Live in the Philippines

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Accused of a Crime!

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Living in the Philippines is something that I enjoy.  I’ve been here for nearly a decade already, and I have been happy, after a period of adjusting to the different life here.  But, is there anything that actually scares me about living here?  Not really, I suppose.  At least I can say that I don’t lose any sleep worrying about any scenarios that could cause trouble in my life here.

Maybe I should worry a bit more, it’s hard to say.  A friend of mine said something to me the other day that made me think a bit.

A few days ago, a friend and I were having a discussion.  During our talk, which was on all kinds of subjects related to living in the Philippines, he confided to me that his only fear about living here was this:

What if I were ever accused of a crime here?

Well, it is certainly something that could scare the heck out of you!  And, it’s something that I had not really considered much.  I don’t expect to be accused of any kind of crime, but… “what if?”

The thing is, as a foreigner here, you basically have no rights.  A lot of Americans living here will tell me that he has this Constitutional right, or another, referring to the United States Constitution.  Hey, Joe… sorry, but you left the US Constitution behind when you stepped off that plane in Manila!  Sorry, but you are no longer covered by the US Constitution when you are not in the USA.  Sure, the Philippine Constitution has many rights too… but in practice, you may or may not get those benefits!

I was reading an article online a few days ago.  It was about a Japanese man who got accused of the crime of Illegal Recruiting here in the Philippines.  According to the article, he had offered some Filipinos the ability to get a Visa to go to Japan, in exchange for money.  Apparently, according to the article, he had friends at the Japanese Embassy who could help get these Visas.

He was charged with this crime in 2003, and had been held in the Bureau of Immigration Prison ever since.  That is more than 6 years that he was imprisoned.  Guess what?  In 2008, they dropped the charges.  Apparently, there must not have been enough evidence to take him to trial.  So, he was held from 2003 until 2008 in prison, but had never been convicted of any crime, and eventually he was not even accused of any crime.

But, there is more.  In 2008 when the charges against this man were dropped, he was not released from Prison.  Why?  Because now he was an “overstaying and undesirable alien.”  In other words, his Visa had expired.  Well, of course it had expired, he had been held in jail for more than 6 years!  So, in the past week or so, this fellow was deported because he had overstayed his visa.

Maybe this man committed a crime, maybe not.  I can’t say for sure.  What I can say, though, is that he was never convicted of committing any crime, and eventually was not even accused of having done so.  Yet, he was imprisoned for more than 6 years.  It could happen to you or me too.

Many foreigners think that if they were to be accused, their Embassy will get them out of trouble.  Sorry, Jack, it ain’t gonna happen.  Your Embassy is there to come and check on you.  They will make sure you are not being mistreated (in other words, they aren’t torturing you and that kind of thing), and if you are mistreated they will probably file a complaint.  But, they certainly won’t make the Philippines change their laws to let you off.  They won’t be able to speed up the system.  They certainly won’t be able to insert American Constitutional rights into your case.  No, none of that is going to happen, so don’t count on it.

So, do I lose any sleep over the possibility of being accused of some crime?  Nope, none at all.  But, when I think about the possibility of something like that happening, I certainly don’t feel all warm and fuzzy either.

This is one of the reasons why you want to behave in a respectful way here.  Don’t make people lose face.  Don’t embarrass people.  Doing these kinds of things is only inviting people to falsely accuse you.  Or, if you get mad and do something to project your anger, you may actually commit a crime that you don’t even know about.  For example, did you know that a foreigner insulting a Filipino is a crime, and you can be deported for that?  It is.

Be careful!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Bob;
    I too had never thought about that. And I know you had the facts right, you’re on your own if it happens to you. As you said prevention is better than a cure (I paraphrase).
    I was in town yesterday and parked in the wrong spot, (in front of 4 other parked cars on a yellow curb), When the motorcycle Policeman pulled in front of my car to speak with me, I quickly went into friendly mode. He explained why I was in the wrong and the other cars were in the right. He was very friendly and since I agreed with him and thanked him for explaining it to me, no ticket was issued. BTW he was right! We then talked about his bike which was a Honda 400 cc four cylinder. I moved my car to a better parking space, when he drove by tem minutes later he gave me a thumbs up sign. He was a gentleman and I somewhat enjoyed the encounter.

