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International Medical Services Safety
Your Security
At Makati Medical Center, we are concerned for both your health and safety. We urge you to consider the risks to their safety and security posed by traveling to the Philippines.
While the capital is not the world’s safest city, neither is it one of the most crime-ridden. Makati Med is particularly safe compared to other Philippine hospitals because of its long history of dealing with emergencies, and because of its location in the business district area, which is a highly secured place where most embassies and consulates can be found.
Despite the wide publicity of kidnappings by terrorists in the past, terrorist threats are confined mostly to the southern island of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. Travelers should exercise extreme caution in both central and western Mindanao as well as in the Sulu Archipelago.
Kidnap-for-ransom gangs operate in the Philippines, but they mostly victimize known Filipino-Chinese businessmen, or operate in the more far-flung areas.
The New People’s Army (NPA) operates in many rural areas of the Philippines, but it does not targeted westerners in general, and is known to limit its activities to extorting from citizens engaged in business or property management activities.
Terrorist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Jema’ah Islamiyah, and groups that have broken away from the more mainstream Moro Islamic Liberation Front or Moro National Liberation Front, have carried out bombings resulting in deaths, injuries and property damage, but most of their activities are confined to Mindanao. And even the American authorities recognize that these incidents do not appear to target Westerners or Western interests.
For the latest security information, travelers can visit the United States Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs’ web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, as well as the Worldwide Caution, can be found.
Crime
Like in many of the world’s cities, crime is a serious concern in Metro Manila. As a traveler, it would do you good to exercise good judgment and remain aware of their surroundings. Confidence games, pick pocketing, and credit card fraud are common crimes. Naturally, be wary of individuals you don’t know who attempt to befriend you, especially just after you have arrived in country. Some recent robberies and assaults involve the use of the “date rape drug” (known locally as Ativan). Since the drug is generally administered to unwitting male and female visitors through food or drink, it is best not to accept food, drink, or rides in private vehicles from strangers, even if they appear legitimate.
Taxis are a safe mode of public transportation, especially if they belong to major companies. Of course, do not enter a taxi if it has already accepted another passenger; and, request that the meter be used. If the driver is unwilling to comply with your requests, it is best to wait for another cab. Also make a mental note of the license plate number should there be a problem. When driving in the city, make certain that the doors are locked and the windows rolled up.
Be careful with using your credit card. One common form of credit card fraud involves the illicit use of an electronic device to retrieve and record information, including the PIN, from the card's magnetic strip. The information is then used to make unauthorized purchases. To limit your vulnerability to this scam, never let your card out of your sight.
If you lose something or are a victim of crime, it is generally best to approach your embassy for help, before you report it to the police. The Philippines has a victim compensation program to provide financial compensation to victims of violent or personal crime and of unjust imprisonment. Information may be obtained from the Philippine Department of Justice at +632-5360 447 or via the Internet at http://www.doj.gov.ph/.
Disaster Preparedness
The Philippines is a volcano-, typhoon- and earthquake-prone country. From May to December, typhoons and flash floods often occur. Flooding can cause road delays and cut off bridges. Typhoons in the vicinity of the Philippines can interrupt air and sea links within the country. Updated information on typhoons is available at the following web sites:
http://metocph.nmci.navy.mil
http://www.pagasa.com
http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph
Volcanic activity is frequent, and periodically the Philippine Government announces alerts for specific volcanoes. However, there are no major volcanoes close to Metro Manila.
Updated information on volcanoes in the Philippines is available at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov.
Earthquakes can also occur throughout the country. General information about natural disaster preparedness is available via the Internet from the Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) at http://ndcc.gov.ph/ndcc/ and from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at http://www.fema.gov.
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