Security Briefing: Security Assessment

Normal Travel Precautions

Elevated Risk

High Risk

In most of the Philippines, street crime is the most significant security threat foreign nationals are likely to face. The threat is particularly high in Manila and other urban areas. Foreign nationals are often targeted for pickpocketing, bag snatching, and Internet and other scams. You can reduce your risk of becoming a victim by being mindful of potential threats, paying attention to your surroundings, and exercising caution.

Western governments warn that road travel in the Philippines can be unsafe. They urge their citizens to avoid travel off the national highways and paved roads, especially at night. Ferries are often overloaded or poorly maintained; they should only be used if alternative forms of travel are unavailable.

High-Risk Regions

The Philippines receives elevated security risk ratings because of the violence associated with long-running insurgencies in the Mindanao island group. Western governments recommend that their citizens defer all travel to central and western Mindanao, including the Zamboanga Peninsula and Sulu Archipelago, where foreigners are frequent targets of kidnapping and terrorist violence. Eastern Mindanao suffers from high levels of violent crime, and governments urge their citizens to reconsider all unessential travel there.

Primary Sources: The US Department of State's "International Travel" website (travel.state.gov/travel/), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's "Smartraveller" website (www.smartraveller.gov.au), and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office's "Foreign Travel Advice" website (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/)