    • Hi Paul – Thanks for your comment. It is most definitely the case that you are on your own. Your embassy is not going to bail you out of trouble (or bail you out of jail!). 😉

      You know, reading your story about the parking incident. A lot of expats here complain that the police are out to get them, want money, or whatever. There is a “skin tax” and that kind of thing. My experience here in 10 years is that it is usually the opposite. If you are a foreigner, most cops give you the benefit of the doubt. They will explain to you that you are making a mistake and let you correct your error. Sometimes, even if I know that I am in the wrong, I just accept the advice and move on (play stupid a little – all foreigners are stupid after all). Usually, the cops here will let a foreigner get away with more than what they will let a Filipino get away with. Sure, from time to time you will come across one who wants money or whatever, but in my experience, that is the minority.

  2. The first step is to to get a good lawyer. Of course it none of the US Embassy’s business to step in every time Uncle Sam’s run-away kids run into trouble. It happens, but only rarely.

    I think the last paragraph says it all: “Be careful.” I still maintain that the Philippines is foreigner-friendly.

    • Hi Carlos – Nice to hear from you. Yes, I agree that the Philippines, and the Filipino people are in general quite foreigner-friendly. Probably if it wasn’t the case, there wouldn’t be so many expats living here.

      One thing your embassy will, or should do for you is recommend an attorney that is used to dealing with foreigners and such.

  3. Hi, Bob- To get falsely accused for making a Filipino lose face is to get off lightly. I am not saying this is the norm, but in some instances, Filipinos really go berserk when they lose face and take out their “balisongs” (butterfly knife) to do the talking for them. The Moros in Philippine history were known to commit, “juramentado”, when offended.

    Btw, your statement about a foreigner insulting a Filipino is a deportable crime, does that apply to every insulted Filipino or only Filipinos who are performing their duties in an official capacity, like a BoI immigration official?

    • Hi John – That’s true, if you make a Filipino lose face, you might be lucky to get deported! 😆

      As far as the insulting of a Filipino to be deportable, as far as I know, it applies to anybody. You could say that the service is not good or something like that, but don’t insult in an unfair way, like calling his mother a name or something like that! I would say that when dealing with a BoI official you should always be nice, no matter what they say or do. It’s just stupid not to be nice to a BoI official!

  4. Hi Bob – Funny you mention “skin tax” in your response to PaulT. Further “Up” here, it tends to be more “Balikbayan Tax”! 😉

    Of course, no one is treated any differently, but when it comes to driving, a Balikbayan seems to be less familiar with traffic laws and “local driving conditions” in general. My wife was fined for a passenger not having a seat belt fassened when she was stopped at a checkpoint.

    She wondered why she was pulled over and why I never get pulled over. All I can think is that I drive more “like a local” than like a Balikbayan. She’s a little too cautious, hesitant, and fearful of police; and they, in turn, help fulfill her “prophecy.”

    I know I’m driving “like a local” when she gets vocal about my driving! 😆

    • Hi Paul – the “Balikbayan Tax” is true down here too. I only used the word “skin tax” because that is the phrase that a lot of expats use. In most cases, I find that to be rubbish, a bit of paranoia, if you know what I mean.

      Glad to hear that you have adapted the “Mindanao Bob” driving technique so quickly!

  5. I know of many Americans that thought they would be protected in Subic when the U.S. military was there. They found out the information you have just provided the hard way.

    • Hi Dan – I think it’s a lesson that we all have to learn for ourselves. If you are lucky, like I have been, you don’t get in trouble when you do stupid things that you shouldn’t do. Later, you realize – “I could have really gotten in big trouble for that stupid move…” and learn from it!

