Tawi, Harry, Peter, Stewart, Andy and any others that have been to Mindanao

[Ako Si Jamie]

What's the situation with travel insurance in Mindanao?

Are there any companies that will insure an individual especially in light of recent events?

[Harry T]

I think Simon always reckons Back packer insurance is the one to go for, Im sure any Insurance company would ask about Mindanao specifically if they had concerns, personally i wouldnt bring it to there attention.

[SimonH]

Back Packers if you're out of the country for a period of more than 90 consecutive days. As with all insurances you only get what you pay for, and you never know how good or bad your policy is until you may need to claim. It's one thing I will not try and scrimp on to save a few quid.

[Tawi2]

I have got a bit of free time at the moment,i was just contemplating going to toril :biggrin: As simon said NEVER scrimp on insurance though if it hits the fan and you have to claim on something in Mindanao your company might not pay out,there hasn't been a murder in toril for a couple of weeks to my knowledge,but theres a reason the army have that roadblock just outside town :icon_lol:

[Tawi2]

I took these pics years ago,when I used to kick about in dark corners,big military presence in some parts of Mindanao,even nowadays,if you stay in Davao your unlikely to encounter them however,but you never know.

[Tawi2]

Here you are mate,high risk insurance,they do mention the Philippines,they do kidnap insurance and suchlike,give them a bell,better safe than sorry eh :cwm25:
http://www.versatileinsurance.co.uk/high-risk-travel-insurance.php

[Ako Si Jamie]

Here you are mate,high risk insurance,they do mention the Philippines,they do kidnap insurance and suchlike,give them a bell,better safe than sorry eh :cwm25:
http://www.versatileinsurance.co.uk/high-risk-travel-insurance.php

It's actually for someone else but it'll come in to play as on option for me when I go. Not sure when that'll be as my Pinay will be re-locating due to a work transfer so I doubt I'll be visiting Toril. Instead, I'll more likely be heading to Manny P's old stomping ground - known as Dadiangas in old money. :wink: Can't go this side of October so it'll either be autumn or early '18.

[Tawi2]

Yeah,dont really like gensan its got nothing on Davao,i actually know a brit who opened a business there,lasted maybe 6 months then relocated to Davao as I told him he should originally :smile:

[Ako Si Jamie]

Is it a bit iffy going west of GenSan? Kiamba and Lake Sebu etc.

[Tawi2]

Lake sebu is quite nice,havent been to kiamba for years,couple of nice beaches but that's it,iffy is subjective,wrong time wrong place can happen anywhere,the german guy beheaded recently for example,wrong time wrong place.Years ago I climbed Mt Bongao,passed a group of guys when I was going up,when I came down I heard rumours that one of the younger guys had been chatting crap about kidnapping the puti,not serious talk just crap,but you just never know,had a few incidents in the Philippines,like I said you pays your money you takes your chance,just because one person comes away unscathed from a dodgy area doesn't mean the next fella will be so fortunate.When I lived in Davao I would have laughed at the suggestion that kidnappers would come all the way to samal to snatch westerners,but as we know it happened,unstable volatile regions like Mindanao,and whatever anyone says I now know it is a bit iffy,doesnt bother me but I still admit its got its dodgy areas.When I first came on this forum I used to say Mindanao is ok,its fine,loads of people mostly those who hadn't even been there at the time said its dodgy,but I was just going off personal experiences,not hearsay,if I had been kidnapped it would have been different :icon_lol:

[Harry T]

Yeah on my 1st visit to Phills which was back in early 2013, lots of people advised me against going to Mindanao which at that time didnt bother me, bcuz while it was on my to do list, it wasnt planned at that time, the thing about it was that these people had never been to Mindanao so were basing there opinions on hear say.
My second visit i spent in total about 10 weeks on Mindanao, and Samal Island only a few months after the Kidnappings in total i was 5 weeks on Samal never any hint of trouble there. I spent lots of time on the eastern side of Mindanao, Trento, Bislig, San Frans lots of very attractive young ladies around there :smile: and some stupid bloke who fined me for smoking behind the Bus Terminal :icon_sorry:, i noticed lots of NPA signs around and about in Agusan Del Sur, but for me nothing to worry about. earlier this year i spent lots of time around Maramag, Valencia, Malabalay, this is in the centre of Mindanao, and a few times i went up to CDO, and down to Davao again nowt to worry about very little sign of anything untoward. Personally i dont mind Mindanao very friendly people wherever i went, and as anywhere in Phills be prepared to deal whenever you buy anything :biggrin: very rare that i pay whatever Im asked for, mind i still get ripped off on occasions but hey that happens to us all, if we stay there long enough :biggrin:.

[Ako Si Jamie]

Yeah on my 1st visit to Phills which was back in early 2013, lots of people advised me against going to Mindanao which at that time didnt bother me, bcuz while it was on my to do list, it wasnt planned at that time, the thing about it was that these people had never been to Mindanao so were basing there opinions on hear say.
My second visit i spent in total about 10 weeks on Mindanao, and Samal Island only a few months after the Kidnappings in total i was 5 weeks on Samal never any hint of trouble there. I spent lots of time on the eastern side of Mindanao, Trento, Bislig, San Frans lots of very attractive young ladies around there :smile: and some stupid bloke who fined me for smoking behind the Bus Terminal :icon_sorry:, i noticed lots of NPA signs around and about in Agusan Del Sur, but for me nothing to worry about. earlier this year i spent lots of time around Maramag, Valencia, Malabalay, this is in the centre of Mindanao, and a few times i went up to CDO, and down to Davao again nowt to worry about very little sign of anything untoward. Personally i dont mind Mindanao very friendly people wherever i went, and as anywhere in Phills be prepared to deal whenever you buy anything :biggrin: very rare that i pay whatever Im asked for, mind i still get ripped off on occasions but hey that happens to us all, if we stay there long enough :biggrin:.

I've never had any reservations about going to Mindanao so long as it wasn't in the western area's, notably the Muslim provinces. I'm bemused to how nonchalant Tawi is when he visits these parts. Perhaps he's some kind of superhero. Maybe he's James Bond what with all the countries he's been to and all those ladies he meets! :icon_lol:

[Tawi2]

I was never nonchalant mate,i am just a little more confident in certain situations and clued up than most guys who get into middle age and go to pinas after meeting a woman online,i was doing strange things in strange countries before most of them had even heard of the Philippines :smile: as for ladies,i don't need to meet any nowadays,but even if I did,and looking like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards normally its not difficult,whats taken the time was finding the right one,you have to sift a lot of gravel to find a diamond :wink: I have been to the west of Mindanao,maguindanao,ipil,zambo etc,there used to be a forum member on here,kermit,he lived in zambo,it is what it is,i would have no reservations nowadays about going back there,i was last there around 5 years back?But you always keep an eye on the threat level in different parts of the world,when I was in Peshawar for example,thats one area I would be very,very wary about going back to,even back then it was dangerous,nowadays for me to walk such streets would be verging on suicidal :icon_lol: