PNP/Philippine National Police
Local Laws:
* Please remember that you are subject to the local laws of the host country you are in.
Your local laws in your own country do not apply here in Philippines, so in case you find yourself in trouble with the PNP/Philippine National Police, etc - always have the contact numbers of your State Department/Embassy on your person at all times, and also leave those numbers with your Family & friends in your own country, and also with your hotels in Cebu & Bantayan.
Your Embassy or Consulate can not & will not "get you out of jail", but they can assist you in recommending English speaking council, alerting your Family, and begin a process of assisting you to resolve your issues.
Before coming to the Philippines, you should register your visit with your Embassy and provide them with all your hotel numbers and the number of your mobile phone - US residents can easily do this online at the US State Department website, before they leave the USA, or anytime after arriving in the Philippines:
www.travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/
* Before you leave your country, make a hi-resolution scan on your computer of your Passport & drivers license - make sure it's a 300dpi hi-res scan, and print several copies on 5x7 photo paper; keep 2 copies with you, and leave a copy with your Family in your home country in case of emergency.
I've even used my 5x7 copy as ID when at money changers in Cebu & here on Bantayan, while my Passport was at Immigration in Mandaue, Cebu for a VISA extension.
US State Department, Manila: 2-528-6300 (as dialed from within Philippines)
Police on Bantayan Island:
There are Police Departments here in Santa Fe, Bantayan Town & Madridejos, with uniformed PNP/Philippine National Police Officers present 24 hours a day, and most times they might be dressed down in a t-shirt & camo pants - but make no mistake, they are fully-empowered PNP Police Officers who can arrest and jail you if you commit a crime here.
The jail cells in Santa Fe look like bad Turkish prison cells from 100 years ago, so behave yourself - thankfully the Santa Fe Jail is almost always empty, as it's very safe here.
There are also jails just as nice in Bantayan Town & Madridejos.
Santa Fe Police landline: 032-438-9096 (as dialed from any Philippine phone)
Santa Fe Police mobile: 0919-827-7637 (as dialed from your Philippine mobile phone)
The Philippines may have some serious crime issues throughout the big Provinces, most notably in the southern Mindanao Province and especially in all the bigger cities, but that's what makes Bantayan Island so very special as it's very & quiet safe here - nothing really happens here, so Bantayan has almost none of the major crime issues of the bigger cities on the mainland.
My personal feeling has always been that Island Life is slower here than on the main land, and one really has to make a serious effort to get ones self into trouble here - so just enjoy the Island, use your common sense and be respectful to those around you and you shouldn’t have any issues - Bantayan Island is a very beautiful, quiet & safe place.
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