Philippines safety in Dumaguete?

[Land Fish]

I don't see Dumaguete being named specifically in the recent monthly alert (about kidnapping. work stuff).

However, Abu Sayyaf group is the one to watch out for. Especially if you are caucasian. More countries are adopting this "no negotiation with terrorists" approach, not my place to comment the pro & cons. I've heard a case that a victim happened to have K&R insurance and the insurer managed to negotiate a deal & get the ransom ready, only to be stopped at the last minute by the victim's government. A few days after the deal collapsed, he made the international headline by becoming yet another hostage being killed by Abu Sayyaf.

 

[stgcph]

I recently returned from a 25-days solo-trip in the Philippines staying in Sipalay/Sugar Beach, Dauin/Dumaguete and Siquijor/San Juan. I went by car all the way along the west coast of Negros from Bacolod to Dauin and I also drove on motorcycle all the way around Siquijor. I stopped in small towns for coffee and lunch and talked to the locals, I walked around in Dumaguete including the big Public Market (worth a visit), and I felt completely safe.

Of course, as someone pointed out, everything is fine until it’s not, but I guess that these days it’s hard to find a destination where there is not some degree of risk. Even in my peaceful hometown of Copenhagen, people get killed in terrorist attacks.

That’s not to say that you should not consider safety issues and make decisions based on your personal “risk profile”.

 

[cephalopod2]

Recent article on Abu Sayyaf incident in Bohol posted here New risk level ?

 

[Coral Dive & Adventure]

Concern at this time is understandable and is shared by all including those operations located in areas of concern.
We have dive shops in both Zamboanguita and Dauin (close by to Dumaguete) and as such have been monitoring developments very closely.

The threat that is prevailing at the moment is applied to the entire Central Visaya's Region, in which which Bohol, Cebu and others are located, including where we are.

Prior to the Bohol incident occurring, there had been (as others have pointed out) warnings issued. These warnings are occasionally issued either through foreign embassies or from the Philippines authorities. The threat is still present in the region, particularly as the Easter holiday period is upon us.

As rightly pointed out, the risk levels globally could be considered to be elevated and as with anywhere, security awareness and a common-sense approach to your activity is urged.

For those considering heading over to the region, it would not hurt to contact resorts or dive operations just to gauge your perception of their own security awareness prior to travel. To put things into perspective, I personally have a strong security background that has led me to assess security locally in terms of the resorts where we operate, and in building relationships with third-parties (military and police). After conducting a review, suggestions to enhancing resort security capability were taken on-board, including an increased visible security presence and additional procedures.

The local security forces have been incredibly pro-active in their stance, visiting resorts to gauge current security measures and are keen to re-assure tourists that their safety is uppermost in their priority list.

Anyone is free to message us direct with any questions.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I thought I'd read somewhere that Abu-Sayef has been killed?

 

[docmartin]

It's a group, not a person.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Yes, sorry, I knew that, just screwed up in the post. Thanks though.