of jail. Keeping the neighbors and their kids out of your home goes a long way to avoiding legal entanglements. A house surrounded with a nice tall wall topped with barbed wire and strong steel gate with a speakeasy viewer makes for good neighbors. If you need a domestic helper, get one from several islands away sourced through an agency that conducts all the required background checks and clearances. Make sure she understands that gossiping with the neighbors is grounds for termination. Pay her well and give her enough vacation time to return to her province a few times per year. If she gets a local boyfriend, get rid of her. Understand that you must keep a professional work relationship with her. Girlfriends from other islands work nicely too. Meet them at the docks and when they are ready to leave, put them on the ferry. It will prevent the neighbors from interrogating her and offering her unsolicited advice on how to handle the foreigner.

[QUOTE=ColLaw;2113642]Anyone have a cheap solution to the above question, As paypal want me to talk to me so that they then can un lock my account or a workaround if Known.[/QUOTE]Sorry, but I don't see an above question. I scrolled down a bit and didn't see anything about paypal. I'll deduce you tried to do a paypal transaction from the Philippines. When I did so my account was immediately locked when attempting the second transaction; the first one done days earlier processed fine. This happened to me a few years ago and I wrote about it here. I called, spoke to the CSR, and was told it's paypal's policy to lock non-Philippine paypal accounts when a transaction from the Philippines was detected. It's to prevent fraud. They would not unlock my account even with my offer of emailing a copy of passport and other ID. They also acknowledged my first transaction processed fine, they didn't receive a fraud complaint, but they wouldn't accept this an evidence of legitimate use. I was told I could enroll for a paypal Philippines account, one that's separate from my other account. I'm not reliant on paypal for anything and decided just to say fuck it. I reckon for someone running an online or ebay business reliant on paypal payments this is a major hassle. BTW, before I moved to the Philippines I notified my bank to make sure my debit and credit cards could be used. I didn't do this paypal because I was an infrequent user and kind of forgot about it. I asked paypal if it allowed its customers to provide pre-move notification to prevent the account being locked; CSR said this was not an option.

The key thing is paypal is not a bank, so it's not subject to the same laws such as deposit insurance, etc. Has paypal improved the customer service? I don't know. Burn me once and I'm done with you when I have alternatives.

[QUOTE=ColLaw;2113642]Anyone have a cheap solution to the above question, As paypal want me to talk to me so that they then can un lock my account or a workaround if Known.[/QUOTE]Download an internet calling service. VoIP.

[QUOTE=Hutsori;2114155]
The key thing is paypal is not a bank, so it's not subject to the same laws such as deposit insurance, etc. Has paypal improved the customer service? I don't know. Burn me once and I'm done with you when I have alternatives.[/QUOTE]I have a home country account which I transact when in Phils. It has never been locked just because I operate it from a Philippines IP address.

BD.

I have had online banking accounts lock me out when I transact from Philippines. Then I have to answer the security questions to log back on.

Also I have credit cards blocked when the charge is made in the Philippines and requires a phone call to reactivate. This happens even when I give them a travel notification.

Since this happens so often that I quit complaining about it and just deal with it. I have a VoIP to make calls to retify all this.

[QUOTE=Dg8787;2114236]I have had online banking accounts lock me out when I transact from Philippines. Then I have to answer the security questions to log back on.

Also I have credit cards blocked when the charge is made in the Philippines and requires a phone call to reactivate. This happens even when I give them a travel notification.

Since this happens so often that I quit complaining about it and just deal with it. I have a VoIP to make calls to retify all this.[/QUOTE]DG87, unlike your experience, I have never had a problem using my credit cards anywhere in SE Asia including the PI after I began providing my credit card companies with travel notifications. I once had a major problem using my Charles Schwab debit ATM card in Jakarta despite a travel notification. BUT after free 20 minute long-distance Skype call to Schwab, actually 2 were required as the first call did not take; the situation was rectified and I have never had another problem withdrawing cash with that card again. So, a little perseverance and patience usually gets the job under control.

To the OP on using PayPal in the PI: I have never used PayPal in a foreign country. They might have a different policy than what I am used to, but have you tried linking a checking account in your home country to your PayPal account? That might solve your credit problem.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;2114237]DG87, unlike your experience, I have never had a problem using my credit cards anywhere in SE Asia including the PI after I began providing my credit card companies with travel notifications. [/QUOTE]It's a no-brainer.

Always advise your banks where you are travelling to, and when.

I move all around SE Asia for work and I always advise my bank because I expect they will query any off-shore transactions. I like the security they provide.

[QUOTE=RedKilt;2114251]It's a no-brainer.

Always advise your banks where you are travelling to, and when.

I move all around SE Asia for work and I always advise my bank because I expect they will query any off-shore transactions. I like the security they provide.[/QUOTE]I have accounts with 3 different Canadian banks and they all have dropped the requirement for travel notice. In fact, they no longer have the facility to file travel notices.

When I am doing anything financial I always use my VPN and it looks like I am in Canada. I use my VPN on any system other than my own for all activity but if I am doing anything financial I use it always.

[QUOTE=RedKilt;2114251]It's a no-brainer.

Always advise your banks where you are travelling to, and when.

I move all around SE Asia for work and I always advise my bank because I expect they will query any off-shore transactions. I like the security they provide.[/QUOTE]Me too RK. I use HSBC everywhere and I always tell them as I move around globally as you know. Mostly this works but there is the random security check hat will block a transaction and that can be annoying especially when if locked a $1 payment for WiFi on an aircraft (a carrier I use all of the time) but best be safe than sorry.

[QUOTE=KabulGuy;2114262]I have accounts with 3 different Canadian banks and they all have dropped the requirement for travel notice. In fact, they no longer have the facility to file travel notices.

When I am doing anything financial I always use my VPN and it looks like I am in Canada. I use my VPN on any system other than my own for all activity but if I am doing anything financial I use it always.[/QUOTE]I do the same, except for the fact that I use a VPN all of the time now.

GE.

For those who may be amused. This is from today's "Economist. ".

[URL]http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21732126-jeepney-treasure-or-menace-philippine-government-declares-war-beloved-vehicle?frsc=dg%7Ce[/URL]