Posted on 12/27/2011 2:49:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
You’ve got a BIG pair if you quaff Red Horse!
I have to agree with Mr Rogers. I have had more than a couple Brownies that tasted like sewer water. One issue I noticed is the habit of storing it where the sunlight can ruin the beer. If they’re kept cool, they are OK.
It's even more pathetic to watch. Actually, there is a certain kind of ironic pleasure to watch them with their eyes glazed over in the Tesco Lotus picking out some benign purchase such as a TV stand with their "new family". She -- filled with excitement for it's all new to her. Full of middle class exuberance brought to her by this decrepit POS 50 years her senior but she figures it's easy work and beats the alternative.
Him -- eyes glazed over, like I said. He's done this all all before with family number one.
Unfortunately, for her, there's Viagra.
Believe what you will. I was working for t”he military there and was read in on exactly what happened.”
I did not say that I don’t believe you.
However, no matter what, the high crime in that country and denial of a person to have a firearm outside of his residence is more than enough to deter any reasonable person from thinking about moving there.
Philippines
Still current at: 29 December 2011
Updated: 21 December 2011
No restrictions in this travel advice
Avoid all but essential travel to part(s) of country Avoid all but essential travel to whole country Avoid all travel to part(s) of country Avoid all travel to whole country
This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Travel Summary (floods on Mindanao Island). The overall level of the advice has not changed; we advise against all travel to specific areas of the Philippines and against all but essential travel to other specific areas of the Philippines.
Safety and security
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Safety and Security - Terrorism
There is a high threat from terrorism throughout the Philippines. Terrorist groups continue to plan attacks and have the capacity and the intent to carry out these attacks at anytime and anywhere in the country. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. Such places could include, but are not limited to, airports, shopping malls, places of worship etc. On 25 January an explosion on a passenger bus in the Makati district of Manila killed five people and injured 13.
We advise against all travel to south west Mindanao covering the following areas, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM, including the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) plus the eastern provinces of Sarangani, North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay. We advise against all but essential travel to the remainder of Mindanao because of ongoing terrorist activity. There have been a number of attacks against civilian targets. The most recent was on 5 August 2010 at Zamboanga airport where an explosion killed two people and injured 24 others including a British national. See the Safety and Security - Local Travel section of this Travel Advice.
Be aware of the risk of terrorist attacks to all forms of public transport: road, rail, sea and air. Terrorist groups have threatened to attack passenger ferries and other vessels, particularly those operating from Mindanao.
There is also a threat from kidnapping in the Philippines particularly in the southern Philippines. Kidnapping could occur anywhere, including on coastal and island resorts and on dive boats and sites in the Sulu Sea. Foreigners have been targeted in rural, urban and coastal areas in the past. On 5 December 2011, an Australian citizen was kidnapped in Zamboanga Sibugay. On 12 July two US citizens and a Philippine national were kidnapped from a resort on the island of Tictabon near the southern port city of Zamboanga. You should be aware that it is the long-standing policy of the British Government not to make substantive concessions to hostage takers. The British Government considers that paying ransoms and releasing prisoners increases the risk of further hostage taking.
The Philippine government is taking action against the terrorist and kidnapping threat. It has tightened security in Metro Manila and other areas considered at high risk, including airports and seaports.
See our Terrorism Abroad page. You should also check the Embassy website: Philippines: British Embassy Manila.
Safety and Security - Crime
There is a high incidence of violent crime, including gun crime, in the Philippines. British nationals have been recent victims, but there is no evidence that they are specifically targeted.
Criminal gangs sometimes use terrorist tactics, such as kidnapping and explosions. Explosions attributed to criminal organisations have caused fatalities.
There is a high incidence of street crime and robberies, which often increases during the holiday season. Sensible precautions include: arranging to be met at the airport or using hotel transfer services; using a driver or taxis from a reputable source and avoiding displays of cash or jewellery. Even well lit and busy city areas cannot be assumed to be safe. You should beware of strangers offering drinks or confectionery; criminals intent on robbery may lace these to render the victim unconscious.
There is a threat from kidnapping for ransom in Philippines. You should be particularly vigilant when travelling on public transport. Armed hold-ups have occurred on jeepneys and buses in the Philippines, and have in some cases resulted in fatalities. The roadworthiness of some of these vehicles is also a concern.
On 23 August 2010, an armed man hijacked a tourist bus in Manila. During the incident eight hostages were killed.
It seems as if "retire in Asia" advertising is aimed at those for whom things have gone rather badly in the first 60 years of life. I don't see myself, in 15 years, dropping out of my current family, moving to a 3rd world locale, and buying a young companion ... but I understand from what I read that some people think that's their best option for the final 20 years.
I'll take that with a grain of salt. That was the exact area we covered when I was there. Yes, you cannot legally carry a firearm, but OTT, I'd rate it as about as dangerous as Cleveland. I never had an issue with the people in the islands along the Sulu Highway. Of course, that was back in 2004-'05. Things have a tendency to change over the years, many times for the worse.
“I’ll take that with a grain of salt”
Me to.
The Philippines or any other third world country is not the place for most people. However for some, (most often prior military) these countries are great. Folks here simply cannot imagine whats its like there as evidenced by some of the posts in this thread.
As far as carrying a firearm, a coconut knife (machete) serves its purpose and has many other uses :)
I like Red Horse as I said but my favorite is the Tuba the relatives make in the province..I drink that straight..come to think of it my relatives there are my favorites also.
>”Section 3. Authority of private individuals to carry firearms outside of residence.
a. As a rule, persons who are lawful holders of firearms (regular license, special permit, certificate of registration or MR) are prohibited from carrying their firearms outside of residence.”<
Sounds like California.