    • Dan;
      The Status of Forces Agreement between the Host Nation and the U.S. Military will afford some degree of protection to a Serviceman. Depending on the offence he/she commits, minor offences were turned over to the Base Police by the locals, where the punishment handed out by the Base Commander would far exceed the local fine or punishment. Once the Bases left, that limited protection went with it.
      In the 60’s the U.S. Navy was turning over two U.S. Destroyers to Iran (We were buddies then) one Iranian sailor assaulted a female at the Enlisted Club, and was turned over to the Iranian Navy for justice. One week later their ship left port and sailed passed the twelve mile limit, where they hung the Sailor, and returned to port. He would have been better off if the U.S. had prosecuted him.

  6. Hi Bob
    I agree with you on the fact that you shouldn’t lose sleep about it. However after saying that and I have no wish to critisize the Philippine law makers,it has come along way since the marcos era and for the better in the vast majority of cases but dont you feel that they should be looking at a few of their laws again and moving with what is becoming a more open global empire. I admit the Philippines is not alone in this area the UK/USA and Europe could all do with looking at what is happening around them and changing accordingly, the main catagories I am refering to are in the japanes guys case some international acord between countries to allow prison to be served in the native country etc,( i know i this instance he was’nt charged) the other places where i feel they could benefit would be to give expats at least some land owning status as i believe this could actually encourage growth and wealth to the country as a whole. The other place I would imagine could be looked at is the divorce law in the changing world in which we live in I honestly believe this is holding a lot of people back in the Philippines you have two people who where once married later cannot stand the sight of each other but they can never move on and both end up in misery.After saying all that I think a lot of countries could learn valuable lessons from the philippines for instance the post of Barangay captain is an Ideal way of sorting out problems within the community, this is not “the world according to me” and I am not saying every law in the philippines should be changed to suit expats and foriegners it is more of an observation on what could work.Its rather funny to me, your last comment Insulting a filipino/a is an offence,it was one of the very first laws i became aware of I cant remember where it was I read it but it stated even to make a filipino lose face in any way is a serious offence. take that literal for a moment you could find yourself in a no win situation being approached by a beggar because I have also heard it is an offence to give to a beggar too.( meant in a funny ironic way)

    • With regards to implementing divorce laws in the Philippines, it is indeed a good idea. I’m just not for implementing the same kind of divorce laws that the US have, like in California, where men are usually SCREWED by their soon to be ex-wives 🙂

        • Hi Bob,
          But then there’s always ANNULMENT…the only thing recognized by Phil law. More and more annulments are being granted by judges recently, something that was really difficult to get maybe 10-15 years ago. I will tell my sister about this site and will ask her sister if she’ll be interested in writing a legal column for LiP if it’s OK with you. I sure she’ll be a great resource for expats/Lip readers. She has 20 of litigation experience mostly in Manila and surrounding provinces.
          Glenn

  7. Hi Bob- This should be the first article for anybody moving to the Philippines, as so many take their rights for granted when abroad.

    On the suject of burgers (re your last post) I used to dream of opening a western style burger bar, but soon realised that in the provinces, hardly anone could afford it , let alone the headache of getting the ingredients needed. Oh well back to the beach bar.

  8. Hey
    LIP transition is going to be quite a transition.
    Do you think when Americans are accused it is done with the intention of squeezing $$ out of them.

    You are giving me second thought about disassembling my HD and shipping it there in Balikbayan Boxes.

    Off Topic:Thanks for the help with the advice on sending money to our Niece, all worked out.

    • Hi Neal – I think that the squeeze happens sometimes. I think, though, that a lot of expats do stupid things that they shouldn’t do, and that is usually what lands them in trouble.

      I’m glad that the small amount of advice I gave you was helpful. It really was not much!

  9. Bob,
    I have a younger cousin living in Bulgaria. His wife is a Consular Officer for American Citizen Services. I asked him about what help the Embassy will do for us. He got defensive and told me, they will give you a list of approved attorneys and check on your welfare and will contact the host Government that they are monitoring your situation. They are mainly there to help with Visas, Passports and Government Benifits.
    I guess you need to be in the military for better assistance.

