The Lifeguards Association of General Santos City!

The training consisted of 2 parts! Part 1 consisted of Standard First Aid with  AR,( Artificial Respiration) and CPR, (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) which took 7 days to complete. Part 2 consisted of  Water Safety and Rescue which was all in water activities both in the pool and in the ocean! This part was a long 6 days, more like boot camp! I had done this kind of training myself many years earlier both as a civilian and in the Army but I still decided to once again show that someone of my age could still complete with the younger students and in the August of 97 we started the training!

The First Aid training was good but the PNRC are very old fashioned in their methods of Training as its more like the Boy Scouts as you have to do correct kinds of bandaging for different kinds of injuries tied with the correct knots etc! The AR and CPR was interesting for most as they had never done it before but by the end of the training week all were quite good and competent to perform on real victims if and when required!

The Water Safety and Rescue Training was another story as this consisted of plenty of stamina training which meant lots of swimming in the pool, a mile a day was nothing, swim swim swim, there are 10 Lifeguard Swimming Strokes and we had to get them all correct even though most would never be used but we all cracked on and mastered them! We learned how to use different methods to assist and rescue people and for our graduation we were taken out 1 mile into Sarangani Bay and told to swim back into Makar Wharf! At the end of this Training we had a great feeling of achievement, the 23 of us who completed the course that was!

All the others on the course worked at swimming areas as Lifeguards and within the first few days of the newly trained Lifeguards going back on duty, several successful rescues took place and the Lifeguards were on top of the world! We decided then to form an association so we had a meeting to iron out the details and elect officers and lo and behold, the white guy (me) became President! During the next couple of weeks we had several more meetings and designed uniforms and a banner of course with our new logo on it and I went to see the Mayor and she agreed that a City Ordinance was called for instructing that all Swimming Areas within the City Boundaries were to employ PNRC Trained Lifeguards! This was great as some of the Resort Owners were not interested in having Lifeguards as they said that they did not have problems, several Resort Owners were soon to change their minds very quickly when they had incidents within their areas and were asking me to supply Lifeguards to them! During the last 4 months of 1997 there were only another 6 fatalities in the swimming areas so everyone was very pleased at the initial results so I decided that in late January 1998 I decided that it would be time for another training as not all Resorts had Lifeguards and others needed more!

I sent out letters of invitation to all Swimming Resorts but was very disappointed that by the Christmas of 1997 I had only got back 6 answers from Resorts who wanted to have people trained! On New Years Day 1998 I was at my lounge when I was called to the pool to address an emergency, a 3 year old girl was not breathing as she had been in the water in between her parents who were feeding her apple! They were talking to their friends and did not notice their daughter slip below the surface! When I arrived, people were wailing and preying but I quickly took charge of the situation and checked the girl for breathing and heartbeat, unfortunately their were neither so I immediately tried to give a rescue breath in order to get Oxygen into her but nothing went in! I looked in her mouth to check her airway and could see a blockage, luckily, with her being small I used a finger to hook out the blockage which was a large piece of apple! I once gain tried AR and CPR on her and after just a couple of rounds she started coughing a bit so I gave her a good nip on the top of her leg and she gave out a loud scream and once again she was back in action! That scream was indeed a wonderful sound and more prayer was given and after checking that the child was OK I picked her up and then her bowels opened and she got revenge on me for nipping her! Some say it was a blessing but I know that it was really a great ending for what was nearly a tragedy even though I had a brown stain down the front of me! I instructed the parents to take the girl to St Elizabeth Hospital and tell them that she had a near drowning incident and should be put on oxygen for 30 minutes which they did! About 5 years later the Mother brought her daughter back to the hotel and the little girl thanked me for what I did! It was a very touching moment for me! Later on that same 1997 New Years Day there was a double drowning at London Beach but unfortunately non of the victims survived! When the next Lifeguard Training Course started there were 57 participants so something good had come out of tragedy!

