With the current economic downturn there seems to be an increase of crime happening. Which with the majority of the population on or below the poverty line its more than expected. But there are a few things that you can do to make your trip safer.

• Avoid carrying bags if possible there have been an increasing number of bags grabbed via motorcycle passengers. Which recently involved a British national receiving multiple gun shot wounds that lead to his death.
• Find a friend, for whatever reason your in the Philippines you cant go wrong with knowing someone already here to give advice on places to avoid or to point you in the direction of vehicle hire, hotels or anything else. If you need a buddy drop me an email!
• Dont bring anything you cant afford to lose. Unless you know it can be kept secure.
• Dont wear flashy jewellery that is likely to draw attention.
• Split your money up into different pockets and other safe places. If your robbed you can hand over a bundle of small bills that are unlikely to hit you in the wallet too hard but keeps you alive.
• Do a bit of research before your trip. Find as much information as possible on the location. If you struggle to get info ask i maybe able to find someone in that location who can help you.

If your staying longterm there are a lot of other things to take into account. Main one is keeping your cashflow low key. Everyone already thinks your rich but play it down. You can live here as the "Rich Kano" but you will find that a lot of people expect favours and you get involved in a lot of things you dont need to be associated with.

Recently there was a Swiss family murdered which may point to land loans that the family got involved in i dont have enough information to give a full story but giving loans for whatever reason should be avoided. You would be unlikely to do it in your home country and people here have less money to pay it back and likely to lose face when they cant afford repayments. Simply dont do it and you will save you and the people around you a lot of trouble.

For more advice please drop into the forums because every person has different scenarios going on in their life so there is no rule book. Mainly common sense and caution is needed.