Guns (Civilian Protection)

Guns in the philippines are on the rise with 3,900,000 civilians owning them . During my time in Manila I sure seen a few and heard more but to be honest in some areas Guns are the best way in home protection because if your house is broken into then nine times out of ten the scumbag will be carrying one ! 

The house owner across my street certainly believes in personal protection !

On arrival to the Convention center in Manila I noticed this sign

Deposit your Gun and pick it up when you leave !  

Out of interest I looked into the amount of guns on the streets and here was the statistics  :-

Estimated private gun ownership  is 4.7 firearms per 100 people.

The number of Rifles in civilian possession is reported to be 68,738

The number of Shotguns in civilian possession is reported to be 78,689

The number of Handguns in civilian possession is reported to be 325,564

In a comparison of the number of privately owned guns in 178 countries, the philippines ranked 20th

Expats can't own guns personally but your wife sure can ! . Sometimes I feel expats are just sitting ducks along with being so restricted on what we can and cant do within the Philippines !

Coconut Plantation

After a  5 minute walk from the house i discover  the coconut plantations

The Old man who was with me said they can be over 50 years old . I noticed letters carved into some of the trees , the old man told me that it means bad coconuts .

The Oldman then decided to show me how to knock down a coconut 

After 30 minutes in the plantation enduring the morning sun the  oldman took me onward to a nearby field where his brother was building his Nipa hut ....

Just another typical morning in the philippines ! 

Getting around the City

There are three cheap ways of getting around the City ...

The Pedicab 

The Trike 

The Jeepney 

The Luxury of a Aircon Jeepney !

After all these years the Jeepney's still make up the culture of the philippines! 

Pictures taken 2006 .

Waste Management

Forget putting out different bins for different things ,  these guys sort through the rubbish in the back of the truck as they drive around!

what a stinking job to endure for 8 hours a day I thought as the trucks make their way to Payatas landfill site, overlooking Quezon City.

I was warned not to walk down here as they would rob me of everything including my shoes!

Payatas is a very poor part of the capital and filled with junk shops selling the things filipinos throw in the trash !  

Years gone by

   The first time i visited the Philippines was in 2006 and i hated the place ! , Manila wasn't the type of City i wanted to spend time in and my partner was really not worth the distance or time but it's shocking how things turn't out over the years . I came back to Manila for nearly a year and really started to explore the country , people , foods and culture to a point where i thought these islands are not so bad after all .

I have spent 10 years going back and forth  to the islands and i have just enjoyed the christmas and birthday celebrations which happens to be only my second in the phillipines  

                                                December   (Sampaloc)

                                                 December (pagsanjan)

I wonder what my future will hold as i just reached 40 years old ................

The Big Mac

Comparing the BigMac

So we say food quality is low in the philippines, but they get 110% in presentation ! 

       Bought in Quezon City & a fine example! 

Bough in the UK and put together by a 5 year old it seems !