Foreign National Keeper Network

an article submitted by Robert Von Hahnke

A Bridge to the Expat in the Philippines

Arriving in Davao June 2013 like many ex-pats I had more questions than answers as I began my life in the Philippines. I spent 10 days in Davao in February 2013 and was very impressed, so much so I returned to the US and sold my car, house, and most of my belongings in anticipation of moving to Davao. I also discovered BOB MARTIN’S website and purchased several of his books dealing with relocation in the Philippines. The books eased much of my anxiety dealing with moving half way around the world from the US.

Shortly after moving into Ecoland Phase 3 in Davao I made friends with some of the ex-pats in the area and joined one of the ‘breakfast clubs” comprised of foreigners discussing differing topics over a breakfast/lunch once per week. The meetings were fun and I met many who are still my friends today but I was looking for something more informational with official linking. Many of my questions could be answered through internet searches, but the internet sites of government offices are not designed for the ex-pat and their questions. I was especially concerned about the Police/Ex-Pat relationship in the Philippines. I had not heard one bad story concerning the Police and Ex-Pats but at the same time wondered if the Police are sympathetic to the unique circumstances of the Ex-Pat.

Late in 2013 when Yolanda struck there were thousands killed and injured due to the storm. The carnage triggered a large number of inquiries by foreign embassy’ concerning their citizens vacationing or residing in the Philippines. These inquiries were from friends and relatives of the Ex-Pats concerned about their safety and wellbeing. Because of the damage to the communication system from the storm the folks at home were unable to contact their loved ones in the Philippines and did not know their status. Even when the systems were repaired and restored after the storm communication was difficult as the system was overloaded because of the number of calls being made. The embassy’s request for information was a low priority for the Police compared to body recovery and identification, assisting storm victims with shelter and food, and protecting property from possible looting. At the same time the people at home waited and waited for any word of their loved ones as they watched the results of the destruction from the disaster on their television news. Some of the relatives went to the step of flying to the disaster area to personally search for their loved ones.

In March 2014 the PNP formed the Foreign National Keeper Network in Manila and directed it to be a nationwide asset of the PNP. It was formed to organize groups of Ex-Pats to be available in the event of disaster/emergency to aid the PNP. This aid would be in the form of locating other Ex-Pats and confirming their status, reporting back to the PNP so the information can be relayed to the embassy of the individual. This task would be tackled after the Keeper has made sure their own family is safe and their situation is stable.

Keeper members of various nationalities may be called upon to assist the PNP with translation work if an Ex-Pat is a victim of a crime and cannot speak English or Tagalog (ex. Chinese, Korean). The keeper will assist the Ex-Pat in reporting the crime to the PNP and relay the information from the PNP Officer to the crime victim.  The Keepers are also encouraged to have their fellow nationals register with their respective embassy so they may have an idea how to contact in the event of an emergency. The keeper may also be asked to help in the event a family emergency in the home country of an Ex-Pat. With the Keeper aware of the location of other Ex-Pats he can direct the PNP to the location of the Ex-Pat needing notification of the death of illness of a loved one in the home country.

I became aware of the Foreign National Keeper Network on July 2014 after speaking with the first member of the Talomo Police precinct Station group. I joined at the same time the new Commander of the Station Major Antonio Santilanna began his term . Major Santillanna expressed his interest in developing the Keeper program by expanding the membership and formalizing the structure of the program. Regular monthly meetings started in September 2014 with the Major attending every meeting to personally address any questions/concerns the members may have. We had election of officers of the group during the November meeting and began to formalize meeting to include instructional speaker/video of relevant disaster related and environmental topics. The members enjoy having the personal contact with the Major and other high ranking PNP Officers and the opportunity to freely express their concerns related to Police matters. The meetings are also a good place to make new friends of other Ex-Pats from various backgrounds. The meetings are limited to the Keeper members and their prospective member guest.  The meetings are usually held in a restaurant with a separate meeting room. Often the wives/girlfriends will walk across the street to the nearby mall and return at the end of the one hour meeting to have a snack at the restaurant.

Membership is limited to Foreign Nationals of good character with no serious criminal conviction in Philippines or any other country. Member must have legal passport and visa.

Members are on a 3 month probation period during which time they are expected to attend the monthly meetings unless they have an excused absence. The membership process includes a formal application with 2 passport type photos. The applicant name will be posted on the group closed face book page for any comment by current members. The applicant will be interviewed by the Chairman of the Davao group and possibly the Major. The new member will be formally introduced at the next monthly meeting to the group. At the end of the 3 month probation period the new member will receive their PNP Volunteer Identification Card and access to the closed Group Face Book Page. There is no charge for membership but we do ask for 50peso donation per member per meeting to pay the rent of the meeting room.

We are currently in process of expanding the group throughout Region XI. We have incorporated as a non-profit and have applied for grants from the Ford Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative. If the grants are received they will be used primarily for disaster response equipment and administrative costs of the group. The group is currently  approximately 30+ members but it is targeted for 100+ members in the Region XI area.

I have found the group provides a good relationship between the PNP and the Ex-Pats of the community. It provides the Ex-Pat with a forum to express their concern to the PNP regarding matters in the community and the assurance their concern will be addressed within the system.

It also gives the opportunity to the Ex Pat to become positively involved in the local community and to stand up and be an important part of the community if disaster strikes.

I hope if you are a qualified Ex Pat you consider joining the group and becoming an important part of the community we reside in. If so please email me at [email protected]  or message me at 09288965761.

Robert Von Hahnke is a retired US police officer, his 34 year career spanning from Detroit Police, to New Hampshire State Police , retiring as Police Chief in Virginia. He currently resides in Matina, Davao City with his wife Mary Ann. Robert was recently named Coordinator of the Region XI Keeper Program.