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General Safety of Foreigners
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Has Duterte made the Philippines more dangerous for foreigners?
Roskosramiz
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Has Duterte made the Philippines more dangerous for foreigners?
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The answer from a Filipino who has endured many prior administrations’ oversight is a resounding NO. Kindly allow to first state that the Filipino people in an expression of its sovereign will elected little known mayor Duterte of Davao as its president. He run for presidency after being egged by his supporters with these unforgettable campaign promises – stop illegal drug proliferation; stop endemic corruption in government; improve the lot of the marginalized sectors of Filipino society (e.g. overseas Filipino workers); move the nation to federalism; and bring economic development to Mindanao. Two years into his presidency, it can be said the Filipino feel safer on the streets. The often unaddressed problem of illegal drugs, its network and forces which have threatened the fabric of Philippine society have been aggressively confronted by the inherent power of the State to defend its right to a peaceful and orderly community. Inconsistent with what has been unfairly portrayed by mainstream media, Digong’s two-fold approach is seldom highlighted. First, a call for users to rehabilitate and reform. There are rehabilitation centers. Second and simultaneous, a radical call to illegal drug traders and distributors to cease operations or meet their Maker if they resist arrest. The independent surveys on Duterte’s performance as the chief executive of the Philippine republic will speak for themselves. More than half of the Filipinos are satisfied. Shabu users, pushers and syndicates are naturally fearful and unsettled. How do they say it in business? High risk, high return. Perhaps the risk is these incorrigible and unrepentant drug dealers may never return. They know the consequences. Notice has been sternly given. But the silent majority who has endured the weight of criminals doing their own pleasures while government of the previous administration responded with mere rhetoric are breathing fresh air, hopeful that the climate in the next generation will be better. As to the question whether foreigners are endangered under Duterte, the question must be passed back in the light of the foregoing. Is the foreigner a drug lord, a drug courier or a drug user? If yes, the Philippines has become a dangerous place for you. Is the foreigner conniving with Filipino nationals in toppling the government? If yes, the Philippines could be a dangerous place for you.
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To be straightforward, Duterte made the Philippines safer for foreigners. A lot of changes have been made in the airport, the first thing most foreigners experience about the Philippines. Police visibility is high (but that’s just that – police visibility.) The Philippines has always been a good place for foreigners; the greatest risk your typical foreigner faces in the Philippines is petty theft and bureaucratic corruption (but these are risks present in almost all Third World countries.) We Filipinos are known for being almost servile to foreigners, and we would move the moon for any request a “white” guy asks of us. There are so many inadequacies in this country but you can count on your Filipino friend, relative, or even tour guide to make things easy and safe for you. But for the citizens of this country, life has always been a bit unsafe. There’s no great difference between today and the last 20 years. If anything, Duterte just made it worse. For one, the country is “at war” with drugs, with people dying every night. Now, if you ever think that an ongoing war makes a place safe, you need to have your brain checked. Moreover, “safety” is not a mere product of having more armed people around or having a lot of soundbite-worthy promises and threats. Safety is also having certainty that you will live a long, decent, and happy life. Safety is also a product of medicine, education, equality of income, justice (for the common man, not for political figures) et cetera. The problem with most people loving Duterte is that they mistake the tree for the forest. Is our quality of life actually increasing? Or are we trading perceptions and promises for reality? You can actually be suffering from grinding poverty and could hardly eat decent food, but if you’re happy with how you are, then that’s that. The Philippines is a divided society. There is privileged side, the Ayalas, the BGC, the Resorts Worlds, the high-end beaches that foreigners are safe, comfortable, and most familiar with. And there is another one that is forgotten and often purposefully hidden (because as Filipinos “hospitality” is our national trait and we care about our visitors more than ourselves.) That forgotten and hidden part is often the poorest and most violent. And that should make you think. What sort of “leader” would make his country safe for foreigners but not for his own people?