Now, the Association was doing very well and the annual death tole was reduced to just 2 or 3 per year, I was successful another 2 times resuscitating children! Most in water accidents were caused by people who were Over the limit with alcohol, had just eaten before swimming and choking on their own vomit, unsupervised children getting out of their depth and a couple of medical problems! With Lifeguards being deployed all was pretty good and safe at the beaches, this is when the problems started to happen!

For the years since 1979 to 2005 the City Licencing Office made all resort Owners come to me for a certification that they had PNRC Trained Lifeguards on their Staff, this for some reason stopped! For Lifeguard Training Cources the numbers were reducing with every course, in the end several Resorts did not employ Lifeguards at all! When I asked the Resort Owners why they did not have Lifeguards they said that they did not need them as there were no accidents happening! This was just Foolish Complacency on their part and the good luck could not last forever!

In 2006 I tried 3 times to get new Lifeguards Trained but to no avail as only 1 or 2 students turned up for training, much less than the minimum requirement for PNRC Training so I was now the President of nothing as the Resort Owners would only let what was left of the Lifeguards attend the monthly meetings in their own free time so even the meetings stopped! My letters to the Mayor never got answered and now I was really wondering what to do as I could not see a future at all for the Association as it stood!

The last straw came when one Resort Owner, who had always fought against having Lifeguards asked me to issue her a certification that she had Lifeguards employed which she did not so I refused! All the next night I got hate Texts from her, really disgusting stuff so the next morning I made a transcript of the texts and sent it along with my Resignation as Association President to the Mayor, again i never received an answer from his office!

For over 2 years now there has been no Lifeguard Training in the Gen San Area and only a handful of Lifeguards are left to assist the Swimming Public! As I said earlier its just Foolish Complacency on the part of the City and the Resort Owners which has created this problem! The Lifeguards Association of General Santos City was once a Showpiece and was advertised by the National office of the PNRC of how an Association should be run, what a shame that it no more exists! The most upsetting part of this story to me is the simple fact that there have been over 20 fatalities at the Swimming Resorts to August this year so the clock has been turned back to 1997 in regards to Water Safety in Gen San!

Maybe its because there is no profit to be made so no is interest is being shown!

Dear Feyma: OFW Disappearance

Just a few days ago I got an interesting email from a person in the Middle East. He had a Filipina employee (Domestic Helper) at his house. Somehow early this month she went missing. He was trying to reach out to the family of the employee here in the Philippines and he couldn’t get any response. He also tried to call and emailed the Philippine Embassy in his country and got no reply too. He also emailed the agency where the lady was associated with but got no acknowledgment from them too.

Here’s the email that I got. I just edited the name of the girl because I just don’t want to invade her privacy. Plus, I don’t really know the real reasons why she left her employer.

“Dear Feyma,wouid you please help me to contact any of my employee’s reletives,since she is missing. she worked as a house
domastic maid at my house in the Middle East. i tried to reach her family in philippines but in somehow i got you. for some reason i think you can help.”

So he was trying to find any relative or agency on the web and somehow he came across my name. So, he then emailed me and asked me if I could help him. He even gave me the passport number of the lady for me to search I guess. he didn’t really give me much information about the lady other than her name and her passport number. I then emailed him back of some array of questions.

Honestly some questions he might not be comfortable with. I just don’t know if the lady was treated well at his household. I’ve heard too many horror stories of the OFW in the Middle East. I told him that  I really am sorry for my blunt questions. I don’t know if the lady really went away because she was abused or was she hurt by somebody in the household and was killed? I don’t really know. I was left with too many questions in my mind though. I really hope that the lady is okay. If she ever was abused to report to her agency or in the Philippine Embassy in the Middle East. To be honest I am really bothered by this email.

I know a lot of the ladies that worked as an OFW, some really suffered from the hands of their employers. It is painful to hear sometimes on the news on TV about it. What can we do? The problem is the ladies really just want to gamble their lives to work abroad because they can’t find job here in the Philippines. I really am feeling sorry for the kids they left behind here. I know it must be hard for them, but they will sacrifice to earn money so the  kids can go to a better school and have a better life. I just hope that the kids and the family that was left behind can see the sacrifice of the loved one that worked so hard abroad.

