Philippines 2020 Crime & Safety Report This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in the Philippines. For more in-depth information, review OSAC’s Philippines page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private- sector representatives with an OSAC password. Travel Advisory The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses most of the Philippines at Level 2, indicating travelers should exercise increased caution. Do not travel to the Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, or to Marawi City in Mindanao. Reconsider travel to other areas of Mindanao due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. Review OSAC’s report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Overall Crime and Safety Situation Crime Threats The U.S. Department of State has assessed Manila as being a MEDIUM-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Crimes of opportunity, including some violent crime, occur in Manila and other large cities. Crime continues to remain a significant concern in urban areas of the Philippines. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, theft, physical assault, and robbery were among the most common crimes reported to local authorities in 2019. Other common crimes included pickpocketing, confidence schemes, and credit card fraud. Carjacking, robberies, and violent assaults also occurred throughout the country. Review OSAC’s report, All That You Should Leave Behind. PNP reported that crime decreased from 2018 to 2019 according to statistics of index and non-index crimes. This includes crimes against person, such as physical injuries and sexual assault. Victims have reported robberies committed by taxi drivers and/or individuals using stolen taxicabs. Reports of crime associated with other ride-sharing services are relatively uncommon. There have been reports of credit card and ATM fraud. Use credit cards only at major retail facilities and banks. Always check bills or statements for suspicious charges. Review OSAC’s reports, The Overseas Traveler’s Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud and Taking Credit. Areas of Concern U.S. government employees must seek authorization for travel to Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago, the Sulu Sea, and southern Palawan. Martial law in Mindanao expired at the end of 2019, but Proclamation No. 55 (the State of Emergency) remains in effect. 1 Transportation-Safety Situation Road Safety and Road Conditions In most urban areas, traffic is dense, chaotic, and unpredictable. The road system is frequently congested, and drivers are often undisciplined. Be extra vigilant when crossing the street; do not expect vehicles to yield or stop. Drivers regularly fail to yield to emergency vehicles and do not adhere to general rules of the road. These combined factors can impede the ability of emergency vehicles to reach the scene of an accident in a timely fashion. Avoid driving off the national highways and paved roads, which can be particularly dangerous, especially at night. Review OSAC’s reports, Road Safety Abroad, Driving Overseas: Best Practices, and Evasive Driving Techniques; and read the State Department’s webpage on driving and road safety abroad. Public Transportation Conditions The safest way to travel using taxis is to ask a hotel, restaurant, or business establishment to call a reliable taxi service. Most taxi services (especially metered taxis and similar car services) remain safe and reliable. Always use extra caution when hailing taxis on the street. Consider texting/calling a friend or local contact to provide the number/name of the vehicle/driver upon entering the taxi. Do not share taxis with strangers. Before getting into any taxi, always check to see if the fare meter is functioning. If the taxi does not have a functioning meter, or if the driver refuses to use the meter, do not use that taxi. The availability and use of ride-sharing services in metro Manila has increased significantly. These services have generally proven to be very efficient and convenient. Exercise caution while traveling by inter-island ferry. Avoid overcrowded or unsafe transportation, especially during storms. Accidents involving ferries are relatively frequent, and often result in serious injury or death to passengers. Review OSAC’s report, Security In Transit: Airplanes, Public Transport, and Overnights. Aviation/Airport Conditions On August 8, 2019, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded the Public Notice regarding security conditions at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in Manila. Per the DHS announcement, the Government of the Philippines has made significant improvements to the security operations of MNL. Terrorism Threat Local, Regional, and International Terrorism Threats/Concerns The U.S. Department of State has assessed Manila as being a HIGH-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Terrorist violence continues to affect primarily the Mindanao region, in the country’s south. Notable groups include the New People’s Army (NPA), the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Elements within the two main insurgent groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), continue to pose a security threat. A splinter group of the MILF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), has been responsible for several attacks. Some groups have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al- 2 Sham (ISIS). Terrorist and armed groups continue to conduct kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks targeting foreigners, civilians, local government institutions, and security forces. Certain areas, including Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago, and the Sulu Sea represent a higher security risk. Terrorists and armed groups may conduct attacks with little or no warning. Past targets have included tourist locations, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. The Cotabato City area, as well as the Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces remain in a state of emergency and continue to see a greater police presence. U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel to Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, and thus have limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in those areas. For more than a decade, terrorists, insurgents, and criminal actors have carried out major attacks against civilians. Most of these have occurred in southern and western Mindanao and on the islands of Basilan and Sulu. Some notable recent attacks include: In July 2018, suspected Abu Sayyaf militants killed 11 people when a van with an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded at a military checkpoint in Lamitan. In August 2018, BIFF militants killed three people and wounded 36 during the 60th anniversary of Hamungaya Festival in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. In September 2018, an explosion in Isulan killed two people and injured 14. In December 2018, a bomb exploded outside a shopping mall in Cotabato, killing two people and wounding 35. Authorities deactivated another suspected IED found in a subsequent search of the area. In January 2019, bombings at the Jolo Cathedral resulted in 20 fatalities and 82 injuries. The Indonesian group, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) claimed the attack together with ASG. In April 2019, a restaurant bombing in Isulan in the province of Sultan Kudarat resulted in five injuries. In June 2019, two suspected ASG suicide bombers struck a military base in Jolo, Sulu. In September 2019, an IED explosion in the motorcycle parking area near a bakery in Isulan injured seven. In September 2019, a suspected ASG suicide bomber attacked a military checkpoint in Sulu. Apart from the suicide bomber, there were no reported injuries. Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment Small-scale, anti-U.S. demonstrations are common in front of and nearby the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Various groups organize the demonstrations are, including Filipino college students, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and various labor/socialist organizations. Many of these demonstrations contain an element of anti-U.S. sentiment. PNP officers intercept most of the protest groups. The demonstrations typically attract fewer than 200 people. Injuries are rare, though demonstrators have assaulted the police and defaced the walls and the main gate of the Embassy. Review OSAC’s report, Surviving a Protest. 3 Political, Economic, Religious, and Ethnic Violence The U.S. Department of State has assessed Manila as being a HIGH-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. While political violence is present throughout the country, it is more intense in Mindanao. Political and clan violence may occur in many areas of the country. Historically, elections have led to acts of violence targeting candidates throughout the country and incidents of unrest have typically not resulted in widespread civil disturbances or large-scale partisan clashes. There are no scheduled elections for 2020. Religious-based violence (fundamentalist terrorism) mainly, but not exclusively, occurs in the south. Ethnic violence is also present throughout the country, but