The bags the guards did check were not thoroughly searched. I could have had wads of C4 taped to my legs and they'd never have known it. We found out later this was the same mall where someone had been killed by a bomb only days earlier. We were already here, so we decided to make the best of it. Our next adventure was the taxi ride to our first meeting.
Manila is rife with beat-up vehicles that somehow pass for taxis.
Unfortunately, we managed to flag down one such pail outside the hotel. The driver was clueless. We had to explain several times where we wanted to go, but his English was practically non-existent. A hotel security guard helped explain our destination, and we were off. This was a ride to remember.