Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rapier]

Interesting...cebu and davao. i'll "bookmark" them...

I only knew 2 phillipinos well before, a couple, friends of the family. they were very friendly and kind...used to invite us round for a roast pig once a year. Probably quiet an easygoing people i guess.

I guess no foreigners teach english there- no need for it. The ones there presumably arrive with big money and set up businesses.

[justagirl]

The reason Davao and Mindinao are more devoid of Westerners is because the Islamic terrorists basically come from that part of the Philippines. It is not regarded as safe for tourists, as kidnappings and violence against Westerners is much higher than anywhere else in the Philippines.

I'm sure you might be able to visit and not have a problem, but everyone I've ever talked to, including missionaries who live in the Philippines and the taxi drivers in Manila warn against going to Mindinao (the far southern islands).

I think it was 2 years ago, now, that a man and his wife were kidnapped in Mindinao and they killed him. A lot of the insurgents and guerrilla fighters causing problems in the rest of the Philippines come from these islands as well. Just be careful, of find one of a hundred other islands to visit in the Philippines!

[Tiger Beer]

Yeah, Mindinao does have a strong reputation for islamic political groups - Abu Sayyaf and all the rest.

Strangely though, Davao is one of the most peaceful pleasant cities in all of the Philippines. Last night I went bar-hopping looking for live music all over the city - and I walked around everywhere downtown! Something I would never do in either Cebu or Manila. No problem whatsoever. The taxi drivers are extremely honest here. Apparently the mayor has a zero tolerance on crime. In the newspaper this morning, I saw some guy lost his wallet in a Videoke parlor, and he sued a woman worker in there and won the case! Taxi drivers ALWAYS use the meter here as well. Every mall and building checks your bags for bombs and all the rest. So far, really good! Its really relaxing, and the people are really pleasant.

For nightlife though, Cebu or Manila would win hands down. Davao is a larger city than Cebu, but feels extremely family-oriented. The live music clubs I went to last night were predominated by 18-22 year old locals.. not like Cebu or Manila which attracts a much older crowds going out everywhere. Then again, I don't really know any of these cities that well, its just the impression I'm getting so far. I felt like a young man when I went out in Cebu/Manila, but I feel like an old man going out in Davao.

I was a bit cautious before arriving in Mindinao as well, but my girlfriend's family is from Mindinao, and I wanted to spend Christmas there with them. Strangely, so far I've only seen about 3-4 headscarves total anywhere in this city, but I've seen about 3-4 different types of tee-shirts with an American flag on them.

Mention Mindinao anywhere else in the Philippines (Luzon or Visayas) and you get this *gasp* of air coming from the locals! Really funny. So far, Davao in particular seems quite tame and extremely family-oriented and probably one of the safest cities in all of Southeast Asia (besides Singapore).

Apparently, the muslims of Mindinao are rural folk.. and the cities are predominately christian. So inside a city its a totally different feel - at least this is my understanding.

Well, today, I'll take a bus from Davao to General Santos through the rural areas, so we'll see what happens.

Rapier - I heard of a school in Cebu that employs English teachers. Strangely they teach predominately Koreans! Pay is around $800 or so a month. The mass majority of foreigners are small business-owners though. Either diving shops or restaurants or bars or whatever else. The expat community seemed fairly large in Cebu. Marry a local and start a business. That seemed to to be the predominate theme of the Cebu expat community. Businesses don't seem to cost much either. I saw a 10-computer internet cafe for sale for US$17,000 with broadband DSL, licensed windows software and all the rest right next to a Sbarros Pizza.