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Getting robbed by the police

6K views 40 replies 13 participants last post by  lefties43332 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi all,

I've recently moved to the Philippines and have a concern i hope you can help me with. I was a little worried hearing stories of people being robbed in jeepneys or taxis. To get around this i bought a motorbike. I have full insurance and certificates, plus my UK and international driving licence. I've been riding bikes for many years so no worries there.

On the first day (yesterday) i stopped to ask police for directions. They asked to see my licence so i handed over my international licence. Then i was told i had to give them 5,000 pesos or they would confiscate my licence and say i ran a red light. We talked them down to 2,500. About 10 mins later i got done for another 2,000 this time after paying the police i asked for a receipt. That did not go down well! They threatened to keep my money and my licence if i asked for a receipt again.

Even with my savings i can not afford to spend that kind of money on a daily basis. I've been told it's pretty common in the Philippines for westerners to be scammed by the police in this way. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? My current plan is to get a blacked out visor and clothes that cover all my skin for the sake of riding so the police don't know i'm white. I am really praying there's an alternative solution that doesn't require me sweating my <Snip> off every time i ride.

Can any help me with this one?

Thanks :)

:fingerscrossed:
 
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#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi all,

I've recently moved to the Philippines and have a concern i hope you can help me with. I was a little worried hearing stories of people being robbed in jeepneys or taxis. To get around this i bought a motorbike. I have full insurance and certificates, plus my UK and international driving licence. I've been riding bikes for many years so no worries there.

On the first day (yesterday) i stopped to ask police for directions. They asked to see my licence so i handed over my international licence. Then i was told i had to give them 5,000 pesos or they would confiscate my licence and say i ran a red light. We talked them down to 2,500. About 10 mins later i got done for another 2,000 this time after paying the police i asked for a receipt. That did not go down well! They threatened to keep my money and my licence if i asked for a receipt again.

Even with my savings i can not afford to spend that kind of money on a daily basis. I've been told it's pretty common in the Philippines for westerners to be scammed by the police in this way. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? My current plan is to get a blacked out visor and clothes that cover all my skin for the sake of riding so the police don't know i'm white. I am really praying there's an alternative solution that doesn't require me sweating my <Snip> off every time i ride.

Can any help me with this one?

Thanks :)

:fingerscrossed:
Ive never experienced that on 6 islands. Where are you? I would have gotten names.
 
#5 · (Edited)
To Drive Or Not To Drive


Single motors are singled out by the PNP and the LTO very often. They set up road blocks (check points) for hours on end in different locations.
To minimize the times you get stopped, buy and put a side-car on it. They seldom stop or bother motor trikes. Another plus with a side car is that it holds friends and family as well as groceries.

Aside from that, have a look at a post I made way back in like 2010. I'll do a cut and paste of that article below.



Best Of Luck;)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The very best advice that can be given to a foreign visitor about driving in the Philippines is don’t! Don’t even think about it. Even if you are a professional driver of 80,000 pound semi trucks with two million miles under your belt; don’t drive in the Philippines.

The right hand driving pattern is used here as it is in America and Canada etc. The road markings and highway signs are pretty much the same. And even the traffic laws are much the same as most western countries.
But that is where the similarities end.

For reasons too numerous to go into in this short post I will just say that no matter what happens; no matter who is at fault in a traffic accident here. You, as the foreigner will almost always be found in the wrong. Even if you can show proof that you were not at fault, chances are you will still be held at fault and responsible by police for repairs and medical expenses of the other party.
Sounds crazy, but their philosophy is that as a foreigner, if you were not in the country the accident would not have happened in the first place!

Having said that; it is important to also note that I have been living in the Philippines for the past seven years and breaking my own rule the entire time.
So far, I have been very lucky and have had only one minor accident in that time.

As with most other aspects of living here, vehicle repair is very low cost and good mechanics are quite easy to find.
The main problem in repair service is that there is no AAA auto club or towing services easily available if a breakdown occurs on the road.

For that reason as well as fuel economy most people drive a motor cycle or motor cycle with a sidecar attached.
On more than one occasion I have had vehicle problems when out and around and found it much easier to push my motor to a mechanic or tire repair place than to push a car or van.

As mentioned earlier, repair costs here are very affordable. This morning I took our 155cc motor cycle to our favorite repair shop for it’s normal tune up.
A tune up here includes a clutch adjustment, removal and complete breakdown and cleaning of the carburetor, removal of the engine head and adjustment and cleaning of the valves and lifters, as well as adjusting the engine timing.
The entire process took less than 30 minutes and the total cost was only $2.00us dollars with two qualified mechanics working on the bike.
Pretty good value for the money I’d say.

So for anyone visiting the Philippines or moving here as I did that is determined to drive, at least the cost of repairs will be low and usually of good quality. And with all the money you will be saving on repairs you might even have enough saved to pay damages and medical expenses as a result any accident you may have.
And be sure to always wear a helmet when driving. The police are always on the lookout for the unsuspecting foreigner that is in violation of any law they can think of.
If you are caught and fined in cash for a violation of any kind; it will give new meaning to the expression of “support your local police” as you will leave the scene knowing you have just bought the officers lunch or helped put food on the table in the home of one of his many wives he is “working” so hard to support…
 
#26 ·
Single motors are singled out by the PNP and the LTO very often. They set up road blocks (check points) for hours on end in different locations.
To minimize the times you get stopped, buy and put a side-car on it. They seldom stop or bother motor trikes. Another plus with a side car is that it holds friends and family as well as groceries.

