Safety...

I had a friend who works for a NGO. He was posted to CDO but families are not allowed there for safety reasons so they stayed in Manila. He lived in a compound during the week and travelled with bodyguards. There is a threat of kidnappings but may be overblown. Just watch your surroundings. That being said, Mindanao is going through some rough patches. Less to do about religion and more so about land ownership

For whatever it's worth Smiley, I have traveled a bit in Northern and Southern Mindanao and did some research about safety prior to going of course. Most areas are relatively safe...there are exceptions of course. I have heard nothing remarkable about CDO frankly.
I have to say, that prior to my travels in the Philippines it seemed every Filipina and many Pinoy I met here in California were paranoid about safety and always seemed to hype up the potential danger.
Try going to a variety of blogs and ask other foreigners about their experience.
Have fun and good luck.

Thanks Jim... That's what I figured. My wife is 7 months pregnant and I just wanted it safe for both of them.... Good luck to all you expats.... Smiley

smiley5 wrote:

Thanks Jim... That's what I figured. My wife is 7 months pregnant and I just wanted it safe for both of them.... Good luck to all you expats.... Smiley

i sent you private message.

Hi John, I have been living here in CDO since 2009. I have never had any problems. I feel safe and move about freely. There was a terrorist attack by one of the malls here a couple of months ago. I bomb was exploded in one of the restaurants and 3 or 4 people were killed. No expats were involved. The Filipinos here are always concerned about safety. Those kind of things happen all over the world no place is 100% safe. Hope everything is ok with you and your wife good luck and I believe you will enjoy it here. There is a lot to do here and a lot of building going on, new stores and hotels.