      • You only had to watch the movie, “Midnight Express”, to understand how helpless the U.S. Embassy is when it comes to “helping” an American citizen who gets in trouble with the law overseas. The movie was based on a horrific story about a young American student sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashhish out of Turkey. There wasn’t much the U.S. Embassy could do except provide an attorney who was basically a messenger, that was it. I won’t tell you the ending, but all I can tell you is that you never ever would want to spend time in a Turkish prison.

  10. I would certainly think that for newcomers in the Philippines, that one of the first orders of business would be to take a course in local courtesy, and find a good attorney accustomed to dealing with those not familiar with Philippine law. I would imagine this could be done, it being a simple matter of money. It seems to me that being calm and very courteous in all situations probably goes a long way in making sure one doesn’t need that attorney. THanks for the thought-provoking article, Bob !

  11. Bob,

    I hope you weren’t talking to me when you said “Sorry Jack”.

    Good Article and nice comments. Thanks.
    Jack

  12. Hi Bob,

    This is top-shelf advice that any foreigner should consider when living abroad, especially in light of the Amanda Knox murder conviction in Italy. By all accounts that I’ve read in the news, her foreign roommates and employer described her actions as disrespectful and outrageous, even by the local standards (I’m just paraphrasing, of course). The point is that ones behavior could possibly be viewed by local authorities as a conspiracy of sorts, and I’d imagine that’s when a foreigner could possibly be jeopardizing their freedom in the host country.

  13. Theres a cable program called “Locked up Abroad” factual storys of people getting into trouble in other Country’s…a real eye opener.

    • Hi brian – In most cases, is it just the stupidity of the American (or other foreigner) who goes abroad and does stupid stuff they should not have been doing? That’s what I see here a lot!

    • Hi Brian,

      I was also thinking about that program. It’s produced by National Geographic and is available on DVD. As a matter of fact, an episode during the first season highlighted two Americans who continously mailed hashish from somewhere in the Philippines to Seoul, where they worked as English instructors. They eventually got busted in South Korea and one of them served six years in a Seoul jail..the magistrate was firm and could care less if he was a foreigner. He broke a serious law and served everyday of that sentence.

  14. Hi Bob. Allow me to convey my analysis on this very interesting article.It may sound biased but, I think it is true, you american expats living in the Philippines enjoy a special threatment from the Philippine government and its agencies (at least most of them):). Why? Because, the Philippines look up to Uncle Sam as big brother to protect him as stipulated in the mutual defense treaty. Remember, the Philippine Airforce still uses WWII airplanes in its airpower. Their mindset is that, why bother spend billions of pesos modernizing the AFP when they have Uncle Sam to protect them. And so, inline with this, Phil govt takes care of americans and making sure that they receive due process and attention. Remember when congress recently passed a bill and signed into law by Pres. Arroyo bolstering their claim of the Spratly Islands? And, Immediately after that the Chinese demonstrated a show of naval force in the South China Sea near the islands? Well, the Philippines has obviously no such naval force to show China so what they did, immediately released Lance Corporal Smith, and, it silenced the Chinese and the issue just died down. And the girl never heard of again, anymore, I guess she’s here in the states now. I would like to believe that Smith was guilty and that the Philippine govt was only concern for the entire welfare of the Philippines. I don’t know who talk to the girl and convinced her to recant but for me, I guess she saw the whole situation and offered her case as a sacrfice. Now, this is only my analysis and opinion and I am not saying that they are absolutely true. The fact of the matter is, I hope that american expats living their will consider it as their home now and behave themselves and enjoy what life their could offer them. Thanks.

    • Hi Lito – I think it cuts both ways. Many times, foreigners are given extra slack – special treatment, because they are foreigners. Other times, foreigners are used to set an example. It is good and bad. But, the fact that many times foreigners get special treatment is undeniable.