Anyway, I hope that the lady that was missing is okay. I haven’t heard back from the person that emailed me. I will follow up on this and give you guys the update. If any of you had the similar situation when working abroad please share it to the group here.

Thank you so much guys!

Where’s the coverage?

I have just returned from the UK, after only a few weeks away from my beloved Philippines and I chose an amazing time to be away, as the wrath of the gods had hit the Islands.

In fact ten days before I left I was in Manila with Migs and the rain was constant, and the Umbrella sales man annoyed Migs by overcharging for his products because of the deluge of water and the fact that I was standing next to Migs. This always seems to put he price up.

As I left the Philippines the first typhoon was making its way to Luzon, and within a few hours the wrath of the hell storm hit Manila and we all saw the horrific pictures that was broadcast around the world. Dams busting, houses and bridges collapsing and people dead.

Within the Philippines the site of dead bodies being broadcast is accepted, however to the west dead bodies are mostly not shown as not to upset or offend audiences. I think the networks here show too many bodies all year round and the reaction of love ones screaming in anguish into the camera, followed by the basketball results.

I was watching the BBC and CNN coverage whilst I was in the UK, and after less than 48 hours the story and the suffering of the Philippines was knocked off the lead by the earthquakes, and all the TV reporters left Manila accordingly. By the third day the suffering and pains of the Pinoy and the 100,000s of displaced people without enough food and medicine was not even worthy of being mentioned in the international news programs.

I was in constant contact with Migs , who lives in Quezon City where the floods were harsh and many people died, and houses were destroyed or badly damaged, and he like thousands of others were involved in trying to help the fellow Pinoys and even his next door neighbor whose house was very badly damaged by water.

Now back in the UK, you would think everything was now ok in the Philippines, as the main news about the earthquakes and a follow up of a landslide in Italy where some houses and few lives were lost, when in Luzon the terror was still continuing.

Three weeks later I return to Manila an am watching ABS-CBN showing more flash floods and deaths in places like La Union and Bagiuo, shortage of foods, destroyed infrastructure and Mayors on live TV asking for help .400,000 people now displaced. The networks here provided great help and coverage, whilst the BBC gave it a 30 second slot, obviously political speeches and more deaths in Iraq are more important than a huge number of people suffering in Asia.

It does make you question what is news? and who decides?

Big Trouble for Tourists?

Lately, I have been watching a TV show that I downloaded from the Internet.  The name of the show is “Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand,” and it is a show from the Sky Network in the UK.  The show is about British tourists visiting Thailand, and some of the troubles they run into.

“But Bob,” you might be saying, “this website is not about Thailand,” and you would certainly be correct.  However, some of what I’ve seen on the show certainly applies in the Philippines.  And, I have seen things on the show that would be good lessons for the Philippines to put into practice, I believe.

As I am sure all readers know, Thailand is a place well known for partying, sex tourism, and other “revelry” that is not necessarily so wholesome.  Because of this type of expectation, many of the tourists that end up on this show have gotten themselves into some real trouble by being a little bit too involved in this type of lifestyle.

The show is a documentary type show, 100% authentic, not fiction, acting and such.

Now, what exactly is the TV show about?  Well, it is about the Thailand Tourism Police.  Thailand Tourism Police?  What’s that? Well, in Thailand, at least in certain parts of Thailand that are frequented by foreign tourists, the Thai Government has “Tourist Police” which are actually foreigners!

Yes, you read that correctly.  They have foreigners who are police that deal specifically with foreign tourists.  Based on what I have seen on the TV show, it appears that most, possibly all of the Tourist Police are British, but I can’t say for sure.  Since the show is done by a British TV Network, they may just be featuring the British who are participating in the Police.  Based on what has been said on the show, it seems that these foreign policemen are not paid, but do this on a volunteer basis.  They are long term expats who live in Thailand, and they have volunteered to Police foreigners who have come on holiday, or vacation in Thailand.

