From: 76702.1202@CompuServe.COM (Charlie Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: *NEW* TRAVEL INFORMATION -- Philippines
Date: 17 Nov 1992 12:37:50 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL INFORMATION - Philippines
============================================================
Philippines - Consular Information Sheet
 November 13, 1992

Embassy and Consulate Locations:  The U.S. Embassy in Manila is 
located at 1201 Roxas Boulevard - telephone: (63-2) 521-7116.  The 
U.S. Consulate is located in Cebu on the 3rd Floor, PCI Bank, 
Gorordo Avenue, Lahug - telephone: (63-32) 311-261.

Country Description:  The Philippines is a developing democratic 
republic.  Tourist facilities are available within the population 
centers and main tourist sites.

Entry Requirements:  Passports and onward/return tickets are 
required for entry through the international airports in Manila or 
Cebu.  A visa is not required for transit/tourist stays of up to 21 
days.  Further information concerning specific requirements is 
available through the Embassy of the Philippines, 1671 Massachusetts 
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 - telephone: (202) 483-1533, or 
the consulates general in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, 
Chicago, New York, Houston, or Seattle.

Areas of Instability:  In Northern Luzon, the presence of NPA 
guerillas and armed bandits makes travel in the provinces of Abra, 
Aurora, Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga-Apayao and Mountain Province 
(including Sagada and Bontoc) potentially dangerous.

NPA units are also active in Southern Luzon and travel is 
potentially dangerous in Quezon province, and the Bicol region, 
except Catanduanes.

In the Visayas regions, travel in rural areas of Panay Island is 
not safe.  In urban and tourist areas (including Boracay), 
continuing criminal activities are a threat after dark.  Ongoing 
criminal and insurgent activity make travel to Samar Island and the 
interior mountainous regions of Negros Island dangerous at any time.

In the Mindanao Regions, continuing crime and insurgency problems 
make travel to and within the Autonomous regions of Muslim Mindanao 
(Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi provinces), as well 
as the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Basilan, and Surigao del Sur, 
dangerous at any time.  Two U.S. citizen missionary teachers were 
kidnapped and held for ten days while touring in Sulu Province in 
March 1992, and an American religious worker was kidnapped on 
Basilan Island in October 1992.

Security Threats:  There are continuing security threats to U.S. 
citizens in the Philippines.  However, short-term tourists and 
business visitors to the Philippines, especially those who remain in 
major urban areas or tourist sites, face substantially less risk 
from politically-motivated terrorism than do long-term residents or 
U.S. officials.  Those who are considered to be at greatest risk 
include U.S. government employees, active duty and retired military 
personnel; and resident Americans associated with organizations 
identified with the U.S. have been murdered by elements of the NPA.  
An American businessman, a long-time resident in the Philippines, 
was kidnapped in January 1992 and held for two months until released 
through police action.

Medical Facilities:  Adequate medical care is available in major 
cities, but is limited in more remote areas.  Doctors and hospitals 
often expect immediate cash payment for health care services.  U.S. 
medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States.  In 
some cases, supplemental medical insurance with specific overseas 
coverage has proved useful whenever insurance claims are made.  The 
international travelers hotline at the Centers for Disease Control 
at (404) 332-4559 has additional useful health information.

Information on Crime:  Crime is of serious concern in the 
Philippines.  Homicides, kidnapping, other crimes of violence, 
con-games, pickpocketing and credit card theft are common.  Foreign 
tourists are often victims of petty crimes.  Travel by public 
conveyance as well as private vehicles may be risky.  Travel off the 
national highways and paved roads, especially at night, is 
particularly dangerous.  Useful information on guarding valuables 
and protecting personal security while traveling abroad is provided 
in the Department of State pamphlet, "A Safe Trip Abroad".  It is 
available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government 
printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

Drug Penalties:  Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in 
illegal drugs are strict, and convicted offenders can expect jail 
sentences and fines.

Volcano Eruptions:  The June 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo 
deposited large amounts of volcanic ash in a wide area around the 
volcano (located sixty miles northwest of Manila).  The principal 
danger now comes from "lahars", or mudflows, which can inundate 
low-lying areas and wash away bridges.  These conditions will 
persist for several years, especially during the rainy season (May 
to November).

Registration:  U.S. citizens living in or visiting the Philippines 
can register with the U.S. Embassy in Manila or the U.S. Consulate 
in Cebu and obtain updated data on travel and security in the area.  
Information for Americans contemplating road travel within the 
Philippines is also available at the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate. 
 A recorded message of the U.S. Embassy's latest travel information 
may be heard by telephoning (63-2) 521-9261.

 No. 92-110

Newsgroups: rec.travel