I have a very good friend here in Davao City, who is a retired Philippine Army General and now teaches in the Police College here. He is aware of everything happening in the Philippines, and currently, there are not many kidnappings. Here in Davao City, the Police have special squads which keep the crime level at a minimum. There is even a purported "death squad" to eradicate certain offenders and drug dealers, but he denies that one.
I was at the new G-Mall in Toril yesterday, on my Honda Scoopy scooter. I had to dismount so they could check under the seat for bombs. They use mirrors to examine the undercarriage of all vehicles entering the premises, and that is common at almost all of the local malls.
I don't worry about anything here. It offers a casual lifestyle, with lots of new friends made daily. Are they different? Yes, they all smile at you, and most of the clerks, male and female in the stores, are singing along with the background music!!! You can get a McDonalds Happy Meal, or a Pizza Hut pie.
If you worry about such things, you may end up sitting around doing nothing. There were lots of victims in the WTC attack, too, and they were just doing their jobs, in New York City!
... A risk counstancy group, The Pacific Strategies & Assessments (PSA) released a report showing that there were 135 kidnapping for ransom cases in 2008 which was an increase of 25% from 2007. The report indicated that 76% of those kidnapped in the Philippines were Filipino.
Those most likely to be kidnapped were upper middle class and not the affluent or politically connected. It is said the kidnapping gangs believe there will be less risk to them by going after the less connected individual. This helps to keep their activities under the radar of the press. Likewise, kidnapping foreigners brings the kidnap for ransom groups far more attention than they wish to bare.
So in the end, while kidnappings in the Philippines are still a significant threat, kidnappings on expats are far less common. ... -Cebuexperience.com