Why do they need foreigners for this?  Well, the reason is because many of the foreign visitors do not understand how things work in Thailand.  You know, I have explained many times how many foreigners don’t understand cultural aspects of life in the Philippines?  Same for Thailand.  Things work differently in these foreign countries.  What is common “back home” may actually be a crime here, or may cause friction with the locals, and could actually get the tourist killed.  For example, here in Asia, causing somebody to “lose face” could lead to your death.  By having foreign expats policing the foreign tourists, they can help explain to the foreigners in a way they can understand, and smooth over trouble before it starts, or at least before it gets too far out of hand.

As I have watched this show, my first reaction was that it was kind of weird, and not needed.  As I watched several episodes, though, I have come to the conclusion that such a program could be quite beneficial for the Philippines too.  I believe that it can offer several potential benefits for the Philippines:

1. For the expat who lives here and gets involved in assisting with such policing activities, it would help make them a part of the community in which they live, make them part of society.
2. The expat policeman could help the tourist stay out of trouble, or at least minimize it.  Doing this would help the Philippines gain a higher regard in the tourism community.  Instead of having people who got into a bad situation going around badmouthing the Philippines, you could potentially have people encouraging others to travel here and telling them that the Philippines goes out of it’s way to assist tourists in having a good time while still staying out of potentially dangerous situations.
3. It could help cut back on corruption in the Police Force.  Right now, a lot of foreign tourists believe that every Philippine Policeman is out to scam them.  If there is a “tourist policeman” who is an expat from the West, it would make tourists more confident that they will be treated fairly.

While the Philippines is certainly under no obligation to do a program like this, I believe that it might have merit, and could make the Philippines a more attractive tourist destination too.  It shows that the country is going to extra effort to help make foreign tourists feel comfortable and safe while visiting the country.

What do you think?  Have you seen the show?  Do you think this has merit?

Luzon Flooding

Anybody who has been watching the news this past weekend is well aware that a real disaster has struck Metro Manila and the surrounding area.  Tropical Storm Ondoy passed over Luzon, to the North of Manila, but the Manila area really got the brunt of the rain.  Ondoy was not a Typhoon, but short of it.  However, it really packed a punch when it came to rain!

The rain in Manila on Saturday was actually even worse than New Orleans experienced during Katrina several years ago.  In just a matter of a few hours, the Manila area got more than 16 inches of rain on Saturday, and more than 80% of the area was under water at the worst.  Even as I type this on Sunday evening, the majority of Metro Manila is still under water.  So far, 75 deaths have been confirmed from the flooding, with the number expected to rise substantially when the final figures are known.

On Saturday morning, I had heard that there was bad flooding in Manila.  However, flooding in Manila is not an unusual event, it actually happens regularly.  So, when I heard about flooding there, I really did not think too much about it.  By Saturday afternoon, though, I switched the TV on and flipped over the ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) which is sort of like a local version of CNN.  As soon as I saw the news, I was shocked at what I was seeing.  The streets were like rivers!  Not only rivers, but some of the streets looked like places for white water rafting, with rapids moving through the streets.

I saw one video taken from a bridge in Marikina City, one of the hardest hit areas, in which you could actually see dozens of people being swept through the water under the bridge.  The people on the bridge were actually throwing ropes to the people in the water, but they were moving by so fast that it was virtually useless.

The Philippine Government, and also private citizens in the area have mobilized a huge rescue effort.  Just like we saw during Katrina, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of people up on their roofs in the Manila area, because it is the only place where they can be to avoid the water.  Private companies and the government also are flying helicopters into neighborhoods and plucking people from their roofs.  When you watch the events on ANC, people are using their cell phones to call the News Channel and plead for rescuers to come and get them.  It’s really a sad situation.

According to the TV stations, this is the worst flooding that Manila has experienced since records have been kept.  Seeing the video of the city, I believe that too.