Aside from that, have a look at a post I made way back in like 2010. I'll do a cut and paste of that article below.



Best Of Luck;)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The very best advice that can be given to a foreign visitor about driving in the Philippines is don’t! Don’t even think about it. Even if you are a professional driver of 80,000 pound semi trucks with two million miles under your belt; don’t drive in the Philippines.

The right hand driving pattern is used here as it is in America and Canada etc. The road markings and highway signs are pretty much the same. And even the traffic laws are much the same as most western countries.
But that is where the similarities end.

For reasons too numerous to go into in this short post I will just say that no matter what happens; no matter who is at fault in a traffic accident here. You, as the foreigner will almost always be found in the wrong. Even if you can show proof that you were not at fault, chances are you will still be held at fault and responsible by police for repairs and medical expenses of the other party.
Sounds crazy, but their philosophy is that as a foreigner, if you were not in the country the accident would not have happened in the first place!

Having said that; it is important to also note that I have been living in the Philippines for the past seven years and breaking my own rule the entire time.
So far, I have been very lucky and have had only one minor accident in that time.

As with most other aspects of living here, vehicle repair is very low cost and good mechanics are quite easy to find.
The main problem in repair service is that there is no AAA auto club or towing services easily available if a breakdown occurs on the road.

For that reason as well as fuel economy most people drive a motor cycle or motor cycle with a sidecar attached.
On more than one occasion I have had vehicle problems when out and around and found it much easier to push my motor to a mechanic or tire repair place than to push a car or van.

As mentioned earlier, repair costs here are very affordable. This morning I took our 155cc motor cycle to our favorite repair shop for it’s normal tune up.
A tune up here includes a clutch adjustment, removal and complete breakdown and cleaning of the carburetor, removal of the engine head and adjustment and cleaning of the valves and lifters, as well as adjusting the engine timing.
The entire process took less than 30 minutes and the total cost was only $2.00us dollars with two qualified mechanics working on the bike.
Pretty good value for the money I’d say.

So for anyone visiting the Philippines or moving here as I did that is determined to drive, at least the cost of repairs will be low and usually of good quality. And with all the money you will be saving on repairs you might even have enough saved to pay damages and medical expenses as a result any accident you may have.
And be sure to always wear a helmet when driving. The police are always on the lookout for the unsuspecting foreigner that is in violation of any law they can think of.
If you are caught and fined in cash for a violation of any kind; it will give new meaning to the expression of “support your local police” as you will leave the scene knowing you have just bought the officers lunch or helped put food on the table in the home of one of his many wives he is “working” so hard to support…
Would hiring a Filipino driver you can trust help here?
 
#15 ·
To the TS, how did you know they were Police and not just Traffic Enforcers?

It is very very rare that regular members of the Police will meddle in traffic.

Nonetheless these highway robberies must be reported and with filing of charges you must attend the hearings so that the case can come to full fruition.
 
#17 ·
You are only good for 90 days on an International driving permit. Also get a GoPro type of digital camera and mount it on your helmet so that when you are looking at them you are filming them. That way you are photographing the offending enforcer asking for a kick back. This will stop most of them when they see your camera on them. If asked why the camera, tell them that you have it for security issues should there be an accident. Also ask for a copy of their mission orders if they are LTO. There are rules that they have to follow when doing an LTO Checkpoint one of which is mission orders.
 
#18 ·
Security camera sounds like a very good plan with any vehicle. I'm with another poster who mentioned, how do you know it's the police, some of these traffic enforcer uniforms look professional and so do they but? Get the Philippine driver's license and ditch those worthless International licenses.

Motorcycles are cool and easy to get around in the municipalities but out in the heavy traffic outside cities and highways you'll be targeted all the time by law enforcement. Have you thought about purchasing a used vehicle? I paid 65,000 Peso's for my 88 Mitsubishi Lancer, it's a bomb make no mistakes, window guides worn out but so far has held up for 5 years, with such low speeds the engines and manual transmissions hold up well.
 
#21 ·
I haven't started driving here in phil but i take my gopro almost everywhere with me, i would have video'd it. Also many times they are scamming you, you just don't do what they say. They will threaten you but will end up not doing what they are saying. Don't give in to their demands. When you give in to demands your making it worse for everyone. Don't be scared of them threatening you of a small ticket, its probably just a few hundred peso fine that they don't want to give you since it will turn into a big deal. Also you should report it. The government here has and wants to crack down on police corruptions.
 
#22 ·
Drove for three years when stationed there in the 80s. Getting pulled over and paying a cop 3-5 bucks to let you go was a natural accepted occurrence. IMO it saved you a lot of hassle going along with it so it was ok by me. Much cheaper and easier than the alternatives.
 
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