Jeepneys are maybe the primary mode of transportation in the Phils, and are unique to the country.
Well, after an exhausting trip from Toronto to Davao City, via Vancouver, Seoul in South Korea and Singapore, we can finally stretch our legs. An Australian guy next to me is very excited, he is about to meet his wife to be and I wish him the best.
Mabuhay!!! Welcome to the Kingdom of Heavens.
Many things will certainly immediately capture your attention in the moment you arrive in Davao City, in the extreme South of the Philippines. I was told that occupies a huge area and is considered the largest city in the world. It is Typhoon free, protected by a chain of mountains, including Mount Apo, the highest mountain of the archipelago.
At the airport, the first surprise, other than passengers and the employees of the airlines, airport workers and security people everywhere no other people are allowed to get inside. They have a newly built airport to replace the former one that was destroyed by terrorists. So, if there is somebody expecting you, he or she will be outside the airport.
Transportation, besides private cars, is done mostly by a curious vehicle, a large jeep called locally "jeepney", that carries about 10 people and runs in a fixed route. Outside the jeepney they write the route it serves. Most people use taxis with air conditioning or tricycles, some motorized, some the driver have to pedal it himself.
The story of the Jeepneys is curious, they say that the first ones were built using old army jeeps left behind by the American troops after WW II. The cost of the fare is cheap and is very popular. They add a lot of color to the environment, because each driver uses his "artistic" talents to decorate his and make it unique. If you are a six footer and up, good luck my friend, the jeepneys are build for Filipinos, that are on average 5 feet few inches, so, keep your head down to get in and out.
Taxi fares are very cheap too, especially for tourists, most rides will cost 2 or 3 dollars.
Heavy pollution is an understatement, the air in downtown Davao city makes breathing a very difficult task and the local people wear masks to cover their mouths and noses. The city is very crowded, dirty, full of shantytowns and the traffic can drive you completely insane. Hundreds of small motorcycles, carrying 2 or three people on top of them, expelling heavy amounts of thick and black smoke. I have seen motorcycles with three adults and a small child sitting on top of the gasoline tank. Just unbelievable. In spite of all the disorganized traffic, they seem to do a good job avoiding accidents.
A curiosity, amidst all the catastrophic pollution, they have a law prohibiting people to smoke in the streets!!! I never heard of a similar law anywhere. Smoking is allowed only inside your house of course, in some businesses and in "smoking rooms" in restaurants, bars etc. Smoking in the street is strictly prohibited, the law is enforced and if you are caught smoking you will pay a large fine. Of course, this is the Philippines, and when they see that you are a tourist and if you pay few dollars to the police, they will let you get away with your disobedience to the law. But the locals are very scared of the police, which I am told are brutal.
Talking about police, I have never seen so many people armed in my life. The presence of the police is massive. Everywhere, hundreds of "private security guards" in uniform, all carrying heavy caliber automatic pistols and/or shotguns. Even to enter a mall, a supermarket or even a MacDonald's, they search you for a gun and female security check the ladies purses.
Davao also has an infamous police death squad that they call DDS, Davao Death Squad, that is suppose to eliminate criminals, drug dealers and they say that also eliminate the political opponents of the politicians in power...
Lots of street vendors, fresh and delicious tropical fruits being sold everywhere and also "markets". Most people shop in these markets, they are similar to open air markets in Brazil and Africa, but they are covered, it looks like a huge warehouse. All kinds of food are sold there, produce, beef, poultry fish, dry foods etc. Much cheaper than the supermarkets in the mall, that are clean, organized, very similar to the ones we are used to in North America, but the difference in pricing is substantial. Filipinos on a budget don't dare to go to the supermarkets, they try to stretch their hard earned pesos in the "markets".
