Quote:
Originally Posted by SCGamblers
Definitely sounds like a pain when searching for help, needle in a haystack kind of thing. Its seems like there is mixed responses on the level of security. YoYo I understand you enjoy the confines of your apt., so it is probably pointless for you, but for those who plan on spending more time away from the house, what is your opinion on having a bodyguard. While I am not going to put myself out there, my guess is that it would be quite obvious to the locals despite your car that you have money and will be at a higher risk of any kind of scam. I guess what I am trying to say is would having the extra help like one or two bodygaurds would reduce any attempts of potential scams just with their presence alone? I know it may sound that I go out looking for trouble with the hole BG talk but it is quite the opposite, I just like being cautious I guess...
I go lots of places, you don't need a bodyguard. In most cases the only scam you will run into is people trying to overcharge you for stuff that you're actually willing to buy. As long as you don't take some random stranger's offer to be your tour guide, or park in a seedy place like Tondo with a brand new car at night, you should be fine. Regarding scams, if you are somewhat careful they are really not that big a deal. I can list a few of the biggest scams I've encountered here in my 6 months here, so that you can see how they're not that big a deal and don't warrant having a bodyguard. All other scams I have encountered have been significantly smaller in terms of the amounts than this, and for 6 months these being the largest scams I've encountered are really not that big a deal or worthy of a bodyguard.
-I hired a driver for the day to go to Tagaytay. We agreed on 3000 pesos for the day, a rate which is a bit more than it should be but not a huge ripoff. We did a 10 min detour to Talisay, and once we got there he told us the detour would cost an extra 1k pesos (about $20). I didn't end up giving it to him but did end up cutting the day short.
-In Talisay, we took a boat to the Taal volcano at an agreed upon price. Once we were there we realized he had taken us to a compound where the only way to exit was by horse, instead of by foot as they had promised us. I think they were asking something like 1500 per person per horse, and as we hadn't brought enough cash we didn't do the whole Taal volcano tour and just wound up taking the boat back to Talisay.
-I went to a strip club on Roxas boulevard and instead of telling us there was a cover charge when we entered, it showed up on our bill at the very end, for php 300 a person. However, we encountered another group of tourists who had the same cover charge but at 1k/person.
-A "valet" who I see all the time tried to put me in an unlicensed beaten up taxi for 400 php when the normal rate is 100 php
-I met a girl from an online dating site thinking we could have a good time. I knew there was a risk but i bought her a ticket from the provinces and sent her about 1k. Due to plausible circumstances she lost the money so I just had the ticket refunded and didn't end up having a good time.