Security Guards Philippines

Bank Security Guard Philippines

Security Guards Are Everywhere!

When I first arrived in the Philippines I departed the plane at the international airport in Manila.

A friend met me at the airport and drove me to his family home. His family served a snack and soda. We ate on their front porch. 

I asked about good low cost places to stay. They referred me to an apartelle. It was the first place I stayed in the Philippines.

After resting up after 3 flights and a total of almost 24 hours of air travel I went across the street to the local SM Mall. It was there I first began to see armed guards. They were at the entrance to the mall. 

Armed Guards At Mall Entrances

They poked a stick into the sling bag I was carrying and searched it. There were guards at the entrances to many shops and stores inside the mall. At the bank branches, drugstores. At the cinema.

During the next five years in the Philippines I have ridden jeepneys and taxis into and out of the main business districts of Manila and several other cities. I have been walking on sidewalks near banks when the armored trucks arrived. When the driver stops in front of a bank guards get out and join the two or more bank guards. They are armed with pistols, shotguns and even automatic weapons (Armalites). Guards facing all directions around the truck. Probably not a good idea to stick around when the armored car pulls up.

Gated subdivisions have guardhouses and armed guards at their entrances. I was looking for a house to purchase and visited a subdivision that had guards at the entrance and even had guard towers around the perimeter wall. I was told that several armed guards patrol the subdivision day and night.

At first it is somewhat disconcerting to see armed guards everywhere but one gets accustomed to it.

In fact I got so comfortable with living in the Philippines that eventually we rented an apartment in a subdivision which had no security other than the local police force. We never saw them in our neighborhood until once, when we had only a short time left on our lease, I called them to complain about our landlord who started remodeling while we were still living there.
It seems he had hired a couple of guys to start knocking a hole in the wall adjacent to us so that he could create an archway in order to combine our unit with the one next door. He thought one larger would bring him more money than two smaller units.  The workers accidentally knocked a hole all the way through our wall and debris fell on our sofa. Well I deemed that an invasion of privacy. 

The police jeep pulled up in front of our unit. The officer in charge got out with several of his troops formed a circle around him and me. Dressed in black uniforms they had rifles and shotguns at the ready. Apparently routine procedure in this rural area. 

Magalang City Hall

The officer advised me that, if I wanted to, I could go to the police station at the city hall and file a formal complaint and have the landlord "blottered." Which I did. Not long after the incident our lease was about to expire, and we moved out.

If you move to the Philippines, I am sure you will get used to the presence of armed guards. In fact, you may soon appreciate a feeling of security you may not have known in your own country.

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This post will be expanded. Check back for more information about uniformed and armed security guards in the Philippines. Posted December 15, 2016. Last updated June 3, 2022.

No Toilet Paper In Philippines

Toilet paper in the Philippines

No Toilet Paper in Bathrooms?

When you arrive in the Philippines one of the first things you need to buy is a roll of toilet paper. Many bathrooms in malls and public places do not provide toilet paper. Shocked? It's true.

For example, if you go into the bathrooms (comfort rooms or CRs as called by Filipinos) at SM malls there are toilets, but you will find no toilet paper or toilet seats in the stalls. However, they do sell small packets of toilet paper for around 5 pesos in vending machines on the wall as you enter the bathroom, or "comfort room (CR)" as referred to by Filipinos. But if the machine is empty, you will really be in a fix, especially if you do not speak Filipino! If you wear cargo pants flatten a roll and keep it in a leg pocket.

Ayala malls and Robinson's malls usually have paper in the stalls in CRs. But to be on the safe side be sure to always carry some with you.

I was in the habit of carrying a small sling bag in which I always carried a roll.

Take heed of this advice or you may find yourself in a difficult situation.

Oh, and always carry a small bottle of antibacterial hand wash with you. The liquid soap dispensers in SM Mall CR's are often empty. You can buy the small carry size in drugstores and grocery stores.

If you need to find a "bathroom" ask directions, ask someone, or any security guard, "where is the CR?"

Read about malls in the Philippines.

American fast food in the Philippines.

Filipino food Americans and Europeans like.

Do not eat or drink these foods or beverages.

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This article will be expanded upon. Please check back for more information about toilets and toilet paper in bathrooms  in the Philippines. This page last updated June 4, 2022.

Malls In Philippines

Robinsons Place Mall, Ermita, Malate,
Metro Manila. Click on image to enlarge.
This mall is about 5 blocks
from the new US Embassy.

Malls in the Philippines are definitely World Class!

