Is this better or worse for cruisers visiting the Philippines?

[quill]

Better or Worse?
Depends.
How are your situational awareness skills?

[mvfurthur]

Hi, We have been cruising in the Philippines for most of the last 3 years. with the exception of the far south it is very safe and many cruisers are enjoying the wonders of the 7000 islands.
We were in Davao at the marina where the raid happened last year, we had just left. As nice as that area is i will not go back. We lost some close friends there. i have also lost friends to Somali pirates.
So any cruising area has its risks, we saw boats robbed regularly in Lake Union in Seattle, you have to take precautions and weigh the risks
the new president is from Davao and will take the latest attacks personally he just ordered 7000 troops to the Sulu area. the bad guys will have their hands full, no time to bother anyone i hope.
So like most countries there are areas to avoid but the Philippines is one of the mostly undiscovered and under appreciated cruising grounds in the world, and great dive areas... hope to see you here
Capt Brian, MV Furthur

[carlheintz]

As with most places we all cruise to, it's important to be polite to the locals, respect their culture and traditions, and appreciate all that each area has to offer. I found, in general, the Philippines to be a knock out awesomely beautiful place, with really nice people and reasonable prices. Yea, you gotta negotiate, but be sure to do it with a smile and remember the local custom is not to negotiate too hard. That said, there is a lot of petty crime. Don't leave things on deck unattended, they might disappear. In certain parts of the Islands, you will have to post a watch at night, even at anchor. We found paying bribes was spotty. Some places it was accepted and expected, in many, I think even offering a gift would have landed you in jail.

I forgot to mention Brunei and Borneo on my last post. Don't miss those! Going up the short river to Kuching is a treat -- you'll smell the pepper trees and the short river journey is great. Look for the mountain with the snow on top as you chug up the river.

[navy davy]

One thing for sure, obama isn't making any friends there. Be sure you know how to duck.

[sailcrazy]

Another thing to consider when cruising in the PI, especially in light of our august president's latest actions. When we lived and cruised there, boating rules were not tightly followed. Not wishing to be a "mortor magnet", and still look somewhat normal, we chose to fly our state flag off the transom. Nobody knew what it was- or where it was from, we didn't attract any undue attention, and no one sought us out just because we were Americans....for any reason. FWIW

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by navy davy

One thing for sure, obama isn't making any friends there. Be sure you know how to duck.

I wouldn't worry about it overmuch. When I came up the Red Sea, I talked to a number of people who said that they hated Bush, but loved America and Americans. On an individual basis, they were a lot more diplomatic than Duterte (or Trump).

OTOH, we didn't fly our American flag on the boat in the Red Sea either.