Philippines as a Tourist Paradise

Thanks for the link, Jim.

I saw this bleaching start about 15 years ago and it looked bad even then

IMO, the Philippines was nice to visit as a single man with a backpack but it wears very thin with a family in tow and it is not inexpensive as it once was, making the negatives seem even bigger than before.

There's a big difference between American and British Expats. The latter tend to do their homework and settle away from volcanoes, tropical storm paths and areas of 'civil unrest' whilst the former are, shall we say, less prepared!

I don't see that, as the whole of the Philippines is a volcanic arc sandwiched between a couple of subduction zones. Palawan and Mindoro excepting. The Philippines is one of the most volatile places on the planet. And in that sense there is no status quo. Is there a typhoon free zone within the Philippines? And of the Brits I have seen and "heard" from, predominantly, they don't even consider any of those factors.

Philippines is most disaster-affected country in 2012

"The Philippines topped the list of countries with the highest mortality rate due to natural disasters in 2012.

The Citizens’ Disaster Response Center (CDRC), a non-government organization based in the Philippines, cited the records of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), which showed that 2,360 people were killed due to natural disasters in 2012. Coming in second was China with 771 deaths.

CDRC is a partner of CRED, a World Health Organization collaborating center based in Brussels, Belgium, which maintains the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database).

CRED also reported that in terms of the number of people affected by natural disasters, the Philippines came in second to China. There were 43 million people affected in China; and 12 million in the Philippines."

http://www.cdrc-phil.com/philippines-is-most-disaster-affected-country-in-2012/

In the almost seven years I've lived here I haven't felt one earthquake; I feel I am missing out somehow!!

Well one city that's not been hit by a typhoon ever is Davao and the same is true for much of central and south western Mindanao and Negros. Now I have been in a typhoon in Cebu in late 2007, but it was a very minor one and the first the city had had in around 40 years. As I was living on the 24th floor of Citylights, which is perched on the side of a mountain, I did take the management's advice and check-in to a hotel for a night but there was no damage done - in fact the windows were considerably cleaner due to the almost horizontal torrential rain! We do have a volcano, Mt Apo, but it is sufficiently far from the city and hasn't erupted since before records began. If it blows, it might block-out the afternoon sun and one mightn't want to hang out one's washing but that would be about the sum of it.

The natural disasters of which you speak are, in fact, partly because of man's greed. There has been wide scale logging which has left barren hillsides which cause landslides when it rains heavily. Logging is now completely banned and there is a tree replanting programme underway. Apart from coco-lumber, all wood is now imported from either China or Indonesia.

I do wonder about the sanity of some Expats and they are invariably either American or outback Australians who choose to live in some really rather unsavoury spots - despite regular warnings from their governments! Places like the Zamboanga peninsular (although Zamboanga City is reasonably safe most of the time), Sultan Kudurat (Ampatuan country) and Cotobato; all reactionary Muslim hot-spots. I can see the attraction of Zamboanga: as Methersgate will I'm sure confirm, it is home to some of the most beautiful women in the country, a fine blend of Spanish and Chinese.

Here is the draft tourism plan, some interesting stats: http://www.slideshare.net/janettetoral/philippines-tourism-overview-and-directions-2011-2016

The Philippines gets six or more earthquakes a day. Most you won't feel but I'd feel at least one a month.

While Mindanao has traditionally been free of typhoons because they tend to come in to the east of the Visayas and move north, last year's events suggest they may become more common.

Ah, yes, "Mount Pinatubo is long dead and if it does blow we're far enough away to avoid damage".

I don't believe in the status quo when it comes to either weather or plate tectonics or other related activity. It just doesn't happen like that. Patterns can be determined but they last as long as they last. As was said, recent typhoon trends were bucked, and a new trend is taking effect with a prevalence towards more frequent super typhoons. And we never really know when the next volcano will go off. What we can say is that in some cases the risks are high and some cases the risks are low. Is there anywhere else on the planet where the risks are so high?

And yes, that's before we start on the man made hazards, landslides etc etc.

Davao is flood prone to say the least, partly of mans making but partly natural.

Yep, part of Davao is just as a part of London is - and for very similar reasons. In fact the UK has probably seen just as many - if not more - people affected over the last 2 to 3 years due to floods than here. But the big difference between the UK and here is that the Philippines is a poor country and those who live in flood-prone areas seldom do so out of choice; so who's the idiot?

And yes, last year a typhoon did strike further south in Mindanao than is normal but I'll let you work out why Davao has never been 'hit' by a typhoon nor is ever likely to be.

It seems to me that you are far more risk-adverse than I or others here who either have made or will be making the Philippines their home. So possibly you are better off on an island (GB) whose coastline is receding daily and which, for all you know, may be little more than a sandbar in a few million years' time! Life is for living and doing, no time for contemplative navel-gazing.

Apologies, duplicate.

Yes. I have never seen the sense in living in a flood prone area and never have done. But I can see the allure of living on a picturesque river bank in the UK or a similar setting in the Philippines. But at some point, even in the short term, those rivers will indeed rise in level and/ or the sea along with it.

The problem with the Philippines is finding a spot that isnt flood prone, that isnt exposed to typhoons, that isnt next to a volcano and isnt prone to landslides. There are some better places on the planet that offers sunshine and nice beaches without the disasters attached.

Well, having taken some risks in my lifetime I realise it was out of naievity but some people never learn. Yes many in the Philippines live there without any choice. But obviously some choose to live there knowing the risks.

A perfect description of Bohol!!
Thats where I live!!

So all the impending disasters do a body swerve around Bohol? Or does Bohol get special dispensation?

Best description would in fact be a "body swerve"..
No typhoon here in 8 years Im told and that was only a signal 2..
Ive lived through some pretty nasty signal 3`s in southern Luzon so I know what they are like..
The huge and unusually powerful super typhoon that was supposed to hit us directly last year turned out to be nothing more than a breeze here where I live..
I didn't even bother getting the kite out.
I tracked it live and watched as southern Mindanao absorbed its power. Poor sods.
I also felt the Mindanao earthquake here in Bohol very slightly.. Strange experience that!

Well, I guess you are either lucky or blessed in Bohol.

If someone wanting to live here based purely on typhoons,floods or volcanoes then I would suggest Palawan as their best option.

My conclusion too. But Palawan has more to offer than a lack of natural disasters.

Well, never say never but a few million years is just too quick for a high degree of plausibility. Eventually of course it will happen but then very few areas of the land surface of the earth have never been under water at some time or other.

What is much more plausible and high risk and indeed likely is another Krakatoa style occurrence anwhere in that kneck of the woods. In which case a whole island or chunk of it would blow. You dont have to live on its slopes to be vulnerable.

"The volcanoes of the Philippines are the most deadly and costly in the world. Fatalities have been caused by 13% of the historic eruptions, most notably at Taal and Mayon, and 22% of the eruptions caused damage. Mudflows are more common in the Philippines, compared to other regions, because of heavy rains. Tsunami are more commonly associated with eruptions at the Philippines than in any other volcanic region."

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/southeast_asia/philippines/tectonics.html

I remember driving down the A1 towards Peterborough once and huge traffic jams due to a large flood somewhere.. The motorway had diversion routes that were hard to follow..Seemed very disorganised at the time.
Bloody nightmare as the A1M was four feet under water in places..