Is Manila safe for Westerners?
 

My wife and I will be visiting for the first time next month. I've heard rumblings that we should take precautions, as kidnappings are somewhat popular. Any truth to that? What sort of precautions are necessary? Thanks much.

I'd rather visit Manila than Chicago.

Yeah, I sure wouldn't wander around Chicago at night. Just wondering what to look out for.

Watch the street children, most are pick pockets and work in groups. Stay around Greenbelt/Makati and you won't have any problems.

No worries about things like kidnapping in Manila but you do have to have your wits about you.

Have some common sense and dont wander off into high crime areas. The expat areas of the city (Makati, Bonifacio) are for the most part fine.

We've lived here for 2+ years and have made some great friends but it is not a city I would recommend visiting. It is pretty ugly, crowded and polluted. There are some nice restaurants and you can live like a king (or queen) as a corporate expat but it is still a 3rd world country beneath the first world facade.

I've spent a lot of time in Manila. I love the city, and the country. But it depends on your experience level. Generally if you're well traveled it will be much like other places. Some rough areas and neighborhoods, but you know to stay in populated areas, especially around nightfall, and watch out for pickpockets etc. But Manila also has a higher amount of chaos than places like Saigon or Hong Kong, and more of those bad neighborhoods, so for instance I would never recommend my mother or sister go there alone.

Kidnapping isn't really much of a risk unless you're very very flamboyant and out in rural areas. Those are mostly targeted at known quantities, i.e. local rich people, as far as I am aware of. It's more the guy who will grab your mobile while riding on a motorbike, or take your wallet if you're alone at night in the wrong place.

Your first test - and inevitably your end-of-visit trial, will be airport transport and the airport itself. A stay in a smart area like Makati will be fine, and the hotel will find transport for you for any excursions around the metro-area.

I'm sure they'll also solve the airport transport problem for you and at a price. But you're just going to have to deal with airport yourself: deep breaths and a measure of patience will help. A bit.

I am a very frequent Manila visitor for the past years, never experienced any problems. The important thing here is indeed common sense. When visiting Manila, be on the lookout for petty crime, just as you would / should when visiting any other big city in the world.

During daytime, most areas are safe, especially the common tourist areas and places. Generally malls, transport and public places are safe. You will notice yourself the huge presence of security staff. At night you better not wander around beyond the 'international' areas like Makati. Even internationally oriented nightlife spots can become tricky but again, that is no different to any other big city.

Kidnapping foreigners is not a common problem in Manila. Kidnappings do take place in other parts of the county like Mindanao, where muslim rebels battle the government, these rebels are not active in Manila.

As Smkuchta said, the Philippines are still a 3rd world country. When you drive around the better areas of Manila, you might think differently but it is just a facade. There is a growing middle class in the country but unfortunately the reality is that the vast majority of Filipino live in extreme poverty. It is important to keep that in mind when visiting. Those few thousand pesos in your wallet often represent more than what the average Filipino can make in a month, so even though people in the Philippines are generally warm, friendly and welcoming, the temptation to have you 'share' some of your money with them is often strong.

Watch out for hot meters in the taxis cruising MNL. Last trip it was spinning so fast there were sparks flying out of it ! 500 pesos before we got on the highway.

Wrong. Pick-pockets are mostly adults and there's no age or look stereotype that fits them. Growing up in the Philippines, I've seen how guys in collared shirts can easily pick your pocket while walking in busy streets of Makati.

Many of the street kids are either just playing, selling you anything and everything (water, candles, rags, etc) or begging for alms or food (usually their adults are close by).

As for safety, it's better to ride taxis at taxi stands where they give you a copy of the license plate or use a service like GrabTaxi. Take safety precautions like a Pacsafe bag and don't carry too much cash...

There are 2 kinds of taxis when you get off the terminal. The airport taxis (yellow) are registered with the airport and they track them but these taxis have a higher initial rate ~ 70 pesos (almost $2) and charge more per distance covered.

The white taxis in the airport are "negotiable" and many of them are rip-offs in a way that they may ask for a fixed rate (usually more than metered). Manila taxi drivers are known to reject requests for trips which take longer distances since they don't wanna be caught up in traffic and would want to get another passenger soon... use a service like grabtaxi or uber (usually costs more and fewer).

IMO, Manila actually is dangerous, and I could back up this claim with several harrowing tales, but will refrain from doing so because I don't want to cause unnecessary alarm.

That having been said, kidnapping risks are very low for westerners (rich Chinese Filipinos are the main target), and if you stay in Makati, all will be good.

When I lived in Makati, I was able to get around on foot almost all of the time. Taking taxis at night was not something I enjoyed. Mrs. Marcos and I became good friends, and she always helped me find private cars during the rare times that I needed to travel at night.

All advice is much appreciated. We have booked the Peninsula in Makati, and I anticipate a safe stay.

Now, to decide between Borocay and Palawan for a side trip :)

Palawan is a long narrow island. You need to decide which part of Palawan to visit. Like everywhere in Philippines outside major cities the road is poor so getting from one part of Palawan to another (Purto Princesa to El Nido) by land is not something I would contemplate again.

That is my problem, I look Chinese! :p

You need to have your guards up at all time for rip-offs.