Ozamiz City

Hi  ,a bit  of a difference between  pattaya and ozamis  , i dont know of expats in ozamis  but there are several in cagayan de oro   area   -can let you know  how to contact them by pm   .

I decided to change my relocation plans to Ozamiz City. I will be there up to a year than move to cagayan de oro.

Abu Seyif is active in the area...You must be very careful there...Big radical Muslim population

welcome to the Philippines. I don't live in ozamiz, but im in Cagayan do oro (cdo)

Thanks Tommieboy. Looking forward to Cagayan de Oro and we will visit there often. I'm not looking looking forward to Ozamiz but will make the most of it. Hope there is beach property available for either renting or purchase in Cagayan.

vetretreat wrote:

Abu Seyif is active in the area...You must be very careful there...Big radical Muslim population

I lived there for a year no problem at all. Its not a big muslim area at all. Yes you have to always be aware of your surroundings. But I never felt threatened or in danger at all, ever.

Thank you for the encouraging news about Ozamiz City.

If you are American, Mindinao is definitely not safe; even in DAVAO...

ive lived in a few cities in mindanao and never felt unsafe here. zamboanga and a few other places are off limits, but most of Mindanao is just as safe as Luzon or Visayas

tommieboy999 wrote:

ive lived in a few cities in mindanao and never felt unsafe here. zamboanga and a few other places are off limits, but most of Mindanao is just as safe as Luzon or Visayas

That's why the US Embassy recommends limited travel to anywhere on Mindinao..

that's because they use the entire 'Mindanao'  to cover all their bases.. but im sure people that live here will tell you the same thing as me.. most cities in Mindanao are as safe as anywhere else in the Philippines. maybe you just have a problem with muslims.. if your not looking for trouble, you will be fine here

I do not have concerns about living in Ozamiz City and look forward to meeting  as many new friends there as possible. Most cities in the USA are full of different races of people and religions so that will not be a factor with me. The services such as banks, medical, medicine, immigration and necessities will be of importance. Also if Blue Cross Blue Shield of Philippines will be widely accepted there. It is understood that trips to larger cities might be required if I cannot find something or have a service in Ozamiz. Also, I understand about the brownouts there and that will not be pleasant. I will just have to make the most of my new life. I am looking for new friends in Ozamiz and in the Philippines.

vetretreat wrote:

If you are American, Mindinao is definitely not safe; even in DAVAO...

who says ?  what info do you have to back this up?   have you ever been there?   btw  -name of island is mindanao

you will be fine here in Mindanao.. try not to listen to the negative expats on some blogsites. I have many expat friends that live here and none of us have ever had problems with muslims or n.p.a. or abu sayyeff.   however I don't drink or go to clubs/ bars so I tend to always stay away from  trouble areas.   the best hospital in the Philippines is St. Lukes in manila.. im not sure about how good the hospitals are elsewhere because I have not had first hand experience (thank goodness).

haha.. yes! if you cant even spell it, you probably have never been here!

greenetravel wrote:

vetretreat wrote:

If you are American, Mindanao is definitely not safe; even in DAVAO...

who says ?  what info do you have to back this up?   have you ever been there?   btw  -name of island is mindanao

The info to back it up is posted by the U.S. State Department which means it only applies to American Expats..You can check it online....Not from other countries...Americans are targeted by Abu Seyef and other radical Muslim groups opposed to the USA...There has been US Citizens already kidnapped on Mindanao and killed in previous years and with the ever growing hatred by these Al Queda backed groups I myself would be concerned...My advice is be extremely careful if you are American and never flaunt your wealth while living there...

south catabato.. zamboanga.. jolo and a few other places in Mindanao is where the trouble is.. but you shouldn't say that all of Mindanao is unsafe for expats.  its just not true.  of course we all need to be catious no matter where we go in the Philippines.  my advice would be to speak with other expats that live in Mindanao and you can get a sense of the safe areas as well as areas to stay away from.

there have been americans killed in america too ,does the usa have a warning for foreigners not to go there?   ,most countries have warnings against  the affected parts of mindanao   ,there are dangerous places all over the world   ,doesnt mean we cant travel   -u need to have some proper information  before you can say   its unsafe to go somewhere   .

