Philippine military personnel carry a coffin bearing one of the 19 soldiers killed in an ambush by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels on October 19, shortly after arriving at a military base in Manila on October 21, 2011. (TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images)
A Philippine military spokesman said last week the armed forces were gaining a "foothold" after a month-old war in Marawi city. That's in the southland where Muslim militants have been violently agitating for more than 50 years for a measure of autonomy in the majority Catholic nation. But now Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte concedes the fighting might last a while. The four-year-old Maute Group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and is described locally as a terrorist organization, is still hiding armed militants in the city, government officials suspect.
The country's most dangerous spots, most of which are to be avoided if possible, are:
1. Marawi: Reports from the front lines explain why to avoid this hilly, lakeside city. Troops that opened fire in this spot on Mindanao island May 23 have killed at least 275 militants. More than 60 troops have also died and most of the city’s 200,000 inhabitants have fled. Much of the city's commercial district is rubble now, leaving few places to live for locals or otherwise. Marawi isn’t the only place where a traveler might get injured or killed. Four other spots in the Philippines could bring the same fate. They are:
MARAWI CITY, PHILIPPINES - JUNE 03: Residents who escaped from the inner city being sieged by militants are transported to safer grounds, on June 3, 2017 in Marawi City, southern Philippines. (Photo by Jes Aznar/Getty Images)
2. Jolo province: This island in the Sulu Sea berths Abu Sayyaf, a group of Muslim rebels known for kidnapping tourists for ransom. The 400-strong group uses Jolo as a base because local officials and the public cooperate with the kidnappings in exchange for cuts of the ransom, scholars say. Access to the sea allows speedboats to get away fast with victims, says Eduardo Araral, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s public policy school. Like a lot of tourists, these two travel writers went with 14 escorts from the Marines when visiting the safest of Jolo’s 19 municipalities.
3. Basilan province: Abu Sayyaf uses this island near Jolo for some of what the government calls “lairs.” In 2001, five hostages including two Americans died in one of the country’s worst Abu Sayyaf incidents. Enough of the group’s followers hang out in Basilan that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has directed much of his firepower there, killing two as recently as last month. The provincial seat Isabela is regarded as passably safe but little else is, Philippine travel writers say. A lot of tourists visit the province only with security personnel.
Filipino Muslims participate in morning prayers as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Grand Mosque in the Philippine city of Cotabato (MARK NAVALES/AFP/Getty Images)
4. Cotabato province: This tract of Mindanao, where Muslims have fought for decades to get autonomy and resources, doesn’t constantly generate violence. Its chief rebel group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed a peace deal with the government in 2014 and the two sides are working now toward an autonomy-sharing deal. But sometimes things still go wrong. In 2015, 43 commandos died in an unexpected fight with the liberation front. Last week an armed breakaway group called the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters laid siege to a community and provoked a gunfight with local guards. A civilian could easily get caught in the crossfire.
5. Metro Manila. Outside western Mindanao and the Sulu Sea provinces, most of the Philippines is relatively safe. But as in lots of countries, parts of the capital Manila and adjacent Quezon City show up on some Asia-wide lists of the most dangerous cities. A lot of the 12.8-million population metro area is safe, too, and crime reports in Quezon City declined from 2014 to 2015. But travelers can still get mixed up in bar fights and kidnappings. The wise caution against exploring dark alleys or flashing valuables.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2017/06/28/5-danger-spots-to-avoid-in-the-philippines/#348783a15dcd
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