A good friend of mine had been visiting in Manila for a few days, and was supposed to fly back to Davao on Saturday, but the airport was closed.  All flights in and out of Manila had been canceled.  He went back to the re-opened airport on Sunday, and there were 450 people in line in front of him, but he was able to get a late flight back to Davao.

If you are in a position to assist financially for the victims of this disaster, there are a number of things you can do.  I called the American Red Cross and confirmed that if you wish to donate cash, you can donate through the Red Cross in your country, and you should specify that the funds are for the “International Response Fund” and specify that you want it to go to Philippine flood victims.  If you prefer, you can donate to the Philippine Red Cross, but it would be easier for you to use the Red Cross (or Red Crescent) in the country where you are currently located.  I am quite sure that any donation toward this disaster would be most helpful.  A lot of people are suffering in the Philippines right now.

There Was an Aswang in the Neighborhood!

Now those of you who know me will realize that I am not a particularly superstitious person.  Although I am one that loves stories of the unknown, ghosts, vampires, etc.  I usually will tell you that there is a rational explanation for these occurrences.  Filipinos on the other hand are quite superstitious.

I was woken up the other night because all the dogs in the neighborhood had decided that 3am was a good time to have a chorus of  “Dogs baying at the moon” but after a couple seconds I realized that it wasn’t the moon they were baying at but something flying around the houses.  It was making a constant “Qwak, qwak, qwak” as it flew back and forth between one end of the subdivision and the other.  I woke up my wife and after listening for a minute she got a look of terror in her eyes and told me that it was an Aswang flying around.

If you look up an Aswang on Google you won’t find much but I was able to talk to my in-laws and get some basic information.  Apparently the Aswang is a witch like creature that is related to the Manananggal.  They look like a normal person in the daytime but at night they leave half their body behind and fly around terrorizing pregnant women.  Just like witches in other parts of the world they have a “familiar” too who is called a “Kikik”, a large bird that sits on rooftops spotting prey for the Aswang.  All these creatures are mostly seen in the province, as apparently they are not fond of city life.

Being the researcher I am I delved into the mystery and did come up with a few likely culprits for these frightening night creatures of Philippine lore.  The islands are home to a number of night birds some more common than others.  The Large Eared Nightjar is a bird that prefers to hunt in fields and the edge of woods and whose call while normally a long tweeting wail can sometimes be a number of short stuttering chirps similar to kikik, kikik, kikik.  As for the aswang I do not have a ready answer.  The Scops Owl makes it’s home here in Mindanao but they are getting rare as their habitat is destroyed… but then again the Aswang is getting rare as well.  Whatever was flying around the subdivision that night sounded big as it passed back and forth through the houses.

So how does one protect against the evil forces of the Aswang?  Interestingly enough Garlic and Salt, tools that vampire hunters in Europe would be familiar with.  So the next evening I helped my wife crush enough garlic to kill a vampire army and assisted in placing each clove on a windowsill along with a handful of salt.  We also put up this protection on the chicken coop because apparently the aswang will attack chickens if there is no other prey… or if she’s feeling lazy that night.

If you are going to live in the Philippines and marry a Filipina then prepare yourself for dealing with the superstitions she will undoubtedly believe in.  Don’t try to offer any rational explanations as it’s a part of her culture to believe in these things.  Instead just smile as you crush garlic and help her with “protecting” the house… she will love you for your help and understanding.

The bullet just missed Rebecca’s head!

Life is fragile. In the blink of an eye, you can take your last breath. What starts out as a typical, routine day will someday be your last. Last week, I was a bit shaken up when I received a call from my wife while I was in GenSan. It caused me to reflect on how much I love her and how much I really depend on her.