There are only a few expats in Ozamiz City. It's such a small city that you can just tour around for 30 minutes and that's the end of it. I have to say...it's a dangerous place for foreigners. Robbery/Drug rate is very high. I prefer going to neighboring city [Cagayan de Oro/CDO] which is a 4 four hour drive from Ozamiz.  Expats are overflowing there.

by the way...I should know coz I'm from Mindanao. Born and raised in Ozamiz. I traveled to Davao, Zamboanga, Basilan...etc. The more you go to the west part of mindanao, the more dangerous it is. I still remember going to  General Santos using Cotabato route..a lot of military posts and camps. They would seize the buses and let all the men inspected for bombs or any other form of weaponry. The worst experience I had was when my family was confronted by the Abu Sayaf [known terrorist group in the Philippines]when we got lost in the fields. My dad could speak muslim so we were let go. Ozamiz is situated in the northern west of Mindanao. It's a safe place but I would not recommend it to a foreigner. It's a bit  close to the danger zone. I knew some American business men who got killed in my city before. A bombing occurred in Ozamiz port before. Our Mayor is a drug lord. He was very hard to removed from office. 
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Thank you for the insight. Think I will not move to Ozamiz after all. My fiancee will join me in the US for a while and then we move back to the Philippines. I think we will live somewhere else away from the danger zone.

No but several Countrys now warn there citizens to avoid American police if possable.  Do to sudden pain & death's that have happened. I belive Germany did so just last week after one of there citizens was stopped here.

greenetravel wrote:

there have been americans killed in america too ,does the usa have a warning for foreigners not to go there?   ,most countries have warnings against  the affected parts of mindanao   ,there are dangerous places all over the world   ,doesnt mean we cant travel   -u need to have some proper information  before you can say   its unsafe to go somewhere   .

Where are you from Greentravel and are you yourself of the Muslim religion...That may be the reasons for your responses as they are...Sure there are many Americans killed in America but most of those are drug related...The majority of American who travel to the Philippines do not fall into that category and with that being said they are not wanting to be killed by some radical ideological religious terrorists group...

gworsham wrote:

Thank you for the insight. Think I will not move to Ozamiz after all. My fiancee will join me in the US for a while and then we move back to the Philippines. I think we will live somewhere else away from the danger zone.

Good move gworsham...I used to talk to a girl on FilipionCupid from Ozamiz and she told me if I came to see her there I would have to be very careful because of the large Muslim population there with some of which have ties with Abu Seyef...

vetretreat wrote:

greenetravel wrote:

there have been americans killed in america too ,does the usa have a warning for foreigners not to go there?   ,most countries have warnings against  the affected parts of mindanao   ,there are dangerous places all over the world   ,doesnt mean we cant travel   -u need to have some proper information  before you can say   its unsafe to go somewhere   .

Where are you from Greentravel and are you yourself of the Muslim religion...That may be the reasons for your responses as they are...Sure there are many Americans killed in America but most of those are drug related...The majority of American who travel to the Philippines do not fall into that category and with that being said they are not wanting to be killed by some radical ideological religious terrorists group...

Dont think it matters where in from or what my religion is   ,  was 9/11 drug related  or all the school shootings etc  that happen?   as i mentioned have been to mindanao several times  and you would have more chance of being killed  in a road accident  or some other incident  than by terrorists   as the many expats that live there would tell you  but since you have never been there  or probably dont intend   to -better stick to those places that  girls on filipino cupid tell you that are safe

i have been to ozamis  -even if it was only for a short time   -it isnt too far from illigan   ,here is a blog by an american that visited illigan several times   http://bobnewyorkusa.blogspot.ie/       ,   some filipinos from  manila are probably as relucant to go mindanao as foreginers are   because  they havent been informed   properly   .

Davao is the safest city the entire region unless you have wrongdoind then for sure you are not safe in Davao even in daylight.

It is very safe in Ozamis my friend. We have Robinhood type of group there. I used to travel the whole Mindanao it is only Maguindanao that is not safe. Expats are all around the country anyway volunteers, priest, missionaries and tourists. People can speak English even children and they are warm and friendly. Big cities of the entire country are Metro Manila, Davao, Metro Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. Come and mingle with the people and you will be at home with hospitality.

tommieboy999 wrote:

south catabato.. zamboanga.. jolo and a few other places in Mindanao is where the trouble is..

Add Sulu to the list, especially if you are a marine.

May be moving to Ozamiz soon. My wife is from there
Interested in meeting any Americans or other expats living there
On FB under Bill Levine or email [email protected]
Currently living in Cebu

No matter where you go not only ozamis just be carefull.

Mialena64 wrote:

No matter where you go not only ozamis just be carefull.

Being American and if any radical Muslims are in the area and they know you are from the US you can bet your bottom dollar they will be monitoring you and your family...If not from the US probably no real concern unless you are rich and flaunt it...

You did right!
I was born in Mialen near Ozamis . Moved to NZ in 1977. I go for a holiday in my birthday place 4x a year. I don't have any fear of going back and fort there. Like what you said if you showing you got lots of money for sure they are after you.

I tend to keep a low profile and do not give an indication of having money. I think Ozamiz is an enjoyable place with a lot of hard working people. Comparable with the USA, people tend to not want to work hard and rather rob and steal. It is dangerous  where I live and people have to be careful.