It’s been over two years since I wrote the first edition of this Manila travel guide. I decided to write it after hearing more than one foreigner describe Manila as the scariest city they’ve ever visited. I don’t know where they stayed or what happened that made them say that, but it inspired me to write a travel guide that put traveler safety first. I certainly didn’t want anyone visiting my home city and having a negative or even traumatic experience.

But the thing is, focusing so much on safety inadvertently put my city in a negative light. Without meaning to, I may have made it seem worse than it actually was. Sure, we have our share of taxi scammers and purse snatchers, but don’t many destinations around the world have those too? Surely Manila isn’t worse than any other third world metropolis? I wanted tourists to have fun in Manila but I realized after some time that putting so much emphasis on traveler safety wasn’t the right approach. It shed light on the negative instead of focusing on the positive aspects of my city and Filipinos in general.

Many travel bloggers have come to Manila and fallen in love with my city and its people, so much so that some of them are actually considering moving here. And they all said the same thing – when you’re here, you’re family. We Filipinos are known for our hospitality. Travel safety is a concern no matter where you go, but the chance to be welcomed like family isn’t something you can find just anywhere. I wanted the new edition of this guide to be a reflection of that.