Actually there seems to be a gap between the advice you get from your government and what the locals tell you. Still you need to be aware of some things that western media ignore.... I also encountered a Filipina from the Zamboanga peninsula, on the western part of Mindanao, she was from a small town named Ipil (on the coast). She told me if I wanted some info about Ipil I just needed to look up in the Net, which I did. And I was a bit surprised to find out that in 1992 Ipil had been attacked from the sea by a gang of terrorists who razed the city center and killes 72 people.
The next day on the phone of course I asked her about it.
- You knew about the terrorist attack in 1992?
- Oh yes, I was there.
- What do you mean?
- I was home and saw these men walking on the street in front of the house.
- And what if they had come in and shot everyone?
- Oh no, we had locked up the gate.
- .........
what could I answer to that???? At least I am glad to know that in some parts of the world terrorists respect private property!!!!