Rebecca was returning to Abulug after dealing with some legal issues here in Manila. She returned back home with me and then had to go back up for our son… We are trying to keep Juanito on as much of a schedule as we can, so Juanito was being watched by my mother-in-law, the yaya, and Becky’s relatives. Rebecca’s bus pulled into the station in Tuguegarao at around 6:00 AM. She went to the ticket window to buy a ticket to Aparri for later in the day. As she bent over to look for her wallet in her purse, a gunshot sounded and the bullet went through the ticket window, shattering the glass, between her head and the ticket taker’s, missing each of them by about 6 inches. In other words, in that fraction of a second that she moved her head, her life was saved by mere chance and luck. Two hours interviewing with the PNP investigation uncovered what really happened.

What happened? Was it a robbery? No. NPA or terrorism? No. Domestic dispute in public? No. So what was it?

The bus station security guard decided to clean his gun and it discharged!

When I heard this, I was really quite angry. Yes, it was an accident. Yes, it was unintentional. The guard wasn’t out to hurt anyone. However, this incident was incredibly stupid, asinine, and could easily have been prevented. Someone could easily have been killed. The guard will lose his job, as he should, and the PNP told Rebecca that he would probably face some charges related to endangering the public (But you really cannot legislate stupidity.)

In the Philippines, you see armed guards at every mall, bus station, hotel, bank, airport, subdivision, compound, and even the local palengkes. These guards are nearly always armed, sometimes with rather substantial weaponry. But how safe do they make you? Are they sufficiently trained? Do they even know how to use their weapons? Would they really lay down their lives to protect people or property for a few hundred pesos per day in wages? The frightening answer is that you may be safer without them there than with them there. Last year there was a major bank robbery in Manila where several customers were killed, and the guards simply ran.

I actually had this article planned for a while. The incident with Rebecca moved it up in importance. You see, last December, one of the security guards at our compound killed himself, also while cleaning his gun. He decided to look down the barrel to see if it was loaded or not. Big mistake, and his last mistake!

Think about this for a moment… How much training could a guard who cleans his weapon in the middle of a crowded bus terminal have received? The answer is obvious. Not much. So, are you really any safer when you walk into the mall and the guard pokes a stick into your bags? Are you any safer at a hotel where they rudimentarily x-ray your bags, but let staff stroll in and out unchecked? Are you any safer when guards to a parking lot look under your vehicle with a mirror, but leave the trunk latched tight? Ask the people killed at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, or the Marriott in Islamabad. All of these places had virtually identical security equivalent to common Filipino standards, and it did nothing.

I suppose the mere visual presence of security guards may deter some crimes of opportunity, or crime perpetuated by rank amateurs, but the bottom line is that these guards could never even begin to prevent serious criminals from meeting their goals. They likely would not even slow them down. They also serve the purpose of being cannon fodder if anything serious really happens… They get killed, giving more time for a response.

I see many comments from expats or those seeking to move here asking about security and the necessity of living in gated communities. Yes, the guards do provide at least a modicum of protection, at least checking who enters and leaves, and perhaps contacting the police if something suspicious is happening. But I pose the following question to all of you: Would you feel safe with your children around people cleaning their weapons in public without even checking if they are loaded? Think about it a second. Last week I very nearly lost my wife and my son nearly lost his mother.

I’m Trapped

One thing that you will find here in the Philippines and almost every house, apartment and dwelling short of a nipa hut is, it will have burglar bars on the windows sometimes on the doors and almost always a perimeter fence with a steel gate.

When I see this it just makes me shudder. A little history about my family is my oldest brother Richard was what you may call a semi unsung hero, yes he had his accolades and commendations from various Mayors including the late Mayor Richard Daley, Mayor Jane Burne, and again the late Mayor Harold Washington, none of that really mattered to me cause he was just a hero to me, he was a firefighter/paramedic for the City of Chicago he was one of the first paramedics in Chicago and helped form that service to what it is today.

My brother has had many write ups in various magazines and periodicals and even made the cover of one of them holding a baby and bringing it back to life after saving it from a burning building. One of the legislations my brother helped change was a mandate to make burglar bars on windows illegal in Chicago, it is now against city code to have them on all of your windows. The reason is obvious, if there is a fire you can’t get out, and the firefighters that are trying to save you can’t get in. Now it is a well known fact that if a burglar wants to get into your home to steal, locks,bars, and an assortment of other deterrents will not stop them, slow them down maybe but there is always a way.