As of now I no longer endorse any of my former food blogs.

I went Vegan in 2013.

If you want some good food delivered fast visit our online Vegan Tribe Cafe and order now.

Picture above is of Robinson's Place Mall in Malate, Metro Manila. It is within walking distance of the U.S. Embassy.
Visit Robinsons Malls web site to find locations of all Robinsons Malls in the Philippines.

Glorietta Mall in Makati, Philippines.
An Ayala Mall. Click on image to enlarge.

Go to the Ayala Malls web site.
At their site you can find locations of all Ayala Malls in the Philippines. The Ayala Land corporation also builds fabulous housing developments and condos. If you buy a residence in an Ayala development I believe it will be very well maintained, based on what I have seen in my travels.

 

Panoramic view of SM Mall of Asia.
Click on image to enlarge.

Go to the SM Supermalls web site to find locations of all their malls.

We visited SM City Clark Mall in Angeles City in 2018.

Malls in the Philippines are usually crowded in the afternoons and evenings. And I mean crowded!
The outdoor air temperature is usually quite hot so malls are great places to cool off. Good places to grab a bite to eat. Meet the locals and shop.

Malls always have armed security guards at each entrance and inside the malls. In many malls there are armed guards at the doors of many of the stores inside the mall. Don't be alarmed, in 5 years visiting malls I have never seen an incident.

In these malls you will find most of the restaurants listed in my article about American restaurants in the Philippines. At these places you may enjoy cheap dining in the Philippines.

See my tips about foods to avoid in the Philippines.

There is a jeepney station across from Marquee Mall in Angeles City. From there you may travel to many spots in Angeles City. There are also stretch multi cabs which travel from Marquee Mall to SM City Clark and to SM City San Fernando. The trip between Marquee Mall and SM City Mall in San Fernando is in the larger, more comfortable vehicles will use the NLEX highway and will take about 20 minutes. The fare is a little higher than jeepney fares, but well worth it.

Discount Clothing in Divisoria and Baclaran, Metro Manila

If you are looking for extreme bargains on clothing for men or women there is a place called Divisoria where there are many deep discount clothing stores selling good quality clothing not just cheap clothing. This is where many merchants buy stock for their stores. The public is welcome to shop here. Just beware of pick pockets, purse snatchers and  other unsavory characters. For safety it is best to go there with a Filipino friend who is familiar with the area. Dress down and keep a low profile. Wear no jewelry or fancy clothes or watches. I once made the mistake of negotiating for a pair of jeans. I paid 500 Pesos, and my wife told me she could have got them for 200 Pesos! So, from then on we used the following method to shop outside of malls. To get the lowest possible prices let your Filipino friend do the shopping and negotiating. Best if you wander by yourself at a distance from your friend and have a prearranged signal to let them know which items you like. Then they can go buy the items you have selected while you stay away from them. Be sure the vendors do not discover that you are together!

Use this handy map and directions to get to Divisoria.

Do not make friends with people who approach you or greet you on the streets or anywhere. Likely conversation, "Hello sir, where are you from?" "I am from USA." "Oh, I have been there" or "My uncle lives in......"  It is best not to carry on such conversations.

Another place to shop for discount clothing is an area called Baclaran. It is in Paranaque, Manila.

At Baclaran you can find a huge selection of childrens' and adult clothing and many goods featured in shopping malls but at bargain basement prices. Huge savings! Here is another map and pictures of some products for sale at Baclaran.

If you ask locals you will also discover which malls permit vendors to set up inside the malls. There you can also find some very good values. For example there are vendors inside Greenhills Shopping Center located in San Juan, Metro Manila and Robinson's Mall in Ermita, Malate, Metro Manila (see picture above). Some other cheap malls in the Manila area are Metro Point Mall on Taft Avenue in Pasay in Metro Manila and the 168 Shopping Mall.

Armed Security Guards check bags
at most malls we have visited.
We always feel safe in the malls.
 We have never seen an incident in a mall.

Probably the safest places in the Philippines are the world class shopping malls. There are armed guards at all entrances. They search inside all handbags, backpacks, sling bags, all other bags and even sealed boxes shoppers bring into the malls. They even do a quick pat down at the waist checking for weapons (as seen in the picture).  I'm sure they also are experts at profiling.

Inside the malls many merchants have uniformed guards at their entrances. 

Considering Buying or Selling real estate in the USA or Internationally?

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This article will be expanded upon. Please check back to read more about shopping malls and discount shopping in the Philippines. This article last updated March 30, 2024.