Security

The island of Luzon, at least, was home to a Muslim kingdom when the Spanish decided to invade and take over in the 1500's. This means that there are some security concerns here that are more pressing than in some other places.  When we flew from Manila to Bacolod, on the island of Negros, there were no unusual security precautions above what you experience in any U.S. airport.  However when we took the Super Ferry from Bacolod to Manila, there was a LOT more security.  All carry on luggage was screened the way it is in U.S. airports. Then, we were searched with a hand held metal detector.  My Swiss Army Knife was packaged up and I got a receipt to get it back after we reached Manila.  After that, we went into a holding area in small groups, and our carry on baggage was checked twice by dogs.  When the dogs were done, that group was allowed to board. This is pretty time consuming, considering there were over 1,600 passengers on the ferry.  I'm not sure what kind of screening they did on checked bags, but ours were waiting outside our cabin door with a big chalk "X" on each one.  There were also about half a dozen armed military personnel who came aboard after all the passengers. I'm not sure what branch they were from or why they are aboard.  It is a little unsettling to see people in camo uniforms carrying automatic weapons in a civilian setting, but this is commonplace in the Philippines. Most big businesses and banks have an armed guard who sits in front of the building when the store or office is closed.  They are all armed with an automatic shotgun in addition to a hand gun.  Sometimes, I'm reminded of Barney Fife's one bullet in his shirt pocket because often, the weapons are handed off from one shift to the next.  I have not ever seen anything to make me concerned about my safety, but the tank-like armored cars and all the armed security people are not cheap, so there must be a need.  I did hear on the news about an attempted bank robbery where a gang of five came in with guns blazing, so there seems to be good reason for the extensive precautions.