December 28, 2011 19:03 PM
Abu Sayyaf Demands A$22,600 For Release Of Kidnapped Aussie
MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Bernama) — The Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines is demanding an initial ransom of about A$22,600 (about RM72,000) for the release of kidnapped Australian Warren Rodwell.
The demand came after the terrorist group sent four “proof of life” photographs to Rodwell’s Filipina wife, Miraflor Gutang, 27, last week, The Age newspaper reports.
“There was a demand for money — the kidnappers demanded 1 million pesos (about RM72,000) as initial ransom,” a Philippine security official told the newspaper.
“The demand was sent through text messages and the family said they cannot afford to pay any ransom.”
Rodwell, 53, an adventurer, is being held on the southern island of Basilan.
Up to 2,000 soldiers are searching the island for Rodwell, who was kidnapped on Dec 5 by four gunmen posing as police officers.
He was taken from his house in a village near the seaside town of Ipil on Mindanao island, four hours by speedboat from Basilan.
Rodwell and Gutang married in June after meeting on the Internet. Gutang has been held in protective police custody since the kidnapping.
The newspaper said Abu Sayyaf initially contacted provincial governor Rommel Jalosjos and asked him to negotiate Rodwell’s release.
But Australia asked Jalosjos to reject the request, insisting a professional police negotiator handle any talks.
Police have blamed Abu Sayyaf leader Puruji Indama for the kidnapping of Rodwell as well as for kidnapping US woman Gerfa Lunsmann, her son Kevin and a Filipino relative in July in Zamboanga City, several kilometres from Basilan.
The three were released separately after the woman’s husband, Heiko Lunsmann, paid a huge ransom to Abu Sayyaf.
As well as Rodwell, the group is holding an Indian, two Malaysians and a Japanese man, the newspaper said.
— BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=636886
Pretty much my take away from this too.
“I’d rate it as about as dangerous as Cleveland. “
Well then. Boy, you’re convincing me to move to the Philippines now that you say it’s just like Cleveland.....
NPA rebs earned P300M from extortion in 2011 — AFP
December 28, 2011 3:14pm
Communist rebels earned at least P300 million from their extortion activities this year, and had perpetrated criminal activities that left 56 civilians dead, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Wednesday, citing its yearend report.
To augment their extortion activities and “support their criminal activities,” members of the New People’s Army (NPA) perpetrated 31 “atrocities” against business establishments and government infrastructure projects, the AFP said.
“Despite their projection of being a guerilla organization, the NPA has resorted to extortion and other criminal activities to gain funds and support,” said Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, chief of the AFP’s public information office, in a statement.
The NPA’s extortion activities come in the form of “revolutionary tax,” with it says funds the communist movement’s administration, defense, land reform, promotion of production and social programs, including public education, health, cultural and other activities.
Burgos said the rebels were also involved in other criminal activities — among them arson, bombing, robbery, kidnapping, and murder — that resulted in the deaths of 56 civilians and six soldiers.
CARHRIHL
In its statement, the military also said the NPA “has mastered the use of improvised explosive devices (IED)” which it said is prohibited under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and the International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
“This resulted to the detonation of 21 IEDs that killed a total of 28 people, five of these casualties are AFP personnel,” Burgos said.
The CARHRIHL is a written agreement between the government and the communist-backed National Democratic Front of the Philippines signed in March 1998 in the Hague, The Netherlands and was approved in the same year by both parties. The CARHRIHL brings into light both parties’ reverence to human rights marking the basis for their action which should be for the furtherance of life and liberty and against the use of violence.
And isn’t kidnapping for ransom a career over there?
i just got back from the philippines... have been there about 10 times in the past 25 years but never as a “tourist” always for work. saw that the philippines was trying to promote itself as a tourist and retirement destination thought i would give it a try. big mistake, the place is a nightmare, a dump ! and you cant justify it cause its cheap cause its not ! stayed at one place in manila 50 bucks a night and the tv picture was so snowy couldnt watch it, one place was 100 a night and wanted 10 bucks more for wifi ! (went to restaurant and got on) cheapest gasoline i saw was 51 pesos a liter which is 50% higher than what im paying here in nevada 2.99 a gallon. (you can do the math) food might be a bit cheaper but sanitation was a problem at the cheap places. fast food is just as high as states but portions smaller and chili in wendys was 91 pesos or $2.10 its only $1.40 here. didnt see any crime but there are guards everywhere, makes me nervous , couldnt sleep cause of all the traffic which isnt sooo bad but they constantly honk . found a more quiet place but then a dog started barking all night then there are the videoke places.many beggars and ya feel sorry for the homeless kids (they estimate 2 million) but you can only do so much, you eat in a restaurant and youve got kids peering in the window and pawing begging for food and then guard shoos the away and i feel sick like im heartless. the burocracy is brutal, saw businesses with like 15 forms on the wall including a license exactly like a license plate (metalic). its very overcrowded , no peace and quiet at all , no places sit down and no toilet paper in stalls and didnt see any nice rivers or lakes , all polluted, many trucks and buses belching smoke and burns your eyes. tv, computers 20 to 30 more expensive than usa and the girls?
they were friendly but most are short, stubby legs, no behind, flat chested and looked like well... monk-—
also it costs like 500 bucks a year to get a retirement visa. i wouldnt stay there if you gave me 500 bucks a year ! who in their right mind would retire there should have their head examined (just to save a few bucks on booze and smokes??) i could go on and on, oh and you cant own a gun to defend yourself or land
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