    • Hi Lito,

      You brought up a couple of interesting items that might or might not be coincidental. First of all, as an “average” tourist / business person spending time in the Philippines and I’m thrown in jail for theft, drugs or basically creating a scene where a local has lost face, rest assured that I’m on my own; Uncle Sam isn’t sending in an extraction team or negotiator to free me. Bob’s column is right on the money in explaining that foreigners, particular American expats, have lost their American right to due process. An American being accused of a crime abroad is much worse (for the accused) than if it happened in the states.

      The Philippine and U.S. have a history together that can’t be denied, but I don’t necessary agree that modernization of the AFP is being put off because of expectations that American armed forces will swoop in and protect the country when needed. In all of Asia, only China seems financially capable of doing those things (RP has more important things to consider, like building infrastructure and fighting poverty). Buy hey, if the Philippines are threatened by China in the Spratlys, I feel that the U.S. should provide support if necessary.

      In the Subic/Smith/Spratly Islands case, there are politics and God knows what else happening at diplomatic and judicial levels that are way beyond anything a guy like myself might experience. Most likely I’m a cellmate with the Japanese man in Bob’s story! I’d definitely try and reach out to an American official and argue my side of the story locally, but odds are that life will be miserable in a foreign jail.

      Oh, the Spratly Islands Wiki page states: “There are multiple reasons why the neighboring nations would be interested in the Spratly Islands. … The Geology and Mineral Resources Ministry of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has estimated that the Spratly area holds oil and natural gas reserves of 17.7 billion tons placing it as the fourth largest reserve bed in the world.”

      • Hi Wade, thanks for your comment. I just left the Philippines in 2007 and a guy like me who is addicted to news local, national and international I can tell you some interesting things. First, I can’t recall of any news (there might be) stating that an american citizen in the Philippines had been mistreated or abused by the authorities especially the judicial branch. I can recall that an american was arrested at the airport prior to his departure to the U.S. and briefly thrown into jail because he tore in two Philippine currency. He was trying to give the money, as a tip, to the lady at the counter since he can’t use them in the states anyway. The lady refused his kind offer and he felt insulted by that and so he tore the money instead. The lady reported him to the immigration officials and he was arrested. Apparently, in the Philippines it is illegal to tear a peso bill. He was eventually released, I guess in just a few days.
        Secondly, it is widely known that foreigners, especially americans, received special treatments from most goverment agencies. I myself had witnessed that many many times. Minor traffic violations, as long as not habitual, americans get away with it most of the times. Once, I had an american visitor there, and as soon as police, security personnel at malls or at road checkpoints, see the visitor in my car they never bother to check my car out. The way I see it, if you are a respectful foreigner, they will give you twice as much respect back and if you are not, it can be very bad for you too. In Davao City, mayor Duterte had a bad experience involving an american citizen, allegedly (I’m not sure), an intelligence operative. The story told that there was an explosion in his (american) hotel room and police went there and arrested him. Days later, US personnel went to the mayor’s office and they got the agent out. It was reported that the mayor did not like what happened but it seems there were powers at work that he just can’t oppose. Thirdly, Senators (especially Gen. Biazon) knew that the Chinese had much respect for the Philippines because of the mutual defense treaty. They cited that there had been many times that they had encountered chinese navy ships, and many times philippine airforce jets fly so close to their ships at the Spratlys and the chinese did not get provoked by that nor did they provoke the AFP. Not the case so with other nations. Chinese navy had sunk some Vietnamese navy patrol ships in that area. In the 50’s, the Philippines was said to be next only to Japan in terms of economy and it could have started building its military capabilities, but they did otherwise. They could have followed North Korea, Pakistan or many other countries who spent much of their national budget in the military at the expense of many basic services but, the Philippines did not. Why? The Mutual defense treaty stipulates that the United States has the right to retaliate to any country who will attack the Philippines, and vice versa. Who would want to initiate war against the world’s most powerful nation. But yes, if an american commit a crime due process of law will definitely be accorded to him and if he is found guilty, it is up to uncle sam wether to rescue him or not from the jaws of filthy Philippine prisons. If my analysis is indeed true, as in the case of Lance Corporal Smith, they did not bypassed the law but the law states that if the victim recants his statement, they have to let go of the accused. To me, I saw it as a reminder to the Chinese by the Phil govt of its treaty with the US and what would be the consequences if things deteriorate. Anyway, those are my analysis of the matters and doesn’t mean absolutely true. Thanks.

