But i think this is a similar issue in Latin America-- people get killed there too, just for being a westerner.
Latin Americans are Westerners, too. It has to do with looking whiter than the locals.
Granted, all of these warnings are of things that happen, but happen rarely, but still, they
might happen, so you need to be on guard. Just like you should be on guard against crime in NYC. Americans know how to protect themselves in the USA, and live good lives here. Japanese, otoh, do not, so they become victims of crime in NYC, LA, SF, etc. Hence, a similar warning to ( white/black)Americans who still don't know all the hidden dangers lurking there.
The Philippines is a great place to live, and most of your days will be full of happy events and very friendly people. Most people have nothing bad happen to them. But bad things exist, and you should be aware of those just in case. What I described above is never mentioned, so I thought
I would.
It's best to appear poor-- unless you are in the super upscale areas-- not having large assets
To an average Filipino, the words "white","foreigner", "American" and "Westerner" are synonymous. London is in America. Ukraine is part of America. A Spaniard and an Iranian are " Americanos". And all Americans are rich in their minds. So, you can appear poor, but they won't believe you.
Mguy's response is appreciated, but he's not a white guy (or a black guy,) so he would not be able to see the world/Philippines through our eyes and empathize or give advice. Just like we cannot see America through his eyes. And from my experience with Asian Americans whom I met in Asia, they are not necessarily on your side.
I went to the sketchiest places and walked at all hours of the night, went to completely local places-- never any issues.
No shyt! The anecdotal " I never had any issues" does not mean the issues do not exist. I was in Saudi Arabia for 6 years and never had any issues, but there were terrorist attacks there all the time, and people were dying. On a compound next to ours, 18 people were killed by terrorists. But
I never had any issues.