It is a pet peeve and one that is well instilled by my late hero brother, that, burglar bars are bad, smoke detectors a must. It is an awful thing to burn to death and I have in fact witnessed (by accident) some photographic evidence of people who met thier fate in this manner, while my brother was putting together evidence folders. Late in his career he was an investigator because he was injured from burning chemicals in a building and could no longer fight fires so he took pictures of scenes and even did work on the movie Backdraft that was filmed in Chicago and Los Angeles. Someday when the facts are gathered I think the people of the Philippines will realize that these forms of protection are to serve more harm then good.

It was a lesson learned in Chicago.

Warning: Danger for tourists

Did you come to the Philippines for a visit?  Did you come here to visit family of your wife?  Maybe you came for business trip?  Just for holiday?  Very rare for person to come here for holiday if they have no connection to the Philippines.

Coming here to the Philippines for any of those reasons is very dangerous, and you must consider this before your travel.

No, I am not talking of bombs, kidnapping or guns.  What do I mean?  Philippines is addictive!

Why is Philippines addictive?  I mean, in my life I travel to many countries for holiday or for job purpose.  Every country I visit, I enjoy it, but I go home to Spain (or Ireland), get back at my work and just hold on for fond memories.

Since first time I visit Philippines, though, it goes in my blood.  I can’t stop thinking: Philippines, Philippines, Filipinas!  Ha ha, sorry I must throw in about the Filipina, because I love the ladies so much.  But, true, when I go home to Spain after first visit to Philippines, I spend my time on Internet sites to learn more and read more about Philippines. Oh, yes, I also spend time looking pictures of many Filipina on my computer too!  But, you see my meaning?

Why is the Philippines addictive for us?  Why we can’t get enough Philippines?  When I go to Hungary, I am not searching sites for Hungarian Sausage!  No, I just go home and forget about Hungary.  But, not Philippines.

Warning for all traveler to the Philippines:  You may never be able to leave.  If you do leave, maybe just temporary.  Philippines will haunt you for a long, long time.

The gang who couldn't shoot straight

Back in the 70’s there was a movie called “The gang who couldn’t shoot straight” which starred Robert de Niro, among others.  Unfortunately, the Philippine National Police (PNP) may soon be called “The Police who couldn’t shoot straight.”

You see, recently, the 125,000 Philippine National Police officers were given a marksmanship test.  They were also tested on gun care, cleaning and handling.  Ninety percent of PNP Officers failed the test.  According to National Police Commissioner Luis Mario General, of the 10% who passed the test, most of them ranked as “novices” in weapon care and in marksmanship.

Furthermore, General revealed that nearly 50% of the PNP officers do not even have a service firearm.  In addition, General said that the high cost of training and of ammunition are to blame for the terrible results.

How can the PNP possibly be effective when only 10% of them can pass a marksmanship test, and most of those 10% can only barely pass?  Safety is one thing that I always hear from foreigners about.  Many people are hesitant to visit the Philippines because of safety concerns.  And, I would venture that the vast majority of those with such concerns don’t even know about these abysmal test results.

Personally, I do not feel that the Philippines is a dangerous place.  When compared with other countries around the world, I doubt that the Philippines ranks badly in terms of danger compared to others, and I personally have no fears about living here.  I feel as safe here as I have in any other place that I’ve ever lived.  However, even if the Philippines were the safest country in the world (which it is not, certainly), that would be no excuse for 90% of police officers being unable to accurately fire their weapon.  Nor would be an excuse for nearly 50% of police officers not even having a weapon at all.

Frankly, the excuse of ammunition being expense is a sham.  The Philippines should most certainly be able to afford ammunition for it’s Police force.  And, training too.  It makes me wonder, how about the Philippine Armed Forces?  Is their marksmanship training adequate?    I hope it is better than that of the police.

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