  15. You wouldn’t believe how many people are deported from the U.S. back here. It happens everyday. After waiting so long to get a visa, you would think they would not do something to get themselves the boot!

  16. Hi Bob, in my previous comment the last sentence should read: The fact of the matter is, I hope that american expats living their will consider it as their home now and behave themselves and enjoy what life THERE could offer them. Thanks.

  17. Bob – Where you are from also makes a big difference when it comes to more minor transgressions. In my experience, some nationalities clearly get more preference than others in the RP. My lovely wife was the one that first pointed this out to me, and I eventually came to understand it to be true. I agree with you that most often, at least as an American, you get a fair degree of slack for most minor transgressions. Some other nationalities, not so much so.

  18. Understanding and knowing the laws of any land can sometimes be the most information one can learn for themselves. This is why I’ve come to find out that many times learning from the ‘old school’ people living in the Phils can also be the first step in finding out what you can and cannot be charged with here.

    If you want to read the most “unusual” law ever devised by Philipino law try reading Law #9262. This law was originally written for Philipino men who had a wife and family but several mistresses, girlfriends etc. But when it was re-written or ammended it was done so in a manner in which it leaned heavily towards foreigner (you may notice that when you get to the bottom of the law and the fines for breaking such law is 100,000 pesos +), now come on, how many common Pinoy’s have six figures laying around to pay a said fine??.

    This law is pressed upon people many times and can be implimented without proof. You do not have to be married and basically if you are supporting someone for said period of time, she can file a complaint against you and force you to keep supporting her long after the fact. Law #9262 has many other aspects to it but know one thing, it’s probably the #1 used law in deporting someone or having someone thrown in jail here till he pays whoever here, for what ever there and for what they can think of will come next.

    As for the advise of getting a ‘good lawyer’, we’ll that’s actually pretty funny in most degrees. A ‘good lawyer’ in terminology would be one that can extract enough money to propetchuate the system in which he or she is embroiled into. My friend here who has lived in the Philippines for 40 years now has said it the best “It’s not what you did, it’s who you know”, it a game played like a fine fiddle here in the Phils and if you think any law or any lawyer can help, then I think your sadly mistaken from the fact. Yes, lawyers can help in many matters but many can keep the paddle of justice from rowing the canoe, for a lack of a better scenario.

    Take a look at some of the laws of the land and do yourself a bigger favor and google search Law #9262 of the Philippines, you’ll get an eye opener if you can relay it’s meaning (I especially love the one about the vehicle portion, very interesting amongst all other parts). Also do yourself another favor, if you are staying here in the Phils find yourself 4 good friends. These friend can or may be able to help you in some manner or another if something should go wrong. They may not directly be able to help you but the format of them knowing someone and they knowing someone may be what saves you from issues that nobody else can.

    • Hi Tim – I’m not going to get into the Violence against Women and Children Act, but I do agree that having 4 good Filipino friends is an important step to getting the help you need in a case where you run into trouble. In the Philippines, who you know is very, very important.

      • I guess my quest in writing about Law #9262 (I actually refuse to call it by it’s name). The reason I don’t call it by it’s name is most of the time it is used for acts that are ‘non violent’ and that in fact lies the problem with this law…………….. let’s face it if you provoke or exercise Violence against either, then okay that’s what the law is meant for…………but from what I know it is used way to many times by ‘bending’ the rules at hand and applying this as a game tactic. Thanks for a great article either way………….”T”

  19. Hi bob,

    I don’t have the exact figure of foreigners serving jail time in the philippines however, if one would visit any prison in the philippines the chance of seeing a foreigner in the prison is quite rare, considering the number of foreigners living in the philippines and the numbers of foreigner who committed stupid things that could actually put them in jail, I would like to think that the ratio is very small or would represent 0.001 percent of the total foreigner population in the philippines.

