There was a time when the Philippines was dubbed “the island paradise” but she has been tarnished atrociously by internal battles and conflicts, kidnapping-for-ransom, senseless killing, and carjacking. In spite of these major issues, I certainly do not discourage you from visiting the Philippines. I, myself, have toured the island a few times and enjoyed its breath taking panoramic scenery of natural landscape.
It is true that there a few resorts in the island, depending on their location, which provide the travelers with some comfort and space for enjoyment; however, never do they offer an acceptable level of safety and security for the tourists. This is correct. In these hotels, you will find some security guards, armed with .38 caliber side arms or outmoded shotguns. Matter of fact, these security guards have no military or combat training. In short, they are not trained to fight. So, they would not even attempt to fight back should their hotels be under attack by rebel groups.
These security guards along with their antiquated weapons are no match for warriors who are well-armed militants and kidnappers. The latter use the fastest boats money can buy. They perform their numerous kidnapping operations by conducting “sweeps” by the beach areas while some tourists are having fun in the sun. The fact of the matter is these deadly well-armed bandits have kidnapped and decapitated not only civilians but also some members of the Philippine National Police. Isn’t this horrific?
What Do I Believe?
I believe that tourists to the Philippines would feel less nervous knowing that the island is free from senseless killers and kidnappers who are overwhelmingly better armed than the police. Obviously somebody, some organizations or some committees have dropped the ball on their attempts to promote Philippine tourism via television ads costing millions while neglecting to address the core issue that is eating internally the Philippine tourism: Lack of safety infrastructure for the tourists.
I also strongly believe that visitors should be well-informed travelers for their own safety and security in the Philippines. Where would they get such unbiased and objective and complete information?
The only thing that the Philippine travel industry is ready and willing to share with the traveling public is “the rosy side” of the Philippines where everything is fabulous and fun. This is of course one side of the coin. It befits them to keep their heads under the veil of secrecy by not revealing the whole truth of what tarnishes the image of the island paradise where so many tourists are kidnapped again and again.
Serious about Visiting the Philippines? Watch this video to learn more about kidnapping-for-ransom and more…
I also believe that there are a number of places in the Philippines that are deadly to foreign visitors, and the latter have a right to know about them for their own very safety and security. They should be made aware of specific places in the Philippines that should be classified “off-limits” to foreign visitors. Sure, but who would dispense such information to them?
Why does the Philippine travel industry keep silent on revealing the complete truth on the Philippines?
I do believe that you need to be well-informed before you travel to the Philippines or even if you are a retiree there. Nobody would like to repeat the mistakes of our fellow travelers who got kidnapped and killed while visiting the Philippines just because they were either misinformed and misguided in their journey.
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