The number of children in the streets is quite impressive. In many developed countries in Europe, we hardly see children, here they are everywhere. Lots of poor street children, trying to get few pesos here and there. They run ahead of you to catch a taxi for you, open the door politely and smile very happily when you hand them a tip. Lots of kids ask you in the street to buy them something to eat and, of course, we try to help as many as we can. Maybe that will be the only meal the poor child will see all day long.
The Mayor of Davao at the time I have been there was Rodrigo Duterte. He ran the city with an iron fist, determined to make Davao the safest city in the Philippines. It is the only city in the country with a 911 service, by the way.
To give you an idea, even small business like a cafe, would have an armed guard at the door. Mind you, we are not talking small caliper Mickey Mouse guns here, we are talking 40 mm automatic American or Austrian pistols that in most countries are exclusive issue of the armed forces, SWAT teams etc. In the banks, they have a guy with an automatic gun plus a double barrel short shot gun outside. Quite intimidating. Inside, another guy also heavily armed, opens the door for people that he seems are normal clients. I saw a lot of female police officers and security guards, heavily armed too and they mean business, no smiles .........
Duterte made Davao relatively safe, a lot of people that like his policies but many strong political enemies. He is accused of having a "Death Squad" to clean up the city from drug lords, but some say that his opponents are also eliminated .....
The present Mayor is his daughter. Rodrigo was in office for several terms, mind you.
To answer your question, what I heard is that most cities, specially the large ones, Cebu, Manila, have a high incidence of crime, gangs rob you right in the street on broad day light with a gun to your face. I am not sure if they have the massive presence of police like Davao, probably not.
I wanted to go to Tawi Tawi, that seems to be a really beautiful place. I was discouraged because they do not like foreigners there. They have religious fanatic groups there, minority in a country that is 95% Roman Catholic, probably the largest Catholic country in the world nowadays.
Incidentally, any Filipino citizen can purchase a heavy hand gun, powerful rifle and ammunition easily, legally. I wonder what you can get in the "black market". A friend of mine from the North of Pakistan told me that there you can get anything even a RPG, a bazooka, anything, have even weapons modified to your liking....
Please don't forget, that technically speaking, the Phils are a country with a chronic civil war. Certain areas are literally controlled by war lords and religious fanatics...... They don't get as much attention from the international media as other troubled countries, but there is a lot of terrorism there .....
Sorry for the late response. Incidentally, I enjoy very much your articles.
Unfortunately, the violence, crime etc is not restrict to the Southern Party. Yes, terrorist activity is seen more in Mindanao than in other parts of the country. Some regions are controlled by "families", warlords, minority religious groups discontent with the situation, they want to have control over a region and the Filipino Army is small, ill equipped, they do not have a real Navy and their Air Force is a Mickey Mouse force. Suffice to say, that in certain regions of the country, the archipelago has more than 7 thousand islands, the central government lost control of the situation.
Street gangs are seen in all major cities, like Manila and Cebu. I have friends that have been robbed in broad day light, by a gang of thugs that put guns to their faces.
The reason why your girl friend probably did not mention this, is because the vast majority of Filipinos are decent, honest, God fearing people and suffer with this situation that is an embarrassment for them. Years ago we had a similar situation in my country, Brazil, thanks God is a lot better now. The difference is that we dealt with the problem head on, Filipinos prefer to ignore it, pretend it does not exist. Maybe she also was afraid that you would feel bad about her or never want to visit her country if she told you the real situation.
There is no room for sophisms, the truth is that violence and crime are everywhere, for different reasons. I have seen crime, people being robed in rich European crimes. Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, you name it. The only difference is the reasons why people resort to crime. Some are after money to buy drugs, others to buy fancy things. In the philippines, poverty, hunger, utter despair, are the main causes. This is the reality of the developing countries.
It reminds me of "Les Miserables" where Jean Valjean the major hero of the famous Victor Hugo's novel steals a bread, desperately hungry. I will write about this in my next article of "Trouble in Paradise". Sometimes, an otherwise decent and honest person is lead to commit an offense.
I will tell an episode that happened with me in Lima, Peru ......