    I guess when a foreigner heard some stories about another foreigner got arrested, many foreigners who don’t have a first hand knowledge of the situation would instantly assume that the foreigner has been maltreated or framed-up to build a criminal case, I guess if that is the case then the philippine prison would be filled with lots of foreigners!, I didn’t say a foreigner being framed-up or maltreated doesn’t happen however, it doesn’t happen quite often as many would believe, If we were to visit a prison now how many foreigners do you think we would find in there? probably 1 or maybe none at all?

    just a thought!

    • Hi dans – of course the number of foreigners you can find in jail is small. The number of foreigners in the Philippines is small in relation to the general population. But, that is not what I wrote the article about. All I am saying is that if you are a foreigner, you come here and should follow the laws. Don’t expect that it is the same here as where you came from. If you are here, you are bound by the local laws, and not the laws of your country. I never said that foreigners are framed up – maybe some are, but that is not what I am saying. I am only saying – follow the law of the Philippines if you want to live here.

  21. Hi Bob:

    Extremely enlightening topic. It really illustrated one of the differences between the RP & the USA. In fact the USA has some of the most liberal laws about committing a crime and proving a person has done so. Never mind the fact that jails in the USA are almost country clubs compared to other cultures.

    • Hi Wayne – It’s been a long, long time since I’ve heard from you. I hope you are doing well. I see that you have a new website, good luck with that.

      I’m glad that you found the article enlightening.

  22. Bob very interesting topic with great advice given.I have been traveling to the philippines for over 30 years,which included living
    there for 10 years and have seen and heard of expats in trouble some
    set up and some not,but the thing i have learned if it is serious and
    weather you are guilty or not they will almost always want money to stay out of jail..and unless you want a free place to stay you better pay what the ask for because a week or so latter when agree
    to pay the price has gone up.i have been stoped by police for no seat belts on or not wearing helmet when on a bike and like others have said if you are friendly and treat people with respect you get
    treated pretty good.

  23. damn . . . this is so true… i mean, i am a Filipina, BUT i never liked the way the law enforcers do their jobs here …. i mean, its dirty and really violating the human rights, and the foreigner’s as well…. tsk tsk!…

  24. So, a foreigner insulting a Filipino hmmm. Insults happen all the time even from the Filipinos themselves. Yeah yeah you might say that is the rules but those rules goes against the Constitution. An insult has to be properly defined. Answering a question that an officer gives you and you politely reply but that officer does not wish for you to explain why you came up with your answer but instead turns around curses in your face and insults you right there in front of his workers all because you answered his question and confirmed with proof that your answer was true yet he goes on insulting you in front of his workers and chooses to blacklist you. Than you go to all these law offices seeking help but they also insult you despite how nice or honest you are and when you show the rules an office is said to abide by you get your case taken care of but get this the ombudsman says “no law shall play a part in this hearing” and so i ask the officer “but what about the Constitution for without it how will I confirm that the officer wronged me” and you know their reply “Shut up” more disrespect when we as people have the right to information it is not only a Constitutional law but a universal law as well. I know most of you will say “this is the Philippines” but i say the Constitution is the supreme law of the land on which all other laws are built from and those are the rules so if an officer goes against the Constitution they not only broke the Constitution but also showed they do not care about their country. I am sure many of you will reply “But this is the Philippines” so please do not waist your time unless you have something better to say.

    Just look at today, the Ombudsman herself is being impeached by almost the same unfairness that we as foreigners receive. Government workers showing little to no effort in their work as they have been sworn into office to give which Article 11:1 shares.

    This country has the most laziest government workers I have ever seen and they need to be brought to accountability. If you have seen the News today, April 25 2011, they spoke on the Code of Conduct.

    People need to make a stand or the government will always get away with the crimes they do. Either it be done politely or not all that matters is can you confirm it to be true.

    Always share the truth.

    • Important to remember that the Philippine Constitution applies to and protects Philippine Citizens in the Philippines. The Philippine Constitution does not necessarily apply to foreigners in the Philippines, it depends on the situation.