Guards

Guards are everywhere. You see them guarding everything. They guard bookstores, coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, malls, office buildings, and obviously banks. And they ALL have GUNS! The size of the gun seems to directly relate to the responsibility of the place he (or she for that matter) is guarding. The guards that guard places like Starbucks have an average size gun. A pistol. I guess this is just in case some tries to steal a coffee. The guards guarding banks on the other hand have HUGE guns. Massive pump-action shotguns. Huge bullets for those bank robbers!

When I had my first trip to the Philippines back in 2001 I was actually a little freaked out by all the guards. It really makes you feel less safe about a country when there's more guards. At least for me. You see, no guards tells me the streets are safe and no guards are necessary. On the other hand, LOTS of guards tells me this is one dangerous country. The guards are really needed. Guards guarding malls even check you to see if you're smuggling in guns and bombs at the entrance. How is this suppose to make a tourist feel safe?

Time passed and after I ventured to the Philippines several times I started to think differently about the guards. The guards are the friendly faces that greet you everywhere. They open doors for you, they give you directions when needed, and they'll always, always wish you well with a 'good morning sir', 'good afternoon sir', or a 'good evening sir'. They're not guards, they're like Wal-Mart greeters! Wal-Mart greeters with GUNS!

I don't know if the guns have ever been used to shoot someone but I'm not about to steal a coffee and find out!